The cold of the asphalt was the last thing Theodore Strange felt before the darkness claimed him. It had been a mistake, a simple misunderstanding in an alleyway where a nervous guy with a gun decided that Theo's life was worth less than the few bills in his wallet. As his vision blurred, Theo didn't feel a burning rage or a heartbreaking sadness; he felt a strange sense of acceptance. With his grandfather dead only two months prior and no clear direction after graduation, his connection to the world had become tenuous.
"Well" - he thought with a final sigh. - "I guess I won't have to choose between college or a dead-end job after all"
When he opened his eyes, the asphalt was gone.
Theo found himself floating—or at least that's how it felt—in an infinite space that resembled a midnight ocean beneath a starry sky. In front of him, a colossal structure defied logic: a crescent moon of solid gold that served as a throne for a figure that took his breath away.
She was a woman of unreal beauty, with platinum blonde hair that fell like a cascade of light over a translucent white dress. She wore golden ornaments on her forehead, arms, and legs, and behind her head floated a circular halo bearing the effigy of a black moon. Her eyes, golden and filled with an ancient indifference, watched him from above with a mixture of curiosity and disdain.
"Welcome, Theodore Strange" - she said. Her voice did not sound; it resonated directly within Theo's consciousness, cold and melodious like crystal clashing against crystal.
Theo, a young man of 1.72 meters with dark brown hair and chestnut eyes, felt tiny. He had always considered himself a 6+/10 in appearance, an average person who went unnoticed. His introverted instincts screamed at him to shrink away, but years of faking extroversion to survive socially forced him to maintain his composure. He observed his surroundings: the stars seemed within arm's reach and the water beneath his feet did not wet him.
"I'm... dead, aren't I?" - Theo asked, analyzing the situation. His eyes traced the intricate details of the goddess's throne. He was frightened, but his observant nature kept him anchored.
"Certainly. I am Seleneia, the Greater Dimensional Goddess of the Moon" - she replied, reclining on her throne with an elegance that was almost intimidating. - "You have been chosen at random from a multitude of candidates"
"Me? How?" - Theo pointed to himself in confusion; he couldn't believe someone like him could have such luck.
"Well... to be chosen, only three things were required: to have died, to possess an affinity with me, and to have above-average luck. And it seems you were the luckiest of all, as you were chosen among many" - she explained calmly, though only on the surface.
Seleneia observed him in silence for a moment. Internally, the goddess couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment. - "He is so... ordinary" ,she thought. Out of so many exceptional candidates available to be chosen, she ended up with the one on the most mundane end of the spectrum. The only thing that made him stand out was his luck, which was unusually high. - "He looks more like a favorite of the Goddesses of Fortune than mine. It is strange, but I suppose he will serve for the experiment."
"I propose a deal, Theodore" - Seleneia continued, hiding her thoughts behind a frigid smile. - "Become my test subject and, in exchange, you will obtain a new life in which you can fulfill your dreams."
Theo blinked in confusion and asked - "And what would I have to do?"
"You see, I wish to conduct an experiment: to see if a mortal can ascend to become a Dimensional God" - she replied simply. - "To that end, I will grant you a System. It will send you to different worlds to complete missions. Upon completion, you will receive 'gacha' tickets that will grant you items, abilities, or knowledge from other universes—whether they are known to you through fiction or entirely new"
Theo blinked, processing the information. His mind worked quickly. He was naive, yes, and part of him wanted to believe this was a wonderful dream like the reincarnation stories he had read, but he had also read about the bad things that could happen if he accepted... well, it wasn't like he could do anything if she decided to harm him now anyway.
"I am not a cruel deity. My missions will not ask you to massacre innocents or anything of the sort" - she explained, ending with a subtle shrug as she clearly saw he didn't quite believe her, but she figured it was better that way. "If you accept, you will have a month of rest between missions, although you can take them sooner if you wish. Every day, a different mission will appear in a different universe. If a mission appears, it is because you have a chance to succeed, no matter how difficult it may seem" - she explained, convincing Theo more and more.
"And if I fail?" - Theo asked, looking at her cautiously.
"There are no punishments for failing a mission, beyond the natural consequences of your failure in that world. However" - Seleneia's expression became sharp. - "if you refuse to accept a mission after your month of rest ends, there will be consequences. I could take something valuable from you, such as an ability or a memory, or throw you into a mission of near-impossible difficulty as punishment."
Theo swallowed hard. His hands trembled slightly, but his face remained neutral. He saw no reason not to accept. Besides, he was dead; it was either this or going wherever souls go after dying.
'It's an opportunity' - Theo thought. - 'I'm naive for trusting a goddess who looks at me like a laboratory insect, but the alternatives are non-existent'
"Alright, I accept" - Theo said firmly.
Seleneia smiled in a way Theo couldn't decipher; it was a beautiful smile, but weighted with a mystery that gave him a chill.
"Excellent choice. I will send you to a fantasy world to begin. Don't look at me like that; a modern world would not serve your growth. You need an environment where freedom and danger force you to expand your limits. Comfort is the death of progress" - she explained calmly, as if she hadn't just implied there was a high possibility of dying in the world she was sending him to.
Theo nodded, though the mention of "danger" made him nervous.
"I have provided you with an apartment in that world, paid for one month. You will also find a gift box in your inventory to get you started. You have one month to get used to your new life before the first mission becomes mandatory" - Finally, after saying this, the goddess waved her hand and the surroundings began to fade into a silvery glow.
Theo felt the ground disappear. A heavy exhaustion, as if his bones were made of lead, suddenly washed over him.
"Good luck, Theodore Strange" - he heard Seleneia's voice drifting away. - "I hope you succeed"
The last thing Theo saw was the figure of the goddess sitting on her moon, watching him with those golden, indecipherable eyes, before sleep submerged him into nothingness.
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This is a story created with the help of artificial intelligence. I tell it what to do, and the AI writes the chapter. And finally, afterwards I take care of editing it since the AI sometimes contradicts itself or does something completely different from what it had said previously.
I'm doing this as an experiment; it was just for me, but yesterday, with the AI's help, I finished up to chapter 6, and it was so interesting that I decided to share it.
I hope you like it.