The wind screams past his ears, clawing at his face as he plummets through the sky. His heart thunders, a frantic drum against his ribs.
His limbs flail, grasping at clouds that slip through his fingers like smoke.
And the earth rushes upward, a sprawling canvas of blue sea.
One thought hammers at the back of his head as he screams out the air in his lungs, "How did I get here? That woman truly is horrible,"
MOMENTS EARLIER
"Where am I?"
He drifts in a weightless expanse of pitch-black nothingness. No warmth to caress his skin and no cold to bite it. There is no earth beneath his feet, nothing but the panic that claws at his throat.
A nothingness like he had never seen before, "Am I dead?" The thought coils in his mind, heavy with dread.
It is quiet and the darkness seems never ending.
His heartbeat, a solitary rhythm, echoes in the dark, the only proof he still exists.
Maxwell Reiga, before now had a somewhat mediocre life.
He wasn't a shut-in but he wasn't very sociable, he was intelligent within his own rights and he tried his best to mind his business always; it costs him several things.
Now his only companions are his regrets. Shapeless but heavy, for chances he never seized.
A flicker sparks in the void, faint as a dying ember. It pulses, swelling into a blaze of white flame, not red or gold but pure, otherworldly light.
The flames twist, reshaping into a woman who floats before him.
Her long, white garment flows like liquid moonlight, curling around her form, its neckline dipping low to reveal smooth, luminous skin.
White curls cascade over her shoulders, and her eyes, molten gold, burn through the darkness, pinning Maxwell where he hovers.
Her lips glisten, curved in a faint, knowing smile. Divinity hums in her presence, a force that humbles him, yet his gaze lingers too long on her exposed collarbone, betraying his mortal curiosity.
'You won't see anything beyond what you already see, foolish human," the woman says, her voice laced with amusement.
Maxwell's cheeks flush, his attempt at composure crumbling. He clears his throat, forcing his eyes to her face.
"Sorry, but seeing as I am floating in space it is safe to say I'm dead so you can't really blame a guy for trying,".
She raises a brow, comprehension eluding her grasp.
"Heaven or hell, I'm probably not going to see a woman again," Maxwell says.
She burst out a laugh. Unrestrained and bright, her voice echoes in the darkness, "So that is what you mean,"
Her hands clutch her sides as she floats, "True, considering that for most of your life you masturbated more often than you had sex".
His face burns red, mortification searing through, "Hey, were you watching me?" "You always made this face when…" "Enough.".
He cut her short, not wanting to see her imitation of him. The conversation does nothing to help his image.
What is this place? Who is this woman? Curiosity overrides embarrassment.
"You are in the void, a piece of it at least. My void," she says, drifting closer, her garment rippling like a living thing.
Maxwell raises a brow and folds his arms, "Oh, you don't know what I am talking about. It is a place where souls come after death, most of the souls here had no real belief and so when they die they come here until a god picks them for rebirth", she says.
Maxwell's eyes widen, a grin tugging at his lips, "Rebirth? Is that what this is? Am I about to be reincarnated?"
She regards him, her gaze softening but sharp.
"Let's just say I have taken an interest in you. You had a wasted life even though you had potential, I am here to give you a second chance,".
"I want to be a big booty girl with big breasts and…", before the next words leave his mouth a powerful surge of pain courses through his body and he squirms.
The woman laughs again, holding her belly ever so tightly; "Remove such thoughts from your mind filthy creature. In your last life you were a bum and you even died in your prime years while achieving nothing".
Her words strike deep, unearthing memories of regrets: the girl he never spoke to, the dreams he abandoned, the happiness he shunned for fear of failure.
And why?
Shame? Pride? Whatever the reason, they had come to pay him back in regrets.
"Why do I deserve a second chance?" "You don't," her tone blunt but not unkind.
"But I am merciful to the pitiful. I'll bring you to a world. Not reborn but placed. And I'll even give you a gift.
Now, tell me one thing you want in your new life", she asks and Maxwell's demeanour changes.
"What can I ask for?", he wonders, something that means something to him or something that would be useful.
He thought maybe he should ask for his mom but the thought of both of them falling into the new world from the sky changes his mind.
"Anything at all?", he asks for the sake of clarity, "Anything within my rights as a god, yes" she responds.
Maxwell bends his head amidst the darkness as he tries to put some thought into it, "You don't have all day you know," "But I'm dead," "Want to remain dead?" "Don't mind me, of course not" "Then, chop chop,".
"As a shut-in I didn't go out much, so what about the ability to go anywhere without stressing myself. Can that work?" "I thought you were going to ask for unlimited wealth but I guess this will do," "Wait, unlimited wealth? I change my…", Maxwell finds himself falling from the sky.
No chance to change his words.
Gravity seizes him. The sky rushing past in a blur of clouds. He screams, arms thrashing as the ocean yawns below.
Fast falling like a drop of water hanging on the edge of a leaf, he falls like the droplet as it falls into a pool and sends out a ripple through the waters, in the same manner he falls in, sending a ripple through the sea while he sinks.
His vision leaves him and he succumbs to the cold loneliness of the waters.
The young man doesn't know what transpired only that he wakes up to wetness on his lips, a soft pressure on his chest. Green eyes meet his, wide and startled, before their owner.
Suddenly his vision is blocked by what seems to be a pair of breasts blocking his view of the sky before he feels a weight move from underneath his head.
By the time he understands what is going on, he finds his rescuer fleeing into a forest and a group of people running toward him.
"What the hell happened?", he asks himself while he rubs his head to quell this perplexity.
Footsteps crunch on sand and a group approaches, their silhouettes sharp against the fading light.
Maxwell's eyes widen as he finally gets to see something else after all the darkness he was shrouded in, "Yes," he exclaims, "I survived, I just knew that woman would drop me from the sky.
Thank God I didn't wish for my mom to be here, I almost died", he goes on ranting to himself before his attention is drawn towards the group that reaches him.
"Are you alright?", an elderly man, Rand, with a sheathed blade and strange robes that flap against the sea breeze.
Maxwell looks at him and then past him to his other companions; John, Shea, Carlson and Davina, they would come to introduce themselves.
Maxwell finally looks about and realises that he is on an island, is he in the new world the goddess had told him about?
"Are you alright?" Rand asks again, his voice gruff but warm.
"Yes, thank you" "It's a good thing we came just in time before one of those elven savages got you", Rand says, glancing toward the forest.
"Elven savages?" "Do you not know where you are boy?", John asks as he walks forward.
John looks like a warrior since he is in armour. Scratches on his armour are evidence of his experience, his blade remains sheathed but one hand is always on the hilt of his sword.
Maxwell takes note of the sword and armour, "So, medieval times", he deduces.
"What is your name?" "Kane", Maxwell says, he wonders why he said that but goes along with it.
Maxwell observes the group, Carlson is the scrawny one amongst the men but most of his body is covered in a purple cloak. Rand is buff for an old man.
He has a potbelly but his huge arms make up for them.
Shea, hooded and reserved, her raven-black eyes dart warily. Definitely reserved.
Maxwell's eyes rest well on Davina, she has fair skin and red lips.
Her eyes are dark like they had something evil behind them but her smile makes him see only her good sides.
"We saw you fall from the sky, where did you come from?", Rand asks and Maxwell quickly notices everyone's eyes on him.
He doesn't blame them, people falling out of the sky cannot be a common thing in this world or any world for that matter.
Maxwell can feel their gaze grow intensely as they watch him, "What do I say?", he thinks, could he tell them he was sent by God? How would that even sound?
"I don't know, I can't remember how I got there or here", he says, "And your background? Who are you?", John asks, Maxwell lets out a sheepish smile before answering, "I don't know,".
His smile drops the moment he realises what he had just said, he tries to remember his life before the goddess but nothing, he can't recall what his life was like but for some reason his chest feels heavy with regret.
Why does he have regrets? The reason eludes him.
"I can't remember anything", he says.
"Don't sweat it young lad, at least you remember your name. That's a good thing", Rand says, "It's a miracle you aren't dead", Carlson, the thin man speaks.
He shivers despite his cloak, "A fall like that should've killed you".
His hair is short and brown, his eyes are dark but he looks frail compared to the rest of the men.
"Come with us, it is getting late and we can't leave you out here by yourself", Davina says, her voice sounds soothing to his ears.
"She is right, this place isn't safe at night. Come, let us go to our camp", John says as he begins to lead them away from shore.
Maxwell finally gets a chance to look around as they walk, he isn't very familiar with this world but he can tell that this group must be one of adventurers and warriors.
A fairytale story playing before his very eyes. No, a play which he plays an anomaly in the magic world of Narnia.
The cool sea breeze sends cold chills through his body as he looks at the sea and then up at the sky as darkness takes away the day's light.
Still it is nothing compared to the darkness he faced before now and this one had vibrant colours.
He feels the roughness of the fine sand between his toes.
The stars shine down upon them as they walk on the beach line, this view would be the first landmark of his new adventures. A paradise. An island of destiny. A sky of rebirth.