Chapter 1: The Goblin

Dying at nineteen sucked.

But it sucked even more listening to two godlike beings talk trash about your short, uneventful life as they watched.

Uneventful because I spent most of my life locked in my room, binge-watching movies, grinding through video games, and occasionally zoning out while staring at my standing fan.

Because, hey, maybe it held the meaning of life.

And then I died.

How? Oh, real simple.

After hours of gaming, I finally stood up to take a piss.

Then... it happened all of a sudden.

A searing pain exploded through my chest, as if someone had stabbed me with a hot knife, and just like that, Sylas Stone was dead.

I thought only old people had heart attacks... turns out, I was wrong.

The next thing I knew, I was here. In this strange space, as a floating blob.

Or should I call it soul form?

Weightless and drifting.

Completely at the mercy of whatever cosmic forces decided my fate.

In front of me stood two towering figures, their bodies shifting like swirling shadows, radiating an energy that felt ancient and impossibly powerful.

Their presence was overwhelming. Not in a holy and divine way, but in a we-could-snap-you-out-of-existence-and-not-care kind of way.

One of them lazily stroked his chin, staring at me like I was a nuisance he didn’t feel like handling.

"I don’t understand..." Cosmic Being One said in a deep voice that vibrated through the space around us. "How did this one get here?"

Cosmic Being Two, smaller but just as eerie, shot him a confused glance.

"What do you mean, Master?"

Cosmic Being One narrowed his glowing eyes.

"This has never happened before."

Of course it hasn’t. I’m special.

Then, without warning, he leaned in, his massive shadowy form swallowing my vision.

My nonexistent heartbeat began to pound, and every instinct screamed at me to flee.

But I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. My soul form was frozen in place.

Cosmic Being One let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"I’m right. This is a dud."

A spark of rage shot through me out of nowhere.

Pardon... who the hell are you calling a dud?

Cosmic Being Two tilted his head.

"What’s a dud?"

Yeah, what’s a dud?

I was curious as well.

Cosmic Being One sighed.

"I only reincarnate souls that have accomplished noteworthy feats on Earth. So why is such an incompetent soul standing in front of me?"

Okay... no need to be rude. I don’t know why I’m here, nor did I ask to be here. So drop the attitude...sir.

Cosmic Being Two shifted awkwardly.

"An incompetent soul? What do we do about it?"

Cosmic Being One tapped his chin, lost in thought. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, he made his decision.

"Send it to Eryndor."

Eryndor?

I gasped in horror.

Even though I had no idea what or where that was.

It sounded like a nice place to be sent to.

Cosmic Being Two blinked, then gave him a slow nod.

"Alright, master."

Then Cosmic Being One added, almost as an afterthought:

"But as a goblin."

I furrowed my nonexistent brow.

Wait... what?! A goblin?! Why?

That sounded like it came out of nowhere, and even Cosmic Being Two seemed thrown off by the command.

"Why do that, Master?" Cosmic Being Two asked. "Why not just return it to the path since its appearance here was a mistake?"

I nodded in agreement.

This was exactly the question I wanted to ask.

Why send me to Eryndor--whatever that place was--as a goblin?

Cosmic Being One voice remained calm, but absolute as he spoke.

"We don’t reject fate. We accept it and make decisions. This soul came here for a reason, so we assign it a world. Besides..." His gaze drifted toward me, his eyes unreadable. "He’d definitely be heading to the Inferno anyway if we returned him. This is a favor."

Yep...I nodded.

The word Inferno alone was enough to convince me that going to Eryndor was the better option. Even if I had to go as a goblin.

But don’t bullshit me, Cosmic One.

I shook my head.

You say you’re trying to save me from an inferno, but I could tell from your tone that there are better alternatives.

But he chose to select this one for some damned reason.

Not that there was anything I could do about it.

Cosmic Being Two hesitated before finally voicing out in concern and confusion.

"Goblins are the most hunted-down species in Eryndor, Master. The humans and other beasts will give him a hard time the moment they spot him, so why...why send him there as one?"

I gulped on hearing this

Goblins were the most hunted-down species?

That didn’t sound like a better option anymore.

I turned towards Cosmic One, wondering if he would reconsider.

But the damned being remained unfazed.

"That’s exactly why I’m sending him there."

I frowned in confusion.

Was that supposed to mean something?

Are you sending me there to be hunted down?

Be clear, Cosmic One.

"Assigning him to a better world without him doing anything noteworthy is not how we do things."Cosmic One continued. "He needs to live a life of competence, a life of value."

Competence? Value? If I knew the meaning of those words, maybe I wouldn’t have died from a heart attack at the ripe age of 19.

"Who knows, in the body of a goblin, he might be a hero." Cosmic One finished.

I frowned.

A goblin as a hero?

I tried to envision it, but the idea fell apart instantly.

Yeah...just say you hate me, man.

Cosmic Being Two sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly.

"Understood, Master. I’ll begin the process."

I shook my head.

Don’t just agree, Cosmic Two! Get him to reconsider.

Cosmic Two couldn’t hear, and even if he could, there was no doubt he’d defy his master.

So I gave up. Accepting my fate.

Cosmic Two began the process.

Lifting his shadowy hands, he started typing in thin air, like he was tapping away on an invisible iPad.

"What kind of goblin should he become? And what innate skill should he get?" He asked, and Cosmic One shrugged.

"I’ll leave that up to you."

My nonexistent ears perked up.

Innate skill? What the hell was that?

I got no answers.

Right, they couldn’t hear me.

Cosmic One continued, his fingers moving with precision.

And I chewed on my imaginary nails, anxious, curious, confused, concerned, and half convinced this was all some insane dream that I would wake up from...anytime soon.

"Done."

Cosmic Two suddenly spoke, and Cosmic One slowly turned toward me, his voice absolute.

"Alright, Sylas Stone. You will be reborn as a goblin in the world of Eryndor."

Tell me something I don’t know.

"Good luck." He said, and then I vanished.

*

As soon as Sylas was gone, Cosmic two froze.

Cosmic one noticed this and asked:

"What wrong."

"Nothing!" Cosmic one shook his head and continued with his tasks.

He had set a certain class for Sylas and had given him a unique skill but a glitch had suddenly appeared before he has sent Sylas off, changing everything.

Cosmic two did not know what it was that had happened, and it was too late to investigate as Syslas was already gone, so he kept it a secret from his master and continued with his duties, as reporting it would earn him a scolding that he was not ready to handle.

Cosmic two nodded reassuring himself.

"I’ll sure all will be fine."

*

One second, I was floating in that weird void.

Next, I was standing in a clearing surrounded by towering trees and thick vegetation.

Almost as if I had been there all along.

I looked down at my hands.

They were small, covered in rough greenish skin, and my fingers ended in thick, claw-like nails.

My body felt light and slim.

And the tree in front of me looked far larger than it should have.

This was when it hit me.

That this...this was no dream.

Human Sylas Stone was dead.

And now, he was a goblin.

I let out a long sigh, my breath coming out deep and guttural, like a low growl.

Oh, my beautiful voice.

"It’s gone."

Wait, I can speak.

"I can speak." I placed my hands on my lips, excited.

For some reason, something as simple as being able to speak made me feel strangely grateful.

And then, without warning, a glowing blue box suddenly popped up in front of me.

[Welcome, Sylas Stone, to Eryndor]

[To aid you, you have received The System]