I slowly blinked and took in my surroundings. Everything was just... gone. Only an endless white expanse remained of what used to be a hospital room.

I looked down and saw that Reina was still laying with her head on my lap. Her chest was as still as a statue, and her skin as white as porcelain.

She really was dead, and I was alone.

“It seems I was a bit late to the party.”

My eyes widened at the voice. I looked up and saw Amaar standing beside me; the skeletal death god was wearing a black tuxedo with a black top hat held loosely in one hand; the cane he always carried around was floating next to him.

My relationship with Amaar was tenuous at best. But he was usually a reliable source of information- Especially when shit really hits the fan. “Amaar… Where is this place?” I asked, my voice came out so raspy I barely recognized it.

“Well, it’s complicated.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “But listen, I don’t have much time. I just wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything. Even if you didn’t realize it, we are grateful to you. Despite what some people would have you believe, you’re not a destroyer, Torga. You’re the beginning.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“No,” he laughed. “I don’t suppose it does. Never mind that, then. There will be others coming to see you. While I don’t particularly get along with them, I’m sure they’ll be able to explain things much better than I.”

Amaar lifted his hat to his head and pressed it down. He tilted it forward to cover his eyes and swiped his cane into the air. “Take care of yourself, Torga. Maybe I’ll see you again someday.”

Amaar disappeared after that. There was no light or sound, he just vanished- as if he’d never been there at all.

I returned my gaze to Reina. She looked so peaceful- I didn’t remember closing her eyes, but I must have at some point.

I placed a kiss on her forehead and began to mourn the loss of not only my wife, but the entire universe.

---

My body tensed as I realized someone was standing behind me. I gently moved Reina’s head off of my lap and made to stand up.

It was hard to describe this place. There were no floors or ceilings, or even any airflow. But I could move like a normal, even pushing off what I assumed to be the ground felt like I was pushing off of a cloud.

“There's no need to panic. I’m just here to talk." The person said, their voice sounded like a thousand people, both male and female, speaking at once. It was honestly more surprising than them suddenly appearing.

“Who are you supposed to be?” I shifted my gaze to look at him, but quickly had to look away. The being exuded so much light that it was nearly impossible to look directly at him.

"I am..." The being hummed as if they were thinking of what to say. "I don't actually remember my name. Isn’t that odd?”

“Compared to what I’ve been through today? Not even remotely.” I sighed. “Would you happen to know where I am or why I’m here?"

“Well, you’re everywhere… And nowhere. You’re technically in the space between realities at the moment. As for why you’re here, you’re here because the reality you came from no longer exists. You devoured it in its entirety, leaving only... This place.” It finished lamely.

“I see… So Orochi was right. I did destroy Yggdrasil.”

“No, you didn’t. Oh sure, this version of Yggdrasill is gone, but it’s not destroyed. It’s just another link in the chain. Orochi made a big deal out of it because he was afraid. He somehow managed to survive a cycle’s ending and made stopping the cycle his life’s work. But the cycle isn’t a bad thing.”

That brought me up short.

“You’re gonna have to explain that one. For the life of me, I can’t think of a reason this could be considered a good thing.”

“You serve as a vital part of Yggdrasill. You always have. The cycle has only repeated as much that has, because you were too weak to finish it. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.”

“Meaning the cycle is over? How can you tell?”

“Because every other time you’ve gotten to this point, you were already dead. You are alive, which means the cycle has been broken. It’s just up to you to take the next step.”

“Which is?” But I received no answer. In looking for him, I found only empty space. They’d vanished without a trace or sound, just like Amaar had.

---

“Hello~” a musical voice spoke up from somewhere above me.

I’d been trying to get some sleep, but that came about as easily as you’d expect, given the circumstances. With nothing to do, I opened my eyes and saw a young dark elf girl with platinum hair and blue eyes floating above me.

She was horizontal, like I was. But her light blue sundress clung to her body as if she were standing on solid ground instead of floating in the air.

“Who are you supposed to be?” I asked without as care for why she was floating above me. It’s not as if the laws of physics actually mattered in this place.

I glanced to my side and saw Reina still floating in place. It still amazed me how peaceful she looked; if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was asleep instead of dead.

“Hmm… I don’t know. I just know I’m supposed to come talk to you.” Her voice was chipper, she was clearly too happy for the current situation. But maybe that was just her personality?

“Why?”

“The cycle may be broken, but that doesn’t mean your job is done. In fact, it’s only just beginning. Yggdrasill has been growing without guidance, and that’s led to a lot of inconsistencies and problems. It’s up to you to fix those problems.”

“And how do you expect me to do that?”

The girl wiggled her nose at me and winked.

Before my eyes, a gray screen appeared. The screen was blank, which surprised me because I’d never seen a blank screen before.

“Close your eyes.” The girl said.

“What, why?”

“Just do it. Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise.” She said sweetly. Which was clearly avoiding my question, but I went along with it anyway.

What’s the worst that could happen, she would kill me?

I chuckled darkly at that thought and shut my eyes.

“Now, think about every status screen you’ve ever seen. What did you hate about them?”

“Well-”

“Don’t answer out loud. You’re not telling me, you’re telling yourself.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Focus, I don’t have much time.”

I grumbled a bit but did manage to force myself to focus on the question.

“When did you like about the status screens? What would you change, what could make them better? Do you know?”

I hesitated for a long moment. Did I know? I knew what I would change, but that doesn’t mean it would make them any better. In fact, it could make them so much worse.

“Okay,” I said finally. “I think I’ve got it.”

“Good. Then open your eyes.”

I did as she asked and opened my eyes. What I saw floating before me was not the screen I’d seen before closing my eyes. It wasn’t even the screen I was used to seeing every time I evolved. No, the green colored screen floating before me was something entirely different.

I looked over the screen multiple times. It seemed to have everything I wanted; defined attributes, General Information about diet, senses, the way it moved. And last but not least, the ability to pick and choose what I wanted to increase at any time, rather than having to be locked inside an evolutionary shell until the full evolution was complete.

This way, the amount of time it takes to evolve this cut down drastically, because you’re not changing everything at once. You can make a lot of little changes over time, rather than throwing everything towards one evolution changing that way.

“Okay, I see the new screen. Now what?” I waited… And waited… And waited. But I never received a response.

Just like my last two visitors, the girl had vanished into thin air.

---

"Sup." A sickly male voice said from directly beside me.

I didn’t bother to turn and look at him, I had the feeling that he would talk for a while, and he would disappear- just like the others.

“What advice are you going to give me?”

“Advice? Nah, I’m not the best one to be giving advice. I just came here to talk. How are you holding up?”

My head whipped around so fast I thought my neck would break.

The boy sitting next to me, for that’s clearly what he was he was far too young to ever be considered a man. Maybe only six or seven years old, and he looked entirely human. More than that, he looked like I did when I was a kid.

“Wow. I must have really lost it.”

“You’ve never been the sanest individual. But if it makes you feel any better, you’re no crazier now than you’ve ever been and I’m entirely real.”

“Right, because a hallucination would admit that it’s a hallucination.”

The boy shrugged. “Call me what you want. And besides, if I’m not real, then you have no reason not to tell me the truth- right?”

I thought about it for a minute, then let out a tired sigh. “I guess.”

“Excellent, then how are you doing, and no bull shit. I’ll know if you lie.”

“Sure, you will.” I chuckled. “Well, I’m not doing great.”

“Obviously not. I wouldn’t be here if you were.”

“Right… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Where am I supposed to go from here? I don’t want to live without Reina, but I obviously can’t live with her.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“What do you mean? She’s dead, I can’t bring her back.”

“Why not? You’re about to restart all of Yggdrasil. I think bringing back your dead wife would be slightly less complicated.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know how to do that either. I keep being told that I’m going to restart Yggdrasill, but I don’t know how. What am I supposed to do; just wish for it to happen?”

“Have you tried that yet?” The boy asked seriously.

“You’re kidding me. It’s that simple?”

“Nah, I’m just messing with you.” He crushed my hopes in a complete deadpan. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. If not, you could just give yourself the mission to do it. I’m sure the screen will tell you how.”

I opened and closed my mouth several times. I hadn’t thought of that. Would that even work? “You know, I think you’ve been the most helpful one so far.” I said after a moment.

Complete silence was my only answer. I let out an annoyed sigh. “And you’re gone now too.”

“Not yet.”

My body jolted upright at the voice. I spun around and found him sitting directly behind me; his back facing mine. “Sweet mother of God. Don’t do that again.”

“Duly noted.” He deadpanned. “I do have to go in a minute, so one last thing… You can either do this alone, or you can do this with a partner. The choice is ultimately up to you. So don’t fuck this up.”

“Yeah, yeah brat. I’ll do my best.”

“Good. Remember, we’re rooting for you… Take care of yourself, Dad.”

“I’ll do my- what the fuck did you just call me?” But I didn’t receive an answer. This time, he really was gone.

In spite of myself, I chuckled quietly. The kid was an annoying little shit, but he’d definitely given me something to think about.

“Okay, now how do I restart Yggdrasill?” I asked no one. A few seconds went by without anything happening, but just as I was about to give up, I heard a loud *ding*

I read through the information on the screen a total of ten times. None of them made the information anymore helpful. Because that would have been too easy.

---

Countless hours seemed to pass as I held onto the only thing keeping me sane.

My memories.

I didn’t receive any more visitors, which was both a blessing, and a source of annoyance. Because I didn’t have anyone to talk to. The only person around was Reina- and for obvious reasons. She wasn’t the best conversationalist.

So, I focused on my memories.

I relived my days as a child, living with my parents before their deaths and my subsequent move across the country to live with my mother’s sister.

My life on earth with Reina and the short, but wonderful years we had together. I got particular enjoyment from a memory of our first date to a waterpark. I’d gotten too eager to show off and had gone down a slide before the attendant was ready for me. I ended up making fool of myself by ripping my swim trunks down the middle, but it was worth it to hear her laugh.

My life after Reina’s death, and the endless troubles our kids caused me over the years. I wanted to strangle them more than once, but I wouldn’t trade those days for anything.

The days when I was just a small serpent on an alien world and the gorgeous moons that hung high overhead.

My first conversation with Ayla, my adopted daughter, and how startlingly similar she was to my sister-in-law when she was a child; fiercely independent and a gigantic pain in my ass.

The first time I realized just how alien this world was, and the moment I first laid eyes on a Titan- One of the largest humanoids to exist across Yggdrasil. This one in particular was carrying an island around on its shoulders...

The first of many frantic retreats from a leviathan class serpent- All because I'd insulted it; How was I supposed to know the fugly thing was a woman?

I relived the first time I met my friends Lena, Fenris, Solon, and Hali- And remembered how utterly annoying Fenris was in those days.

I relived the first time I’d met the goblins Findral, Siofs, Holstig, and Hogunn. My ever-loyal servants... It was a shame I didn't get to see them one last time before the end, especially Findral. The woman I came to see as my right hand, the one person I knew I could trust above all others.

Over and over again, memories of my two lives flowed unendingly through my mind... And then I relived the first time I’d laid eyes on Reina after our subsequent reincarnations. I'd already became a god by that point and could attain something of a human form so long as I concentrate on it- which was good. Our reunion may have been slightly more awkward if I couldn't

"I'll always love you." My cheeks began to grow damp and I pulled Reina against my chest. Her voice was as clear as ever inside my mind, the way it would probably always remain.

Our first night together.

Our first kiss.

Our first caress as we tentatively explored each other’s body. Both desperately wanting it to be real, but fearing it was all a dream. Then, the moment we finally let go and poured our all into the other.

The tears continued to trail down my cheeks as I thought about the last time I’d seen Ayla, Findral, Lena and her family… The tears came faster with each passing memory.

And then... It was over. I was back in the white abyss, holding Reina’s lifeless body against my own.

Her face was damp from the tears I’d carelessly allowed to fall on her, so I started to use my thumb to wipe some of them off- Reina’s body started to glow. Brighter and brighter, until he was painful to look at… But I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

“Please live.” I didn’t know what to do, but I had to do something. Before my very eyes, the glow started to fade.

I panicked.

I placed my hands on either side of her head and focused on my aura, the one thing I’d known was always with me.

“C’mon. Please don’t leave me alone.” I imagined the flow of aura move in reverse; instead of consuming everything outside, it would take everything inside and push it out.

The glow around Reina’s body roared back to life, and I realized then that I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.

Every ounce of power I possessed, every last strand of divinity, all of it was funneled through my aura, into Reina’s body.

Suddenly, as if it were all an illusion, the white abyss cracked. The glow became so powerful it was physically painful to look at, but I didn’t care. I redoubled my efforts.

The abyss cracked again, and an endless stream of rainbow dots began flowing through the cracks. The dots swarmed around us like flower petals in a river, and each one was absorbed almost as soon as they touched me.

A third crack appeared in the abyss. This one also letting a stream of multi-colored dots flow into my body.

Subconsciously, I became aware of a tall, stick-like man standing on the edge of my peripheral vision. But I had no focus to give him. This was too important. He would have to wait.

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, millenniums, eons. None of those words meant anything.

The only thing that mattered were the lights, and Reina.