Max slowly drifted back into consciousness.
The first thing he noticed was the silence.
It wasn't the peaceful quiet of a calm room or the distant hum of a city. This silence felt strange—almost artificial, like sound itself had been muted. His eyes slowly opened, blinking against soft ambient light.
He was sitting in an office.
A very large office.
The room stretched far wider than most corporate offices he had seen before, yet it felt oddly empty. The space looked unfinished, almost like someone had designed an impressive workplace but then stopped halfway through decorating it.
There were smooth marble floors, tall walls made from a strange pale stone, and wide windows that showed nothing but an endless white glow outside. Despite the size of the room, there was very little furniture.
No bookshelves.
No paintings.
No decorations.
Just a massive desk sitting near the far end of the room.
Behind it sat a woman.
Max blinked again, trying to focus.
The woman looked oddly familiar in a way he couldn't place. She had the appearance of a typical anime receptionist—perfect posture, neat dark hair tied back behind her head, and sharp glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. She wore a clean, professional outfit that somehow looked both futuristic and old-fashioned at the same time.
Floating around her were several translucent crystal monitors, hovering in midair like glass screens. Symbols, charts, and shifting images moved across them silently as she worked.
She glanced up from the floating displays and smiled faintly.
"Oh good," she said casually. "You're finally awake."
Max sat up straighter in the chair he hadn't even realized he was sitting in.
"Um… yes?" he said slowly, rubbing his head. "What's going on here?"
His voice sounded distant to his own ears.
Something felt wrong.
His thoughts were foggy, like his mind was struggling to catch up with reality. Memories flickered in and out of reach—half formed, scattered, incomplete.
The woman nodded knowingly.
"Yeah, I expected that," she said as she tapped one of the floating crystal screens. "People who die the way you did tend to have memory issues for a little bit."
Die.
The word echoed in his head.
And suddenly—
Flash.
A memory exploded into his mind.
A city street at night.
Lights.
Sirens.
The warmth of someone's hand in his.
Then—
A blinding explosion.
Max grabbed his head as the memory shattered apart before he could fully grasp it.
"Ah… yeah…" he muttered weakly. "An explosion… I think."
His brows furrowed.
"I was with someone. A girl. I can't remember everything, but… she was important to me."
His voice softened.
"Really important."
The woman glanced at another floating monitor.
"Yes. Your girlfriend," she said calmly. "Luna… or Hana, depending on which personality was active."
Max blinked.
"...Right."
The memories came rushing back like a flood breaking through a dam.
Two personalities.
One body.
The same girl he loved.
Luna — confident, bold, teasing.
Hana — softer, shy, and gentle.
"Ah…" Max whispered.
Now he remembered.
"A split personality girlfriend," the woman continued casually. "That's actually pretty unique, even by our standards."
Max barely heard her.
His mind was racing.
"It was Luna that night," he said suddenly, his voice tense. "We were out together."
His hands clenched.
"Is she okay?"
The question came out almost desperate.
If something had happened to her—
If he had lost her—
The woman raised a hand calmly.
"Relax," she said. "Take a breath."
Max slowly forced himself to calm down.
"You'll be with them again," she continued. "Wish free, by the way. Just sit down and listen."
Max realized he had halfway stood up without noticing. He slowly sank back into the chair, still tense but trying to focus.
The woman leaned back slightly in her chair, folding her hands together.
"Alright," she said. "Let's start with the good news."
One of the floating crystal monitors shifted, showing a set of glowing documents.
"Due to the way your girlfriend died," she explained, "we were able to separate the two personalities into two completely independent bodies."
Max froze.
His brain tried to process that sentence.
"You… what?"
"They both chose to stay with you," she continued casually, scrolling through the crystal screen. "And before you ask—no, it didn't count as one of their wishes."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"We aren't monsters. Charging someone a wish for something like that would be cruel."
Max exhaled slowly.
Relief washed over him so strongly he almost slumped in the chair.
"So… they'll be okay?"
"More than okay," she replied.
Max nodded slowly.
"Alright."
That was all he needed to hear.
"As long as they're happy… I'm good."
The woman smiled faintly at that.
"Good answer."
She tapped another crystal monitor.
"Now then—next topic. You're being reincarnated."
Max blinked.
"...Of course I am."
"Specifically," she continued, "you'll be entering the world of Percy Jackson."
Max sat up straighter immediately.
"Oh."
Now that got his attention.
"You'll be added into the world as a new individual," she continued. "Not replacing anyone."
Another monitor appeared beside her.
"You have three wishes."
Max leaned back in the chair, thinking.
The woman continued.
"We'll accommodate your wishes to the best of our ability. However, if you become vastly more powerful than the setting allows, we'll place limiters on you."
She pointed upward slightly.
"Those limiters can be lifted temporarily if a situation demands it."
Her eyes met his.
"Understood?"
Max nodded.
"Yeah."
He thought for a moment.
"First wish."
The woman prepared a new screen.
"I want access to Fate abilities."
Her eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Which ones?"
Max shrugged.
"All of them."
She stared at him for a moment.
Then shrugged.
"Sure."
She typed something.
"Limited, of course. But that's actually a pretty common wish."
Max chuckled weakly.
"Good to know."
She glanced back at him.
"Second wish?"
Max thought again.
"Hm…"
Something else popped into his mind.
"I want Conduit powers from the Infamous universe."
The woman paused.
Now she looked slightly more interested.
"Which abilities?"
Max scratched the back of his head.
"I'm not really sure. Just… conduit powers in general."
She grinned slightly.
"Alright. I'll give you all of them."
Max blinked.
"...Wait, what?"
"And more," she added casually. "That wish is much more uncommon."
She looked genuinely amused now.
"This will be fun."
Max wasn't sure if he should be excited or worried.
She glanced at him again.
"And your final wish?"
Max hesitated.
Then something dumb but fun came to mind.
"...A gacha system?"
She blinked.
"...Seriously?"
"Yeah," Max said with a shrug. "But not the annoying ones where I get useless stuff like toothbrushes or trash."
She sighed dramatically.
"You people and your systems…"
She tapped the screen again.
"Fine."
Her fingers moved across the floating crystal interface.
"You'll still get basic items sometimes," she added. "Food, water, simple supplies."
She smirked slightly.
"But I'll make sure most of it is actually interesting."
Max grinned.
"Deal."
The crystal monitors flashed briefly as everything finalized.
Then the woman reached into the desk and pulled out a ring.
It was beautiful.
A silver band holding two gemstones intertwined together—one deep crimson red and the other a rich sapphire blue.
She slid it across the desk toward him.
"This is for your girls."
Max picked it up carefully.
"Them?"
"They chose entirely new bodies," she explained. "While you're just using a slightly modified version of your old one."
She leaned forward slightly.
"You know why."
Max nodded quietly.
He did.
Then the woman leaned back and stretched.
"Well then," she said casually.
She snapped her fingers.
"You should get going."
Max looked up.
"Already?"
"They've been waiting."
The last thing he saw was the woman's amused smile.
Then—
Snap.
Reality vanished around him.