Chapter 4: Clarity

'ugh...why the hell did the sun have to shine on my face...'

Bell woke up from his sleep. He was feeling well-rested. It was the best sleep he had in a long time. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like his entire body became light as if a burden he carried was now removed.

He moved to try and close the blinds so he can enjoy his sleep a little bit more. He wanted to enjoy this serene feeling as much as possible.

'Curtains?...when the hell did I buy these? I thought I got blackout blinds for the apartment...'

Though it would seem that in his serenity, he has forgotten that he was no longer in the world he once knew. Perhaps a side effect of the near-insane mental conditioning he put himself through after reincarnating.

'Doesn't matter. I'll replace these soon. Too much of a bother to clean them.'

At this point, he was now entirely awake. He was annoyed he couldn't enjoy the sleep more, but there was nothing he can do now.

'Guess I'll order some new blinds right now...Where's my PC?...'

Though Bell was awake, it would seem he has yet to fully awaken his memories of the last 2 years.

'Why the hell does my room look so bright?... Where's the trash?...'

Bell moved to try and get off the bed, but he was surprised at the sensation he felt

'My body...it feels...smaller?...'

Just as he was about to connect the dots by himself. The greatest sign to dissuade his confusion soon appeared.

"Oh, Bell! You're awake, here's some water to freshen you up. You really put on the waterworks last night HAHAHAHA"

Bell froze. Who was this old man? Why is he in my room? and...

'Did he just call me Bell?...'

Zeus, seeing the confusion in his grandson's eyes, approached him with concern.

"You alright Bell? It's me, your grandpa Zeus. Don't tell me you cried so much you forgot your memories. HAHAHAHAHA"

Bell had finally pieced the pieces together. He died in his previous. Reincarnated as Bell Cranel. And cried into the arms of his grandfather last night.

The recollection of the previous events and his current situation brought an immense amount of embarrassment to him. So much so that his face blushed to convey his emotions physically.

Zeus seeing his grandson react to his remark laughed even harder. Not only because the situation was hilarious, but because this was the first time his beloved grandson exhibited such emotion.

After the laughter and embarrassment settled down. Zeus took a nearby chair and sat next to Bell who was sitting on his bed.

Zeus conveyed a look of happiness and kindness as he looked towards his grandson. Bell, noticing the kind eyes of his grandfather, mustered the courage to ask what he had been wondering since last night. Even though he feared the possibility that all of what is happening may just be a ruse, his courage to face his fears had grown, albeit very little.

"Um...so uh...Zeus-"

But as he was about to ask his question, Zeus intervened.

"Grandpa, Bell. Call me grandpa"

Bell was shocked at Zeus' serious tone. But wanting to quickly find the answers to his troubles, he reluctantly complied.

"Gr-grandpa?..."

Upon hearing Bell's reply, Zeus switched back to a happy expression on his face, confusing bell greatly. Nevertheless, Bell resumed his question.

"Grandpa...you know I have memories...of my past life right?..."

Bell spoke with some hesitation, but to which Zeus replied succinctly.

"Yes. I heard from you when you were talking to yourself in the library"

"..."

Bell, seeing that his question went well, found, even more, resolve to ask another.

"You know...that I'm an anomaly in the cycle of reincarnation...right?"

"Yes, I'm aware of the cycle of reincarnation just like any other god from Tenkai. Otherwise, I would've been even more shocked at the discovery HAHAHAHA "

"...Then you should know why...I'm not supposed to be here..."

Bell gripped his body tight as he prepared for his response. His response to the fear that had controlled him for the last 3 years of his new life.

"...I don't see anything wrong thought?..."

"...huh?-"

Instead of receiving one of the many answers he had theorized in his mind, Bell was greeted with a reply he never would've expected.

Confused, he asked Zeus for more clarification, no longer paying heed to his fears, simply wishing to understand.

"Nothing wrong? Is it normal for stray souls to just enter into random bodies?"

"You're not a stray soul Bell, you are who you are"

"I am though! I have memories of a world outside of this one!"

"Oh, how fascinating! Still, doesnt change anything though"

"I COME FROM A WORLD WHERE ALL OF YOU GUYS CAME FROM A BOOK!-"

"A book? That's a rather interesting concept. I hope whoever wrote it painted me in a good light HAHAHA"

Bell couldn't believe it. The turmoil he faced all this time. Zeus is treating it as if it were only mildly interesting. A whirlwind of emotions washed over him with confusion composing a majority of it.

Noticing the look of bewilderment on his grandson's face, Zeus decided to stop leaving him in the dark, as funny as it was to see him so confused.

"What was the word that they used to describe this phenomenon?...mu...multi...oh right! multiverse"

Bell, noticing the word Zeus had mentioned, was greatly shocked.

"Multiverse?! You're saying there's a multiverse Zeus!?"

Zeus frowned.

"Granpa. I'm you're grandpa Bell"

"F-fine. You're saying the multiverse exists g-grandpa?"

Zeus, once he finally heard Bell correct himself, proceeded to answer his question.

"Yes, it does exist. Though I'm surprised you're familiar with it Bell. Perhaps you came from a world where its existence is commonplace? How interesting"

Bell, hearing the confirmation of the multiverse's existence from his...grandfather, was stupefied.

"Well... it's considered more of an imaginary idea rather than a fact in my old world..."

"I see. Do talk to me about your old world sometime Bell, from what you described of it, I'm sure it's filled with tons of interesting stuff HAHAHAHA"

"s-sure..."

Bell wasn't sure how to navigate this conversation. With his poor conversational skill, the absurd topic has left Bell akin to the social equivalent of a sitting duck. Though a sitting duck he may be, he gathered the courage to find how this revelation all went back to his predicament.

"So...knowing the multiverse exists...and that this world and my previous one are both real...how does that explain how I traveled from there to here? how does it...explain that I'm Bell Cranel..."

Zeus, sensing the serious tone in his grandson, promptly stopped his laughter and prepared himself to explain.

"..."

The tension in the air was palpable. Zeus wore an expression that radiated his dignity as a deity. Bell could only watch in anticipation and anxiety at what Zeus could say.

"..."

".."

"...I don't know"

'...huh?-'

A weird feeling of deja vu wrapped over Bell

"..wh...WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW!?-"

"As I said, I don't know. But the look on your face just now pfft- it was priceless HAHAHAHAHAHA"

Hearing the god tease him for his seriousness, Bell couldn't help but be embarrassed by it all. Wishing to no longer be tormented by this prankster of a deity, he hid beneath the cover of his blanket.

"Oh come on, cut me some slack Bell, I've been wanting to mess around with you for a while now HAHAHAHA"

"...jerk..."

"HAHAHAHAH. All right, all right, I'll be serious now, so will you forgive me Bell?"

"....fine"

Experiencing the playful banter he always wanted to experience with his grandson, Zeus felt the happiest he had been in a very long time. Though Bell still hid beneath the bed covers, he knew he was listening, so he prepped himself for the actual explanation.

"Though I did joke around, it is true that I don't know. I don't know what compelled you to somehow travel from your old world to ours."

Hearing Zeus take on a more serious tone, Bell listened attentively to each word he said.

"I first learned about the concept of the multiverse from an old friend of mine from Tenkai...a rather peculiar god whose authority was unknown to many."

"They had always remained an enigma to others, but luckily for me, I was somehow able to befriend the guy...or girl...can't really tell with them"

"Their name is rather hard to translate from runes to human language, but if I were to give a rough translation, their name would be "Khaos" "

Bell froze upon hearing the name given by Zeus. Khaos. The primordial existence of greek mythology birthed the first titans who would then lead to the creation of all of existence. The primeval emptiness.

Though he wasn't sure if the myths of his previous world accurately described this world's Khaos. The sheer significance of their role in Earth's telling of the mythology can be used as a rough estimate.

"In my conversations with Khaos in Tenkai, they would tell me of what they saw, what existed beyond the world we lived in"

"Realities and universes held together in a collection of "strings" as they described it."

"It was all very surreal when I first heard it. But I knew Khaos wasn't the type to lie, so I accepted it as fact"

Bell continued to listen to the words of his grandfather.

"I asked them a bunch of stuff about this dimension beyond our own. Like if it were possible to travel to such a dimension, or what the consequences of messing around there could be"

"Khaos simply replied that they didn't know"

"But they did know one thing. All things that occur within the great expanse of strings are fated to do so, regardless of intervention or probability"

" "Nothing happens without reason. Nothing happens without purpose." as he would describe it"

"That is why I never even questioned if you were my grandson Bell. You always were"

Bell froze at that statement. He had just received the answer he had always wanted, and yet, it left him empty.

"...I know it might not be the answer you were looking for Bell. I can't answer if you were just a stray soul. I am not sure if there was another soul which used to inhabit your body before you arrived..."

Bell gripped the sheets of his bed as Zeus continued to speak.

"But just as much as that is a possibility...there exists numerous others that can be used to explain your existence...the multiverse is...well...infinite after all HAHAHAHA"

Bell was broken out of his potential slip back into his cycle by the kind laughter of his grandfather.

"So ponder all you want Bell. But always remember, you are right where you belong"

Bell pondered what his grandfather had just said.

'...where...I belong...'

Bell began to slowly let those words sink into his mind. He felt...clear...as if the numerous stains on his mind have been washed clean.

'Can I really do it?... can I call this life my own?...'

The sole reason he had hidden away for so long was out of a guilty conscience that nothing around him was meant for him. But now that was finally resolved, he stood before the crossroad he always wished for, but hesitated to make a decision.

Zeus, sensing the apprehension within Bell, decided to give him one last push.

"Meteria...you're mother told me that the pursuit of personal happiness and the happiness of those you love is what drives mortals to continue living in such a cruel world..."

"Pursue it Bell...The paradise on the horizon you always longed for...pursue it...let your life burn so bright that you'll never regret anything ever again"

Zeus placed his hand on the body of Bell beneath the covers. He didn't have the ability to determine the color of a mortal's soul, so he simply wished that the intentions of himself and his mother would be able to reach him.

Just as Zeus was in the middle of placing his hope in a change for his grandson, Bell abruptly moved out from the bed covers and locked eyes with Zeus.

Bell's eyes were a beautiful shade of light blue ever since the incident after his mother's passing, but at this moment, they shined in a hue that raptured the attention of Zeus.

'A sky...an endless sky...'

Such were the words Zeus used to describe how Bell's eyes appeared at that moment. With an expression of resolve, Bell gathered all the power he could from his small body and proclaimed to his grandfather.

"I'll do it, grandpa...I'll make the most out of my life and attain it...attain my paradise on the horizon!"

Seeing his grandson proclaim his goal with such conviction...with such a wide smile on his face...the old god couldn't have been any prouder of him.

Thus, in a room where a god of storms consoled his shy grandson...the beginning of a legend was born.

Authors Note:Though I have mentioned the existence of the multiverse, it won't be relevant for the MC for a while. I plan on having it be the endgame for him. As of now, Bell will simply focus on making the most out of his second life and plan on how to deal with a certain black dragon.