Isekai Story Idea

Hey, what are you doing?

Get away from them!

Help!

BANG!  BANG BANG!

Fucking faggot...

BANG!!

...

Well!  That was certainly interesting!

He shot me!

Several times.  Though it was the last one that mattered most.

Am I...

As a doornail, I’m afraid.

Oh..

Yeah...

So are you God?  I’m a little fuzzy on what we do next.

Let’s put a pin in that for now.  You sacrificed yourself trying to save that person.  Who were they to you?

You’re being a little evasive.  Wait, did I say that out loud?

You didn’t say it at all.  You’re currently a soul between here and somewhere else.

Oh...Where?

Don’t worry about it.  That person you died trying to save.  Who were they to you?

My... friend.

Just friends?

What... what does it matter?

Like I said.  You’re interesting.

Are they okay?

Are you?

Oh, God...

Something Like that.  Let’s focus on you right now.  Why’d you die trying to help them?

Because...

Yes?

It was the right thing to do.

Was it?  It got you killed, after all.

Okay.  Sure.  That was bad, but still.  It was right to try and help them.

Interesting...

Is it?

It is to me.

So... what?  Do I go to Heaven?  Get reincarnated?  Go to a magical fantasy game world?

...do you want to?

What?

You’re dead.  I can’t make the system go backwards.  That would just put your soul in a... pile of ash at this point.  Huh.  Anyway.  No going backwards.  But!  I can nudge your soul to somewhere more... interesting.  Or, if you want, I just let you go and let the system take you wherever you’re going to end up.

And where is that?

Well, that depends:  How good... or bad... a person were you?

Um... I don’t know.  I hope I was good...

Everyone does right about now.  The question is: were you good enough?

...

You probably were, by the way.  The system loves people sacrificing themselves for the souls of others.

Oh.

But personally, I think you deserve a choice.  I know a place where you might be able to save other people.  Worse case, you end up back here.

I’m seriously going to some isekai game world?

It’s a world.  One that I find interesting.  One that you may find worth saving.  Or not.  But the choice is yours.

Are you telling me I’m going to be a hero?

Maybe.  Maybe not.  It’ll be interesting if you’re a phenomenon, a coincidence, or a pattern.  Either way, I can send you, or not.

But... who are you?

The entity giving you a choice.  So what’ll it be?

I... I guess... sure?

Excellent! I could just send you there the long way, but I think I can expedite things a little bit.  There has to be a vessel somewhere around here. If I can find one laying around... ah!  There’s one!

Where?  What’s happening?!

One moment.  The soul’s gone.  Just gotta do this... and... mmm... that... and... ahah!  There we go.  At least it’s breathing still.

What do you mean ‘breathing’?  Hold on!  I need to know–

Nope.  No more time.  I’m barely holding it together as is.  Good Luck!

Warmth on my face.  Bird song.  Insects buzzing near by.  Grass under my back.  A terrible ache around my throat.  It felt like I was flowing like molasses, spreading out into this new body.  Was I supposed to hurt this bad?  Who was that voice?  What was going on?

I cracked an eye, the light stabbing into my pupil and I cried out, covering my eyes with a hand...  Something was very wrong. The more I filled this body, the more wrong it felt.  My ribs ached.  My head throbbed.  I could feel details I needed to know slipping away.  What had happened?  Where was I?

Who was I?

My eyes popped open under the hand.  Bits of blue peeked through my fingers.  I remembered that conversation clearly, but everything before it was fuzzy.  I had been going to classes... or had I been thinking about going to classes?  Going to work or thinking about going to work?  Had I been employed?  The more I tried to think about it, the more my head hurt.

I’d been shot.  Killed.  Murdered.  Why?  Because I tried to help someone?  Did I have family?  Was I being mourned?  Forgotten?  Who was I?