The last thing I remember was the sound of tires.
Then pain.
Then nothing.
…
Then I was walking.
No—*standing*. In a place that wasn't a place. Just… white. Endless, empty white.
I looked down at myself. No injuries. No blood.
"So… I'm dead."
The words came out flat. No panic. No fear. Just a quiet realization.
My thoughts drifted for a moment.
*Scrubby…*
A small, scruffy mutt with too much energy and not enough brain cells. The only one waiting for me at home.
"Damn it… who's gonna feed him?"
"Don't worry," a voice said.
I froze.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't quiet either. It just… *was*.
"He'll be fine. All dogs go to heaven, after all."
I turned slowly.
There was no body. No shape. Just the feeling that *something* was there.
Watching.
Listening.
Knowing.
"…Right," I said after a moment. "So what now?"
"Now?" the voice replied, almost amused. "You get a choice. Reincarnation… or transmigration."
I shoved my hands into my pockets—more out of habit than comfort.
"That depends."
"Oh?"
"What world am I going to?"
There was a pause.
Then—
"We're doing gacha."
I blinked.
"…You're kidding."
"Nope."
A massive wheel appeared out of nowhere, spinning slowly at first—then faster, faster, faster. Symbols, worlds, names flashing past too quickly to fully process.
But I caught glimpses.
Pirates. Dinosaurs. Giant robots.
"Is that—nope. Not going there."
The wheel kept spinning.
"Please not Marvel," I muttered. "I don't feel like fighting for my life every other day."
The voice chuckled.
Then the wheel stopped.
"Well," it said, "good news. You got Stargate SG-1."
I exhaled.
"…Okay. That's actually not bad."
"Agreed. Interesting universe. Plenty of danger—but not constant chaos."
"Yeah, I can work with that."
I glanced back at where the wheel had been.
"Do I choose when and where I spawn?"
"Time—yes. Location—no."
"Alright…" I thought for a second. "Then ten years before Earth starts using the Stargate."
"Done."
The voice sounded almost pleased.
"Now, you get three wishes. Within reason."
"Define 'within reason.'"
A pause.
"Nothing beyond what the ascended beings in that universe could handle."
That made me hesitate.
*Ascended beings… basically gods.*
"…Yeah, I don't want to mess with that."
"Smart choice."
I rubbed the back of my neck, thinking.
*Okay. Don't go overboard. But don't be weak either.*
"My first wish—nanites."
"Oh?"
"They're completely bound to me. No one can hack them, control them, or use them against me."
"Acceptable," the voice said. "But they only know what you know. They'll need to learn."
"That's fair."
I paused.
"Next question—race change. Is that a wish?"
"No. That falls under character customization."
"Good."
That made things easier.
I thought again.
"Second wish… full control over my magic. Down to the smallest level. Like absolute precision."
"Granted," the voice replied. "But no infinite energy sources."
I smirked slightly.
"Yeah, I figured."
"One more."
"Right…"
I didn't hesitate this time.
"Perfect memory. Total recall. No overload, no damage. Like a library in my head."
"Granted."
The space around me shifted slightly—like reality adjusting.
"Anything else?" the voice asked.
"…Yeah. One thing."
"Go on."
"Make me part of the world. Not an outsider. Something that fits into the lore… even if no one understands it."
There was a long pause this time.
Longer than before.
"…Already planned," the voice said finally.
Something about that answer felt… off.
Not wrong.
Just bigger than I understood.
"Good," I said quietly.
"Then we're done here."
"Wait," I said quickly. "One last thing."
"Yes?"
"…Are you a god?"
The voice laughed.
Or at least, that's what it felt like.
"That depends on your definition."
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"…Or are you a ROB?"
Another pause.
Then—
"If that makes more sense to you… sure."
I huffed out a quiet breath.
"Alright. Fair enough."
"Now," the voice said, lighter again, "go build your new life."
The white space shattered.
Light swallowed everything.
And then—
Darkness.
---
When I opened my eyes, I was somewhere new.
And everything was about to change.