"I'm Althea, the Goddess of Lust and Love."
"Goddess of Lust and Love..." I echoed the title absentmindedly.
Almost immediately, I wanted to respond in the same manner. "I'm Kratos, the God of War, then."
Thankfully, I bit my tongue just in time and kept my funny thoughts to myself.
Still, I found her introduction, especially her title, utterly absurd.
'Goddess? Is she roleplaying?'
Seemingly sensing my doubt, Althea smiled and suggested. "Why don't you take a good look around?"
'Take a look around?'
Her suggestion surprised me, yet on second thought, I felt like there was a deeper meaning behind her words, as if it might lead me to answers I've been dying to know.
Her words also made me realize how much I had been neglecting my surroundings.
I had been so preoccupied with my own situation that I had barely paid attention to where I was. As I finally took a moment to observe the room I was in, I realized it looked like something straight out of a fantasy story.
I was sitting on a queen-sized bed, surrounded by red roses, giving the impression of a bed prepared for a newly married couple to consummate their first night. Though, in this instance, I was alone - well, not entirely alone, as there was a cute doll beside me.
The room had no ceiling and was exposed directly to the night sky above.
Strangely, there was no moon, but just darkness with tons of small glittering dots.
'Those are stars? But where's the moon? Why was there no moon?'
Initially, I assumed the moon was hidden behind clouds, but after scanning the sky, I realized it was mostly clear with no clouds at all
My heart began to pound loudly, a clear sign of my growing anxiety.
Aside from the bed I was lying on, there was only a single wall behind it. Everything else was wide open, exposed to the outdoors.
As I gazed beyond the room, I was greeted by a seemingly endless sea of flowers in every color imaginable - red, blue, white, and more, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Strangely, even though there was no moonlight, I could see everything clearly.
It was no exaggeration to say I was like in the middle of nowhere.
A soft breeze drifted through the flowers, stirring them gently and carrying with it a sweet, unfamiliar scent. I breathed it in, and my body instinctively began to relax.
After a few moments, I hesitantly asked.
"Where am I actually?" this time, my voice didn't carry the casual, unconvincing tone it had before.
"My Divine Kingdom. What do you think? Isn't it beautiful?"
"Divine Kingdom... are you really a goddess? Like, an actual deity?"
"Yes,"
I took a sharp, deep breath.
Even though she'd already said it twice, I was still struggling to believe it.
I grew up as someone who doesn't believe in the existence of gods. And now here I was, standing in front of a figure claiming to be one.
'Could it be that I was drugged? Maybe I'm just high and hallucinating all of this. But... would I even be able to think this clearly if I were actually high?'
I was full of doubt. However, I couldn't deny that a part of me wanted to believe it was all real, especially since I had been reading many novels with reincarnations as the main tropes, and protagonists are often summoned by god-like beings.
For a moment, I was torn, unsure which side of my brain to trust.
But eventually, I figured... if this was real, there was no harm in at least playing along.
I mean, if all this turned out to be real and I somehow offended the goddess just because I didn't believe her, things could go downhill fast.
Now the problem was: how the hell was I supposed to react in front of a literal goddess? Was I supposed to kneel like some servant before a king? Or keep it cool and casual, like this was just another Tuesday?
In nowadays novels, gods are often portrayed as pretty chill. Some were lazy, laid-back, even goofy. One story even had the protagonist manage to drag a goddess into another world with him.
But those were just stories. Fiction. A world inside novels. It's completely different from my situation. I wasn't in a novel. This was a reality.
It didn't make sense for me to use them as a basis or guide for my actions.
In the end, it's better to rely on my own judgment, acting based on real feedback.
And from what I've seen so far, Althea doesn't come off as distant, aloof, or overly divine. If anything, she acts more like a beautiful, down-to-earth older sister figure next door than a goddess.
After mulling it over for a moment, I spoke earnestly, "It feels like everything's moving too quickly."
"Can you slow down and explain what's happening? Am I... am I really dead? Was it because of the truck?"
I had a multitude of questions swirling in my mind and was eager for answers. But knowing I was dealing with a deity-like figure, I realized that overwhelming her with too many questions at once might not leave a good impression. Just because she appeared casual didn't mean I could treat her casually.
After all, only god knows what's on a god's mind...
Wait, why does that sound weird now?
"Since I brought you here, it's naturally my duty to explain. Let's start with your first question."
Althea immediately continued. "Yes, you're dead."
"But I can feel my heartbeat..." I argued.
"Are you sure? Check again." I followed her advice and checked once more
To my astonishment, I found no heartbeat this time.
A cold dread washed over me. I quickly checked my pulse, and it was the same — nothing!
'What is happening?'
"How is this possible? I could clearly feel them before!" I was in shock.
"Because I made it seem that way to prevent you from panicking. Right now, you're just a soul. Your physical body is no longer here."
The information was just too much for me to handle. For a brief moment, I couldn't believe it.
Yet, as I pinched the back of my hand, the pain that registered in my brain made it clear that I wasn't dreaming. This was reality, and I could feel pain. Hold on... pain? Can a soul even feel pain?
Althea, seemingly reading my thoughts, explained, "As a soul, you can still feel pain, the need to eat, and much more. Aside from lacking a physical form, there's not much difference to talk about."
"If you still have any doubt, try flying. As a soul, you can naturally do that."
Without hesitation, I imagined floating, and to my surprise, I found my feet lifting off the ground. 'It's real! She was telling the truth!'
I could no longer deny it. I had to accept that I was dead, and there was no arguing against it.
I hovered above the bed for a full minute, then gradually calmed myself and returned to the bed.
"Was it that truck that killed me?" I heard myself ask.
"Yes. By the way, was it painful? It's my first attempt. Do you have any feedback about the experience you'd like to share with me? I've been observing the human world for a while and noticed that many people use trucks as the replacement of grim reapers for reincarnation stories."
"Initially, I wanted to use the method of the previous Goddess of Love and Lust, which involved entering someone's dream and made an illusion passionately making love with them until their life energy was fully drained. But that seemed outdated and not at all unique. I quickly changed my mind when I saw how many stories involved trucks. So, I couldn't resist trying it out. Why not, after all?"
I was completely stunned by her long explanation.
My initial reaction was, 'Ma'am, I actually liked and preferred the outdated, uniqueless method than getting hit by a truck!'
Then, I contemplate her words more deeply.
'So, from what she said, I was probably her first victim? And hold on, does this mean the truck accident was orchestrated by her and not just an accident? I wasn't dead on my own; I was killed... by the Goddess!'
The information struck me like a bolt of lightning, clearing up all the doubts I had before.
I had been baffled about how such a large truck could have ended up in the middle of the park. It seemed impossible for it to have driven there, as the park was located far uptown with no roads wide enough to accommodate a large vehicle leading to it.
And yet… even after knowing that, I didn't know how I was supposed to feel.
Anger? No point. I was already dead. What good would getting mad do now? Yell at her and die again?
Sadness? Maybe a little. I mean, it sucks being dead. But it's not like I had anything I was deeply attached to. I guess… I'll miss the internet? Yeah, I'll definitely miss that.
And then it hit me.
There was no one else to blame but myself.
It's likely that if I choose not to accept her offer, I won't be here.
As I thought about this, I hurriedly asked, "Say, if I were to refuse your offer at that time, would I be here?"