Do we truly live life the way we desire? Or are we merely following pre-set paths, steps carefully calculated by something greater? Is destiny a straight line, or a tangled web of possibilities? Drake often found himself lost in these kinds of reflections. Questions like these seemed to have infinite answers — or perhaps none at all. And in that moment, even with his body relaxed and his thoughts restless, he was forced to abandon them.
His daydreams faded as he became fully aware of where he was: not in a bed, nor on the ground, but resting — incredibly — on the open palm of a colossal hand. The skin beneath him was bluish, with a soft glow that resembled sapphires under moonlight. Its surface was smooth, almost velvety, yet firm as marble. Rising above him stood an even more imposing figure — a giant woman.
She was breathtaking, with an ethereal and nearly indescribable beauty. Her long hair flowed like strands of gold in the wind, shimmering like the sun itself in a cloudless sky. Her blue skin sparkled with a faint luminescence, and her eyes... ah, her eyes. They were like galaxies in motion, slowly rotating, each one carrying the depth and mystery of the entire cosmos. Her golden dress billowed around her body, falling in layers that seemed to blend with her hair, as if they were a single living, pulsing entity.
Drake remained still for a few moments, trying to process it all. The vision was far too surreal to be just a dream, yet far too beautiful to be a nightmare. His lips moved almost by instinct, driven by an unsettling certainty.
"So... I'm dead?"
His voice was steady, direct. He didn't falter, as if he had already been expecting this.
The colossal woman let out a light, musical laugh — like the chiming of distant bells — that echoed through the surrounding space.
With a delicate motion, she raised the hand that held him up to her own eye level. Despite the goddess's immense size, the gesture caused no tremor or imbalance — it was as if even gravity itself obeyed her will. Drake kept a calm, almost curious gaze as he observed her more closely.
"Yes. And it seems you're not exactly surprised by that."
Drake merely shrugged, a playful expression on his face.
"I read way too many fanfics and novels in my life. I always figured that if something like this ever happened, this would be my reaction. No crying. No screaming. Just... acceptance."
The woman raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Her voice took on a slightly teasing, almost mischievous tone.
"You humans... so fascinating with your imagined stories. These... fanfics. Novels. So much accumulated creativity... sometimes it even weaves itself into the very fabric of existence."
Drake caught the subtle shift in her tone. It was a bit more seductive now, perhaps toying with the situation. He noticed, but chose not to comment — at least not yet. If there was any chance of using this entity to his advantage, he would know how to take it.
"So, can I guess you're here to offer me a second chance? A reincarnation, maybe? Or are you about to subvert expectations and say none of that's going to happen?"
She narrowed her eyes briefly and let out a soft huff. The gesture, though seemingly annoyed, felt more theatrical than genuine.
"You know, nobody likes a smartass."
Drake chuckled softly, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Women always say that. And guess how it usually ends?"
For a moment, the goddess seemed at a loss for words. Her smile faltered, her cosmic eyes widened slightly. As powerful as she was, she hadn't expected a mere human — freshly deceased — to be so... witty.
The silence between them lasted only a few seconds.
"Well, shall we get back to the main point?" Drake asked with a half-smile, turning to face the blue-skinned Goddess. His gaze remained fixed on the vastness of her face, as if he were staring at a living planet.
The Goddess tilted her head slightly, her golden hair cascading like shimmering waterfalls through the cosmic air. Then she replied in a direct and clear tone, like someone delivering an unavoidable verdict:
"Alright, to be blunt, you're going to My Hero Academia, and you'll be like Izuku Midoriya."
Drake blinked a few times. His eyes lingered for a second on the illusory horizon crafted by the very existence of that entity, before he let out a weary sigh.
His mind spun for a few moments, processing that revelation. Reincarnating as Izuku Midoriya. It was a premise that had already been explored — almost exhaustively. There was an entire galaxy of stories built around that scenario. And the truth? It already felt too saturated to be exciting.
He had read countless fanfics, watched theories, and browsed through comments about people reincarnating as Izuku Midoriya. Some of those stories had fascinating approaches — original powers, deep personality shifts, or entirely restructured worlds. Others... not so much. Just copies of copies, stuck in the formula.
Deep down, he knew: reincarnating as Izuku Midoriya was a double-edged sword. Everything depended on what you received in this new life. One For All was a gift, yes... but also a curse. A power far too immense for the human body. Without proper support, the user ended up just like the original Izuku — shattered with every blow, broken with each step forward.
And more: there were stories in which the reincarnated protagonist received a power so absurdly useful that they didn't even need One For All to stand out.
Drake crossed his arms and stared at the Goddess seriously, his voice laced with sarcasm and expectation:
"I better get some perks, because if I don't get anything, I might as well fight a polar bear with a spoon."
The Goddess let out a soft, amused laugh — the sound like magical chimes being played by a cosmic breeze.
"Of course you will," she assured with a confident gaze. "After all, you don't want to look like a porcelain doll that shatters with every move, right?"
She raised her other hand with elegance and grace, as if summoning the very core of the universe. From her fingertips, a golden light emerged — warm and pulsating. A small sun — about the size of a regular human torso — slowly descended, floating in the air. Its radiance was intense, but not blinding. It was like gazing at a perfect embodiment of warmth, life, and primordial energy.
Drake widened his eyes, awestruck by the sight before him. Unable to resist, he blurted out a playful comment:
"The power of the sun, in the palm of my hand."
He laughed — more out of nervousness than actual humor — before muttering another phrase, almost instinctively:
"A million exploding suns."
The Goddess raised an eyebrow, both surprised and curious.
"Marvel fan, huh? I saw the Sentry in the new movie. His adaptation was pretty great, don't you think?"
Drake nodded enthusiastically, still staring at the floating miniature sun.
"Absolutely. I liked the heavy themes, like depression, and the way they humanized the characters. Instead of making the Sentry just an invincible god, they gave space for Bob. They showed his flaws, his pain, his humanity. That made everything feel... more real."
He paused for a second, thinking. He realized he had referred to Bob and the Sentry as two separate entities, as if he had already accepted the character's duality as something natural. But he quickly shrugged it off. It wasn't the time to dwell on details like that.
Suddenly, the light of the small sun began to distort.
The radiant structure lost its intensity and form. Its edges rippled, as if made of solar fabric being pulled inward. The surrounding space seemed to give way, to bend—and then silently shatter. That radiant sun contracted, darkened, and finally took on a new form.
A black sphere, dense and perfect in its darkness, now floated where there had once been light.
"A black hole?" Drake asked, fascinated, watching the distortion in space caused by the sphere. Invisible gravitational waves danced around the object, bending reality itself.
The Goddess smiled, though her expression became more restrained. She seemed to know that Drake's time in that place was coming to an end.
"I wish we could talk longer," she said with a touch of sorrow. "But time is running out. You are caught between Creation and Nothingness, and this space can't contain you for much longer."
She extended her hand, and the black hole floated toward Drake, settling gently in his palm. At the touch, a wave of energy surged through his body — an instinctive knowledge, as if new memories and abilities were being etched directly into his soul.
"I will send the basic knowledge of your power to your mind. Good luck on your new journey. Farewell, Drake Rond."
And with a final gesture, the Goddess released Drake. His body was gently pulled backward, falling like a cosmic feather into a portal that opened in the void. The colors around him swirled into a vortex of light and darkness, until everything faded away.
____________________________
"I am schizophrenic."
– Magnus, Damian. 2025.