Prologue- The Hero´s Will Is To Die

Life is about having a purpose, no matter how small or mundane it may be. No one truly lives without one.

But what happens when that purpose seems impossible to achieve?

People usually say things like, “Nothing is impossible; you just haven’t found the way yet,” or “Then find another purpose.” With that in mind, I persevered. It wasn’t as if I had any other choice given my circumstances. Still, more than once, I wondered if I should simply succumb to madness and turn the entire world against me.

In my most desperate moments, I even considered that perhaps someone—someone clever enough—might find a way to help me fulfill my most cherished wish: to end my existence.

I was born as a normal person. And yet, I am incapable of dying.

I possess eternal youth and an indestructible body capable of adapting to any environment. My body can ignore millions of years of evolution in mere seconds.

Whenever I talked about it or tried to seek help, no one took me seriously.

—No, you don’t have to do that.

A clear voice echoed within my thoughts.

Had I finally gone completely insane?

—Wouldn’t you like to go to another world?

Huh? Who are you?

—I am the Goddess of Earth.

For anyone else, such a declaration would be absurd. For me, not so much. After all, my very existence was already absurd.

—You were born with a body that should not exist in this world. That is your curse. I understand your desire to disappear, and I wish I could grant it directly. Unfortunately, a god cannot act directly upon a mortal, regardless of the circumstances. That is why I offer you another world… a very, very dangerous one.

Dangerous?

I survived a nuclear bomb. Reached the bottom of the ocean. Stuck my head inside a particle accelerator. I haven’t eaten, slept, or drunk anything for nearly fifty years. I even swam in lava.

Could there truly be something more lethal than that?

Perhaps space. Even so, despite everything I’ve experienced, I doubt I could survive the event horizon of a black hole or the explosion of a star. The problem is that such deaths take far too long. Those are my last options.

—I don’t know all the details, —she continued—, but that world has magic, immensely powerful beings, and abilities that affect the mind and soul, not just the physical body. Offering you this journey goes against my principles, but you are special. This is a strange situation, even for me.

Why now? Because of my recent thoughts?

—Partially, yes. But not entirely. I am obligated to send someone to that world, and I found you: a being who should not exist here and whose desire aligns with the level of danger of that place.

I was about to ask another question when I realized it.

What the hell am I doing?

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The result of my perseverance.

…Alright. I accept.

Why hesitate? I want to die. If this goddess harbored malicious intentions and killed me right now, it would be the greatest blessing imaginable.

I let out a dry laugh, devoid of joy or sorrow. Only the certainty that, at last, I had found something new—a world filled with new possibilities.

I closed the briefcase in front of me.

—I apologize for putting you through such an unpleasant experience, Mr. President. Don’t worry; the third world war can wait for now.

I returned the briefcase.

—Have a good night, —I said, giving him a wink to show my newly adopted pacifist resolve.

He trembled in fear.

Whatever.

I walked out through the flames I had caused myself.

At the same time, a light enveloped me.

And so… I went to another world.

To find a way to die.