This was certainly a first for the goddess.
Yeah, she fell into the monotony of her job but it was because it was a pretty straightforward process.
Selfless souls who’ve recently died show up, and she reincarnates them into a new world—with the occasional overpowered ability of course.
But he stood below her, defiant as steel, asking—no, demanding—to be sent back.
"Uhhh..." She spoke after what felt like an hour long stare. "Do you realise you’re dead? Like you died minutes ago, your body and everything is inseparable from the pavement."
"I don’t care."
"Except that’s not how that works."
"Make an exception."
She raised her brow. "An exception?"
"Did you watch everything that happened back there?" Eli asked her, getting back to his feet.
"What part?"
"Everything... my entire life."
She winced slightly, it was typically kinda weird to admit you’d been watching someone without looking like a creep. "... Yes."
He took a step closer to the podium. "Then, you know how truly pathetic my life has been—I did everything right, I went to school, I got a job, I loved my highschool sweetheart and was about to turn her into my wife..."
"But then—" Eli’s voice broke slightly, his fingers digging into his palms. "Then she cheated on me. I never got promoted. Ha!" He let out a short sarcastic chortle. "I actually got fired, and you want to know why?"
It was an honest question, he asked with his hands outstretched and eyes wide open like a man who’d figured out the truth of the universe.
The goddess hesitated slightly, before leaning in and asking, "why?"
"Because I was born weak, and I thought playing by the rules makes the world fair to you—it doesn’t.
Supes are born powerful and are till assholes, my girlfriend Isabella was a nepo baby and she still did what she did, my boss knew firsthand how hard I worked and he still fired me.
What’s the common factor in all of this?"
He continued on like a lecturer but she didn’t answer him this time, just stared with all the curiosity in the world.
He continued. "The common factor was my stupidity in thinking karma worked for good people." He pointed a finger at her. "... Now send me back."
She sighed. Then in the next second appeared in front of Eli.
He didn’t jolt nor was he startled, he just looked her dead in the eye, after all, what’s the point of being scared when you’re thoroughly dead.
"It’s above my powers to bring you back into that realm—" He tired to argue but she raised a finger to stop him. "But... I think I do have a universe that’d suit you perfectly."
"Which is?"
"The Kings of Light have formed a coalition to defeat a friend in another world, the Demon King. Their armies prepare for war. Before long they will assault their kingdom’s borders. If they do assault, I am afraid they’ll will be defeated."
"Wait, aren’t you supposed to be a goddess?"
"I am." She replied simply. "Doesn’t mean I can’t have friends."
"They are not the ’good guys’ anyway, it’s all subjective" she said. "They seek to conquer the lands and exterminate all of demonkind."
He continued to stare.
"You do realize that I’m a human. Won’t I be fighting against my own kind?"
"I thought you said you didn’t care about fair anymore." She smiled. "There are humans amongst the Kings of Light. Though there are other races as well. However, I need someone with a human body."
"To do what?" I said. "Beat the shit out of all these Kings of Light?"
"Not quite," said Selena. "Your mission is more covert. You won’t do any beating—at least not of the violent kind. The Kings of Light possess great magical power. They can summon meteors, conjure storms, make the very bowels of the earth erupt. With their current strength, they cannot defeat them."
"And you want me to do what? Destroy their magical powers?"
"Yes."
Long awkward silence.
"Okay, listen. I’m grateful for you bringing me back to life. But I’m just a normal guy. I don’t know anything about magic. Or about how to weaken a king’s powers."
"Oh but you do," she said, a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. "You already know the pain of playing fair so I don’t need any sentimental hero bullshit."
Eli gulped. What could she possibly mean?
"You see ..." she uncrossed her arms. "The source of a king’s power comes not from some secret stone, talisman, or shrine.
Magic flows from the bond of love and trust that exists between a king and his wives. In Val’far, men wield power but
women provide it."
And just then, Eli burst into laughter.
"What is so funny?" she asked. "You’re the one who have the monologue about wanting power and hating fair."
"You’re joking right?" he said even as he saw no joke in her eyes. "You revived me from the dead to fuck the kings’ wives?"
"That is correct. Is there a problem?"
Despite his misgivings, Eli’s heart was beating with excitement. Could this really be happening?
He had died. But now he had been brought back and given a second chance. And his mission wasn’t to work a boring job but to fuck hot women behind their husband’s backs.
There had to be a catch.
"These queens. Are they ugly or something? Or have STDs?"
"No. And what’s an STD?"
He pondered.
"What happens if I say no?"
"You go back to being dead."
"So the choice is between (a) seducing and sleeping beautiful women and (b) going back to being dead."
"Yes."
It was the easiest decision he ever made.
"But..." She raised a golden finger in his face. "If you ever fall in love, do something selflessly heroic or, Goddess forbid, grow a heart, then you’ll be seeing me a lot sooner than intended."