"You have suffered more than most, Justin Herass.
These gifts shall decide how far your new beginning takes you."
Justin blinked, his mind racing to process her words.
Three gifts? That was it?
Wasn't that kind of… stingy, considering he had just died and was going to be sent to some big shot world?
He looked at her, half-expecting an explanation, half-expecting divine customer service but Cian'va only smiled.
"Even I cannot go against destiny," she said gently. "The gifts I grant are not to change your fate, they are only to help you adapt to it."
"What are the gifts?" Justin asked.
The three gifts were free and unexpected anyway and it wasn't like he had earned them. Hell, he hadn't even expected a second chance, let alone divine freebies from some cosmic being.
So really, getting greedy now would be pointless.
Cian'va's smile widened.
"The first gift shall be simple," she said softly. "It is what I grant to all those I send to a different world after death…"
She paused.
"…and that is Information."
Her voice echoed gently… yet vast enough to fill the void.
"Information about the things that can kill you… and the things that may keep you alive. About words that must never be spoken and acts that must never be done."
Justin frowned.
How is information even a reward?
Couldn't I get it when I transmigrate anyway?
"I know what you're thinking, Justin," she said, her voice laced with quiet amusement.
"But not all knowledge can be taught. Some truths aren't shared, they're simply known. And in the world you're going to…"
Her tone dipped, gentle but chilling.
"…even ignorance of what should be common sense can get you killed."
Justin didn't really understand what she meant but then again, it wasn't like he had a choice. He couldn't exactly bargain with a cosmic being who was handing out freebies like divine charity.
Might as well nod, smile and pray he didn't end up with something weird.
Cian'va's voice softened into something almost reverent. "The second gift I shall grant you… is a Bloodline."
Justin blinked. A what now?
"The world I'm sending you to," she continued, "possesses a unique power system, one that revolves around the strength of one's blood and soul."
"To survive and adapt there, you must carry a bloodline as well." Her words were calm and absolute as if she was describing the law of gravity rather than rewriting his existence.
But of course, Justin had questions.
Wait… wouldn't that problem solve itself if she just dropped me into someone else's body?
Or is she planning to send me to my own corpse again? Because that would be kinda awkward.
Cian'va glanced at him as if understanding his thoughts.
"I am indeed transmigrating only your soul into another body," she said gently. "But a bloodline is not something confined to flesh alone. It is tied as deeply to the soul as it is to the body."
Her wings flickered.
"So no, you cannot inherit the bloodline of the body's previous owner. The two would reject one another… violently."
Justin's shoulders stiffened but curiosity still made its way past the unease.
He swallowed, meeting her glowing gaze.
"So… which bloodline will I receive?"
His voice came out steadier than he felt.
Cian'va's eyes began to glow, soft at first, then brighter, until they burned like twin stars. With a single snap of her fingers, a glowing orb appeared before her.
Then another.
And another.
The process continued until the air around them was filled with light. Countless orbs floated in the white void, some large, some small.
Some shone with dazzling brilliance while others pulsed faintly, dim and almost dying.
They drifted and swirled around her like a living constellation. Each one hummed with power and each one felt… alive.
"These," Cian'va said, her voice echoing softly through the void, "are the eligible orbs you may choose from."
She gestured gracefully and the luminous spheres began to drift around Justin in slow, deliberate motion.
"Each one carries a bloodline, some strong, others weak. You need only choose one, and it shall become yours, regardless of its rank or power."
She paused, her seven wings unfurling.
"But do not worry if your choice seems weak, Justin Herass… for the world of Cosmos is vast, a place overflowing with danger and opportunity alike. Even the smallest ember may become a sun… if it burns long enough."
Justin nodded slowly. He had always sucked at guessing games but hey, what were the chances of picking a dud out of this many options?
Still, he wasn't dumb enough to rush it. One by one, he examined the orbs. Some glowed bright like newborn stars, others pulsed faintly, their light flickering in and out like dying embers.
He squinted, trying to see something, a pattern, a sign or anything that might tell him which one was worth gambling his new life on.
But the more he looked, the more he realized, it couldn't be that simple. If all it took was choosing the biggest or brightest orb, Cian'va wouldn't have bothered setting up this little cosmic lottery in the first place.
After what felt like hours of sifting through glowing orbs, Justin finally gave up. He had looked at big ones, small ones, ones that burned like suns and others that barely flickered. None of them felt right.
Through it all, Cian'va didn't say a single word.
She simply watched, her expression unchanged. It was as if time itself had paused for her… as if eternity was nothing more than another passing breath.
But the same couldn't be said for Justin. He had long since run out of patience. So, with a weary sigh, he pointed toward a bright crimson orb of decent size, neither too big nor too small, glowing with a heartbeat-like pulse.
He didn't know if it was special.
He didn't care anymore.
He was tired and honestly, he just wanted this divine shopping trip to end.
"I want that one," Justin said, pointing toward the crimson orb.
Cian'va didn't answer, instead she only smiled before snapping her fingers.
The air trembled as the chosen orb surged forward. It stopped just before him, pulsing with light and then melted into him.
Something deep inside his body stirred.
A warmth spread through his chest, sharp and electric, as though his very soul was being rewritten.
Then, before his eyes, a translucent screen appeared.
[ BLOODLINE IS BEING AWAKENED… ]