Meddling The Omniverse

So my life has ended… Zenitsu lamented.

I am such a useless person, dying midway through training. I couldn't even repay Gramps for all his sheltering and care for me… He thought as tears continuously flowed from his eyes. 

Zenitsu cried over his recently ended life—the hardships he had endured, the goals he had achieved, and the people he had let down. The shinigami observed silently as the samurai's grief poured out, his resolve crumbling as he tried to stifle his anguished cries, sinking to the ground.

"Wuu… Wuu…"

The shinigami simply watched.

"Grandpa, I'm so… sorry," he sniffled.

The shinigami continued to watch.

Smack "Hiks… uwooh…"

The shinigami remained silent.

"Uuh…" Finally, as the acceptance of his new reality settled in, Zenitsu's sobbing began to subside. He had shed most of his tears, releasing all his sorrow.

The shinigami sensed it still was not time to act.

Moments later, Zenitsu felt a choking sensation as snot oozed from his nose, smearing his face. With nowhere to dispose of it, he chose to wipe it off improperly—on his kimono.

"Wait, take this," the shinigami said, handing him a handkerchief.

Gratefully, Zenitsu accepted the cloth, bowing slightly as he cleaned himself, blowing his nose thoroughly. But now a new problem arose—where to put the snot-covered handkerchief?

The shinigami lowered itself, extending its hand. Zenitsu hesitated, confused.

It's dirty now, why would he want it back? Still, he handed it over.

The moment the cloth left his grip, something magical happened.

The handkerchief combusted, dissolving into an ethereal blaze of butterflies, birds, and other creatures, their fiery forms fluttering into the distance. Zenitsu, somber yet entranced, watched as each luminescent figure took flight, imprinting every shimmering detail into his memory.

A hidden luster returned to his eyes. The shinigami observed that now, at last, it was time.

The shinigami asked, "Have you heard of the land that existed across the sea, outside your beloved land or country Japan?"

"I do?" Zenitsu with red swollen eyes replied, obviously confused by the random question.

"I will now announce this first and foremost, I am a god not from your Beloved Country Japan."

Zenitsu had just heard something unbelievable but was too confused to understand it. 

Seeing this the shinigami clarified, "I am a God (Kami) not in front of your land Japan, but the land beyond it."

Staring at the shinigami's accurate Japanese attire, Zenitsu asked, "Uhh… Uh… Why do you look like that?"

"To lessen your shock, I believe if I did arrive in my original appearance. I would look so unknown to you that you would become insane from the shock. I assume you would understand your situation more if I came as a shinigami."

Zenitsu somewhat understood that notion. This whole afterlife situation already broke his perception of reality. Adding the fact that this shinigami here is not a shinigami but some being outside of his knowledge might be too much for him.

Wait, if this person's not a shinigami, then…

"Forgive this one as the bringer of bad news, but you are still dead."

Zenitsu's heart plummeted, he got his answers but realized something.

Like a frisked cat, he spouted, " Did you! Did you just-just-"

"Yes, I did read your thoughts, this should be the least of what a god (kami) could do. Plus I bet you have lots of questions, you know what, you could ask away since I could tell you are still puzzled by your situation."

"Why though?"

"I am dutybound to make sure you 'understand' your current predicament, and of course, getting answers is the option of least resistance."

Zenitsu didn't understand why this being must answer his questions, but the chance calmed him down enough to analyze his situation. It was then that he noticed the obvious elephant in the room

Zenitsu snapped with intent, "Then tell me, what IS THIS PLACE!? WHERE ARE WE!? AND HOW COULD I BE DUMB, IF YOU'RE NOT A FREAKING SHINIGAMI! THEN WHO ARE YOU EXACTLY!?"

Like a guide, The Shinigami answered, "You are a soul that has strayed from your world's natural cycle of life and death that should have led you to your afterlife. You now exist in a void outside your reality, where no soul is meant to be. I am the god (kami) tasked with returning lost souls like you to their rightful place." 

"What!? Void of reality? Rightful place!?" That answer was too foreign to Zenitsu, he did not understand it at all. 

Looking at his further confusion, The Shinigami thought of an explanation that Zenitsu could hopefully understand.

"You are a recently deceased soul that has entered a forbidden territory more forbidden than hell. I am a God (Kami) that is tasked to guard and keep a look out for anomalies-"

"Anomalies?"

"-For anything suspicious and out of place around here. You arrive in this place that is more dangerous than the worst hell itself, and because of it, I arrived."

"HIEIHHH!!! ARE WE STILL AT THAT PLACE RIGHT NOW!?" Zenitsu doesn't understand the magnitude or scale of it, but he understands its danger.

"Don't be distraught. This self has already pulled you out of that accursed place. You are actually in my… outpost right now. Very safe." With that answer, Zenitsu let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Do you want to ask more?"

"Um… yes, what will happen to me now? What is your task? Uh… eh… I'll change my question. First of all, may I know your name, or maybe title?"

"My name's Seth."

Zenitsu found the name too short for a divine being, but it still sounded foreign, so he immediately spoke it out. 

"Seet-hhuh. Seesth. Set-hhh… " He had trouble pronouncing the 'th' part of Seth's name.

"Oh right, your language doesn't have those 'th' sounds effectively, it must have been unfamiliar to you." Seth chuckled a bit before continuing, "Let me think of a Japanese-friendly name for you to call me. What about Setsu or Seto?"

"Forgive me, but… isn't that a bit casual for a God (kami) of your stature." 

Seth nodded in understanding, he approved Zenitsu's sense of respect and politeness, "I see, You know what, you can decide what you want to call me, If this self's like it, we could go with that."

With this, some light returned to his eyes. Zenitsu pondered a bit before choosing an obvious choice, "Can I call you 'Kamisama'?"

"Sure."

"Now, Kamisama (God) what will happen to me, i could guess that there is more to this matter than just pulling me out of danger. Right?"

—

In another place, a hero revealed a face of distraught. A touchy conversation about the isekai process has ensued.

The others stood quietly as they understood his state of mind.

"You guys used such flawed systems…" Seiya the hero begrudgingly said his piece.

"SEIYA! There's no better choice." Ristarte reprimanded.

Tsk… still the hardened man he was, he moved away from the group and decided to focus on Seth's proceeding isekai. Everyone understood that Seiya needed some alone time due to the revelations revealed.

Since Seiya was out, Ristarte asked, "Is it fine for Seiya to know that? Obviously, I know I'll be fine since we're under the same umbrella. But still…"

Eris the goddess answered, "It is fine, they are not trade secrets, just not publicly known."

"I always knew our department was never perfect and rosy, yet for the isekai process to be this…"

Eris giggled bitterly, her voice suddenly tinged with sorrow. "You don't have to sugarcoat it; what he said was true. It still saddens me that how we do things now could cause unintended consequences. For ages, we have tried to fix, or at least improve upon those problems, but in the end, it barely did anything." It was laced with frustration and sadness.

Ristarte, somewhat shocked by the change in Eris' demeanor, turned towards her. When she gazed at Eris's expression, Ristarte stood in sedated reflection. 

A mournful mood overshadowed Eris' previous sweetness. Her face is a complex mix of melancholy, contemplation, and what she has shown just now, guilt.

Did she feel guilty? Did she feel responsible for those unjustifiably dragged into the mess?

Ristarte knew that while Eris was still older than her, they were actually from the same age group. Despite their similar ages, Eris's current demeanor revealed a depth of experience and introspection that Ristarte found unnaturally sobering.

"Ahh… forgive me," Eris said, her voice softening as she looked at Ristarte. "What I went through for the past few weeks was too much for me. And I accidentally projected it onto you, Ristarte-chan."

Ristarte, not fully understanding what Eris had gone through, felt a pang of concern. She wanted to help Eris with her troubles, but since they were still more acquaintances than close friends, she struggled to find the right words.

In the end, she placed a comforting hand on Eris' shoulder. 

Eris receiving this managed a small, grateful smile, feeling a bit of the weight lift from her shoulders. "Thank you, Ristarte-chan."

"Of course, Eris-chan," Ristarte replied.

Hoping to lighten the mood, Ristarte added, "Why don't we check on Seth right now, I wanna see what'll happen to that samurai."

Suddenly Ristarte's arm was grabbed tightly. It was Eris. 

Before she could react, Eris placed her finger on Ristarte's lips.

"Jif, please cover me," she spoke seriously, leaving Ristarte no chance to ask.

Jif nodded as he pushed his tiny glasses up. He floated near Seiya and cast a silent screen separating the two from the goddesses.

"ERIS! What's going on here? What are YOU doing!?" Ristarte shoved Eris away. She was very perplexed, while she did not know Eris well, her previous drop in mood and now this were too much for her.

Ignoring her, Eris quickly summoned a portal. Without hesitation, Eris pulled Ristarte in.

—

They left, Seth thought as two goddesses disappeared from his detection. He may not know where they went, but he could already guess.

It's them, those top echelons. They invited Ristarte too, just like Eris. Seth hypothesized this because he always noticed their presence, monitoring his every move—secretly and openly.

Many in his situation would become paranoid about the possible agenda they had in store for them. Seth, on the other hand, was not.

Two reasons: first, his past identity had already influenced him, tempering him to the point of not even batting an eye at such conspiracies against him. Second, his prophetic or oracle-like powers deemed their actions would not threaten his future, unconsciously giving him some peace of mind.

Then again, this was not of utmost importance to him right now, his priority should be…

"So I have to choose between accepting my death or going through a grueling trial just to go back with Gramps again?" Zenitsu inquired.

Seth had just explained what he needed to know for his 'isekai' process. "Yes, if you accept your death and move on, you will go to heaven, or hell, or be reincarnated again as a different person. If you still want to return to life as Agatsuma Zenitsu, you need to go through a trial filled with tribulation. Once you pass, you will return right after the moment you die."

"How difficult… I mean, how dangerous would this trial be?"

"The trial will be arduous and painful. It will test your limits and force you to confront your deepest fears. But it will also temper you and make you stronger, so you could be more prepared for the challenges ahead."

Zenitsu gulped at the description.

"Do not worry. Although you will be suffering for quite a bit, you will be provided a helping hand to ensure your survival, in the form of a blessing."

"Of course… uh… Kamisama, it's just that I nearly died multiple times from Gramps' training, yet they improved nothing of me. So I couldn't imagine a trial that surpassed that…"

"Trust me on this one, the blessing I prepared for you will allow you to leap from a carp to a dragon, a dragon so mighty it would make your master proud enough to cry tears of joy."

Zenitsu felt assured by such words. He may not know how powerful and godly Seth is, but with how this unbelievable treated him until now, being given such a gift from him warmed his heart.

This blessing must be pretty special to make Gramps like that—wait a minute, Gramps, afterlife, death… He noticed something crucial. "Excuse me, Kamisama, but I think you never told me how I died… So, how did I die…?"

Seth realized he had glossed over that part, he answered, "When you were clinging to a tree just to avoid your master's training, a random lightning struck you and the tree, ending your life on the spot."

Zenitsu's face instantly contorted, "You've got to be kidding me..."

"I apologize, but I am not."

"It was not even raining that time!"

Seth revealed a screen from nowhere, and on it, the events that led to his death were shown.

[*CRASH!!!* ZEEEEEENIIITSUUUUUUU!] A distressed old man's scream reverberated across as Zenitsu stood agape.

A random bolt of lightning really did end him for good.

YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!!! Zenitsu's heart pounded with a mix of anger and determination. The thought of dying in such a nonsensical way, leaving behind his master like that, was unbearable. He couldn't let his story end like this, not after all his master's training and faith in him.

A raging fire burned in his eyes. "I WON'T STAND FOR THIS!!!" he shouted, clenching his fists. "I can't die like this! I want to make it right for my master and myself!"

Zenitsu's mind raced. He thought of his master, who had always believed in him, even when he couldn't believe in himself.

"What will your choice be again, Agatsuma Zenitsu? Do you want to think about it?"

Summoning every ounce of courage, fueled by his indignation, Zenitsu glared at Seth. "I'll do it! I'll take the trial! I want to live and become a better Demon Slayer!"

"Don't let anger distort your view and choice."

Realizing that he was raising his tone, Zenitsu held back his anger. "Ahh… Sorry Kamisama, I was already leaning on the trial thing," he muttered, more to himself than to Seth. "I want to make it right for my master and myself. I want to show him that I can be more than just a coward."

Seth gave a questioning gaze at Zenitsu, so he added, "Also, I died too young. I haven't even gotten a girlfriend yet, you know..."

Even though Seth still questioned his resolve, the choice had been made.