Ron, once an orphan with nothing but the will to survive, began his journey as a common soldier, thrust into the chaos of countless wars and perilous battles. With unwavering courage, he faced many near-death situations but with relentless determination, he carved a path through blood and fire, earning glory, fame, and ultimately the rank of general.
For decades, he led men through the storm of war, his name becoming a symbol of strength and victory. Now, at 68, a retired officer is still capable of fighting. The medals on the wall across from him gleamed dully in the sunlight. Ron sits alone, weary and forgotten, awaiting the final silence of death with no one by his side to hear his last words.
As Ron drew his final breath, the world faded into darkness. Instead of final peace he is in an eternal, hollow void. His soul drifted aimlessly in a sea of black nothingness, where there is no ground beneath, no sky above, no cold, no heat, no sensation of any kind. He had no body to feel, he was a single conscious point of awareness who drifted in an infinite, starless sea. Here silence was absolute.
Time lost all meaning as he floated in silence, swallowed by the endless emptiness for what felt like countless years.
Then, without warning, a sound echoed through the void-deep, resonant, and unfamiliar, yet strangely commanding.
"Why are you here?"
Ron stirred, his formless essence reacting to the change.
"Who are you?" his voice echoed through the void.
A response followed, calm yet immense in presence. "I am Kaos, the universe itself."
Suddenly, an intense gaze felt like someone observing every strand of him.
"Hmm…You are from another Kaos, one that ceased to exist the moment you died. But by a twist of fate, you absorbed a fragment of cosmic energy during your final moments and you were drawn into a dimensional crack. Truly... lucky."
Ron, now stood, if standing was even possible…in the presence of something beyond comprehension and unknown.
In the vast silence that followed, Ron's voice trembled with a mix of awe and uncertainty. "Then… what happens to me now? Am I to be reborn, or something else?"
Kaos, the cosmic presence, responded with a calm yet immeasurable weight. "You have two choices, one, to be fully integrated into this universe, your soul dissolved into its essence. That would mark the true end of your existence."
A pause lingered, as if allowing Ron to grasp the gravity of the moment.
"Or," Kaos continued, "you may choose rebirth."
Ron's essence stirred at the word, hope and fear intertwining.
"But there is a price, you have absorbed fragments of cosmic energy residual remnants of the previous Kaos. They are unstable and dangerous to the universe and its balance. So, in exchange… I will take from you, your certain memories, and I will absorb these dangerous fragments you carry."
A moment passed before Kaos's voice rang again, more solemn and grand than before.
"In return for this offering, I shall grant you two wishes, but these wishes have limits, like you cannot wish for the fundamentally impossible or something that would make you a peer to the primordial forces of this universe from the moment of your birth. Choose wisely, for they will shape your path in ways you cannot yet imagine."
And in the endless dark, Ron was given the power to decide his fate.
For a long time, Ron kept silent or mumbling to himself and thinking about his wishes.
After a year of thinking, Ron asked cautiously, "Can I ask… what am I to be reborn as?"
Kaos responded without hesitation, its voice echoing like a cosmic tide. "There are currently three vessels forming, waiting for a soul to inhabit them. The first is a nameless Titan, born of might, destined for war. The second, a Nymph, child of nature and magic. The third… is a new god species, unknown to this universe, but destined to be called Hades."
The name stirred something in Ron. Hades the god of the underworld in Greek myth. A distant memory from his past life, a familiar name amidst the unknown. After a moment of silent thought, he spoke with clarity.
"I choose Hades, I know a little about him from the old stories and myths… It's the closest thing to familiar I have."
Kaos rumbled in approval. "Very well. Speak now your two wishes or powers to guide your rebirth."
Ron hesitated," Can I ask another…question?"
Koas answer him with a monotone voice, "Go on."
"How much of my memory will be lost?"
A moment after, a heavy voice arose, "Your identity, memory of all beings you met and knowledge of modern weapons and other dangerous knowledge like nuclear fusion. But you still carry skills and knowledge you gained in a previous life."
Ron waited for a minute, firming his mind and said, "I want black wings. Strong enough to act as both shield and sword. Ever since I was a kid, I loved the idea of black wings… something cool, menacing, powerful!!!."
Kaos acknowledged this with a silent hum, as if shaping destiny around the wish.
"And your second?".
Ron's voice grew more certain. "Mineral manipulation". He studied metals, rocks… the earth is covered with them. Most weapons are made from them. With that, he could control battlefields and control weapons themselves.
Kaos responded, its tone final and vast. "So it shall be. You shall be reborn as Hades, God of the Underworld, bearer of the Black Wings of Judgment and Master of all minerals. Your part of memories shall fade, but your essence… your will… shall remain."
And with that, the void began to crack with light ancient, divine, and filled with the birth of a god. Ron's journey was no longer over. It was just beginning.