Metal shrieked against metal, glass exploded in a shower of razor fragments, and for one sharp-edged instant, pain consumed Caleb Foster's existence. As his body was thrown violently against the restraints, the airbag detonated, a brutal fist that slammed into his sternum and drove the breath from his lungs. He could hear the rapid, panicked beats of his heart, the acrid smell of burning rubber filling his nostrils. Blood welled up in his mouth, metallic and warm, as his breathing came progressively shallower.

  I’m going to die. The notion erased everything. A tidal wave of terror that overshadowed every other thought. Evelynn, Katie, Jack! His mind screamed their names, but the words never left his lips. His vision blurred, the world twisting into a spiral of pain and fear.

  Then… nothing.

  An absence so complete it defied comprehension. Void consumed everything. Breath ceased. Heartbeat vanished. Thought dissolved into static.

  An eternity passed. Or perhaps a moment.

  Consciousness returned like a computer rebooting after a catastrophic failure. A slow trickle of data. I am... aware. The notion was simple, clinical. He was aware that he was aware, a strange loop that felt empty. I should be screaming. He observed the thought with the detachment he might use on a quarterly report. The terror he expected was just... absent. A data point. In its place, a single, heartless fact settled. That was it. The end. Complete nothingness. He waited for the panic. It didn't come. He noted its lack, filed it away, and waited for the next stimulus. The lack of fear should have been, objectively, the most frightening thing of all.

  Perception sharpened. He possessed form—or the memory of form—standing in an endless expanse of harsh white. A sourceless, shadowless light pressed in from all directions, absolute and unyielding. Like that construct from The Matrix, his mind supplied helpfully. Endless white expanse, no exits, probably about to meet some cryptic guide who—

  "CATALYST ENTITY IDENTIFIED. INITIATING SOUL INTEGRATION PROTOCOL. SELECTION REQUIRED."

  The command thundered through his being, a voice that bypassed ears to resonate directly in whatever passed for his consciousness. A panel of blue glowing light bled into existence before him, its surface shimmering like heat waves. A soft chime rang in mind. Words written in a script of sharp, silver lines flowed across its surface, impossibly crisp and clear.

  [SOUL IMPARTMENTS]

  "Huh?" The word escaped on reflex. "Where am I? What's going on?"

  Silence swallowed his questions. The display waited with infinite patience.

  Think, Caleb commanded himself. Process the situation. The last moments of his life played with excruciating detail—coffee cooling in the cup holder, conditioned air flooding through the vents, sunlight catching on chrome as the SUV materialized in his peripheral vision. Impact. Pain.

  Too real to be anything but real.

  "What are these for?" He gestured at the floating text. "Where am I? Why am I here?"

  "MODE: OBSERVATION. OVERRIDDEN. RESPONSE: SOUL IMPARTMENTS. INHERENT POWER. PER DIRECTIVE, ENTITY AUTHORIZED UNRESTRICTED SELECTION FROM PRIME ASSET CATALOGUE. THREE SELECTIONS PERMITTED."

  The voice ceased, offering nothing more. He was a line item on a cosmic spreadsheet, and the auditor had just delivered its findings with all the warmth of a tax notice.

  So I died. The idea should have devastated him. Instead, he examined it as an artifact in a museum. Car accident. Gone. And now... this.

  Reincarnation? The display certainly suggested as much. These "Soul Impartments" read like character creation in one of Jack's video games. But if he was being reborn, it wouldn't be on Earth. Different rules. Different world.

  What about Evelynn? Katie? Jack?

  The questions spooled out, itemized and orderly, as if for a report. Item 1: Would Evelynn be safe? Item 2: Would Katie get into UCLA? Item 3: Would Jack overcome his social anxiety? Item 4: Would Evelynn remarry? He examined the list, searching for the sting of anguish. He found only data.

  Where is the pain? The rage? The guilt?

  "Send me back." The words came out in monotone, pure logical necessity. He pushed more volume into his voice, trying to mimic the desperation he knew he should feel. "I need to go home. My family needs me."

  Silence.

  "Please."

  The display flickered, text continuing its patient scroll.

  Caleb stared at the inevitable. Whatever power had brought him here clearly had no interest in negotiation. With the resignation of a man accepting a prison sentence, he turned his attention to the list.

  Some of the options defied belief:

  [Troll Regeneration] - Wounds close after seconds. Severed limbs regrow within hours. Near-immunity to disease and poison. Only complete destruction of the brain or incineration guarantees death.

  [Phoenix Rebirth] - Upon dying, the soul ignites and reconstitutes the body from sacred flames within seven days. Each rebirth maintains full memories and reduces physical age by five years. Limited to nine resurrections per century.

  [Dragon's Breath] - Exhale destructive energy aligned to natural element: fire hot enough to melt stone, frost that freezes blood in veins, lightning that splits the sky, acid that dissolves steel, or poison that chokes all life.

  [Lich Phylactery] - Bind soul to an object, achieving practical immortality. Physical destruction merely inconveniences as consciousness transfers to phylactery for body reconstruction. Emotional capacity diminishes with each death.

  [Mana Affinity] - Innate connection to world's mana currents. Spells require 40% less energy. Magical perception extends past normal limitations. Natural resistance to hostile enchantments.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  [Void Manipulation] - Command the spaces between reality. Create portable holes, erase matter from existence, travel through shadow dimensions. Prolonged activation risks attracting entities from beyond.

  [Time Perception Alteration] - Subjectively slow temporal flow during combat or study. One second stretches infinitely from user's perspective. Ages user at accelerated rate during use.

  Like something in each power fantasy novel Jack made me read.

  He browsed deeper, past abilities that promised dominion over elements, mastery of weapons that hadn't touched his hands, communion with beings from other planes. Power sang from every option—the kind that toppled kingdoms and rewrote destiny.

  But scattered among the world-shaking powers were other options:

  [Steady Hands] - Fine motor control remains consistent regardless of fatigue, stress, or age. Ideal for craftsmen, surgeons, and artists. No tremors, no fumbling.

  [Clear Voice] - Vocal cords maintain perfect pitch and tone. Never crack, hoarse, or fail. Project without strain. Sing on key without training.

  [Iron Gut] - Digest any edible substance devoid of discomfort. Immunity to food poisoning, seasickness, and nausea. Process nutrients with increased efficiency.

  [Natural Balance] - Innate equilibrium surpasses normal human limits. Rarely stumble, trip, or lose footing. Excel at activities requiring coordination.

  Caleb's lips twisted. Great. I can choose between becoming a god or having nice penmanship.

  The absurdity of the list was jarring. These ordinary Impartments shared space with abilities that could alter existence itself? What sort of celestial catalog operated on such principles?

  He flicked back to the legendary powers. [Shapeshifter's Blood]. [Soul Sight]. [Elemental Fusion]. Each promised transformation from corporate drone to protagonist of an epic saga. The temptation pulled at him. Select three world-breaking abilities and stride into whatever existence awaited as a force of nature.

  But I'm not that person.

  It arrived with quiet assurance. A couple decades of reports, meetings, and suburban routine hadn't prepared him for wielding apocalyptic might. He'd spent all that time climbing the corporate ladder. His greatest battles had been fought over cost projections.

  Besides, potential like that comes with a target painted on your back.

  In every story Jack forced on him, the overpowered protagonist attracted enemies as honey draws flies. Jealous rivals, threatened rulers, ambitious schemers. All drawn either to claim that power or destroy it.

  He scrolled again to the mundane options. [Steady Hands] might keep him alive through careful work, even if dragons required different solutions.. [Quick Learner] could prove invaluable in a foreign world with unknown rules.

  Play it smart. Stay under the radar. Figure out the situation before—

  "INTEGRATION WINDOW CLOSING. SOUL-HOST COMPATIBILITY DEGREDATION IMMINENT."

  The voice carried a new urgency. The white expanse flickered at the edges, reality fracturing like a monitor losing signal.

  Crumb. Caleb's hands moved without conscious thought, fingers dancing across the ethereal interface as he swiped frantically through hundreds of glowing opportunities. The sheer volume overwhelmed him—options cascaded past in an endless stream, each one more fantastical than the last. Too many choices crowded his vision, too little context to guide his decision. Should he prioritize immediate survival? Raw combat power to face whatever dangers lurked ahead? Utility Impartments that might prove invaluable at maneuvering through a new world? What specific threats awaited in this unfamiliar existence? What opportunities could present themselves if he chose wisely?

  The emptiness around him pulsed with increasing instability, white fractures spreading like spider silk through the edges of his vision. Time was running out.

  Yet all of this mounting pressure, this urgency that pressed against his consciousness, meant nothing compared to the crawling certainty that had settled in his core. He'd lost his old life forever, and with each passing second, those precious memories threatened to fade. Even without the full gamut of emotions to drive the fear home, cold logic dictated an undeniable truth: time eroded everything it touched. Faces blurred into indistinct shadows. Voices forgotten, reduced to silent whispers.

  The precise shade of green in Evelynn's eyes when she laughed at his terrible dad jokes, the endearing way Katie chewed her lower lip during particularly challenging homework problems, Jack's off-key humming that somehow always managed to include superhero themes. All of it was on a countdown to oblivion, destined to bleach out like photographs left in the sun until nothing remained but blank, forgotten paper.

  If I'm going to do this—whatever the hell this is—I won't lose them. I refuse to let them slip away.

  He searched with renewed purpose now, scrolling past the flashier, more combat-oriented options that promised devastating power. There—nestled inconspicuously between "Perfect Form" and "Perfect Strike"—he found exactly what he needed.

  [Perfect Memory] - Every moment experienced remains accessible in crystalline clarity. Immune to memory modification, extraction, or degradation. Originated in Zha'karin, The Cerebral Tyrant, who catalogued a thousand years of conquered civilizations in exacting detail.

  Caleb chose it immediately.

  "SELECTION LOGGED: [PERFECT MEMORY]. TWO SELECTIONS REMAIN."

  One down, two to go. He continued searching.

  Raw power seemed less valuable than adaptability if he was entering an unknown world. What good was breathing fire if he couldn't understand the language? What use was regeneration if he didn't learn the skills to survive and thrive?

  [Savant of the Mind] - Accelerated learning across all cognitive disciplines. Master languages in days, comprehend complex theories in hours, develop new applications of knowledge through innovative connections. First manifested by Grimble Whistlewick the Quick, who mastered seventeen schools of magic in less than a century.

  The synergy with [Perfect Memory] was obvious. Learn fast, remember forever. Caleb made his choice.

  "SELECTION LOGGED: [SAVANT OF THE MIND]. ONE SELECTION REMAINS."

  The final choice came easier. If he'd optimized his mind, balance demanded attention to the physical.

  [Savant of the Body] - Intuitive mastery of physical movement and martial techniques. Perfect proprioception and kinesthetic learning. Muscle memory develops at extraordinary rate. The signature gift of Tarn Blackroot, the Undefeated Vagrant, who mastered every fighting discipline on a continent while never claiming a homeland or swearing allegiance to any kingdom.

  Mind, memory, and body. A foundation to build on, whatever comes next.

  "SELECTION LOGGED: [SAVANT OF THE BODY]. ALL SELECTIONS CONFIRMED. PROCEEDING WITH INTEGRATION."

  Integration? Caleb opened his mouth to ask—

  Fire bloomed behind his eyes, a violation deeper than pain. His very existence, his soul, twisted and stretched as something alien grafted itself onto his being.

  Time shattered.

  The agony transcended physical sensation. This was an intrusion at the deepest level, invasive sensations forcing themselves into the architecture of his self. The scream building inside him died before reaching vocal cords that didn't exist. His impulse to flee slammed against invisible walls, trapped in formless consciousness.

  Eternity compressed into instants. Instants stretched into eons.

  Gradually—so gradually he couldn't mark the transition—the agony faded. The white room began to dim at its edges, reality bleeding through like ink through paper. Sensation returned in confusing waves: weight, temperature, the need for breath. And emotion crashed in right behind it.

  The dam didn't just burst; it exploded. Terror, grief, rage, confusion. Everything his detached mind had catalogued now flooded him, demanding payment with interest. Evelynn's face flashed before him, Katie's laughter spilled through memory, Jack's shy smile twisted the knife of loss deeper.

  I'm dead. They're gone. I'm never going home.

  The grief crushed him, yet the wrongness flooding through returning nerves transcended even that. This body—because he definitely had a body now—felt fundamentally incorrect. Too small. Too light.

  Understanding dawned as the white plane contracted to a single point of illumination. He was taking someone else's body. A hostile takeover. A colonization of existing flesh.

  "No, no, no—" The words came out wrong, pitched too high, shaped by a throat that had never spoken English.

  The light winked out.

  Caleb Foster opened eyes that weren't his own.