"Alright, settle in. My name's Zevion. And before you even think it, yes, this is my life story. No, I'm not delusional. Okay, maybe a little. But hey, who isn't? Just don't read this out loud, unless you want your neighbor to know all my secrets. Which, trust me, you don't. Anyway, let's get this show on the road."
...
The streetlights blurred into streaks as I walked, each step a dull echo of another day that had slipped through my fingers. My life felt like a perpetual failure, a cruel joke played on dreams too grand for this tired reality. I barely noticed the chill of the midnight air until I looked up, drawn by the distant, indifferent sparkling of the stars.
They shone with a brilliance my own dimming self could never hope to match. I'd always yearned for something more, a life where happiness wasn't a fleeting fantasy but a constant companion. But the world, as I knew it, simply didn't work that way.
"Sigh... Hey, stars," I murmured, the words barely a whisper against the vast silence. "My life's a mess, thrown into chaos. If I could just get even a sliver of a chance... please, just give me one."
The plea was absent-minded, yet utterly sincere. And in hindsight, probably a huge mistake. Why? Because then I saw it.
"Hmm... What's that? Is that star shining brighter? And... why does it look so much bigger? Oh, shit! It's coming at me!"
Yep. A small meteor, hurtling straight for me. Some might wonder why I didn't run. Let's just say, even if I dodged a direct hit, the sheer force of the impact would still reduce me to a fine dust. Yeah, physics. Annoying, isn't it?
Luckily, I was in a relatively open area. Technically, I was on the side of a road, but in my line of sight, there were no cars or buildings—just clear space. My death, I realized with a flicker of dark humor, would at least cause some serious road damage. Take that, government infrastructure! Petty, I know, but taking a chunk of asphalt with me felt like a small victory.
I watched the meteor descend, a fiery fist aimed squarely at my existence. I spread my arms wide, a morbid invitation to the hug of death. Heh, the kiss of death... reminded me of some old anime opening. Oh well.
"At least I'll have the most spectacular exit..." I thought, just as the world erupted.
The impact was instantaneous. I was gone, extinguished to ash in a flash of blinding light. But the meteor itself didn't just crater. It began to emit a kaleidoscope of colors, breaking down into shimmering particles that swirled into a miniature tornado. The vortex condensed, forming a ball of dark void, and then, impossibly, it seemed to inhale. My ashes, my soul, whatever remained of me—all were sucked into that swirling darkness.
Afterward, only a deep, smoking pit of magma remained. The incident, captured by a hidden roadside camera, was later dubbed "nature's miracle." It showed me, a lone figure, obliterated by a celestial rock. I became incredibly famous for it, though I was no longer around to enjoy the notoriety. Not that anyone was particularly upset about my demise anyway.
While these strange events unfolded on Earth, far beyond, in the cosmic void...
At [Location Redacted], a colossal being, radiating an aura of terrifying power, opened eyes the size of entire galaxies. He gazed upon Earth from the depths of the void.
[So you have chosen, huh? I will welcome you no matter what you choose, but to think you chose a human. Truly an interesting choice, but a bad decision [Name Redacted]. I hope you won't regret your choice after all [Phrase Redacted]...[Numbers Redacted]...[More Redacted]]
Meanwhile, at [Another Location Redacted], a galactic entity, a swirling body of stars, also fixed its gaze on Earth, seething with palpable rage.
[You won't get away [Name Redacted] from me! I will take you at all cost! No matter what!! [More Redacted]...]
Similar incidents were occurring across countless unknown places, observed by unknown entities. If I, Zevion, had known what was happening, even a glimpse of one of them would have scared me literally to death. Those ignorant people on Earth, living blissfully unaware under such gazes... ignorance truly was bliss.
...
Slowly, I opened my eyes. I was a weird, translucent shape, a ghostly outline of my former self.
"Well, I guess ghosts do exist after all. And now I'm one of them. Or maybe a soul? Well not that it matter much."
A new problem: "But what now? Doesn't some guide or ROB usually show up? I can wait, I guess... just hope it's not a century, or worse, an eternity. Seriously."
I waited, trying to inspect my surroundings, then had a thought. A ridiculous one, probably.
"Hey! Who are you calling stupid? That was a stroke of genius, not stupid!" I mentally retorted, a familiar voice in my head. Damn it, Zevion, don't break the fourth wall!
Ignoring my inner critic, I tried to sense the energies around me, but found nothing. Just emptiness.
"Damn, I thought I could do it."
"Oh? You tried something peculiar, huh?"
A voice. I wasn't surprised; in fact, I would have been disappointed if no one had shown up. I looked towards the sound. It was a colorful hole in space. Literally.
"So, you're my ROB, huh?" I asked, probably a little too casually.
"You're rude, aren't you?" the colorful hole replied, its voice a symphony of impossible tones. "I'm not a ROB. I'm a genuine end character. Just... incredibly bored. Way too bored. So, I decided to do something different: choose my successor. The only requirement? Someone who will never stop being bored as they grow stronger, someone who loves for eternity. And you, Zevion, with your utterly ambitious dreams, fit the bill. I'll give you everything I have, not all at once, of course, but you'll inherit it all, and with it, this curse of boredom. Finally, I can die!"
The colorful hole seemed to shimmer with relief. "Tell me your name now, my successor. I am the end of all and the beginning at the same instance. Many call me Regret, or a concept akin to it. My personal name, however, is Asgorath. And you?"
"...I'm Zevion," I managed, still processing. "So you're giving me everything and then... disappearing?"
"Yeah. But as I said, not right away. Instead, I'll give you a system of your choosing, complete with a wish-granting feature. And yes, I know you're thinking 'I wish for infinite wishes without any kind of restriction.' You can eventually, but not anytime soon. Plus, you'll get my main ability: [Omni-Creation]."
"So, will we ever meet again?"
"No, never. I'll let my everything rest inside you, completely erasing my consciousness from existence. I know it sounds absurd, but the boredom... it's just too much. Anyway, it was nice to meet you, my dear successor. I've already taken care of things, so no higher beings will get in your way. After all, I'm just too different, way above even the strongest. Farewell. Just live as you want now. No need to be good or anything. Just be your own self."
"Thank you for everything," I said, a strange mix of awe and gratitude swelling within me. "I hope you can rest well... And know that I did love being with you. Not romantically, but... like brothers? Anyway, I truly appreciate it. I know it's probably because you're giving me so much, but still... sincerely, thank you so much."
As I spoke, Asgorath shimmered, then flowed into me, dissolving into a cascade of colorful particles that merged with my ghostly form.
A new voice, resonant and clear, echoed in my mind.
"[Welcome to the system. I greet you, my Master.]"