"Where am I?" Vanitas asked, opening his eyes only to close them again against the brightness surrounding him. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around and saw he was standing on water reflecting the sky.
"What is this place?"
"This is my domain," said a strange being made of a mix of light and darkness.
"Are you God? Is this heaven?" Vanitas inquired.
"Yes and no. This is simply a cozy spot where I gather those who have passed away. Unfortunately, you too have passed too soon, partly because I was trying to hit someone else."
A tick mark developed on his forehead. "Wait, WHAT THE FU—"
"ANYWAY," the being boomed, startling him, "I know you must be upset, but how about a change of topic? Do you like to spin the wheel?"
Still fuming from the shock of what he had just heard and the revelation of the being responsible for his death, Vanitas took a big, deep breath and let it out, beginning to roll with it.
"Yes, I have. Why do you ask?" Blinking once, a wheel with various game titles and anime suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Because I feel awful. I'm going to give you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to live again. But there's a twist! You see this wheel with all the games you've played and the anime you've watched? I'm going to have you spin it for a power system, and it's not going to be strong at the start.
That would just be boring. For the anime, I'm going to throw you into that world and watch to see if you can make something of your feeble mortal existence."
'Going to ignore that last part,' he thought but was still intrigued. Vanitas walked over to the wheel to give it a spin. The wheel whirled and whirled, nearly stopping on "Evolve," but ultimately landing on "Kingdom Hearts."
"Not going to lie, I'm excited," he thought, considering all the skills he had seen throughout the games the spells, the combos, and all.
Something felt off, though; there were three symbols: one of the Heartless, one of the Nobodies, and one representing the Keyblade. He looked back at the half-glowing, half-voided figure with an incredulous stare, and the being simply nodded for him to continue.
So, he did, the wheel whirling again as beads of sweat began to form. He hoped for the Keyblade, but instead, he got the Nobodies. "Well, I think this is still a good thing, I guess... I hope."
"WELL, AREN'T YOU GOING TO BE INTERESTING?" the being exclaimed.
"Since you're going to be a husk, you'll be a soul piloting a body. In the game Kingdom Hearts, a Nobody is the body and soul of a strong-willed individual who has lost their heart. The soul is vital for existence, giving the body life and the will to survive. So, let me ask this: do you have a strong will?" The being smirked at Vanitas with a challenging grin.
Vanitas's expression shifted to one of worry. He feared what would happen to him once he transmigrated, and the being's face was slightly annoying, but he eventually changed to a determined look, knowing he couldn't back out.
Walking past the being, he approached the anime wheel, eyeing the many different worlds where he would have to survive as a Nobody.
There were way too many worlds; sometimes he had barely watched or only faintly remembered them.
As beads of sweat continued to form, Vanitas muttered, "FUCK IT!" He grabbed the wheel with both hands and spun it with all his might, the being giggling in the background, holding back laughter at the sight.
The wheel spun, and before long, it stopped.
"Oh, how interesting! High School DxD," the being scratched its chin.
"Well, it's not the hardest world I've sent people to. The last guy got sent to a realm with the OVERLORD system. Honestly, that fight was off the hook. Ainz and his NPCs had quite the challenge with all the minions pouring out of every hole in their fortress." The being held in a giggle. "Ah, the look on his face was priceless!"
Vanitas barely heard a word; he was too busy staring at the world he was about to enter. He didn't know how to feel about it.
That world was filled with far too much: factions, politics, and a plethora of pantheons, all very much real in the supernatural world. Should he avoid it all? He hadn't watched much DxD, mostly just read fanfics and listened to friends' discussions.
Not to mention the ridiculous "Boob Dragon." But he thought on the bright side—maybe he would be left alone. Nobody would waste their time on a Nobody, right?
What Vanitas didn't know was that the being behind him had touched him, imparting instructions and a "sorry for your troubles" gift inside him. When he turned around, he saw the being had vanished, unaware of the changes happening in his body.
Suddenly, he felt a massive hand grab him, forcing him face-to-face with Darkside from Kingdom Hearts 3. Fear crept up his spine as the water around them began to ripple violently, and the clear sky darkened into a void.
Vanitas was about to turn pale from the chaos unfolding around him, but what struck him most was that Darkside had a shit-eating grin.
One word screamed in his mind as its arm holding him raised high: "BASTARD!"
With full force, Darkside slammed Vanitas into the water, sending him flying through it and rendering him unconscious.
The dark water warped into a night sky filled with stars above a town, with a park, a high school, and an abandoned church. Vanitas became a shooting star, aiming straight for the mattresses next to a dumpster, crashing down hard in an alleyway.
The scene panned out, revealing the whole town with a sign featuring bat and raven-like wings, boldly declaring: Kuoh Town.