I Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

When I opened my eyes, I expected to see the flames of the underworld, or hear the screams of the damned who were condemned to eternal torture.

Instead, I saw an endless sea of blue above me, perforated with tiny white clouds.

I was lying on what appeared to be the ground, but it wasn't the Earth. It was a liquid, clear, and reflective like a large body of water shimmering in bright sunlight.

But, there was no sun.

The light that stretched above me seemed to come from everywhere all at once, and it was soft and golden.

"Belford…"

I heard a voice call out to me as I rose to my feet. The sound didn't originate from a single source, but rather echoed from all around me.

I quickly got up, taking a brief look at my own body. My clothes were gone, and I was left in my own skin, enshrouded in a cloud that followed me all around.

"Belford…"

The voice called out again, louder than before. It was high-pitched and melodic, like the sound of a beautiful harp strung at a wedding banquet.

I turned slowly, to find who or what was calling out to me.

And I saw her.

It was a beautiful woman, pale-skinned like polished marble and clothed in a large flowing white gown lined with golden accents.

Her hair was long, flowing like fire, and her wide eyes shone like the sun.

Her aura shimmered as if she were made from moonlight, and on her face was a gaze that saw too much.

She stood on a large silver cloud, which hovered above the endless sea, and came to a halt in front of me.

In her presence, I felt my entire body tremble with fear, and I knew exactly what she was.

A goddess.

"So you've awakened, Dreyfus Belford," she thundered, her voice both gentle and infinite. "Or should I say, Aldrin Stormborn?"

I tried to speak, but my voice tangled in my throat. Eventually, I was able to mutter a reply

"Yes… my lady." I blurted out, kneeling before her.

"Rise, Belford. We need to talk."

My head remained bowed as I rose to my feet. I was too scared to even look her in the eye.

"Lift your head. I'm no monster."

Sheepishly, I raised my head up.

The goddess slowly circled around me, watching me closely. Then she came to a halt in front of me.

"Three days," she said.

"What?"

"Three days," she repeated, then sighed. "That was how long it took you to throw away the life I gave you. Carelessly!"

Her words struck deep into my soul, and I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of regret.

"Forgive me..."

The goddess slowly shook her head.

"I am not the god who forgives, that is not my role. I am the one who repairs what has been broken. I have watched the world end a thousand times, and a thousand times, I have prevented it…"

Something about her words triggered a memory.

As a young mage in search of power, I had studied ancient texts to learn the origins of the eight magic affinities. There I stumbled upon the names of four gods who once dwelt in our world.

This was one of them.

Eva, the goddess of life, tasked with protecting and preserving it.

This was her realm. The In-Between.

Slowly, my entire ordeal began to make sense.

"You're the one who reincarnated me."

A brief smile appeared on Eva's face.

"Indeed, Belford. I am the one who gave you a second chance to repair the damage you caused."

"But…" I pointed out. "I didn't destroy the world. The Shadow Queen did. Why did you reincarnate me?"

"The Shadow Queen rose to power only because you failed to stop her when you should. You were the Grand Mage, and you let the world down. It was only fitting that you be the one to save it."

"I could have done better if you had left me in my own body."

"No, Belford. If I left you in your original body, the future remains unchanged. I gave you a life as Rin Stormborn to put you in the best position to stop the Shadow Queen. Yet you threw your life away, because of a few pieces of gold."

"If I had known all this before you reincarnated me, I wouldn't have been so careless."

The goddess gave me a frosty look.

"You speak like a child, Belford. Defensive. Immature. Your ignorance is not the cause of your death, but your pride and arrogance.

"In your desperate quest for power, you lost your humility. You lost the ability to discern when to act, and when to retreat. That is why you failed to stop the Shadow Queen. That is why you died again. That is why I had to take your magic away."

My eyes widened in amazement.

"It was you."

"Yes, Belford. I took your magic away, so you could learn to rely more on your wit."

"But how do you expect me to protect myself? How could I save the world if I don't have my magic?"

"The same way you acquired your magic in the first place. Your intellect and determination. That, is your greatest strength."

"But, without my magic, I'm no one."

"If you're no one without your magic, then you don't deserve to have it."

Her words drove me speechless, and the silence that followed was terrifying. I turned away for a moment, and when I turned back, I found the goddess staring blankly into space.

"It seems reincarnating you was a mistake," she said, her tone devoid of any hope.

I was downtrodden. I couldn't tell which hurt the most, the knowledge that I played a role in destroying the world, or the fact that I lost my chance to save it.

"I have spent eons manipulating fate to prevent the end of the world," Eva's voice grew more solemn. "This is the first time a reincarnation has failed me."

A large golden portal appeared right beside me. For a while, I stared at it, wondering where it led.

"That is a doorway to the afterlife," the goddess replied, reading my thoughts. Then in a loud voice, she made a chilling declaration.

"Drey Belford, It's time you return to the afterlife, where you belong. "

My heart dropped the moment I heard those words. I froze where I stood, afraid to move a beat.

Was this it? Was I really done?

No. This couldn't be it. This couldn't be the way it ends.

Not like this.