The fight I have fought, the course I have finished, the faith I have kept. Now the crown of righteousness laid upon me.
A broken soul, dragging his weary body traversed an endless snowfield and arrived at its final destination.
"I have reached the end... Is this my destination?"
It felt as if the journey have lasted far too long.
Having abandoned the idea of being 'Hero of Justice' and instead choosing 'The happiness of those arround oneself' the man who have burned through his body and soul for this cause have reached the end he deserved.
"Ah... What a journey it has been... Like chasing the moon under an eternal night... "
He closed his eyes and his life started to flash before him, his previous life where he fought the fifth Holy Grail war alongside Artoria and end that inhuman war. Then accidentally crossed into another reality where his principles, his ideals were throughly broken.
Little by little his lingering soul began to fall, as if sinking into endless void.
The man named Shirou Emiya, his journey seems to reach an end.
...
[Pov: Shirou]
As I opened my eyes, I'm greeted by a vast expanse of pure white but, at the same time... There was also nothingness.
As if the white was just a product of my brain trying to make sense of this incredibly preplexing scene.
Inexplicably, I could also feel a presence in this expance, one both larger than earth at the same time, smaller than an atom.
Wierd... Did I fall into some kind of singularity?
"How thoughtless of me, to forget that mortals can't percive the void nor my existence. Allow me to correct my mistake."
A voice resounds in my head. Incorporeal, yet crystal clear, as if it were my own thoughts.
The scene then changes into a gorgeous landscape. One of rolling green hills with mountains, blending into the blue sky beyond.
A light breeze brushes against my back as I turned, a table and two chairs were silently put next to me.
Okay. I'm probably dreaming as I saw a etheral woman sat on the chair opposite of me, with her face completely devoid of any expressions.
Pure white skin, long silver hair and a pair of red irises. She remind me of Illyasveil.
"This should be better no? Now come sit Shirou Emiya or should I say Shirou Fujimaru."
Ah... My name before being adopted by Kiritsugu. "Shirou Emiya is fine as I was called by this name my whole life."
"We have much to talk about and we have an infinite time to do so as the sense of time is meaningless here, but I imagine you have many questions about your situation so ask away."
"Uh, I see. I-Is this a dream?" I finally stammer out as I take my seat.
"No. This is reality. Although this may just confuse you further, you are currently in my plane of existence." She says.
'Plane of existence'...?
What was she on about?
"I see. Then… is this some reincarnation setting? Did I die and be offered a chance to live again in another world?" I say in a joking manner.
My mind was still somewhat foggy as if I had just awoken from a long nap.
Did I finally achieve it? Lucid dreaming?
But I had stopped trying to years ago…
The beautiful woman then smiles slightly as if amused.
"You are not far from the truth. However, this situation is not quite as simple as those you are thinking of, nor did I do this on some whim." She says.
Uhh… I see.
"You did most certainly die, Shirou Emiya. At the young age of 29 from overehausting your body and soul."
She looks a mix of amused and almost… disappointed.
For some reason, I feel a little embarrassed at that gaze.
Wait, was this real!?
No… it can't be, right?
But if this was real… did I actually die?
Well… at least I didn't leave anything behind.
Yes, I found life on Earth to be extremely boring.
Or perhaps 'empty' better describes it.
Being forced to throw away my ideals leaving me as a husk of my former self as I tried to get, well, everything in order.
But I was just too tired.
Too tired to interact with people, too tired to care.
I was only able to find a minuscule amount of solace in magecraft and exercise.
Being able to change my boring life… getting a second chance… this must really be a dream, huh?
As childish as it may be, I've always wanted to reincarnate into a fantasy world where I don't have to carry these burdens.
The hot girls, cool treasures, and all that sounded nice, but I really admired, or rather envied, the ability to defy the mortal constraints of modern life.
Through hard work and dedication, being able to grow strong enough to make an impact, without the need for money, connections, or luck…
Dammit, I really hope this wasn't a dream.
After all, what awaited me in the future, even if my probable depression was fixed?
Taxes, declining wages, general boredom…
Being able to escape those aspects of modern-day life would be amazing.
But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Shirou.
After all, if I end up being some weakling in front of Berserker or some shit, I was better off just sending my soul to the afterlife as I feel too tired to live that kind of life.
"I do have some basic questions… Who are you? Where am I being reincarnated? And why am I being reincarnated?" I asked the being I can only assume to be a deity.
She takes a long look at my face, almost long enough for it to be uncomfortable, before responding.
"Before I answer, I should correct a misconception. You are not being reincarnated but rather transmigrated. You will arrive in the new world with the body of your 13-year-old self."
13-year-old self, huh?
That was when I was at my starters as far as my body goes.
When I constantly trained for projection magic and cooking, when I still had the idea of my adopted father, Kiritsugu make proud by walking along his footsteps…
The being then continued as I contemplated.
"As for who I am… I hold no name. But in your words, I would be a god. But you see, unlike many of your monotheistic beliefs, there are an infinite number of gods. One for each world in each tier." She says.
Or would it be an 'it'?
For the sake of convenience, she's a she.
But what was that stuff she just said?
"Hold up. Are you saying there are infinite worlds? And what do you mean by 'tier'?" I ask.
She takes another uncomfortably long look at me.
…I really wish she would stop that.
"That huh? I suppose this knowledge is fine for you to learn, though you will forget every conversation happening here with me once you start your new life so do you want to know?"
I nod my head quickly at her intense glare.
"Your world, Earth, is considered the origin which is connected to the root. The origin of worlds and souls. The Creator of Souls, as their name implies, creates souls, and then sends the souls to begin their infinite journey from Earth as the starting point."
"Wait… we're the first? And by 'Journey'... does that mean these souls go through reincarnation? Then what about the heroic spirits who resides in the throne of heroes?"
"The 'Heroic Spirits' you know are mere copy of the souls at their peak made by world consciousness to become a 'tool'"
I was shocked to know about that truth. "Then why did I transfered to a parallel self previously?"
"You were stumbled upon a soul exchange magic formation to put it in your terms, it's some kind of application of second magic."
"Representation of the Second Magic, Kaleidoscope, the Operation of Parallel Worlds."
"Correct. Now the infinite worlds and 'tiers' of said worlds are bound together, and while there are an infinite number of worlds, they do not exist on the same level. Rather, worlds are created from the 'stories' of the world a tier above them. For example, the stories that are told on Earth, such as the the novels you read are the glimpse of each new world of the tier below the origin, which is the '1st tier'."
She twirls her finger around a strand of hair before continuing.
"There are not infinite worlds on the 1st tier, although there are many, too many to count in a single lifetime. Rather, each of these worlds creates its own fictional stories that create more worlds, and thus, the cycle continues infinitely."
I see.
…Kind of.
This was almost… unbelievable.
No, it definitely was unbelievable.
Content with my silence, she continues.
"Each of these worlds holds a god that cleanses the souls upon death of their memories and allows them to continue their journey to a world of the next tier. This is an extremely important job that ensures the level of divinity of each world, which is primarily cultivated through souls of said world, remains within the proper limits."
Wait, so was I about to be neuralized!?
"I am the god of Earth, though I do not grant miracles nor affect the mortal realm in any way as your religions believe. I only cleanse the souls of the dead and guide them to their next life in a 1st tier world. I am but the first cog in the great cycle of rebirth."
Wow… that was… a lot.
"I understand. Then, rather than calling you a 'God', you're more like a manager of souls? Making sure the 1st tier worlds have a good level of souls?" I clarify.
"Precisely."
Huh. She sounds almost… impressed.
"As for what 'World' you will be reincarnated to, it will be the world of 'Danmachi'. Right as the plot begins."
Huh? Danmachi?
As for why, it is due to the Black Dragon. Its existence is unnatural and destroys the soul and absorb the Ather which is the core of a soul that is normally released to the world upon death when it kills, disrupting the balance."
Wait wait wait-!