Beautiful Mistake Chapter 1: Prologue
I could only see darkness.
The endless expanse of emptiness and the cold that seeped deep into my soul was the only thing that my limited senses could perceive. I don't know where I am or even who I am, but one thing for sure is that my presence in this realm is unnatural and wrong.
In the midst of my panic at being surrounded by the empty void I tried to remember who or what I was before it hit me.
A truck hit me.
Yes. It was clear as day and almost hysterical how my life ended quickly by a truck that came out of nowhere to fling my soul out of my mangled body and into this void.
A rush of memories streamed in as I started to recall my identity partially of a simple college student. I was the eldest with one younger brother and two sisters and my name was… my name…
Before I could contemplate more on the absurdity of my situation and trying to jog my memory for my name, the darkness was instantly replaced by a blinding light.
The silence of the void was filled with sounds of rapid tapping on a keyboard along with the ringing of multiple phones and a loud voice joining the cacophony of sounds one could find in a busy office.
"No, no, no! what's the point of limiting their choice of skills with just one when they can manifest even more with it! And what's this report about dimension hopping that the recent reincarnates are doing?! For the love of creation, DO. NOT. LET. THEM. LEAVE!"
The source of the frustrated ranting was a middle-aged with balding white hair and thick glasses. He wore a white suit to match the blinding pale colours of this afterlife office while his shoes and tie was a deep black colour.
As the seemingly normal office worker continued arguing with someone on the phone while he continued his rapid typing on the keyboard, I decided to interrupt the strange figure, hoping he wasn't Satan or some other eldritch abomination that would eat my soul.
"Umm…excuse me? Who are you and where am I?"
The office worker didn't answer and continued with his work. Seeing as he was too busy doing whatever his job was, I shrugged and tried to look for a way out of the empty white void before suddenly finding myself sitting down in front of the busy man's desk.
"In accordance to the new protocols and company policy, I am legally obligated to give you a brief refresher on the functionality of our services as well as a 'pep talk' to ensure maximum satisfaction for all of our dear customers. You have be –"
Just as the stranger was about to proceed with his explanations, several more phones started going off with the addition of beeping from his pagers that materialized out of nowhere.
With a loud sigh the old man stood up and clapped his hands. In an instant the noises stopped and he sat down to continue typing on his keyboard so fast that I was surprised the entire desktop didn't catch fire.
"As I was saying, you have been given the 'rare' opportunity to continue your life that was cut short in another world, following the final wishes that you had as your body expired and your soul ascended to this realm." Grumbled the overworked office worker, looking even more stressed even after silencing the numerous telecommunication devices.
Before I could tell him that I don't remember making any last wishes, the stranger than snapped his fingers and a dozen papers appeared on his desk. He paused his aggressive typing to grab one of the papers and read it out loud.
"It is with great pleasure that I give the final lecture on your new life as a reincarnate along with the basic rundown of the process. Because of our recent company restructuring, new policies have been made in order to better the experience for consumers and the hard-working members of our 'happy' family."
The monotone voice of the office worker became heated when he got the point mentioning company restructuring. Still maintaining the angry tone, he continued with the standard script that he probably had to read for every other person he meets.
"In order to lighten the emotional load of departed souls we have seen fit to memory wipe new arrivals so that they wouldn't be burdened with the past and focus on the future. On that note of new beginnings and moving on from the past, it is also with great pleasure that the species and gender of those who undergo reincarnation would not follow the original soul, and instead be randomized."
I stopped hearing the afterlife office worker's lecture for a moment when he mentioned that last part about 'randomized'. So does that mean I won't be –
"However, the randomization process would only be for souls that did not have clear intent when requesting their final wish and would only be limited to those who suffered from excess soul purification that resulted in memory loss. So do not fret, valued customer! Your original request is still intact and will be executed right after this lecture." Said the afterlife officer, mustering enough patience for a faux cheerful tone to reassure me.
Once again caught off guard at the flow of information that is clearly wrong regarding my situation, I tried to put a stop to it before the shift happens.
"While our top-of-the-line soul scrubbers have a high rate of success in cleansing the remnants of identity from souls there is a chance that some memories would stubbornly cling on after the process but that is not a cause for concern. Once you arrive in your new life your memories would slowly fade away with time." Said the afterlife worker, making little effort to sound sympathetic for any mistakes that were made when wiping out my entire being.
Trying once again to talk with the clearly underpaid worker of the afterlife, I started getting a tingling sensation all over my ethereal body. As everything started warping around me, the afterlife worker shuffled to the last paper that was on his desk and spoke once more.
"This concludes the briefing about your reincarnation as well as the final intervention from us here in the void. Thank you for your patronage, we will be… 'dying' to see you again!"
With that final farewell my entire being felt like it was being squeezed through a tight space as my vision blurred and all I could see was darkness again.
In a remote village stood a simple cottage housing the heads of formerly the two greatest Familias of Orario, Zeus and Hera.
It was a far cry from the luxurious dwelling that the gods once enjoyed, sharing the space with their beloved children. Now the only ones who remain are themselves… and the final remnants of their children. As Hera continued to support the little baby girl in her arms, she thought back on circumstances that led her to raise two children as a grandparent along with Zeus.
It was right after the deaths of Alfia and Zald, which coincide with the birth of Alya and Bell that resulted in the death of her last two children.
The goddess was absolutely livid at the audacity of one of Zeus's sons to lay his hands and taint one of her favourite daughters. Her rage would have been lessened somewhat if it had been Zeus's captain or maybe one of the more exceptional members of Zeus Familia that did the deed.
But alas fate is not kind nor is it fair.
Instead it was that pathetic supporter whose only use was running away at the first sign of trouble and helping her degenerate husband to peek on the baths when she and her girls were bathing. But the disappointment and frustration didn't end with Meteria's pregnancy but also another one of her daughters.
Her dear Liane was unlike any other elf she has ever met or will ever meet. Unlike the other long-eared prudes who couldn't get their heads out of the forests or see past their inflated egos, Liane had an intense wanderlust that rivalled if not surpassed her fellow adventurers and a kindness that is a far cry from the usual cold-hearted nature of elves to anything outside of their little world.
While she was not well-versed in magic like other elves and was inferior in comparison to many of her fellow Familia members, Liane had a cheerful demeanour that complimented Meteria's sweetness. Both girls were her pride and joy, making up for their lack of any noteworthy abilities with the kindness and hope both of them inspired for everyone. They were both akin to the brightest stars in the night sky.
And like stars that shone brightest, they burnt out just as quickly.
Meteria never had a strong constitution and was already near the brink of death when Hera found her and the impudent brat Alfia. Granting the girl her blessing only delayed the inevitable and eventually ran its course with the stress of their Familia's defeat as well as the death of her child's father.
While Liane did not suffer any illness before receiving her falna, she suffered the same hardship that pushed the girl past her limits that was constantly ignored through sheer force of will. The final attack against the One-Eyed Black Dragon not only killed what remained of her and Zeus's children but inflicted the survivors with fatal wounds that wouldn't heal. Even the mightiest of their children began to wither away from the accursed dragon's bane.
Her elven daughter pushed through the agony and maintained her smile trying but failing to convince her mother that everything was fine, that she would recover quickly and stay by her side.
Then she fell prey to the same circumstances as Meteria.
Liane had been travelling to a few elven forests to pick up the mystical branches from one of the sacred elven trees to help deal with her festering wounds and Meteria's sickness when she fell prey to a male elf who quickly seduced her. Even after returning from her journey she kept regular contact with the bastard until their communication suddenly halted.
No doubt the deadbeat had enough to sate his desires for a few decades and returned to the filthy hole he crawled out from. At least Meteria's cowardly lover had the excuse of being dead for not showing up for his son's birth, meanwhile Hera had to watch her sweet daughter suffer the agony of childbirth along with the lingering wounds of that accursed dragon while the worthless elf who impregnated her was a no-show.
Liane died with a smile while holding her new-born child, using the last of her strength to name her daughter and beg Hera to take care of little Alya. With tears in her eyes, the goddess accepted wholeheartedly to raise the girl as her own granddaughter.
After burying the last of her children with Alfia already meeting her end in the city that had forsaken them all, Hera set off to continue her hunt of Zeus, who was in custody of Meteria's child. She was originally content with letting her perverted husband to hide in whatever hovel he chose and raise Meteria's son, but with the birth of Alya came the need to create a proper environment to raise the children together.
Also it would be unacceptable to allow Zeus to corrupt her grandson with ridiculous ideas, like collecting girls to form a harem or finding love in the dungeon.
It took some time and extending dealings with Zeus's errand boy and fellow pervert Hermes, but Hera finally found her husband holed up in a remote village that surprisingly lay not that far away from Orario.
Their reunion couldn't be called "normal" for spouses who were apart for an extended period of time as Hera tried to bludgeon Zeus with a shovel when she overheard him trying to teach baby Bell how perversion is true romance. After a few solid smacks Zeus welcomed his wife and new granddaughter heartily even with his concussion.
Alya and Bell got along famously, the little boy who was the spitting image of Meteria except for those horrid red eyes of the coward, cooing and reaching for his adopted sister constantly.
Her granddaughter had inherited Liane's pale blonde hair and cyan eyes, and that was where her similarity with her mother ended.
The features that Alya possessed were much too regal to belong to Liane and was most definitely inherited from her father. While Liane was quite the beauty herself which was typical for elves, her daughter was probably going to be even more beautiful than her mother was. The thought of her little granddaughter attracting another worthless man like her father or worse a god filled Hera with dread.
Zeus laughed off his wife's worry stating that Bell would be there to guard his sister against any threat, as it was a hero's duty to protect young maidens especially if they were kin. Hera can never understand her foolish husband's obsession with heroes but nodded along just to avoid another one of his tall tales of heroes past.
She looked at her husband who was currently playing peek-a-boo with Bell, the sweet boy giggling in delight at his grandfather's antics. Zeus then picked Bell up and headed towards his wife with a smile on his bearded face, giving her a kiss on the cheek and also kissing his granddaughter's forehead.
Despite losing everything she held dear to her heart, the former queen of Orario was filled with renewed purpose now that her husband and two adorable grandchildren filled the void. Even if she had the chance to redo it all over again, she wouldn't trade anything for the life she lived now.
This new life she lived was born from tragic mistakes, but a truly beautiful one in the end.