Chapter 11: Unexpected Variable

A sigh escaped Ezra’s lips. "The system decides to show up now?" he muttered, his words coming out on instinct, a dry, sarcastic reflex, even when the universe was breaking around him. He closed his eyes, and then it happened. A screen blinked into existence, floating mid-air like a glitch in reality. [SYSTEM INITIALIZING...] [Welcome, Ezra. Gender: Male] [Status: Anomaly] "What now?" he muttered, eyebrows twitching. He thought only Sage called him that, an outlier. She would joke that he was a weird glitch in the world, but hearing the system label him the same way? That was a whole new level of ’special.’ The screen didn’t respond. Obviously. The magical, world-breaking interface had zero sense of humor. [Syncing Neural Pathways... Compatibility: 100%] Ezra glanced around. Cool—he had a system now. But what was it even for? He was probably lying half-dead somewhere, or maybe his body was already fully faded, wandering around aimlessly... Or maybe—not a thought he wanted to entertain, because it made him shudder—the thought that if he had truly turned into the Fade, those two War-ladies would’ve already taken him out. Honestly, at this point, he might as well be dead for real. And if he did die again, then what? Would he just... transmigrate all over again? "Wait, can that even happen? Can I die twice and still get isekai’d?" he muttered out loud. Then a new voice answered, cutting through the dark like a whisper laced with power. "On the contrary, mortal, you’re not dead... yet."A feminine but commanding voice echoed, this time it was not the system but something, or rather... someone else. Their voice carried a hint of ancient amusement. Ezra opened his eyes. The crystal cube in front of him pulsed once, then shattered into a million tiny lights that spread into the black void around him. The space around him flared and slowly brightened. Not with sunlight, but with a soft, glowing light. It was like the whole universe had turned into a dream. Nebulae swirled in every direction. Stars hung like lanterns in a cosmic sea. And at its center, covered in this celestial luminescence, stood a figure of breathtaking beauty. She was tall, impossibly breathtaking, with hair that flowed like spun starlight and eyes that held the depth and mystery of the universe itself. She possessed a striking, almost familiar humanity in her features. She radiated an aura of ancient power, of creation and destruction, yet her expression, as her gaze settled on Ezra, held a flicker of something surprisingly human: pure exasperation. "Well, it seems you’ve finally decided to make a proper entrance, Zaeryn," she said, her voice more focused now, less echo, more direct hit. "For your information, you’re not dead. Your body is just... resting. But your consciousness showing up here, in the realm of the gods, the exact moment you passed out, that’s highly unusual." Ezra blinked. "Gods’ realm? You’re serious? This isn’t some weird dream or side effect of the Fade? This is real?" He looked around at the endless stars, then back at her, his usual composed cracking just a little under her scrutinizing gaze. "So, I haven’t turned into the fade, I’m still me, just passed out?" "Strangely, yes." "So, what... you’re a goddess?" She folded her arms, starlight robes flowing around her like water. "You could say that. I am one of the goddesses of your world, Marea. And yes, this is very real. Just like the world you now live in." Ezra’s eyes widened, recognising her name. "W—wait, you’re the goddess Marea?" He blinked. "You’re the one who made all this?" "You mean the Matriarchy?" she asked, cutting in before he could finish. "Yes. However, my intention was to make both women and men stronger than they already were, not bring men to near extinction. I miscalculated." Her expression remained unreadable."I enhanced women to survive a world ravaged by war, radiation, and collapse," she continued. "What I didn’t foresee was how the environment would destabilize male biology. It wasn’t cruelty. It was a consequence." Her gaze darkened, unreadable. "Biology... is trickier than prophecy you see." Ezra stared at her, "Then why can’t you just change it back. If you’re a Goddess, then you should be able to change everything back." Marea tilted her head, amused. "Because balance, once broken, is not so easily restored," she said. Then, with a faint smile: "And maybe... I prefer the world this way." Ezra’s brows knitted together,"You like watching a whole gender collapse?" "No," she said flatly. "And I’m not omnipotent, Ezra. You think I can snap my fingers and fix everything?" Her voice cooled. "Even gods deal with consequences. I didn’t create this outcome. I caused it." Ezra frowned. ’This freaking...’ he didn’t manage to finish his thought because she spoke up. "Careful," she said, "I can hear your thoughts." "What?! you can read my mind?" He questioned. And then he sighed. "Well, of course you can read my mind. You’re a goddess after all." "Yes. Think louder, maybe I’ll get offended," she said dryly. He stared at her. "So what about the Fade? You created that too?" Marea’s expression shifted, the amusement fading into genuine thought. "No. But we’ll get into that later," she said slowly. Her tone shifted slightly, thoughtful now. "Though even I don’t fully understand how your soul ended up in my world, in that body, after your death on Earth." She frowned, truly puzzled, which was kind of terrifying. "It was... unexpected." Ezra raised a brow. "So... you didn’t bring me here?" In most stories, it was always the goddess who did the reincarnating. Divine mission. Great destiny. Usual stuff. But since Marea was surprised, that meant she wasn’t the one who brought him here. Which was strange, because if not her, then how? Marea didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped closer, her gaze sharp and curious. "And now this. You were in close proximity with a fully infected Fade, even suffered a physical wound, yet you show no signs of corruption. No violent urges, no monstrous transformation. Nothing." She tilted her head. "That isn’t just strange, Ezra. That’s impossible. The Fade consumes everything." Ezra grinned. If she did not bring him here, and his soul transmigrated here on its own and inhabited this exact body, and he was also immune to the fade, then wasn’t that better than if he was brought here? It meant he wasn’t summoned, selected, or shaped by divine hands. He was something else entirely. Something the gods didn’t see coming. He was really an anomaly, one would say. "So let me get this straight," he said, folding his arms like he wasn’t standing in a cosmic light show. "I died, somehow broke the rules of reincarnation, hijacked a body in a matriarchal apocalypse, and now I’m immune to the biggest threat out there. And you had nothing to do with that?" Marea’s lips twitched, almost a smirk. "Correct. Although I wouldn’t call it the biggest threat you face. You have no idea what’s out there." Ezra ignored her last word about the biggest threat. Right now he was more excited to learn about himself, "Damn. I’m not the bug in the system. I’m the patch." "Or the virus," Marea replied, cool and calm. But there was something in her tone, impressed, not annoyed. "Either way, you’re breaking the rules. The Fade should’ve devoured you." The moment she spoke, something shifted. Not visually, but it was more like the universe itself had shifted its attention. A new light formed in the distance. It spun, tightened, then shaped itself into a second figure, right in front of Ezra. Ezra’s eyes went wide at the sight of yet another entity, possibly a goddess too, like Marea. This one was just as divine, but different. Her body was like sculpted ice, flawless and still. Her hair poured like silver light, her eyes sharp and unreadable. She wasn’t glowing like Marea. Even as her form settled into something human, beautiful in a cold, untouchable way, her expression stayed calm This was Goddess Astraea. Astraea gave the faintest smile. "Not at all, Marea, the fade can’t touch him. And I believe he’s exactly where he was meant to be." Her voice was like the whisper of stars: clear, steady, and completely lacking warmth. She turned to Ezra, her gaze sharp and strangely possessive. "Welcome, Zaeryn. I’ve been expecting you." Marea’s exasperation instantly vanished, replaced by a deep, cold frown. Her starlight robes seemed to darken. "Astraea!" Her voice, though still resonant, held a sharp edge of accusation. "What is the meaning of this? Were you the one who brought his consciousness here? And were you the one who, years ago, brought his soul into my world?" Astraea tilted her head slightly. Her hair shimmered like a blade being unsheathed. "No, Marea. While I did bring his consciousness here to this realm this time, I was not the one who brought his soul to this world." "She looked back at Ezra. ’His soul shouldn’t have transmigrated. It wasn’t chosen. It wasn’t sent. Yet it came here. He is an unexpected variable that even we can’t fully explain, yet."