I love motorbikes. I wasn't rich, per se, but I had five of them in my little garage. My mom used to hate that I took one of my babies wherever I went instead of driving a car like normal people.
Fuck normal people.
They don't know the joy of riding long distances in the fresh air, all the way out into the countryside, without a helmet, as the wind caresses your hair.
Aah.
I must have closed my eyes while riding because the next thing I knew, my baby had run over a boulder. The bike came to a sudden halt, and I was thrown onto the road, rolling over violently.
It hurt. A lot.
My shoulder throbbed; it must be broken. My head was spinning, my vision blurred. I was completely disoriented. The only thing I heard was the blaring honk of a large vehicle. Probably a truck.
And then...nothing.
I didn't wake up in a hospital, as I had expected. No, I woke up in a white expanse.
Everywhere was white.
Blindingly white.
I wish they could dim it a little.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the brightness softened instantly. That was when I realized I wasn't alone.
An ageless man stood before me, his features impossible to pin down. His skin tone and facial structure shifted subtly every few seconds, making it impossible to remember what he looked like. Yet, somehow, I felt like I had known him all my life. A warm, comforting sensation settled in my chest as I gazed at his ethereal form, shrouded in the same radiant light that filled the space around us.
"Hi," I croaked after what felt like an eternity.
"Why, hello, young one."
His voice was heavenly. No singer on Earth could ever match the smooth, melodic sound of it.
"It's been quite some time since someone came to me."
"Uhm, sorry?" I blurted, unsure of how to respond. The last thing I wanted was to upset a god.
"No, it's a good thing," he said, beaming at me regally. "It has been so long since I've had the company of a mortal soul."
"I… don't understand, sir," I replied as politely as possible.
"Yes," he nodded knowingly. "Your species is quite ignorant when it comes to these matters. Worry not—I'll explain everything. Let's start with the fact that you died."
I had suspected as much, but hearing it spoken out loud sent a chill through me.
I had so much left to do.
I wanted to marry my long-time girlfriend. I had promised her at least four kids, and we hadn't even started on the first.
I needed to help my sister pay off her college loans.
I had to take care of Mom, for she had been struggling with her health ever since Dad passed.
I wanted to backpack across the world.
I had so many things left to do. And now… none of them would ever happen.
Before I knew it, I was crying like a baby.
"There, there," the god murmured gently as he wrapped me in a comforting embrace. "It's okay now. You're free of all your worldly attachments."
I swallowed back the lump in my throat. "Can I see my dad?" I asked, hope flickering inside me as the realization hit: if I were dead, then maybe I could finally reunite with him.
"I was just getting to that," the god promised. "The afterlife operates on a system called KP, Karma Points. The higher your KP, the better your chances of reaching a higher place. In heaven, there are tiers: those with the most KP reside in the topmost levels, while those with fewer points end up in the lower tiers. However, if your KP is negative, you are destined for hell. The greater the negative number, the deeper the pits of hell you're sent to."
I shivered at the mere thought of that.
"So… what's my KP?" I asked hesitantly after a moment.
"Ah, that's the interesting part." He gave me a knowing look. "You have exactly zero KP. This hasn't happened in hundreds of years. You see, KP is not usually awarded as a whole number. It can even be as minuscule as 0.00000001."
I stood there, gobsmacked, trying to process that information. Confusion clouded my mind, but soon it was replaced by anger.
"Hey! I was a good person! I never killed or raped anyone! I didn't even steal! Ever."
"True," he agreed immediately. But then his tone turned sharper.
"But you were the one who never helped anyone in need unless it benefited you. You manipulated others to climb the ladder of success, crushing more careers than you ever built. You made promises to your family that you never kept, like helping your sister with her debt or taking care of your father's health. He died without even seeing you one last time. And your mother? She's in the same boat now, suffering from her illness alone. You didn't even spare your poor girlfriend, who loved you more than anyone else in the world. Have you forgotten the number of times she cried herself to sleep after some of your heated exchanges?"
I stood there silently as the god listed every bad deed I had done. The truth was, I had never really thought about them too much.
Things just… happened sometimes.
"But while your bad deeds are many, so are your good ones," he continued, his voice softening. "You created software that changed many lives."
"I did?" I asked, dubious. My software was just a few days away from launch when I died—I had no idea if it would even be useful.
It was strange. When I was alive, all I could think about was my software, but now that I was dead, all I could think about was my family and the mundane things I had taken for granted.
Death gives life a lot of perspective.
"You may not know this," the god went on, "but your AI software became the foundation for advanced neurotherapy a few years after your death. It led to the permanent cure of diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Your name was honored with numerous posthumous awards, which helped balance out your wrongdoings."
"Awards balance out wrong deeds?" I asked, puzzled.
"No," he said, sounding slightly irritated. "People's gratitude does. But since your software was only one component of the research that saved so many lives, you didn't receive the full KP for it. It also doesn't help that your intentions weren't altruistic; you were only hoping to make some money."
"Alright, I understand that," I said. "So, my karma is zero. What now?"
"Now you reincarnate, obviously."
"That wasn't obvious to me," I muttered under my breath before speaking louder. "So, what is this reincarnation business? Is it like those web novels where I get to go into a fictional world? Can I choose? Please? I want to go to Harry Potter. No, Pokémon. Or—"
He raised his hand silently, and I dared not continue my tirade of fictional worlds.
"Those worlds don't exist," he said softly. "They are a figment of human imagination. Things like magic or supernatural powers, as you know them, don't exist for humans unless some divine power is involved."
"Then why are we even having this conversation?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Just let me meet my father and send me wherever you want to."
"Because we gods couldn't reach a conclusive decision," he said bluntly. "Half believed that since you indirectly saved so many lives, you deserve a place in heaven, even if only the lowest level. The other half believed that you should be sent to hell, at least for a century, to atone for your sins before we reevaluate your KP."
I started sweating profusely. A century in hell? No, thank you. If I didn't like the place, I couldn't even kill myself to escape.
"That option is not entirely off the table, you know," he said with a smile. "If you voluntarily go to the topmost level of hell, the least harsh one, I can personally promise to get you out in a decade. After that, you'll go to heaven and reunite with your family. Believe me, this is a very good deal. But I've studied how your mind works, and I know you won't choose this option."
He wasn't wrong.
I had no idea what "least harsh" meant in the context of hell, but I knew I wanted no part of it. When we're alive, we rarely think about what happens after death. Who the fuck worries about the afterlife except for terminally ill and elderly people?
"And what about reincarnation?" I asked hesitantly.
"Simple. You'll be reincarnated in a period and region of your choice."
"Wait, you can send me to a different period?" I asked, needing clarification.
"Yes," he nodded. "Anywhere between 5000 BC and 2100 AD. Just choose the decade you want to be born in, and I'll select a body that suits you best."
All my life, all I had known was coding. I started coding in middle school, and by the time I finished college, I had already created multiple software programs and applications. They weren't wildly successful, but I knew I wasn't just some average coder.
The era part wasn't as hard to decide as the deity seemed to think.
For any coder, the best time to be born was the late '50s or early '60s, so they could grow up before the dot-com boom. I could create my own company, ride the tech wave, and become a billionaire before anyone else caught on.
Then, I'd spend the rest of my life like Bill Gates, funding charities and causes.
That should be altruistic enough to secure a spot in heaven, right?
"I've decided," I announced after some thought. "I want to be born between 1955 and 1965 in the USA, preferably in California or New York."
The god nodded regally. "Acceptable. And what kind of body would you like?"
"I get to choose?" I asked eagerly.
This was like a video game character customization screen. If I had the option, I was obviously going for the best combo.
"For starters, I want to be male," I said firmly. No chances taken there.
At his nod, I continued, "Make me Caucasian, tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes—you know, the kind of guy that screams 'hot surfer dude.' In fact, make me the most handsome man in the world if you can. The kind of guy women swoon over at first sight."
"Careful there," he warned with a slight grin. "Don't forget, you are going back to improve your Karma, not lower it in the negatives."
"I'll keep that in mind," I promised.
"Good," he said, nodding again. "Then you shall have your desired body and will be reborn in the time and place of your choosing."
I had a feeling the conversation was coming to an end, so I asked the question that had been weighing on me since I arrived. "Will I get to see my father now? Please?"
The deity's expression softened. "My hands are tied. Once a soul is assigned to a particular realm, it cannot cross over unless in transit. The only way you could meet your father is if he voluntarily chose to spend a few years in hell. I can ask him if you want?"
"No," I said without hesitation. I couldn't do that to my old man. He was too good to suffer in hell, not even for a second. Still, the thought of never seeing him again hurt more than I expected.
"Aww, don't be sad," the god said, offering an oddly playful smile. Then his eyes lit up, as if he'd just had a great idea. "I can offer you something to cheer you up."
"What?"
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as if revealing a grand secret. "I'm not really allowed to do this anymore, not since we completely separated from your realm, but I think I can get away with making one exception."
"And what is it?" I asked impatiently. The ache of not seeing my father still lingered.
"You'll be reborn as my child," he announced. "A demigod, if you will. In the old days, your people referred to me as Poseidon or Neptune. I ruled over the seas, earthquakes, and storms. I even introduced horses to your world. I'll bestow some of those powers on you."
"So… I'll be like Percy Jackson?" I asked skeptically.
"Something similar, but not exactly," Poseidon confirmed. "To other humans, you won't appear godly; they will look over or find some explanation for any of your miraculous feats. But internally, you'll be half-divine. If you accept, you will be one of, if not the most, physically powerful humans in the world. Your body will have beyond peak-human stamina and durability. You will never fall ill, and any injuries you sustain will heal at an accelerated rate. It won't regrow lost limbs or organs, but other than that, nothing will be able to hinder you physically.
Your aging will also slow significantly. After you turn 18, you will age at half the rate of a normal human."
"And the water powers?"
Poseidon grinned but shook his head. "I'll let you figure that out on your own. If you accept, of course."
"Why would anyone not accept?" I asked, suspicious now. There had to be a catch.
"You're quick," Poseidon noted, amused. "Of course there's a catch. First, I need to be sure you won't go blabbing about this conversation to humans or other gods. So, a binding spell will be placed on your soul, preventing you from ever revealing your powers or this meeting. Even other gods won't be able to break it."
"I accept," I said immediately. I had no intention of telling anyone anyway.
"Don't be so hasty," he said, wagging a finger. "Demigods are created by us gods for our entertainment. If I were to make you my child, I would be able to monitor your every move at all times. See, hear, taste, smell, and feel everything you do."
I narrowed my eyes. "Is this just some perverted godly way to have sex through your demigods without leaving this realm?"
"Yes," Poseidon admitted without hesitation.
I blinked. "...Seriously?"
"Not for me," he clarified hastily. "But for some gods, yes. However, you wouldn't ever feel my presence. It won't affect your life at all."
I thought hard about that. Privacy was already a major issue in the digital world with governments spying on citizens, corporations tracking everything... and now, I'd have a literal god watching my every move. I didn't believe him for even a second that he was not like the other gods. The implications were disturbing, but in the end, the pros outweighed the cons.
"Anything else?" I asked after a moment.
"No, that's all."
"Then I accept."
Poseidon beamed. "Perfect. See you in a couple of centuries, then. To make sure you don't have a miserable childhood, your memories won't return until you've grown up a bit."
That was actually preferable to the alternative.
"Oh, and I don't want my son to have too easy a life," he added, his grin widening. "After all, you are going down there for my entertainment. So you won't recall your current family or your coding knowledge. Fresh start and all that jazz."
"What the fuck?!" I yelled. "No coding knowledge?! Then I don't want to go to—"
That was as far as I got before everything faded to black.
_______________
AN: Hey guys! This is my second story that I have been working on for a while. If you haven't read my first one yet, check out: Dreams of Stardom (Hollywood SI).
Some things to note about this story:
This one will be much more mature in tone as compared to DOS.
The MC won't settle for a girl for a long time, so the romance element (ike the one in DOS) won't happen anytime soon. So don't ask me who the final love interest will be.
Unlike Troy, this MC won't be very good at acting from the get-go. He will slowly improve over the years, and his first few films won't be received well.
In addition to acting, this MC will also be a filmmaker, but that will be developed slowly, and he won't become Spielberg after his first movie.
Also, he won't get into managing any business not related to the movie business.