Metalweaver's Odyssey: A Mobster's Full Metal Alchemical Isekai

0-0. Prologue

Arc 0: The Beginning.

0-0 Prologue.

(??? POV)

"Huh?"

A sudden gasp escaped me as I looked around me to see an endless sky above me and a boundless ocean beneath my feet. Strangely enough, I couldn't sink in the water, almost like it was a solid object.

"Strange," I said as I put my hand on my chin as my eyes narrowed, "usually I just hear the cries of the people I killed but this is a weird ass dream." I joked, but it was true that I've killed people.

While I looked around in this bizarre dream of mine, I noticed something peculiar, there was no life around this vast enigmatic expanse. No fish under the water and no birds gawking in the sky.

"Seriously, where the hell am I?" I said into the vast emptiness and almost as if scripted, a voice broke the silence from behind me. "Hello, Lost Soul."

I turned to find a woman, a strange figure with long, wavy blue hair cascading like a waterfall atop her head. Clad in white drapes adorned with gold linings, she exuded an aura of holiness, as if she were a celestial being materialized in this enigmatic realm.

"Uhh, H-Hi?" I was caught off-guard and my voice wavered, carrying an awkward undertone, but after clearing my throat, I tried again, "I mean, Hello, Adam Vagner, at your service."

A chuckle escaped her, finding amusement in my hesitant introduction. "Adam, do you know where you are?" she inquired, her demeanor tinged with a hint of sympathy.

"In a dream?" I said tilting my head wondering if I was correct or not.

She shook her head gently. "What is the last thing you remember?" Her question held a touch of empathy.

I paused, memories resurfacing. "I... wait a moment, I was working with my partner during..." As recollections flashed through my mind, a realization dawned – I wasn't a virtuous person. My family wielded influence as notorious mobsters, and the underworld often saw us engaged in unsavory deeds.

"... I'm dead, aren't I?" I sighed helplessly, my expression reflecting a resigned acceptance. My partner had betrayed me, shooting me in the back of the head. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but the audacity of doing it in front of cameras caught me off guard... Or maybe he had already overtaken that building to begin with and was successful in assassinating me.

"I'm sorry-" she began sympathetically, but I cut her off.

"Don't be. I wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue, and honestly, I don't care. So, where am I? Limbo? Are you deciding whether or not to send me to hell?" I posed the question with a nonchalant air, as if contemplating the afterlife was just another mundane conversation.

"N-No, That's not what I mean, I'm willing to give you a chance." She seemed a bit surprised in my behavior.

"A chance? A chance in what?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Ahem," She cleared her throat, "I've seen you soul, and while it is bad, It's also good."

"What do you mean by you've seen my soul? Aren't I a soul right now?" I put both my hands on my hips.

"Yes, I've seen it completely bare and it hangs in the perfect balance of both good and bad."

"Wait, hold on, what do you mean by you've seen my bare soul!?" I instinctively covered my body with my hands, Like a naked woman in front of a stranger, a gesture as if protecting vulnerability. "Have you seen every inch of me?"

For a brief moment, an expression of annoyance flickered before being replaced with elegance, and right then, I sensed something was amiss. My peculiar way of speaking and acting, honed during my criminal days, had its purpose. Voice and mannerism could sometimes be a weapon stronger than a gun, and I relished in the unpredictability it brought.

"I'm a god, little one. And I'm willing to give you a chance at redemption."

A god? I thought with a hint of annoyance. Gods are supposed to be all-powerful and omnipotent. She didn't feel like a god.

Putting one hand on my hip, I asked haughtily, "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm willing to let you move to another world and have you work for your redemption. This way, when you pass away again, I'll know for sure whether to send you to heaven or hell."

Is she telling me that she's going to isekai me? Like one of those stories I've been reading? But what does she mean by not being sure? Is she really a god? If she's a god, she must know my thoughts, but she seems clueless to what I'm thinking.

"You seem confused, but you don't have to worry. I'll make sure you don't suffer in this world, and I'll guarantee that you'll have a good time."

Why is she asking for my permission? A god doesn't need to ask; he just does it. Every single sentence that came from her mouth made me doubt her even more, but there was one simple way to know whether or not she was telling the truth. And I had to try it out even if it only has a 1% chance in succeeding.

"So, what do you say?"

"I have a choice in this?" I said sarcastically.

"I wouldn't do this until I know that your soul has completely accepted to transmigrate here."

I nodded to indicate my understanding, all the while conceiving a plan in the recesses of my mind to test the veracity of her words.

"Before I answer, can you tell me who that guy is behind you, who's been staring at us for the past 2 minutes?"

Her expression contorted, and she looked horrified before turning around and practically screaming, "MALACHITE! I TOLD YOU I GOT THIS." I didn't know what or who she was screaming at, but my plan was in action and it had provided the perfect opportunity to test whether she was lying or not.

I charged towards her. She realized no one was behind her, only to turn back and witness me plunging my fist directly into her nose with all my power.

She was knocked back, and I witnessed blood spurting from her nose, confirming my suspicions.

"Just as I thought," I remarked to the fallen figure. "Gods don't bleed, and you're no god."

"You... Do you realize what you've done?"

"Oh, don't soil your pants, what're you gonna do? Kill me? I'm already dead."

That was the last thing I said and the last thing that I saw was her angry face before everything went black.