"Huff… huff… hack!"
With a jolt, Gideon shot upright, coughing violently.
His head spun. His throat was dry. His hands kept clawing at his neck.
"There's… no rope. Where am I?"
He looked around. Tall trees. Endless green. A forest.
"Why?"
He forced himself to stand and began pacing.
"Okay. I hanged myself. And now I wake up here. That's… strange. Is this the afterlife? No, that doesn't make sense. Did I not actually die? Did I just pass out? Ridiculous… so then—"
His thoughts were cut off by a low growl.
A grizzly bear stood to his right, glaring, teeth bared.
Gideon froze. His heart pounded.
The bear roared and charged.
He ran, stumbled, and fell. He threw his arms up, bracing for death.
"Stay away!"
A woman's voice rang out. A heavy impact followed. Something slammed into the ground.
Slowly, Gideon opened his eyes.
Standing over him was a young woman with long pink hair and a busty figure. At her feet lay the bear—dead.
"Wha—"
"Hey. Are you okay? You know it's dangerous to wander this forest without proper protection or abilities."
"Huh?"
"Hello? Can you hear me? Are you deaf? Or maybe just stupid?"
"Don't call me that! What did you just do? What happened to that bear?"
"I killed it. Not that hard, so long as you can use Soul."
"Soul? What are you talking about? Lady, you've watched way too much anime. That's probably why you dyed your hair pink—to match the aesthetic."
"Anime? I don't know what that is. And I didn't dye my hair. This is natural," she said, running her hand through it.
"Well, whatever. I need to figure out what I'm doing here."
"You don't know?"
"No. I had… something happen, and then I woke up here."
"That's odd. What was this 'something'? What's the last thing you remember?"
Gideon bit his lip, glancing away.
"I… went to sleep, I guess you could say."
"Hmm. Maybe you sleepwalk?"
Gideon had never sleepwalked in his life.
"Well, if you don't mind, I can take you back to my place. It's convenient—you're not far from the city."
"I should be able to get back—"
No. That wasn't right. There was no forest near his city. If he had simply sleepwalked, how far could he have gone? And besides—he had hanged himself. There was no way he survived that, then just wandered off without anyone noticing.
None of this made sense.
And if he had died… this couldn't be the afterlife. The afterlife wasn't supposed to look like this—a busty pink-haired woman who could kill bears with ease in the middle of a fantasy forest.
He followed her. Together, they crossed a bridge and approached the city gates.
Two armored guards stood watch.
"Back already, Lala?" one asked.
"Yup," she replied cheerfully.
"Who's that with you?" the other asked.
"Some guy I saved from a bear."
The words stung. Unflattering, but true. Gideon grimaced and looked away.
"Well, alright. Go on through."
Inside, the city unfolded before him. Stone streets, bustling crowds, medieval architecture.
This could only mean one thing.
"I've been isekai'd," he muttered.
"Hmm? What's that?" Lala asked.
"No, nothing. Just thinking out loud."
This is great! This is great! This is great!
If he had been reincarnated into a new world, that must mean he was the chosen one. A savior. Maybe even a god. Surely he had some kind of overpowered ability.
"Hey, Lala, was it?"
"Yeah?"
"You mentioned Soul earlier. Is that some kind of magic or power?"
"You don't know about Soul?!" She stared in disbelief.
"Uh… no."
"Where are you from? Are you some kind of idiot?"
"Don't call me an idiot!" he snapped, surprising even himself with the anger in his voice.
"Jeez, didn't mean it like that. Anyways—Soul is basically the essence inside us. We can draw it out and use it in the physical world. But if you use too much Soul in a single day… you die."
"Die?"
"Yes."
"So if I use a lot today, I won't be able to tomorrow?"
"Not exactly. Soul replenishes with rest. But if you burn it out all at once, there's nothing left to replenish. That's when you die."
"How do you know when you're running low?"
"Easy—you'll feel it. Exhaustion. Like you're about to collapse. Trust me, I've pushed myself to the edge more than once. Usually in training. I'm surprised you don't know this. Didn't you go to school?"
Where Gideon came from, even the existence of a soul was debated. No one was teaching this.
"I'm not from here," he admitted.
Lala stopped in her tracks, narrowing her eyes.
"You're not with Arcturus, are you?"
"Huh?"
"Are you a spy?"
"No. I don't even know what Arcturus is. I don't even know where I am."
She studied him, then shrugged. "Alright. Sorry. Got a bit hostile."
"It's fine."
They continued until the glamorous city faded behind them, replaced by dirt roads and crumbling houses.
"Where are we going?" Gideon asked.
"To my place."
"You live here?"
She nodded.
She lives in poverty, he thought.
"Don't think I'm poor or anything," she snapped. "I stay with my Master. He lives around here."
"Ah… okay."
They arrived at a house. Unlike the others in the area, this one was well-kept.
Lala knocked. A gruff voice answered, "Come in."
Inside stood a short man with a long beard and a wooden staff.
A dwarf? Gideon thought.
"Who's that with you, Lala?" the man asked.
"Uh—what's your name?" she asked Gideon.
"Gideon."
"His name's Gideon," she said.
"You don't know him?"
"No. I met him in the forest. He was about to be eaten by a bear."
"Again with the unflattering introductions," Gideon muttered.
"Well, a friend of Lala's is a friend of mine."
"We're not friends," Gideon said flatly.
"What?! I thought we were!"
"What gave you that impression?"
"Well, I saved you from a bear, walked you to the city, taught you about Soul, and brought you to Master Noreen."
"I've known you for less than an hour."
Lala sighed. "Anyways, this is Master Noreen."
"Master? What makes him a Master?"
"He's been teaching me Soul. Teaching me to become powerful." She smirked with pride.
"More powerful, huh?"
"That's right," Noreen said. "I must. After all, I've been tasked with training the chosen one."
"The chosen one?"
"Yes. Lala here is the chosen one."
Gideon's mind shattered.