--Prologue 1--

--Death without Death--

People often dream of having super power, saving the world and get a hot girlfriend or boyfriend. Everybody does. But it seems not many ever think of the price you have to pay for it. Tell me, do you think such power is a boon, or a curse? Can you save the world, or die dreaming of it? Will you get a hot girlfriend, or the cold body that is once hers? A sword has edges, my friend, and more often that not you'll find them pointing at you.

It was a fine Friday morning and I, Daniel Cosworth, your average university student, was cycling like mad to my university. My trusty alarm clock, which has been waking me up without fail for the last 10 years, decided to retire today. I could have, and should have, find a replacement for it, but never did, because the clock was the last gift I ever received from my parents for Christmas, before departing the world when a traffic accident took them away. The cause? A drunk driver losing control of his truck, as always. How exactly did it happen I was never told, I guess because people thought it was too tragic for a 10 years old kid.

Wrong. Oblivion is worse than the cold hard truth. It lasts longer and torments your every fiber. Rage is like fire. Fierce and violent, but extinguishes when the fuel runs out. Curiosity, on the other hand, is like wind. Always calmly flows past you, then turns into a whirlwind and tears up your mind at the most unexpected times. I just wanted to know what exactly happened, and the face of that driver, and whether he survived. But not to take revenge and satisfy my anger. I'm afraid it is long gone. I just want to sleep well at night.

But I digress. Anyhow, I was cycling to my university feeling like a marathon cyclist on his last stage to the finish line on a busy morning. Around me were supposed to be cars, buildings and people on their way to work, perfectly normal for a Friday morning, right? So can anyone explain to me where has they gone? Where are the roads? Where is MY bike? Instead, why am I standing in the middle of a place that looks like a library, with bookshelves so high I can't even see the top?

Confused, I look around hoping to find somebody that can provide me with an answer. Quickly enough, I spotted a figure siting on a couch right behind me, reading a book, the tittle of which I couldn't make out. He had short white hair, wore Victorian style clothings and had a pair of round reading glasses. I approached him. 

- Hello. Excuse me, can you tell me where am I. Or rather, how did I even end up here? I remember Riding my bike on the road and...

Before I can finish my sentence, he put a finger on his mouth, signaling me to stop. I waited for a few minutes before he finally closed his book, put away his glasses, and looked up slowly. He seemed fairly young, maybe in his early thirties, and had an extremely handsome face. 

- Good morning. I believe we haven't met, and you have intruded upon me in a most unexpected occasion. Trust me when I say your arrival at this place and time is both unprecedented and surprising, to you and me alike. Nevertheless, proper etiquette must be upheld. Please, have a seat. I am called Valrenos, manager of this place. And you are?

- Ah, I'm Daniel. Daniel Cosworth, regular university student. Nice to meet you. 

- And you as well, Dan. I should have prepared a proper welcome for you, as I always do for people who arrive here, but I'm afraid you've caught me unsuspected, and in hard times. Nonetheless, you are confused and disoriented, so it is still my duty to provide you with a proper explanation.

- Yes, it would really help if I got one. 

- And I would be happy to give you. So, Dan, do you know where we are?

- Not a single clue.

- Fair enough. People often are mislead by stories and legends about it, so it's not surprising that you don't realize where you are. Dan, welcome to Heaven.

- Excuse me?

- Heaven, Dan, you are in Heaven. A place every mortal beings comes when they are at the end of their lives. In other words, you are dead, and your soul is brought here, sitting in front of me.

- You must be joking.

- I'm afraid not. I am not known for being a liar. I'm Valrenos, God of knowledge and truth, and my words are no lies. Please accept your death, Dan, like everyone else.

- I...*sigh* Fine. I think I trust you.

Valrenos raised his brows, suprised. "Hm, you seem to be taking this in better than most people."

- I don't know, I just get the feeling you are telling the truth. Can you tell me how I died, though?

- Of course. You were riding your bike using the route that you've taken many times before. Despite heavy traffic, you did not pay much attention to your surroundings, because you were in a rush. All of a sudden a black cat jumped right in front of you from a blind spot, catching you by surprise. You tried to avoid the cat by reflex, and were hit by a truck from behind. The driver was too close to you, so he didn't stop in time, and dragged you with him for about 20 meters, killing you instantly.

- So I died because of a cat and a truck. Great. You know, this whole thing sounds extremely familiar to me.

Valrenos shook his head and scratched it. "No, it is not. If it's just dying from being hit by a vehicle, then it's common enough. However, you shouldn't have died today."

- What do you mean?

- Dan, your death is unplanned. You are supposed to die at 65 years old, in your house, because a personal aircraft crashed into it.

- A plane. Really?

- Other people die in stranger situations. This is nothing. However, the fact that you are sitting face to face with me now, instead of years later, suggests that something is wrong with my system, which manage the lives of every living beings on earth, and a few other worlds. No, it means SOMEONE has fiddled with it.

- But how do you know that? It could have just been an error. I mean, this 'system' thing of your is managing billions of people, isn't it?

- Yes, and without fail for millions of years since it was first created, I might add. So the fact that it does now is both unprecedented and impossible, unless there has been an external force messing with it.

- But why would they do that?

- I don't know for sure. But the relationship between me and a few other gods has been less than friendly, so it's entirely possible that some of them might want to put me out of work, since misplanning someone's death is a critical mistake, and will result in heavy punishment from the higher power.

So even the gods can plan to harm each other. I thought they're all good and righteous. 

- But why are you guys on bad terms in the first place?

- It is because our opinions differ, unfortunately. You see, in your world there are only humans and animals, but in others there exist more diverse lifeforms, namely monsters and demons. You might think they are evil abominations whose only goal is to destroy humanity, since you are influenced by your novels and movies. If so, then I must inform you that your view couldn't be more wrong. 

He frowned and shook his head. "Monsters are only mutated animals, and demons are demi-humans with massive magic capabilities. We retaliate when threatened, and kill to survive. There is no difference between us. To view them as abominations, as plagues is an act of discrimination, and frankly irony."

He stood up, walked over to the nearest shelf and took out a book. he opened it and started reading, disgust slowly creeping up his face.

Valrenos skimmed through a few pages, then threw it on the table. I took a closer look at the book, and recognized it immediately. It was a quite famous fantasy novel from the late 90s, about a demon-slaying hero.

- They did nothing wrong. And yet they are hated, hunted down to extinction. Sure, there are those who attack humans without reasons, but they are creatures of low intelligence. the rest won't, unless they are provoked or frightened. They kill them anyway. All of these people are brainwashed by the gods managing them, injected with lies and false beliefs. For what? Power, of course. Since a god's power depends on their worshipers, they have been using this underhanded method to rise in rank. *sigh*. Greed can control anything, even a god.

- But I thought gods are supposed to be, I mean, pure and righteous.

Valrenos shook his head again. "Another misconception. We have not always been like this. We were human, once. Powerful individuals, who were chosen to ascend to godhood. Of course, we might have been pure at the beginning. But millenniums in power can corrupt even a saint. And none of us were saints.

- Anyways, I am against that practice. I and a few other gods believe that all lives are valuable, and have been trying to appeal to the higher power, to put a stop to this. Apparently those gods are not happy with it, because someone tried to mess with my system, something only a god can do, I might add. Unfortunately I do not know who the perpetrator is, nor how to find them. I'm hands tied at the moment, and even if I'm not, my powers outside of my realm are rather limited.

- But you, on the other hand, is different. You see, a normal soul is tied to a system and the worlds within it only. They have a mark which acts as an identification key, preventing them from escaping a system and into another one. For eternity the soul would be reincarnate, live, perish, and be reborn again within it only. However, that is not the case with you, Dan. You who died when you shouldn't have, are pushed outside my system, your mark destroyed. Which means you now can infiltrate any world, any system, without being stopped by it and breaking the balance.

Valrenos sat down in front of me, smiling. "So I have an excellent offer for you."

¤