《American Isekai》 Dead Arthur Arthur''s eyelids flickered open, his vision gradually sharpening. He looked around, shut his eyes tight, looked around again, rubbed his eyes as if there were something in them, then looked around again. <> He was in an empty... space. It wasn''t a room, at least it wasn''t a room whose walls he could see, so ''space'' was the only word that came to mind. It was just a blank, white expanse spreading out seemingly for eternity. What really bothered him, though, was the couple standing in front of him. The woman was beautiful if you were into women who looked at you like you were dirt. She had long, raven-black hair framing a pair of vividly green eyes, flowing down to her petite waist. Arthur couldn''t even guess her age, but he knew she wasn''t young. It was more of a feeling than anything in her looks. His eyes traveled up and down her body, like an artist trying to take in every minute detail. <> Her eyes opened in shock, before narrowing again, now it was like she was looking at scum. She clearly thought he was absolute filth. <>, Arthur chuckled at his own joke while the woman pulled the, previously open, top of her toga together. She was obviously trying to hide as much skin as possible. "HA! BWAHAHAHAHAH!", both Arthur and the woman jumped at the insanely loud laughter, coming from the man next to her. The man was huge, heavily muscled, and had a glorious, gray beard. He was the spitting image of Zeus, from Greek mythology. Unlike the dignified image brought to mind when Arthur thought of Zeus, this guy was down on a knee fighting for breath after his insane bout of laughter, tears forming in his gray eyes. The woman''s face screwed up in anger, her previously porcelain skin flushing red, and she punched "Zeus" in the side of his head. Arthur wasn''t able to process what happened. After her fist connected, there was a deafening ''sonic boom'', and that hulk of a man flew at least 5 feet, slowly tumbling to a stop. The man laid where he landed, face down, clutching his head and groaning. This small, seemingly delicate, woman was terrifying. <> A few incredibly nerve-wracking minutes later, at least for Arthur, the man struggled to his feet and rejoined them. ¡°Alright, enough joking around.¡±, the man said, straightening his toga. ¡°Arthur. You were pretty close with the ¡®Zeus¡¯ guess, I¡¯ve gone by that name before. You can just call me ¡®God¡¯ though.¡±, he motioned to the woman, ¡°You can call her ¡®Goddess¡¯. All of the names we¡¯ve gone by over the centuries carry a lot of baggage, after all.¡± ¡°Any questions so far?¡±, asked God. ¡°Accepting that you¡¯re actually gods, and I¡¯m not just insane, what is this about? Why am I here?¡±, Arthur was surprisingly calm, despite knowing-- somehow-- that this wasn¡¯t just a weird dream. God glanced at the Goddess, but she was inspecting her nails like she wasn¡¯t involved, before continuing. ¡°Well, you¡¯re dead. You already know that much, though, but I guess starting from the beginning would be best.¡±, God began explaining. ¡°You didn¡¯t die in some accident, I killed you, actually. Wait- that sounds bad¡±, holding his hands in front of him, he appeared to consider something before continuing, ¡°Alright, so you were going to die in an accident a few days from now. I needed someone to help me with something, and you seemed like an alright choice, so I killed you early with an aneurysm. See? I spared you a horrible death, giving you a relatively painless, and instantaneous one instead. So, now it¡¯s your turn to help me!¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. <> Apparently reading his thoughts, God interrupted, ¡°Sorry, sorry, that might have been insensitive of me. I always forget how touchy people in this world are about things like dying. Look, just listen while I explain everything and I¡¯ll answer any questions you have afterwords.¡± ¡°Alright, fine, I¡¯ll try to keep an open mind.¡±, Arthur motioned for God to continue. ¡°OK. SO, I killed you with an aneurysm a few days before you were destined to die anyway. It¡¯s because you seemed like a good choice for a little mission I need help on, that for reasons neither I nor the Goddess can do on our own.¡±, he took a breath before continuing, ¡°To begin with, there are multiple parallel earths, your world¡¯s scientists have guessed as much- I¡¯m sure you¡¯re familiar with the theory. We manage most of these worlds, but can only intervene in small ways- for instance, I could only change your destiny because you were set to die in a few days, by killing you early I was then able to summon you here.¡± ¡°¡¯Here¡¯ isn¡¯t one of these parallel worlds?¡±, Arthur interjected, ¡°Precisely! Think of this as ¡®in-between¡¯.¡±, God answered, seemingly delighted by Arthur¡¯s understanding. He continued, ¡°So another one of these worlds is in a bit of a pickle, you see there is magic in this world, and other sentient species besides humans. A particularly gifted being in this world has declared war on all of the other species, declaring himself ¡®God-King¡¯ and his species as superior to the others. Think your world¡¯s ¡®Hitler¡¯, but he¡¯s an elf who considers all of the other species, including dwarfs and humans, to be lesser beings.¡±, God stared Arthur in the eyes as if waiting for a response. After a momentary pause, Arthur asked, ¡°So, wait, this elf-hitler is what? Conquering the world and committing genocide?¡± ¡°Exactly! I knew you¡¯d get it. Well, he hasn¡¯t started a genocide --yet-- he¡¯s just enslaving them, executing any who are unable to work, and isolating the healthy children for indoctrination.¡±, God seemed delighted that Arthur understood. <> ¡°Oh, well, I can help there.¡±, God had a ridiculously sheepish smile on his face. ¡°We can¡¯t intervene much, but we can have you ¡®cross over¡¯ to that world, and give you enough power to help the other species maintain balance, at least. You see, this world is actually one of the earliest worlds we created, so there are a few ¡®glitches¡¯, which is one reason why this elf was able to become so powerful in the first place. We can take advantage of those glitches to insert you into that world with enough power to help the others- you see, I feel like it¡¯s partly my fault this all happened, I designed the world after all.¡± Arthur stared at God with dead eyes before giving his answer. ¡°No. Not only ¡®No¡¯, but hell no. Just send me to hell or whatever and move on to the next sucker.¡± The Goddess, who to this point had been inspecting her nails, replied first, ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice. We¡¯re gods, you fool. He¡¯s just too nice and tried to word it like a choice. It isn¡¯t. You¡¯re going to that world, and you¡¯ll be a different species than that troublesome Elf, so don¡¯t even think about trying to team up with the ¡®winning side¡¯¡± <> ¡°Nothing is fair. You were alive for 3 decades on your world, didn¡¯t you learn that, or are you dumber than you look?¡±, she said. ¡°What the hell, lady, it¡¯s not right to go after my looks- you people already killed me, and want me to go fight some fantasy Hitler in another world- why tear me down on top of everything?!¡± ¡°Because of that disgusting thought earlier. You¡¯re awful, I don¡¯t know why God chose you. There were literally thousands of other choices in your world alone.¡±, her expression a mixture of disgust and predatory glee. Arthur sighed to himself, massaged his temples, then released all of the tension in his body, accepting just how screwed he was. ¡°Alright, where do we go from here?¡±, he said. Transmigration :: Emilia Blum :: Emilia stared, vision blurred by tears, at the young man lying peacefully in bed. He was covered by a patchwork quilt, only his pale face and light green hair visible. Emilia leaned forward, wiping beads of sweat from his feverish brow as the boy mumbled something incomprehensible. Her firstborn son had been like this for nearly two weeks; the healers had given up, and the priests had brought up final rites before her husband threw them out days ago. ¡°Matthias¡­ why don¡¯t you wake up?¡± she said, fresh tears blurring her vision even further until she could only see an outline of her beloved son. <> Emilia continued to wipe her son¡¯s forehead with a damp towel, begging the gods to open his emerald-green eyes again, begging them to let her see his smile and hear his voice again. :: Matthias Blum :: The last thing he remembered was his 13th birthday. It was a great day. His father and mother had come with him to the temple of life, where he and the other children coming of age this month were recognized. He was even offered not one, but two apprenticeships. Both the priests and healers wanted him! It was truly the best day of his life. After the ceremony, he didn¡¯t remember much. He was outside the temple with his family accepting people¡¯s congratulations when suddenly it became very, very hot. Even when he stood in front of the oven he had never been so hot before. After everything went hot his memories came in flashes. He couldn¡¯t really make anything out, except the look on his mother¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t remember her ever crying, except when his grandfather died, but in every memory since the heat came, there were tears in her eyes. ¡°Is someone dying? Wait¡­ is father OK? Why didn¡¯t I see him?¡± he said. ¡°Your dad is fine, kid¡­ you probably didn¡¯t see him because he was out looking for someone who could heal you.¡± It was a man¡¯s voice. A voice he didn¡¯t recognize. That¡¯s when he realized he was in a wide open space, white as far as the eye could see. There was a man in front of him, he looked about the same age as Matthias¡¯ parents, but more like a noble than a commoner. There was something weird about him, though. He had dark brown hair, which should mean he didn¡¯t have any magical affinity-- but his eyes were gray, which should mean the opposite. And, anyway, all nobles had at least one affinity! ¡°Hey, Mister. Are you a noble?¡± he said. ¡°No kid, I¡¯m just a regular guy.¡± ¡°But, um, Sir, you have such nice clothes. I¡¯ve never seen anything like them. And you¡¯re so¡­ healthy-- you have to be a noble, right?¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Kid¡­ did you just call me fat?¡± Matthias stiffened up at the question, before looking around the empty space. <> ¡°Hey, Mister, where are we?¡± Matthias said. The man stood still for a long moment, staring at Matthias and running a hand awkwardly through his own short hair, before he sighed, seeming to deflate in the process. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie, or try to sugar coat this for you: you¡¯re dying. You developed some kind of fever, and you just weren¡¯t strong enough to fight it off. Well, that¡¯s what I was told, anyway.¡± said the man, an awkward smile on his face. <> Matthias felt like there was something in his eyes. He tried to wipe it away, but no matter how much he tried there was always more. Something wet was in his eyes, blurring everything, leaving a trail down his cheeks. <> ¡°Hey-- Hey, kid. Don¡¯t cry, look, I was told that you¡¯ll be reborn. You¡¯ll have a much better life this time around, so just stop crying already, alright? I can¡¯t handle kids crying!¡± ¡°B-better? What do you mean, ¡®better¡¯? I have a great life! I have a great family! THINGS WERE GREAT!¡± said Matthias, ¡°I don¡¯t care about that stuff! What about my family? They¡¯re going to be so sad-- what about my mother?¡± The man¡¯s expression contorted, shifting from a awkward smile, to a frown, and back again multiple times before he finally replied. ¡°This is kind of¡­ weird¡­ probably. I am going to take your body. I have a mission in your world, so I¡¯ll take your body.¡± he said. ¡°BUT WHAT ABOUT MY MOTHER?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s alright.¡± said the man, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of your family, alright? You can trust me, kid. I was a Boy Scout.¡± He smiled earnestly at Matthias, as if trusting him should be the most obvious thing in the world. Oddly, it seemed like it really was the obvious thing to do. <> Matthias clenched his fists, willing himself to stop shaking. At the same time, his eyes cleared up, the only evidence his damp cheeks and puffy eyelids. He squared his shoulders and spoke, a slight tremor in his voice. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s a deal, then. You have to protect my family. Gods have to keep their bargains, right?¡± The man¡¯s expression grew even stranger, and time seemed to stretch on as endless as the space they were in. ¡°You¡¯re right, gods have to keep their bargains. It¡¯s a deal, kid. No. It¡¯s a deal, Matthias. I¡¯ll take care of your family. That¡¯s a promise.¡± he said, holding out a hand. Matthias stared at the man¡¯s hand, then his expectant face, before reaching out his own small hand. As his hand was engulfed by the man¡¯s, he felt warmth spread throughout his body. It wasn¡¯t hot and painful like the fever. It reminded Matthias of his mother¡¯s hug, that last birthday in front of the temple. :: Emilia Blum :: Emilia woke with a start. She was hot. No, it was hot. It felt like she was standing in front of a bonfire. And it was bright. <> She rubbed the dried tears from her eyes and stared, dumbfounded. The heat and the light were both coming from her bedridden son. Her son, who hadn¡¯t opened his eyes or spoken, much less used magic, was radiating a clean, white light and immense heat. She reached out a hand, trying to touch him-- she just wanted him to know she was there, whatever was going on. Fresh tears bloomed in her eyes, this time from pain. There was a pressure coming off him, keeping her from getting any closer, and she could see her skin begin to redden and crack from the heat. She kept pushing forward. <> ¡°Matti! Matthias, I¡¯m here. Mama¡¯s here!¡± In an instant, the pressure multiplied and she heard a sickening crack as her arm bent in the wrong direction. The quilt flew off, and she found herself flying through the air. All she could see was her son, engulfed in a storm of magical power the color of snow. She heard something disgusting, like meat being tenderized, before everything began to fade to black. <>