DISCLAIMER: I DO NOW OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER
X
PLEASE SUPPORT THE OFFICIAL RELEASE!
When he died, he hadn't expected anything.
As an atheist, he was skeptical of all religions and always assumed that when you died that was it. There would be no pearly white gates to walk through. No seventy-two virgins to pleasure. And definitely, no goat-legged sadist trying to sodomize you with a pitch-fork for not living a holy life dedicated to a church governed by a bunch of disgusting pedophiles.
He lay face down, listening to the silence.
He was perfectly alone. Nobody was watching. Nobody else was there. He was not even sure he was there himself.
A long time later, or maybe no time all, it came to him that he must exist, must be more than disembodied thought, because he was lying, definitely lying, on some surface.
Almost as soon as he had reached this conclusion, he became conscious that he was naked. Convinced as he was of his total solitude, this did not concern him, but it did intrigue him slightly. He wondered whether, as he could feel, he would be able to see. In opening them, he discovered that he still had eyes.
He lay in a bright mist, though it was not like any mist he had ever experienced before. His surroundings were not hidden by cloudy vapor; rather the cloudy vapor had not yet formed into surroundings. The floor on which he lay seemed to be white, neither warm nor cold, but simply there, a flat, blank something on which to be.
He sat up. His body appeared unscathed. He stood up, looking around. The mist that surrounded him was starting to clear and he could finally see where he was.
Imagine the largest concert crowd you've ever seen, a football field packed with a million faces.
Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity has gone out, and there is no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd. Something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people are just milling around in the shadows, waiting for the concert that will never start.
If you can picture that, you have a pretty good idea of what the afterlife looked like. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Black trees—grew in clumps here and there.
The cavern ceiling was so high above it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint gray and looked wickedly pointed. He tried not to imagine they'd fall on him at any moment but dotted around the fields were several that had fallen and impaled themselves in the black grass.
I guess the dead don't have to worry about little hazards like being speared by stalactites the size of skyscrapers, he thought and he couldn't help but look for familiar faces among the spirits of Asphodel, but the dead were hard to look at. Their faces shimmered. They all looked slightly angry or confused. They would come up and speak, but their voices sounded like background chatter, white noise. Once they realized he couldn't understand them, they frowned and moved away.
For the first time, he wished he were clothed.
Barely had the wish formed in his head when clothes appeared a short distance away. He took them and pulled them on: They were soft, clean, and warm. It was amazing how they had appeared, just like that, the moment he had wanted them...
What is going on?
A soft jingling of bells resonated through the air, catching his attention. He looked around, searching for the source of the sound.
Suddenly, in front of him, suspended in mid-air was a shimmering screen that seemed to materialize out of thin air; no more than six inches from his face. He rubbed his eyes, blinking in disbelief as text appeared on the screen.
You are dead.
Your life on Earth has ended and you are now in the next phase of your existence in the universe.
Dead? He stared at the robe in disbelief. He was dead. Then did that mean he was in limbo? Where was he going to go? Heaven or...
Incorrect.
This is not the Heaven of Hell you were raised on.
"So, you can read my mind?" he nodded. That made sense. If he was in the afterlife, then the "person" controlling the screen in front of him must be some kind of God. "If I'm not in Heaven or Hell...then who was right?"
The Hindus were a little bit right. Muslim's a little bit. Jews. Christians. Buddhist.
Every religion guessed about five percent.
"So where am I?" he asked, and he wondered why he was so calm. Shouldn't he be freaking out? He was dead after all?
You are outside the Fields of Asphodel.
"Is this where I'm going to spend eternity?" he asked, watching the army of the dead shuffle along. This place might not be the Christian Hell, but it wasn't far off.
That is a possibility, but not the only one.
There are two others. The Fields of Punishment.
The mist around him cleared even more and to his left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, he could see people being chased by massive dogs, burned at the stake, and forced to run naked through the barbed wire. And he saw worse tortures too—things he didn't want to describe.
Or Elysium.
To the right, was a small valley surrounded by walls—a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the afterlife. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history. Roman villas, medieval castles, and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. He could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.
In the middle of the valley was a glistering blue lake, with three small islands like a tropical vacation resort.
He stared at the island in awe. "That's the kind of place I want to spend eternity."
The Isles of the Blest.
You cannot enter there yet. Only those who have chosen to Start A New Game three times, and three times achieved Elysium are allowed entrance.
"Start a new game?"
If you choose to be judged and are judged to have achieved Elysium you will be given the choice to enter Elysium or Start A New Game and try to achieve Elysium again. If you are judged and are judged to be placed in the Fields of Asphodel or the Fields of Punishment you will not be given the choice to Start A New Game.
Would you like to start a New Game?
He stared at the screen for a moment. It was startlingly to see his fate put so bluntly in words. He had died, and could still vividly remember that weightless, floating feeling as his body sailed through the windshield of his car. What a day to forget to put his seat belt on.
Then he looked back at the Fields of Punishment and Fields of Asphodel. He thought about how few people there were in Elysium, how tiny it was compared to them
Did he really want to risk it?
He hadn't lived a very long life, and he hadn't done anything he thought would get him into Elysium.
"Okay, fuck it," he scoffed, way past the point of panicking about his death. "Yeah, let's start a new game."
You have selected the New Game Option!
Continue by choosing your new world:
Naruto
Dragon Ball Z
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Legend of Korra
Solo Levelling
Attack on Titan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
High School of the Dead
Resident Evil
A Tale of Demons and Gods
He stared at his choices. They were all fictional worlds he knew a lot about.
Did that mean all these worlds always existed?
Frankly, all the choices were rather appealing, but some more than others. He was going to pass on Resident Evil and Attack on Titan for obvious reasons. Dragon Ball Z was very tempting, but the escalation for that world was insane and he had no idea what was going to happen if he chose it. Was he just going to get dropped into that world with the clothes on his back? Would he be reborn as an alien? Being reborn as a Namekian, a race with no females would just be horrible and he didn't want to live an entire life without sex.
His eyes focused on the Percy Jackson option. Depending on where he ended up, it would be possible to be gifted powers as a demi-god. And in general, it was probably the world with the best reward-to-risk ratio.
If he played my cards right, he could literally become immortal. Percy had turned the offer of godhood down, but that was because Seaweed Brain was a better person than him.
Dying sucked and if he could choose to never do it again, he would.
And sure, it'd probably be easier to become immortal in Dragon Ball Z thanks to the Dragon Balls, but there was one problem with that.
Zeno.
He still remembered what Whis said about the GOD of the Dragon Ball Z universe:
"Grand Zeno could annihilate anything he wishes in the blink of an eye regardless of size or complexity. Be it a single life form, a world, a galaxy, or an entire universe. If it ever struck his fancy, he could eliminate everything—all of reality as we know it."
He was going to pass on that, thank you very much.
Which also meant passing on Percy Jackson. He really didn't want to have to live his life worrying about if some God of god was just going to smite him because they were bored.
Avatar wouldn't be too bad. There were no angry gods in that universe unless you counted Vaatu.
It wasn't a particularly high-level environment either. The biggest feat he could remember was Avatar Kyoshi separating Kyoshi Island from the Earth Kingdom. And if he wasn't born a bender he could always find Aang and hang around until the Avatar met the Lion Turtle and learned Energy Bending.
"Avatar the Last Airbender it is," he said, and before he could talk himself out of it, he tapped his finger on the screen, selecting that world.
You have chosen to enter the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Your journey will begin 1 Year before the arrival of Sozin's Comet.
Our system has reviewed your previous game and you have earned 1000 Points!
The screen changed and instead of various fictional worlds on display, there was now a list of abilities and powers from the Avatar the Last Airbender series.
Choose your Element.
Air Bender
Water Bender
Earth Bender
Fire Bender
Non-Bender
"Wow, I get to just choose one? Fuck yeah!" he pumped his fist. He'd been worried that it'd be a random thing. "Definitely going with Fire Bender!"
Firebending was the best in his opinion. Not only could Fire Benders create their element, but they also had some of the best sub-skills: like lightning generation and combustion bending.
Though Sismic Sense and Metalbending were cool too. And blood-bending, of course. Flying like Zaheer would also be awesome.
Still, it was a Fire Bender's life for him. He reached out to select his skill, then paused.
What about the Lion Turtle?
He had seen theories online that the last known Lion Turtle in the world, the one who taught Aang Energy Bending was a Lion Turtle who gave Wan his Fire Bending.
If that is true, does that mean if I chose a different bending style first, could I find that Lion Turtle and be given a second element?
Secret Ability Unlocked!
You have met the requirements of the Hidden Lion Turtle Quest!
You may now select two Elements!
He grinned and selected Earth and Fire. As soon as he made his selection, the screen shifted again.
Choose your starting point!
Fire Lord's Elite Guard: You are among the most skilled and trusted guards of Fire Lord Ozai.
Princess Escort: You have been chosen to accompany Princess Azula on her mission to capture her brother and uncle.
Prince's Training Partner: You frequently spar with Prince Zuko as he strives to capture the Avatar.
Warlord's Protege: Your exceptional fire-bending abilities have caught the attention of General Zhao, who has taken you on as his apprentice.
After reading through the options, he couldn't help but complain loudly. "Seriously? Not even a 'student of Iroh' option?"
None of the choices were that appealing.
He could eliminate becoming Zhao's apprentice right away. No way in hell. Screw that guy and his ridiculous facial hair. The option of being a guard for Ozai was tempting at first, Imperial Fire Benders were supposed to be the strongest outside the royal family…but then he would be stuck at the Fire Nation capital probably standing in one spot for hours on end while the Fire Lord planned world domination.
That just sounded boring as fuck!
Which left traveling with Azula, or traveling with Zuko. Being handpicked as one of Azula's guards meant jumping into the story in Book 2. It also implied he would have an above-average level of skill. The problem with that choice was that Azula would ditch her guards pretty soon.
So where would that leave him?
He reached out and tapped the Prince's Training Partner choice. If nothing else, he'd be around Iroh who was teaching Zuko, and as Zuko's training partner, he would kind of be Iroh's student too.
The screen changed again, this time displaying a list of different perks.
Please purchase your perks. Points Remaining: 1000
STAT GAIN PERKS
Powerful Build (-300): You are gifted with a naturally powerful body. Gain strength twice as fast.
Agile Frame (-300): Quick reflexes with quicker eyes, a markedly swift combination. Gain Agilty twice as fast.
Robust Body (-300): Pain and poison are no great obstacles to your tireless vigor.
Prodigy (-300): You learn and pick up things at an accelerated rate, from theoretical to combat skills.
STAT MALUS PERKS:
Limp Noodle (+200): Your body simply doesn't build muscles that fast. Gain Strength half as fast.
Oafish Frame (+200): It is not that you're slow per se- you're just slow to develop coordination. Gain Agility half as fast.
Sickly Body (+200): Your health is fragile, and illnesses haunt you.
Slow Learner (+200): You try your best, but sometimes that isn't enough. Gain skills half as fast.
Scarred (+200): You won't make it through this world unscathed. +50% gains in Reputation and Affection with certain characters.
Spiritual Imbalance (+200): Your connection to your bending is stunted.
MISCELLANEOUS PERKS:
Rare Special Quests may reward these perks, or...you can buy them now.
Lucky! (-50): Lady Luck has your back. Whenever you gamble, have the odds slightly skewed in your favor.
Siren's Voice (-50): Your voice is like molten chocolate in people's ears. +50% to Reputation and Affection gains from conversations.
Compass (-50): The power to un-lost yourself. You possess an innate, but imprecise compass towards your Quest's next objective.
Friendly Scent (-50): Mother Nature's Seal of Approval. Animals and Spirits will be much friendlier towards you.
Pretty Privilege (-100): Oh no, he's hot! Sometimes a great body and a roguish smile are all one needs in life.
Magic Fingers (-50): Your GF will thank you for taking this perk. All your massages are supernaturally good.
CHALLENGE PERKS:
Make your reincarnation experience interesting with Challenge Perks!
Pick as many as you like, or none at all.
Ripe (+200): Showering won't help.
Bad First Impressions (+200): Something about you just strikes people off the first time around. Everyone starts at -10 Reputation.
Malfunction (+200): A major malfunction to a critical tool. Start with the [Impotent] perk.
Marked for Death (+300): A noble somewhere will keep hiring professional assassins to kill you until you find and confront the noble.
Blind (+600): Like a bat, or a Toph! Start with the [Blind] perk.
"Only 1000 points to start with," he muttered, using his finger to scroll through the list. That wasn't even enough points to pick all four of the Stat Gain perks let alone anything extra. Not without making his next life harder by picking a Malus or Challenge Perk.
Some of those aren't too bad, he thought and started picking his perks. First things first: Powerful Build, Agile Frame, Robust Body, and Prodigy. That 200 points over his beginning 1000, but choosing Limp Noodle, Scarred, and Marked for Death gave him an extra 700 points.
Limp Noodle would offset his Powerful Build perks, but that was okay. He could work harder to increase his physical abilities. What he couldn't do was increase things like luck. And there was no fucking way he was voluntarily choosing to be Blind or Impotent just to gain more points.
Sliding his hand down the screen, he selected all the Miscellaneous Perks which still left him extra points.
Selections made. Please confirm
STAT GAIN PERKS:
Powerful Build (-300): You are gifted with a naturally powerful body. Gain strength twice as fast.
Agile Frame (-300): Quick reflexes with quicker eyes, a markedly swift combination. Gain Agilty twice as fast.
Robust Body (-300): Pain and poison are no great obstacles to your tireless vigor.
Prodigy (-300): You learn and pick up things at an accelerated rate, from theoretical to combat skills.
STAT MALUS PERKS:
Limp Noodle (+200): Your body simply doesn't build muscles that fast. Gain Strength half as fast.
Scarred (+200): You won't make it through this world unscathed. +50% gains in Reputation and Affection with certain characters.
MISCELLANEOUS PERKS:
Lucky! (-50): Lady Luck has your back. Whenever you gamble, have the odds slightly skewed in your favor.
Siren's Voice (-50): Your voice is like molten chocolate in people's ears. +50% to Reputation and Affection gains from conversations.
Compass (-50): The power to un-lost yourself. You possess an innate, but imprecise compass towards your Quest's next objective.
Friendly Scent (-50): Mother Nature's Seal of Approval. Animals and Spirits will be much friendlier towards you.
Pretty Privilege (-100): Oh no, he's hot! Sometimes a great body and a roguish smile are all one needs in life.
Magic Fingers (-50): Your GF will thank you for taking this perk. All your massages are supernaturally good.
CHALLENGE PERKS:
Marked for Death (+300 rp): A noble somewhere will keep hiring professional assassins to kill you until you find and confront the noble.
"Yeah, those will do," he nodded.
Suddenly, a whirlwind of sensations engulfed him, and he wasn't in the afterlife anymore. Instead, he was sitting on a bed dressed in red Fire Nation armor.
Just as suddenly, a whole new set of memories flooded his brain. Seventeen years of experiences, as if they had been there all along. The life of Li Sheng: a Fire Nation boy from the Earth Kingdom Colonies. His mother had been a soldier in the Fire Nation army and his father an Earth Kingdom smith who caught her eye. He had been born an Earth Bender to his mother's shame and abandoned him in the colonies with his father. They were eventually captured and sent to a prison ship after his father was caught aiding Earth Kingdom rebels. The ship they were on sank during a violent storm and he was the only survivor, ending up on the back of a Lion Turtle where he spent most of his life alone. It wasn't until Iroh, Jeong Jeong, and Master Piandao discovered him that he had any human interaction.
He had tried to attack the three of them to keep them from leaving and telling the world about the Lion Turtle. He was obviously easily defeated, but Master Piando, impressed by his desire to protect the Lion Turtle had offered to train him and brought him to Shu Jing. A year later, while living on the island and training under Master Piandao's guidance, he crossed paths with Prince Zuko who had just been banished and scarred by his own father.
Because he was close to Zuko's age, Iroh had asked Master Piandoa to allow Li to join the Fire Nation army and sail with Prince Zuko. Probably in some misguided attempt to give his nephew some semblance of normalcy.
You would assume that gaining fifteen extra years of memories out of nowhere would be disorienting or cause a headache, but surprisingly, it felt natural to him. It was almost as if he truly lived that life. Honestly, at this point, it was becoming difficult for him to tell if those years were real or not.
"Status," Li said, and a screen, just like the one in the afterlife popped into existence in front of his face.
Name: Li Sheng
Race: Human
Level: 1