"Well, this is strange… Where am I? What is this place? It's awfully emo..."
Valeria muttered, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the endless black void around her, confusion furrowing her brow.
[Interesting. You're not nearly as frightened as I expected.]
The voice echoed from nowhere—and everywhere—all at once. Smooth, curious, almost amused.
Valeria tilted her head, unimpressed.
"Hmm. This just got interesting. Lemme guess—you've got speakers hidden all around this place? I've never been kidnapped before, but I imagine you're very good at it."
She spoke with unsettling calm, like she was commenting on a movie scene rather than her own bizarre predicament.
[You think you're being kidnapped… yet you remain so calm? Why is that?]
The voice—decidedly male now—carried genuine confusion.
"Please. I'm a pretty girl with a rich father. What else would this be if not a kidnapping? You didn't touch me, did you?"
[No! I didn't touch you, and I didn't kidnap you either! Geez. You've got an ego on you... It's oddly charming. I can see I picked the right person after all.]
Valeria paused, curiosity finally surfacing behind her deadpan exterior.
"Wait, so you're not a kidnapper? Then who are you? And what the hell is this place? I've got things to do, y'know."
[This... is going very differently than I imagined.] A pause. [Anyway—my name is Leonardo Vinard. Call me Leo. I'm... an artist, of sorts. And as for where you are… Well. You're dead. Welcome to my dimension.]
His words rang with eerie finality.
Valeria blinked.
"...Wait. I did get struck by lightning, didn't I? So that wasn't a dream. This is the afterlife? What are you, some kind of god?"
[About that lightning… my bad. Total accident. I was bored and, uh, abusing my powers a little. Sorry. But hey! I plan to make it up to you—by sending you to a whole new world. With a special ability, of course.]
In a flash of violet light, Leo materialized on a floating throne. Wisps of dark mist curled around him. Beside him stood a massive, ornate wheel inscribed with glowing runes.
Valeria's eyes widened.
"Wait. Are you isekaing me right now? Like, for real? A whole new world? A power? This is the dream!"
She clapped her hands, practically bouncing. "I finally get to be the hero!"
[You're... unusually excited. Don't you care about your old life? About the people you're leaving behind?]
She looked away, then shrugged.
"Not really. I didn't exactly leave much behind. Barely know my parents, never had friends. This... this feels like a second chance. A redo. One where I can actually be someone."
Her voice was steady. Eyes distant. A trace of longing beneath the words.
Leo raised an eyebrow, then snapped his fingers. Mist parted above them, revealing scenes in floating clouds—videos playing like memories.
[Let's test that. Here's your funeral.]
The scene unfolded: her family gathered, more out of obligation than grief. No tears. Her siblings whispered, struggling to remember her. Her father left halfway through. Her mother hadn't even shown up.
Only the priest remained by the end, offering a half-hearted prayer.
"Lord, please show mercy upon this soul. I won't say it wasn't her fault, but she certainly had nowhere to turn. May she now know rest. Amen."
Silence followed.
"Told ya."
Valeria said with a subtle frown on her face.
[Well... that was bleak. I wasn't expecting that. Seems I'm doing you a favor, then.]
He gestured to the wheel.
[Go ahead. Give it a spin. Let fate decide your new world.]
Valeria approached, eyes gleaming, and gripped the wheel with both hands. With a fierce pull, she set it in motion. The wheel spun, humming with power.
Eventually, it slowed… and stopped.
[DC.]
Valeria's jaw dropped. "As in DC Comics?! Wonder Woman? Zatanna? Superman?! Oh my god, this is perfect! I'm gonna be a superhero!"
[Let's not get ahead of ourselves.] Leo chuckled. [Time for your power. Be warned—the DC universe isn't exactly a walk in the park. Things might be a little… different than you remember.]
He clapped again, and the wheel shifted—this time displaying names of various superpowers, glowing in brilliant colors.
Valeria grinned and yanked the wheel once more.
It spun. Slowed. Stopped.
[Infinite Potential.]
Leo leaned back, clearly impressed.
[Wow. Out of all the options, that's easily one of the best. You're really lucky.]
Valeria squinted. "That's... a little vague. I was hoping for something flashier. Like, I dunno, Zatanna-level magic or Amazonian strength out of the gate."
[Trust me. With enough training, you'll get those. Infinite Potential means exactly what it sounds like—all powers are attainable. Your growth isn't capped. The only limit is your ambition.]
Her eyes lit up.
"Oh. Okay, yeah—thank you very much!"
She twirled on the spot, too thrilled to hide it.
[Now then… before I send you off, I'm giving you one final gift. Since your death was my fault, and your life was... well, let's just say underwhelming—I'll let you choose your race in this new world. Choose wisely.]
Valeria crossed her arms, deep in thought. After a long pause, she narrowed it down.
"Tamaranean, Kryptonian, or Amazonian…" She murmured. Finally, she looked up. "Amazonian. I want to build myself up physically, from the ground up. Earn it all. Besides, Themyscira seems like a good place to start over."
Leo smiled.
[Wise choice. Then let your new beginning unfold.]
With a final clap, a burst of radiant light engulfed Valeria.
As the darkness faded, she was no longer in the void. She was cradled in the arms of a tall, stunning woman with flowing black hair and piercing blue eyes—surrounded by equally powerful, beautiful women