I, Jonas was your utterly average sixteen-year-old.
Strict but loving parents? Check.
Smart but way too lazy to actually use it? Double check.
It was a regular afternoon. I was walking home from school, eyes glued to my phone screen, completely engrossed in a Harry Potter fanfic.
Then...
CRASH!
My world went completely blank.
Pain. Immense, unimaginable pain. It tore through my spine, ripped up my neck, shattered my legs, pierced my heart, and finally, exploded in my brain.
My eyes snapped open. The sheer agony forced me awake.
My vision was dyed a gruesome crimson. I was lying flat on the asphalt, scraping my cheek against the road. Just a few feet away, a massive truck lay toppled on its side.
Heh, I thought hazily, my mind surprisingly calm as my vision began to fade. What a super cliché way to die. The infamous Truck-kun claims yet another soul.
Suddenly, a biting cold consumed me.
My consciousness vanished.
Time lost its meaning. A millennium could have passed, or maybe just a second.
When I finally 'woke up', I was floating in an endless expanse of pitch-black darkness. All around me, an uncountable number of glowing white orbs drifted infinitely in the void.
Souls?
I reached out toward the nearest orb. But the moment my fingers brushed close to it—
BZZT!
I instantly snapped back to my original position. It was as if some invisible law of the universe had pinned me in place. I wasn't allowed to move.
Slowly, agonizingly, time ticked on. One by one, the glowing spheres around me began to dim. They faded into nothingness, erased from existence.
Soon, I was the only light left in the endless dark.
Then—
FLASH!
A blinding white light eradicated the darkness. When my vision finally adjusted, a massive orb of pure, terrifying light loomed before me. An oppressive, suffocating aura radiated from it, crushing down on my soul.
But just as quickly as the pressure arrived, it vanished.
The giant orb shrank, morphing and shifting until... an old man in a pristine white suit sat before me. He was relaxing at a coffee table, casually sipping from a delicate teacup.
"Young man," the old man said, his voice echoing with strange authority as he placed his cup onto its saucer. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable and introduce yourself?"
I hesitated, then slowly approached the empty chair and sat down. A steaming cup of peppermint tea was waiting on the table. I took a sip. It was glorious.
"Excuse me, mister, but who exactly are you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "And what's happening? I thought I died. Am I going to be erased like those other orbs? They were souls, right?"
"Haha!" The old man chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "You are taking this much more casually than I had expected."
He leaned forward, his expression turning a fraction more serious.
"Here is the truth. Every time a Traveler dies, a selection takes place within the Megaverse to choose a new one. They are granted the ultimate ability: to travel across the Omniverse. Your job is to prevent other beings from breaking omniversal barriers—entities like the One Above All from the Marvelverse, for example."
Wait.
Omniverse? Travelers? Marvelverse?!
Excitement exploded in my veins like fireworks. Traveling to fictional worlds? Anime? Books?!
"Okay, I get it!" I leaned across the table, practically vibrating. "How do I use my ability?!"
I must have looked like a golden retriever begging for a treat, complete with an imaginary wagging tail and glowing puppy-dog eyes.
Realizing my embarrassing outburst, I quickly schooled my expression, coughing into my fist as my face burned red.
"Ahem. Sorry," I muttered. "But... what should I call you? Are you God, or something?"
The old man burst into a hearty laugh. "It's okay, it's okay! It is only natural to be excited. As for your question, I am no measly god, and I do not possess a name. You may simply call me the 'Will of the Megaverse'. Or 'Will' for short."
Will of the Megaverse?
My brain stalled. I had read enough webnovels to know about Random Omnipotent Beings (ROBs), but the Megaverse itself pulling the strings?
"Okay, Will," I said, my inner gamer taking over. "Do I get wishes, too? Or am I just getting tossed out to raw-dog the multiverse with nothing but this travel ability?"
"Ah... yes. I seem to have forgotten that part." Will rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You actually have two options."
I leaned in. Here we go.
"Option One: You fully awaken the travel ability immediately," Will explained. "You can travel between omniverses once every single day."
"And Option Two?"
"A restricted version. You must meet specific conditions to unlock a named fictional verse or a random alien universe." Will smiled mysteriously. "But in exchange for this restriction... you receive three wishes for cheat abilities."
I didn't even need to ponder the choice.
A slow grin spread across my face.
"So..." I smirked, much to Will's amusement. "Can we do my wishes first?"