It had been a long day.
No—long didn't even begin to describe it. Years of sleepless nights, caffeine abuse, and relentless pressure had all led to this single point. I had finally finished everything. My doctorate. The end of university. The end of a chapter of my life that had consumed me entirely.
Tomorrow, it would all be over.
All I had to do now was sleep.
I lay back on the narrow dorm bed, staring up at the ceiling fan spinning lazily above me. It wobbled as it turned, just like it had for the past month. The faint metallic rattle was almost comforting at this point—background noise I'd learned to ignore.
I had reported it. More than once.
I'm sure it'll be fine, I thought.
It was not fine.
Just as my eyes began to close, the rattling intensified. The fan lurched violently, the bolts screaming as metal tore free—
—and then the world came crashing down.
Pain exploded for a fraction of a second.
Then nothing.
I didn't wake up.
I returned.
Returned to awareness, suspended in a vast black void that stretched endlessly in every direction. There was no ground beneath my feet, no body I could feel—just consciousness floating in nothingness.
And laughter.
Deep, amused laughter echoed around me, reverberating through the void itself.
"Oh—oh, I'm sorry," a voice said between chuckles. "I know I shouldn't laugh, but that was genuinely hilarious."
I frowned. "Hilarious?" I said, surprised that I could speak at all. "I just died."
"Yes, yes, ceiling fan malfunction," the voice replied casually. "Tragic. Sudden. Entirely preventable. But the timing? Impeccable."
"…Who are you?" I asked.
"There's no translation for my name in your human language," the entity said cheerfully. "You may call me God."
Of course.
"You died early," God continued. "Far earlier than you were supposed to. Bureaucratic error on my end. Very embarrassing. So, as compensation—"
The void rippled.
"—I'll reincarnate you."
My mind snapped into focus instantly.
"Into another world," God added, clearly enjoying my sudden attention. "Specifically: Avatar: The Last Airbender."
My heart—if I still had one—skipped.
"And," God said, raising a figurative finger, "you get one wish."
One wish.
My thoughts exploded into chaos. Immortality? Omnipotence? Reality warping? Becoming the Avatar itself?
"Can I wish to be the Avatar?" I asked immediately.
God shook their head. "No. Main characters are off-limits. They're too deeply intertwined with the world's balance. Especially the Avatar."
Figures.
As if reading my thoughts, invisible pressure settled around me—rules forming naturally in my mind. I couldn't wish for omnipotence. No god-tier beings. No absurd power that shattered the setting. No borrowing abilities from characters who would trivialize the world.
This wasn't charity.
It was regulated mercy.
I forced myself to think calmly.
Talent.
Potential.
Growth.
A name surfaced instantly.
"I wish for the talents of Indra Ōtsutsuki," I said.
Silence.
Then: "Oh?" God said, intrigued. "Explain."
Indra Ōtsutsuki. Progenitor of ninjutsu. A genius who mastered every element, created entirely new systems of power, and stood at the apex of talent even among gods. His reincarnations inherited only fragments of his potential—and still became monsters.
"I don't want his raw power," I said carefully. "I want his talent. His genius. His battle IQ. His strategic mind. His bloodline affinity."
God hummed thoughtfully.
Negotiations followed.
Long ones.
Painful ones.
In the end, we reached an agreement.
I would receive:
Indra Ōtsutsuki's genius-level intelligence and battle instincts
His talent for manipulating energy systems, adapted to bending
A powerful bloodline, granting exceptional chi reserves and perception
An unparalleled spiritual connection
The Sharingan, fully functional—but adapted to this world's rules
In return, everything was balanced. No instant godhood. No effortless domination. Power would require effort, training, and time.
I would be a firebender, naturally aligned with lightning and high-energy techniques.
And I would be reincarnated ten years before the canon story begins.
Enough time to train.
Enough time to prepare.
Enough time to change everything.
God smiled.
"Good luck," they said. "Entertain me."
The void collapsed.
And I was reborn into fire.