Become The Martyr

It’s white.

It’s all so white.

Why can’t I see anything but this whiteness?

I guess it’s true then, I’m dead.

But is this all there is?

“You were always a smart one” I hear a voice say. The face of my grandfather reveals itself before me.

“Are you really my grandfather?” I reply.

“I always found it made the person I was talking to calmer if I appeared as someone they knew. Did it work?”

“I suppose. But obviously you’re not my grandfather then that would make you?”

“Oh, you’re a smart girl who else would be here in this celestial plane?” he retorts.

“WHAT? You’re God?”

“In the flesh…well, astrally speaking of course.”

“God umm … I mean Almighty One … um … it’s great to meet you and all but, if I’m dead then why am I here?”

“Oh, please you don’t be so formal and relax a bit. Have a seat and drink some tea.”

A square table appears in front of us which had a cup of tea atop it. I sit down and relax. God joins me in sitting across from me.

“Let’s hold that thought on why you’re here for a bit, ok. Let me pose a question to you first. What was the last thing you remember happening?”

“O…ok? Um… the last thing I remember besides my memories and my longing to see Shinichi again… oh that boy. Did he live?”
“Ah there we go. Yes, he lived despite a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder. He won’t be throwing any baseballs like he used to anymore. You really threw all your strength into saving him. Good job with that.”

“Oh well I’m glad one of us lived, even if it was kind of his fault.” I retorted but not so much as to seem disrespectful.

“I assure you the incident was going to have a negative outcome either way sadly. You see, your sacrifice was very important to the future of humankind.”

HUH? No way? I’m just a college student! I’m not that important. I just wanted to get married, start my career and have a couple of kids eventually.”

“Oh, but I assure you, you were more influential than you think. That boy, or rather first year high school student, you saved, his name is Takahiro Gotou by the way, having you save him from death changes his life dedicating himself to not wasting the chance you gave him. As a result, he drops his pursuits of becoming the next big baseball star and dedicates his life to his engineering studies. In the years following he paves the way for advancements in robotics and interstellar travel. His decedents continue on his work and eventually achieve travel and colonization on a nearby habitable planet.”

“Wow but did I have to really have to die for that to happen?”

“Sadly yes. It needed to be really impactful to put him on the right path.”

“But what about Shinichi? We were supposed to be married after we graduated. I really want to be with him.”

“This is where we need to discuss your original question.”

“Oh, you mean why am I here?”

“Correct. I see him going down one of two paths and only you can help me with.”

“Help…you? But, you’re GOD. How can I do something you can’t?”

“Oh, I can do it but I think it would be best to have you be able to see him again and hopefully have him put on the right path as well. You see he also is able to accomplish some minor biotechnological feats and in turn his future children pick up his advances and help the biological side of man’s journey to the stars alongside Takahiro’s engineering efforts.”

“I wish it was me who gave birth to that child for Shinichi.” I let out a small sigh.

“I have a role for you to still play if you still wish to do so.” God interjected while patting my head comfortingly.

“But I’m dead and I’m pretty sure my body has already been burned. Are you gonna send me to some other world to be their hero or something like that?”

“This isn’t some isekai light novel or anime. I have my hands full enough with this universe to worry about others. I don’t need to take on a bunch of false realities made up of nonsensical fantasy lands.”

“I’m sorry I mentioned it.” I hastily apologized.

“That’s ok. I do have a somewhat strict law of nature I try to uphold in regards to this world. Those stories tend to throw all of that out the window and disregard all the hard work I had done in favor of absurdity. But, that’s neither here nor there. Let’s get down to the task at hand. I have you here before me because I need you to again interfere in the flow of events.”

“Interfere in the flow of events?” I reply inquisitively.

“Yes, while I do have my previously mentioned laws of nature somethings people experience tends to be mistaken as going against them. A case in point is those who have interacted with ghosts.”

“Ghosts? So, ghosts, are you?” I reply confusedly.

“No but they are a divine spirit blessed by me and sent back to the world to set the course of events right when something is requiring a special touch that only those connected to the person is able to do. As far as you are concerned, I see that Shinichi is on a rather poor pathway and not befitting of the future I mentioned earlier and is needing something to get him back on the proper course.”

“Oh, I think I get it. So, you want me to try to get him back on his way I take it?”

“You were always a bright one. I need you to see your beloved and try to get him back on the right path. Also, there seems to be some problem in regards to Takahiro as well. It seems he is mostly on track but is still not quite there. I need you to figure out what it is.”

“Sure, I mean you are god and you are giving me a chance to see Shinichi one more time so I am grateful for that. I’m still not sure what I can do once I’m there. I mean I will be still just a ghost after all.”

“Oh, I won’t just throw you out there with no proper tools. I will give to you seven blessings or miracles if you will. These will allow you to manifest whatever you will need to help you accomplish your mission. The rules for these are simple. As I stated earlier, I like to keep the laws of nature as intact as possible. So, no wishing to making a cat into a human companion for example.”

“Heh, that would certainly cause an uproar if a catgirl were to suddenly appear I suppose. I got it, no outrageous ideas that upset the laws of nature.”

“I’m not really saying that. You will be tested to use your wits and tackle the problems before you. The goal is to not make the unbelievably impossible…manifest itself, got it?”

“Ok, Got it. But what if I do for some reason make a request that would be considered as such?”

“Then it won’t happen. Easy as that. However, be very careful with these as once you expend your seventh blessing, you will be done and you will find yourself back here. So, it would be best to use the last one once you feel you have completed your mission, got it?”

“Yes, I believe so.” I replied assuredly.

“Eh? Are you sure? I don’t want you to have any doubts as to what you are supposed to do.”

“No, I know I have to get Shinichi and Takahiro back on course and I have seven blessings to use to assist me.”

“Right, you will have some minor abilities you can use that I will let you figure out as you go along. They’ll become obvious to you once the situation arises. Do you have any ideas on where to start?”

“Well, I suppose I need to see what’s the deal with both of them so I will probably observe them and decide what the best course of action is.”

“Right then it seems you have things in order. Hold out your hand, here are your blessings. I believe the shape of these hold a significant relevance for you.”

I hold out my hand and, in the palm, instantly appear seven 10-Yen coins.

If there was any doubt that this was God then the fact that only me and Shinichi had the bond with this coin.

“Thank you so much. I won’t let you down and thank you so much for letting me see him again.” I say to him with tears starting to come down my cheeks.

“Please don’t cry my child. As I stated to you earlier you are more important than you realize even though you are no longer alive. Now go and see this man you loved so much and put his mind at ease and back on the right path.”

God comes up to me and puts his hand on my face over my eyes.

The darkness of closing my eyes turns to the same bright light I experienced when I arrived.