Charlie was an adventurer, and a damn good one at that. What he was not prepared for was the lich using its dying breath to power-word-kill him. It didn’t even hurt. One moment he was celebrating an early victory, the next his vision just went black and his consciousness just stopped.

Or it would any second now… Or maybe not. He felt as though he was lying on the ground but his senses were dulled. He felt lighter and more energetic than before despite having died only moments ago.

Slowly pushing himself off the ground, Charlie opened his eyes to see a magnificent garden all around him. The grass was light cyan, the trees had leaves red, pink, green, blue and many more. The flowers around him were of a color he didn’t even know existed and seemed to be glowing. The sky was cloudless, a never ending sunset painting it a warm orange and dark purple.

“Hey you. You’re finally awake.” A calm and soothing female voice called out from behind him prompting him to turn and face her. He saw a bewitching figure sitting on the ground with a table in front of her. She had white hair that had tinges of blue and pink, flawless skin, plain white long robes and a pair of eyes, the same color as the flowers, that radiated warmth. She had a smile like she was about to burst out laughing. “Sorry, always wanted to say that, it just didn’t feel appropriate with the more… traumatised souls. Please,” She motioned at the table. “take a seat.”

Charlie did so out of nothing more than subconscious manners hammered into him from when his mom still believed he’d be some noble’s retainer. He was dumbstruck. His death was not really traumatic, just surprising.

“Who are you?” He asked after finally breaking out of his trance.

“I’m the goddess of death. My name is… well, it’s unimportant.” After answering she made eye contact as if to say ‘next question please’.

“Is this the afterlife?”

“You are dead and you are here, so in a way, yes. You won’t remain here for long however.” Once more she just looked at Charlie after she finished talking.

“Where will I go then?”

“Depends. Where do you want to go?”

He needed a few seconds to process that. “I can choose?”

“To some extent, yes.”

He would normally get a bit annoyed at her laconic speech, but considering it was a god that decided to have a casual chat with him, he just let it go.

“What are my options?”

“You could choose to go to a certain deity’s plane but you weren’t much of a devout follower, so even if I sent you to them, they might just send you back. You could choose to be judged right here, right now. Depending on my judgement, you will either go to heaven or hell.“ She had a bit of a smug smile on her face. “Or, if you’re afraid you’ll fall short I can just reincarnate you in a world of my choice, sealing your present memories.”

He practically froze from hearing all of this. “If I lose my memories, I might as well have died, no?”

“You wouldn’t lose them, they’d be sealed. If you finally settle down in heaven, have a deity unlock them or just become one yourself you’ll have them all back. All past lives.”

“I… choose reincarnation.” She looked a bit disappointed by this.

“Very well. Although, if I may ask, why?”

“You know why, you’re a god!” He was angry, but mainly at himself for not having lived better. He was also angry at himself for talking like that with the being in charge of where he will spend eternity eventually.

“I do and I am. I want you to say it.” Her face was unreadable.

“Because I just spent my money on alcohol, prostitutes and a big house I never even spend time in.”

“Money you earned by saving people.” She spoke slowly.

“I also just burnt bridges with my family once I could make enough money to live alone.” His voice was filled with regret and disdain for his own actions.

“They didn’t seem too intent on finding you either.”

“And I broke Margaret’s heart.”

She just looked a bit puzzled. “Sorry, I only have knowledge on people who died, who is she?”

“She’s… a priestess girl that healed me in my early adventuring days. I… promised I’d take her with me out of some small town and live in a big city together once I had enough money. Of course, I just kept doing quest after quest in faraway lands and never returned.” He was almost crying at this point.

“I am confused. If you are so unhappy with your actions, why did you not act otherwise?”

He slammed his fists on the table and practically yelled at the goddess with tears on his face. “Because it was easier! Because I thought I had more time!”

The moment he said those words a warm smile appeared on the goddess’s face. “Very well. You may return.”

Before he could question what she meant his vision went black once more.

He woke up in an undecorated church he had passed before but had never entered. Lying on a stone slab, Charlie saw a plain grey robed priestess in her forties alongside his adventuring group.

The archer, who was his best friend kicked his shin. “I told you not to tank all those spells. I could’ve dodged some.”

Charlie ignored him for now and stared at the priest. “I saw-”

Before he could finish, the priestess cut him off. “You saw and heard what you needed to see and hear. You were given a chance. Now go and don’t waste it.” With that the priestess left the catacombs where the dead were either buried or resurrected and went up to the altar, beginning to pray.

“You sure are good at this. I do sometimes have to wonder why you do it though.” The priestess said. She then heard a voice that came from everywhere but the priestess knew only she heard.

“Why would anyone choose to become the god of death? To guide lost souls much like I was once upon a time.”