Ughh… my head hurts… what happened? I thought as I open my eyes to check my surroundings. It was still all-white. Then I saw a familiar figure levitating in front of me sitting cross-legged, resting his arm on his thigh while leaning his cheek on his hand.

 

???: “Finished already?”

The same familiar voice can be heard throughout the room.

 

 “I guess you could say that.” I say while standing up and fixing my posture, so I don’t suddenly fall.

???: “You don’t look that surprised.”
The man said as he stopped levitating and his feet touched the ground.

 

“I guess you could say, there’s no need for me to feel anything about my death.” I replied as I looked straight into his pitch-black eyes.

“Well, I guess I’m kind of disappointed that I couldn’t finish my sculpting.” After I say that, the man just looked at me as if he thought of something good.

“What?” I ask him with a tinge of annoyance.

 

???: “Nothing… Anyways!”
The man suddenly said in a louder tone that usual.

???: “Let’s stop wasting our time…”

Then two, black, raven-like wings sprouted from his back and spread in its full wingspan at least 6 meters wide. Then the pressure around me suddenly got heavier, I can barely stand up. I forgot that he can easily kill me. I hadn’t noticed it since he was always talking casually to me.
*Shudder*

 

???: “Sadly, I have to reincarnate you now. Your soul should’ve disappeared a long time ago.”

As he says that, all the pressure died down and everything is back to how it was before.

Hmm? What did he say? I thought while trying to process what he means.

 

“What do you mean my soul should’ve disappeared a long time ago? I’m still right here.”

 

???: “Your soul should’ve gone into Hades if you stayed here long enough.”

 “Hades? As in the ‘god’ Hades?”

 

???: “Hmm? No, Hades is a place where the souls of everything in the Universe gets punished, for all of eternity…”

 

“Then why am I still here?” I ask in a louder tone, while I’m trying to keep my face emotionless.

 

???: “I don’t really know myself.” Said the man with a conceited look in his face.

???: “Before you get reincarnated, as it is in the Universal Laws, I will have to grant you 5 wishes to make your new journey comfortable.”

‘So I really will get reincarnated huh?’ I inwardly asked myself. I should ask some questions just to make some things clearer to me.

 

“Do I go back to Earth?”

 

???: “No, as your physical body has already died there, you can only go to other worlds other than your own.”

“Other worlds huh?”

 ‘Well, that makes sense, but where will I go? What will I do there?’ I thought these kinds of question to myself. As if hearing what I was thinking…

 

???: “Well, the world you will go to will be based on the compatibility with your soul.” The man said looking at me.

 

Did he read my thoughts? Looking at him that doesn’t seem to be the case. I should ask to make sure.

 

“Did you read my mind?”

 

???: “Hmm? What are you talking about?”

I inwardly sighed, thinking I won’t get anything out of this. I ask my last question.

 

“Will I still have my memories once I’ve reincarnated?” I asked slightly nervous.

 

???: “No, you will not as your physical body has already died along with your memories when you were alive.”

…

 

???: “Well then, with that out of the way. What are your wishes?” The man said hastily, so I just decided to say the first thing that comes to my mind.

 

“Let me finish my last sculpture one last time…”

 

???: “That is one wish. The last 4?”

“…you decide for me…” I said with a lower tone than usual.

 

???: “Excuse me? Can you repeat that again?”

“You decide for me.” I say while looking at the same all-white walls. Then the man rubbed his chin with his right hand before he wiped his left hand in the air. Then in front of me, a large boulder as tall as me, and some tools that looked like what I used made of minerals that I couldn’t identify.

‘As expected from a god’ I thought to myself before looking at the man and nodding. Then I proceeded to walk towards the boulder to work on it.

---

(God ??? POV)

 

“Well then, with that out of the way. What are your wishes?” I asked the girl in front of me with haste, because our conversation will have to end.

 

“Let me finish my last sculpture one last time…”

‘Well, that’s really disappointing. Usually others wish for more power, wealth, sex, and memories…’ I thought to myself. Not that it matters.

 

“That is one wish. The last 4?” I asked the girl thinking that she will wish all those things later. But what she said next surprised me.

 

“…you decide for me…” The girl said in a lower tone than usual.

 

“Excuse me? Can you repeat that again?” I say thinking that I just heard her wrong, or in all of my years upon years of living my ears suddenly turned deaf. Not that that would be possible.

 

“You decide for me.”

 

I started rubbing my chin with my right hand unknowingly thinking…

‘Well, that’s a new one. I never have been asked by someone to decided what wishes they want. What a troublesome one you’ve sent to me Elena…’

‘Sculpting, huh?’ I thought to myself before I decided to check her last sculpture.

[Memory Manipulation, Memory Sweep] I chanted in my thoughts.

I saw the girl working on something. It’s unfinished and looks humanoid. I guess a boulder as tall as her and some necessary tools made of Chlorophyte, Adamantium, Orichalcum, and other strong minerals would do fine as they are durable.

‘I’ll just apologize to Hephaestus later, she’ll forgive me’ I thought before waving my left hand in front of me. As I did that, a boulder and some tools made with all the minerals I thought of appeared in front of the girl.

 

…

 

Some time had passed, and the girl was about to be finished with her sculpting. Just some more finishing touches from the looks of it. Now that I think about it, she never told me her name.

 

“What’s your name?” I asked her, as she just continued hammering her chisel.

 

“I don’t know.” The girl replied not bothering looking at me, and just minded her own business.

 

“Then I’ll give you one.” I said while watching her work on the fine details on the face.

 

“It better be good.”

 

“Asteria.” I said the first name that came to my mind when thinking of this girl. It looked like she liked the name.

 

Asteria: “How about you? What’s your name?” She asked me as she continue to hit her chisel with her hammer.

 

Now that I think about it, I never had a name as long as I remember.

“I don’t have one.” I replied to her as she looked at me eye-to-eye and said…

 

Asteria: “Can I give you one?” She said to me with a straight face.

‘Interesting’ I thought. Most gods and goddesses would already be roaring with anger for a mere mortal daring themselves to talk to an immortal like this. I don’t really care, I never had this much fun in a millennium.

 

“Sure.” I answered with a slight smile on my face. Asteria then started working on some more little details as she was about to be finished. She didn’t hesitate to think about it.

 

“I’ll name you Neb.” Asteria said with a smile on her face. It kind of surprised me as this is her first expression ever since meeting with me. Asteria usually has an emotionless face on her.
‘Neb, huh? What a dumb name’ I inwardly laugh to myself,

“Very well, from now on I’ll be known as Neb.”

Asteria: “I’ll be named as Asteria from now on.”

 

…

 

After some time, Asteria was already done with her sculpture.

‘Wow’ I thought to myself. Her work looked very beautiful. If I were asked who did this, Hephaestus would be the first name to come to mind. As I was thinking all of this, I unconsciously opened my mouth and said…

 

 “…Beautiful”

---

(Asteria POV)

 

As I start walking towards the boulder made of who knows what. Picking up the tools. Then I started working on it by slowly chipping the stone.

 

…

 

A lot of time has passed, and I’m almost done with my work. The man suddenly decided to break the silence between us, and said…

 

???: “What’s your name?” The man asked while just casually levitating around me and my sculpture.

Now that I think about it, I don’t remember my name or my grandfather’s name. Heck, I don’t remember most of my memories. I only know some basic stuff, like all of my grandfather’s stories and ramblings about the stars.

 

“I don’t know.” I answered while I continue finishing all the details on the face.

 

 

???: “Then I’ll give you one.” The man said as he stopped and just floated in mid-air.

I don’t know if his naming sense is good but, I’ll trust him.

 

“It better be good.”

 

“Asteria.”

 

It’s a good name. I like it. I must control myself or I’ll accidentally smile. Now that I think about it, he never told me his name.

 

“How about you? What’s your name?” I ask him while finishing up my sculpture.

 

???: “I don’t have one.” He answered after thinking about something for a while. ‘No name?’ I thought as I looked at him eye-to-eye.

 

“Can I give you one?” I ask him.

 

???: “Sure.” He replied while slightly smiling. So, he can have a genuine smile. If I look at him, he looks like a god of death rather than reincarnation with those raven-like wings and black horns.

 

“I’ll name you Neb.” I said while accidentally smiling. ‘What a dumb name’ I thought.

 

???: “Very well, from now on I’ll be known as Neb.”

“I’ll be named as Asteria from now on.”

 

…

 

After some time, I’m finally finished with my sculpture. I wouldn’t get my memories back after I reincarnate. I don’t bother to ask Neb if I could wish for it, I trust him. I just feel this familiarity with him when we talk. It really looks beautiful, and I swear I heard Neb say something, probably just my imagination.

 

Neb: “What do you name it?” Neb asked me while looking at my sculpture. It’s a woman with straight, long white hair that reaches her lower back. Wearing a pure white dress. With 2 pair of wings on her back, the larger pair under her shoulder blades and the smaller pair on the back of her waist. If you see her, you would just think the word white.

“Seraphiel.” I answered Neb while being mesmerized by my own creation.

 

Neb: “Well, it’s time for your reincarnation, you only requested 1 out of 5 wishes, are you sure?”

 

“Yes.” I answered

Then the world turned black again.