"...What the..?!"

My eyes shoots wide open, with me as fast sitting up from having been laying on a... floor, or ground?

I have no idea where I am, and it doesn't help that it's dark as shit in here.

"HEY, IF ANYONE IS HERE, TURN ON THE LIGHTS!" I yell out, hoping to get a reply, but none.

Sighing, I finally get up, trying to see if I have my phone on me but...

"What the hell, where is my phone?!"

I start panicking, because if I don't have my phone on me, have I gotten... kidnapped?!

"Hey, asshole that kidnapped me! Just answer me, why would you abduct me?!"

"Gosh you are annoying!" Someone suddenly replies as I flinch from someone actually saying something. Yet the voice didn't sound like it came from an old stinky man, but rather... a young girl?

"Well, my bad, but I can't see shit, and why would a little girl kidnap me?!"

"Kidnap you? Hahahaha!"

"Hey, what's so funny?!"

"Oh, Stephan, you truly don't remember what actually happened?"

My body gets tense, because how the hell does she know my name?!

"Okay look, if you are a stalker, I am not interested!"

"Alright fine, I will make it brighter in here! Just stop being such a scaredy cat, I am not going to hurt you!"

As she says that, it actually becomes brighter, and in front of me is..!

"WHAT THE FUCK, SOTHIS FIRE EMBLEM?!"

Upon me saying that, Sothis gives me a look of disapproval.

"What are you talking about..?"

"You, of course! You are Sothis!"

"Well, it seems you knew way more than I would've expected."

"But wait, are you maybe just some cosplayer or an AI-"

"No, no, I am the real deal! THE goddess Sothis!"

I scratch my head as I start thinking about what the hell this actually means.

"So... If you are actually Sothis from Fire Emblem Three Houses-"

"Can you not associate me for a moment with the universe I come from?! I am taking a long vacation from there, or well, permanent rather."

"Yeah because the story there is over."

"Yes, so I am not needed around there anymore, so instead I take care of the 'Multiversal Isekai Bureau'."

"Sounds made up as shit, and 'MIB', really..?"

"I know your beliefs in conspiracies, Stephan, so I will tell you right of the bat that we do not have any of that 'men in black' stuff involved here!"

"That's... good, I guess?"

Clearly a bit annoyed at me now, Sothis flies over to me and holds her hands on my shoulders.

"Well, now then, Stephan Karlsson, what's your choice of universe to begin a brand new life in?"

"Uh, can't I just come back to life-"

"For the love of-!" Sothis says under her breath as she begins shaking me. "You are dead, Stephan! Dead like a bird that can't fly anymore, a fish just about to get eaten, an antilope running away from a cheetah-"

"Okay, okay, I get it! It's just... All of this is so sudden!"

Sothis sighs upon hearing my reply, as she lets go off me and looks me in the eyes.

"Well... How much do you remember then before dying?"

"Close to nothing, that's why I am so confused ending up here."

"Yeah, it's kind of a regularity for people like you to get confused. We literally pull your souls across the multiverse, hence why we are even able to have reality and fiction be in the same place without the universes as we know them collapses..." Sothis begins to explain to me as she turns away from me, "...The God that ordered this to be done, I... cannot name him. But do know that he only wants people to have second chance-"

"And what if the people that get isekai'd are horrible of them?"

Sothis goes silent upon my question, most likely thinking about what to say next, before looking back at me again.

"Yeah, but that's why when the isekai process actually happens, we wipe out the memories of said person, so they can begin anew."

"So what you are implying is that once I would choose a world to begin my new life in, I would just... stop remembering my parents? My brother, my sisters... Everyone..?"

"...Yes."

"Well, this sucks even more than I had imagined. You see all these isekai shows were they keep memories of their previous lives at times, but me and many others has to forget?"

"I mean, yeah, if you want to start a new life, you have to let the past go!"

I shake my head at Sothis, finding this more and more cruel to even accept.

"Well, what if I don't want to do this?"

"Then... You have to remain here with me for the rest of eternity."

"Wow, so it's either losing myself completely or stay in this shitty place forever, great options..."

"I would love to offer the option to actually go on and come to heaven, but once a soul has been pulled here, that's just not possible anymore."

"Well, is this hell or what? Because it certainly seems I have already been a shit person of me-"

"No, it's not like that!" Sothis suddenly yells as she lays her hand on my forehead.

And suddenly... I remember.

I remember how I was on a cruise ship that was about to sink, and I were helping all the kids out from the play area in order for them to re-unite with their parents.

At one point, I got stuck in something, and the room quickly filled up with water. Some of the parents tried helping me, but I told them it's fine...

I was completely fine with dying, because I felt I had already done something good in my life for once.

"W-What the hell..."

Sothis takes off her hand from me as she can just stare at me, most likely not knowing what to respond with, before finally speaking.

"...So there you have it, Stephan. That's why you got brought here, because you did something so great as sacrificing yourself."

"But... But what about the jokes that a simple truck hitting you gets you isekai'd-"

"It's a wrong image of how isekais work. Here, you only get isekai'd if you did something great or heavily regret what you did in your previous life."

I was starting to understand it all, but even so...

"...Why should I even get isekai'd..?"

"Because you deserve it. Besides, you do love a few amount of fictional characters, right? Especially..."

"...Touko."

Touko Kirigaya, a character that enhanced my life by tenfold once she got introduced, and since then, I have truly understood how much fictional characters can mean to someone.

"So, Stephan, again, what world do you want to get reincarnated into? I can also twist it up so at least Touko will be there, no matter which world you choose. I will also make sure to make you a second year highschooler, so you can re-experience those highschool days."

"I am not that old... And well, I would die in most worlds, so... Let's just do into the world of Bang Dream. I guess starting my life anew in a new yet familiar world is best for me."

"Hmm... Why not spice it up and have it crossover with other worlds?"

"I can do that?"

"Yep!"

I think for a moment, but my mind draws a blank.

"Maybe not-"

"Well too bad! I will add in worlds that fits well enough with Bang Dream, and based on who you love besides Touko! Let's see..."

Sothis has small rifts open, and she looks at each of them.

"Aha, I know that these will be good!" She says as she closes the rifts and looks back at me. "Will be a surprise though."

"I mean, I won't remember this, so I wouldn't know what to be surprised by."

"Party popper... Ah well, and now for the last thing; A weapon of your choice."

"...Weapon?! What do you mean 'weapon'?!"

"According to the rules of being isekai'd, you will need at least one weapon, because don't expect it to be all calm of it once you get isekai'd!"

"Then what's the point?! I expected a new life, a calm slice of life-"

"Nope, that's the rules, sorry to say."

"Damn it..."

I knew there wasn't any other way than to choose a weapon by that point, most likely from fiction seeing as I would get isekai'd into a fictional world.

"Well... At least not anything that makes things be out for me the entire time. So no, I will not choose to have any weapons that Dante and Vergil uses..."

"Would be cool though, right?"

"...Yeah, but I am not them. I am not any fictional character, I am just a loser from Sweden-"

"Oh please, can't you at least try to be willing to be like characters you like?!"

"For your entertainment? Hell no, and if you would've been Makima, I would understand the purpose even more."

"Chainsaw Man fan, huh? Then how about being Chainsaw Man-"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then choose! Anything!" Sothis tells me as she grows more impatient that I still haven't started on my isekai adventure.

...But after some thinking, I have my decision.

"A beam katana. Travis Touchdown's to be exact."

"That slob?! Ugh, well, your decision really, I will make sure it comes across you somehow."

"So... Now what?"

"The isekai can now begin. Any last wishes?"

"...I just hope Touko and everyone else doesn't get hurt from what could come with me having the Blood Berry..."

"Don't worry, you will do just fine protecting everyone." Sothis tells me in a rather encouraging tone. "Now then, you ready? No wishing about harem?"

"What the hell? No, just... I want everything to be natural, I don't need to be a hated protagonist just because he ends up having a harem or such."

"Besides, I really, really love Touko, so that's a start at least, right?"

Sothis smiles a bit before she does a snap with her fingers as a big rift appears in front of me.

"...Maybe I will see you again someday, Stephan."

"I would hope not." I reply to her while letting out a chuckle and walk inside the rift, still anxious for what is to come.

----------

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are nearing Haneda Airport, so please make sure your seat belts are fastened as we start preparing for landing."

I had fallen asleep while listening to music, I got kinda bored with watching movies as I had run out of ones I like watching.

"Oh man, I feel tired..."

"Well, that's to be expected, young man. You have traveled far." The Japanese business man next to me tells me as I just nod in response.

I had decided to learn a lot of Japanese until I got here, but it will probably still sound broken of it, though at the very least I will be able to understand everyone.

As the plane lands and we are able to soon get off, I am quick to start finding the train that takes me to my destination, that being Shinjuku.

Over there, the school I will enroll is at, and it should be a good spot to find part-time jobs, at least from what I remember reading when I have done some research since earlier.

My apartment I will be renting will be there as well.

The journey takes awhile as well, but nothing goes wrong luckily enough, and as we arrive, it's just for me to head to the apartment complex with all my stuff.

I have made sure all the stuff in my collection will be coming in the following week, as I refused to have them sold off before I got here.

One of my suitcases even has my PC in it, just so I could have it set up already today, even if I will be without internet on it until I find a good enough broadband plan, get my router and such.

Heck, I will need to do a lot to have my electronics work over here instead, but I think I will manage.

Getting inside the apartment complex and to my apartment room, I get inside and start unpacking.

My parents helped me pay extra so I could have at least a mattress to sleep on until I eventually get myself a proper bed. A lot of furniture and electronics in general that I need to get, but that's why I have at least a good amount of money saved up and hopefully get more with a part time job.

"Oh yeah, I should check my mail box, think that has arrived before I got here."

I get up and go down to the mail boxes, and there it is, a package for me. I take it and go up to my apartment again.

Inside again, I open up the package, and there it is. A fully functional prototype beam katana, which I won on an auction for a pretty decent price.

Though I got kinda scolded by my parents for buying it, but hey, I couldn't pass it up.

I just need to be careful with it though, seeing as it can be used as an actual weapon.

But wrapped in bubble wrap, there is an USB stick, which is unfortunate because I am not able to set up my PC currently, and the USB converter I had for my phone got lost, so for now, this stick remains a mystery.

I just shrug my shoulders before I yawn, the jetlag is really getting to me now. But I will get used to it seeing as I will be living here in Japan for at least a few good years.

"Rest time it is then..." I tell myself as I lay out the mattress and almost throw myself at it, as I feel my eyes instantly close by themselves. Was better to rest anyway considering I will head to school already tomorrow anyway...

And thus, a new story emerges for another person getting to have a second chance at life A.K.A isekai'd.

But will it truly be what Stephan thought it would be..?

To Be Continued.