Chapter 2: Death and Reincarnation
A/N: Halloo guys!
This is the first actual chapter, so, ENJOY!
~~~
It was a simple life. Nothing out of the ordinary. Graduated from college, found a general contracting job, and continued in the mundane. I was currently living the upper-middle class life, aged 37, and unfortunately with no significant other.
Kinda pitiful if you ask me, but oh well.
Never found any time for all of the romance stuff, so most of my efforts had been half-hearted. After the first few tries, I guess I just decided that I didn't care enough to try anymore. But now, as a man well beyond his prime, I do regret it. I should've been more ambitious I suppose.
No point crying over it now though, it's not like it's a life-ending tragedy, just a small inconvenience.
"Oh, hello, sir! Sorry we're late!"
Oh he's here. Filled with energy and youth, my junior at work, Tamura. He was the reason I was standing on the sidewalk in the middle of the day. The kid wanted to show off his new girlfriend to me.
She was right there with him. He'd been so proud when he told it to me for the first time, like he had made a world record of some kind,
"Satoru-senpai!! It's Sawatari! I asked her out, and she accepted!!"
She was also a colleague at work, considered eye candy by many in the office. It felt sickening to me though, since she was quite young. Good on Tamura though, since she seems genuine.
"Nah, I just got here too… So, what'd you want to talk about?" I'll let him have his moment, since he seems so excited to introduce her. I turned to her and nodded in greeting.
"Oh, good to meet you. My name's Miho Sawatari. I've seen you at work a lot, but…um, I guess this is the first time I've spoken to you, huh? It makes me kind of nervous, somehow." Her voice was somehow timid, the girl must have been a little intimidated since I was several positions above her at work.
"No need to be nervous. I'm Satoru Mikami, nice to meet ya. So you've started dating Tamura eh? What did you even see in this kid?" I was contemplating bringing up her popularity at the office, but I decided against it. Instead, I decided to make fun of Tamura— harmless really.
"HEY! I'm a good boyfriend, senpai!! Don't be mean!"
"Teheehee," Sawatari laughed, and her mood seemed to lighten up, so that was a success.
"I'm just kidding Tamura, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful relationship."
"Thank you for your blessings, senpai—" Both of them spoke together, haaa… I guess they really are made for each other.
"Anyways, no point in standing on the sidewalk, let's go get something to eat while we talk," I suggested. Just as we were about to head for a nearby cafe—
"AAAGHHHH!!"
What's that commotion? Confusion, chaos, and people screaming. It happened so suddenly. I turned around to see a man sprinting towards us, at full speed. What the hell—?
I didn't have any time to think, I just pushed Tamura out of the way instinctively, as the man smashed into me. A knife? Oh shit…
The crazy man's hand, armed with a knife, pierced my torso at high speed.
SHIT!! That hurts so bad—
A burning pain ran across my body, overloading my senses. Unable to bear my weight, my legs collapsed and I fell onto the ground, balling up like a baby.
"SENPAII!!!"
That's Tamura's scream. Good. If he's screaming for me, that means he's fine.
Ahhhhhh…. Shit…
The pain was overbearing.
"Oi Ta— Tamura… You're not hurt right?"
"Y— Yes Senpai… Forget that Senpai!! You concentrate on breathing!! Sawatari, call an ambulance!!" he screamed as he crouched down to hold my limp body.
His voice was shaking like crazy…
Ahhh… this hurts so much…. I can't even get up…
<Confirmed… [Pain Nullification]…Successfully acquired.>
It's so cold… but my stomach burns so much…
<Confirmed… [Heat Resistance]…Successfully acquired.>
<Confirmed… [Cold Resistance]…Successfully acquired. Combined with the previously acquired [Heat Resistance], the skill has progressed to [Temperature Resistance].>
What… what is this voice? Is it Tamura? No, it's sorta feminine, it must be Sawatari. It's buzzing in my head… Ahh, I can't even think straight. The bleeding is taking its toll, it seems, it hurts so bad… I don't think there's any hope for survival at this point.
<Confirmed… Constructing a blood-free body…Successful.>
The knife had pierced deep into my torso, and it was still stuck in my body. Never in my life did I think that I would die from a stab wound. This situation is so absurd…
<Confirmed. [Pierce Resistance]…successfully acquired. Following up with [Physical Attack Resistance]… Successfully acquired.>
Ah shit… these voices… I can't hear properly, what are you trying to say? My brain is shutting down, and I can't move. It feels like my body's gone numb from a shock.
<Confirmed… [Electricity Resistance]…Successfully acquired… Followed by… [Paralysis Resistance]…Successfully acquired.>
This sucks so much. I never imagined that my last moments would be like this.
Why does it feel like I have many regrets?
I was content with my life….right?
Was I?
I guess—I see, I realize it now…
I'm…not satisfied.
I'm not satisfied with how I lived my life.
Haha…
What's the point of realizing it now, on the verge of death… What good will it do me now? I already wasted my life. No passion, no ambition, nothing… So much wasted potential, such stunted growth, it's shameful…
I remember this one old homeless man I'd come across in my teenage days. It was when I was sitting in a park at night, a bottle of alcohol in my hand. I'd found it on the road, unopened and fresh, and had picked it up.
That old man had come and sat beside me. I somehow still vividly recall his words,
'The pain of regret is far worse than the pain of work… I've already wasted my life kid, don't waste yours, you have a bright future ahead of you.'
I hadn't given it much thought back then, and had just left to go back home, leaving the bottle right there, and I surely wouldn't have ever imagined that I would recall that moment in my last minutes.
I still have a suspicion that the man said all that philosophical shit to make me leave the bottle there just so he could drink it, but who knows…
But now as I lay having done nothing noteworthy with my life, I can't help but contemplate the truth behind his words. This regret really stings, much more than what that old man made it seem like.
Goddammit!!…
If only… If only I had another chance, I would do so much more. I wouldn't waste my life again. I would seize all the opportunities I see… I wouldn't be a sheep!
I would… I would be a predator!
<Confirmed… Unique Skill [Predator]…Successfully acquired.>
When I used to actually put in work back in school, I could easily top my classes, I'm sure if I continued like that, I could become a scholar of some sorts… A great sage, someone who actually accomplished something.
<Confirmed… Unique Skill [Great Sage]…Successfully acquired.>
But in the end… I'm already dead. All these wishes are in vain, I've already wasted my life.
Hahaa… My inner child is begging for a miracle. But miracles don't happen…
By this point, I had already lost all my senses and was merely waiting for my consciousness to fade away, taking me wherever lay ahead.
Fuck... I hate this…
All I want now…
Just…
Just another chance…
~~~
It was dark… and empty…
None of my senses worked… or rather there was nothing for them to work on. It felt like an empty void, an endless abyss.
Wh— What even is this place?
And why can't I feel my body?
Whoa. This is scary. Am I in a coma? Is this how it feels? Or is it something else, am I just dead? Is there really nothing after death except nothingness? Then why is my consciousness intact?
Hold on… I have to be composed. Let's think about this calmly.
I got stabbed and then lay there for a while. I still vaguely remember my thoughts… how childish, begging for a miracle huh… Then I lost consciousness while regretting my life.
I have somehow regained consciousness, but appear to be in a black void, without any sensation. I can't feel my body or anything around me. From this information, it seems that I'm either in a coma, or I am dead.
Wait, if I'm really dead, then does that mean that souls actually do exist and life is not just a lump of flesh? That raises so many questions! Dammit, this is so weird.
What is going on?
<Received. You have died.>
Wha—??! That was rude!
Who the hell just tells a person that they're dead?
Anyways, I vaguely remember this voice… I could hear something similar just before I died. I can't recall what it was saying though.
<Received. It is the effect of the Unique Skill [Great Sage].>
Unique Skill? Great Sage? What's that? What are you talking about man, who are you, and what is going on?
<Received. The voice is the effect of the Unique Skill [Great Sage] acquired during the process of Death and Reincarnation. The skill has taken effect immediately.>
Wait… You mean to say that I died… and reincarnated?? With some skill of sorts?
<Received. Affirmative>
What?
Could it be?
No way.
There's just no way.
But it is happening, I can still think! And my consciousness is intact! That means that—
AHAHAHAHAA!!
I can't believe it… This is so…. curious! Were my calls answered by a higher deity? Was I given another chance by God? How? And why me? Does this happen to everyone after their deaths?
This is all very confusing. I don't really understand anything yet, but I'm curious. I should respond to this voice that's somehow communicating with me—
I heard a voice like yours when I was dying, but I couldn't think straight and just chalked it up to Tamura and Sawatari. Was that you?
<Received. False, that was the Voice of the World. The Unique Skill [Great Sage] merely uses the voice to function.>
I see, I see… Voice of the World eh? It should be connected to why I'm here. Anyways, so… [Great Sage], what can you do?
<Received. Unique Skill [Great Sage] has 5 sub-skills:
Thought Acceleration: Boosts perception speed by a thousand times.
Analyze and Assess: Analyzes and assesses the target.
Parallel Operation: Operates on any matter you wish to analyze, separating it from the regular thought process.
Cast Cancel: Annuls the casting period required when using magic, et cetera.
All of Creation: Provides full coverage of all unsuppressed matter and phenomena in this world.>
Damn. That's a lot of stuff. But I get the drift, you're basically like a support-type mental skill that boosts all that type of stuff. This is starting to sound more and more of a fantasy isekai story like those mangas I used to read…
Now that I think about it, I kinda recall thinking something about becoming a great sage if I got another chance… Could this be related? Hmmmm…
Just to be sure, do I have any other skills?
<Received. Affirmative. You possess 1 more Unique Skill, and 5 Tolerance skills. Would you like to hear the details?.
Y/N>
Yes, please…
<Received. Unique Skill [Predator] consists of 5 sub-skills:
Predation: Takes the target into your body. Lesser chance of success if the target has its own consciousness. Can be targeted on organic and inorganic objects, as well as skills and magic.
Analysis: Analyzes and researches targets taken into your body. Lets you create craftable items. If the required materials are present, allows you to make a copy of the item. Successful Analysis of the casting method allows you to learn the target's skills and magic.
Stomach: Stores the Predated target. Can also store materials created via Analysis. Items stored in your stomach are unaffected by time.
Mimicry: Reproduces the form and skills of absorbed targets. Only available once the target has been Analyzed.
Isolate: Stores harmful effects incapable of being analyzed, neutralizing them and breaking them down into magical force.
You also possess 5 Tolerance skills namely; [Temperature Resistance], [Pain Nullification], [Electricity Resistance], [Physical Attack Resistance], [Paralysis Resistance]>
Holy shit that's a LOT! How do I have so many skills? What even are these skills exactly?
<Received. Skills are a type of 'Phenomena Triggering System' that allow their user to automatically perform supernatural feats known as 'Powers' or 'Authorities'. Some of them involve magic, and some the manipulation of natural phenomena. Those who possess a skill also possess an instinctual awareness and understanding of it, being capable of using it by default as long as they have enough energy. The potency of the output of the skill depends on the user's willpower.
Your skills were acquired during the process of reincarnation as a crystallization of your strongest desires and resulting thoughts.
There are 5 spots where a skill can be inscribed, namely the Material Body, the Spiritual Body, the Astral Body, the Soul, and the Core. All of your skills are inscribed on the Soul and Core.>
That's…..quite a lot…
And it seems I was right indeed. My dying thoughts and desires really did affect the skills I've gained in this life. I still didn't get everything that [Great Sage] had explained, but it was a start. It was truly a lot of information to grasp and understand. It was a whole new world after all.
Also, it appears that magic exists here.
Neat.
These skills that I possess seem to be dependent on it too. There are other factors too, like willpower and an energy source, but I'll think about all that later. Before all of that, the most important thing is to figure out my situation.
Where the hell am I?
<Received. This place is hypothesized to be a Timeless Dimensional Gap between two universes. It appears that there was a miscalculation during the process of reincarnation, leading to your current position in between two universes; your original one, and the Cardinal World Universe, your destination. No further accurate conclusions can be made without additional information.>
Huh? A miscalculation in the reincarnation process?
What the fuck?
After all that about miracles actually happening and getting second chances, have I been cheated? Seriously man…this sucks. Not only did I die, but even my reincarnation failed… Is there any way out of this place?
<Received. It is possible. During the phenomenon known as 'Space-Time Oscillation', 'Gates' open up between universes, but these take place only a few times in thousands of years, and have a very low chance of overlapping a Timeless Dimensional Gap.
However, a similar phenomenon known as 'Space-Time Fluctuation' takes place only in the Spatial vicinity of large universes and occurs randomly. They are minor versions of 'Space-Time Oscillations'. Such an event could pose a chance for escape from this place.>
Ah…
I didn't understand all of that, but I got the drift. It seems I would be waiting for a Space-Time Fluctuation to occur and open a gate from this Timeless Dimensional Gap to the nearest universe.
Hopefully, it doesn't take long…
I really don't want to waste this life too…
~~~
Cave of Imprisonment, Great Jura Forest:
The bounded dragon could sense a great change coming.
He could feel the winds shift, a storm incoming.
His forest was changing, and so was the world.
But he could only watch, shackled to his prison of space and time; his power subdued, his senses dulled, and his might diminished.
He could only watch as the world moved along, his existence fading, as he had experienced countless times before. He could only wait for his suffering to end, for his magic to exhaust, and for his soul to fade away, as the world worked to bring one of its pillars back.
He was a True Dragon, the apex of the universe. He would always come back.
But he would be different. He would still be the Storm Dragon, but he would be different— he knew it.
So he wished… wished for a miracle— An escape from his solitary confinement.
He lay in the lightless void, his body withering away, waiting for something… someone.
He observed his surroundings, his forest, which he had entrusted to the dryads he had taken under his wing. His lingering presence was still enough to keep away all those who knew of his true power, but the occasional mongrel still ventured in.
He could feel the residents of his forest growing restless, those born from his magic, the denizens of the Great Jura Forest.
He had a sneaking suspicion that the great shift in the winds was a result of the game his sisters were a part of, the game that every being in the world was a pawn in, whether knowingly or not; a game between the two greatest forces of the world.
The Demon Lord and the Hero.
And his dreadful sisters were on the two opposing sides of the game. But he, was left stuck in the middle, subject to the painful whims of his elder sisters.
It was pitiful, really.
The Great Storm Dragon, Catastrophe-Rank Monster, reduced to a bullied child. He only wanted some fun in his life.
But here he was, stuck in a boundless prison, caged by one beautiful hero, with her graceful techniques, stunningly fierce eyes, and gorgeous flowing ha—
Ahem
He could admit to himself, that his current situation was at least partly his fault. Even though it had been one of his magic-overload-triggered rages, he had destroyed the capital city of that Vampire Queen.
He couldn't control his magic as well as his sisters, and it occasionally overloaded and ran out of control, leaving him in a berserker state, desperate to unleash his destructive magic.
And his sisters never allowed him to use his magic properly either, fearing him gaining control and mastery over it, making him a more dangerous player on their gameboard, one they wouldn't be able to control.
His sisters thought him unaware, but he was not. Reckless or not, he was a True Dragon, with power and wisdom transcending mortals. On top of that, he had his Unique Skill [Investigator], allowing him knowledge and insight beyond expectation.
But in his current state, he could do nothing but wait… and hope. Hope to be liberated from his prison, freed from his solitude.
And so he would.
~~~
The Void:
Hey [Great Sage]? How long has it been now?
<Received. 8 months, 17 days, 6 hours and 43 minutes have passed since you were trapped in this Timeless Dimensional Gap.>
Wha—!!
No way it's only been 8 months, it feels like years and years have passed… I guess that's the result of complete isolation and a lack of any activity.
Well, [Great Sage] is an exception as my only companion in this hellhole, but it doesn't really count as a person. Speaking of [Great Sage], it has been very helpful. Its unexpected help is tied to my only source of entertainment these past 8 months.
Throughout my time here, I've been getting these visions. Glimpses of the universe I'm adjacent to. Small snippets from the past and present. They're vague, but me and [Great Sage] have been able to link most of them together to gain a general understanding of the world I'm most likely to end up in… hopefully soon.
Conveniently, [Great Sage] has a sub-skill called [All of Creation]. It is very intriguing in the sense that its capabilities are seemingly endless..
Basically, the skill allows me to comprehend any phenomenon I observe, provided that the phenomenon isn't suppressed or concealed. Additionally, if I possess even a little knowledge of some phenomenon, I can learn all about it whenever I want. It's like the information is directly fed into my brain.
To illustrate with an example, assume that I come across an Aurora Borealis in the night sky, without any prior knowledge of it. The moment I perceive it, I will gain a comprehensive understanding of its inner workings and source.
So, combining [All of Creation] and [Analysis] with which I could analyze whatever I perceived, I now understood a LOT about the universe I was delayed from reincarnating into.
Apparently, the universe was called the 'Cardinal World Universe', and it was the Central Universe in the larger Multiverse. The cosmology of the world was very complex.
Those visions had taught me many things, including the various languages and cultures of the world, the general geography, history, etc. Even though they were disconnected and random, it wasn't very hard to tie them together to create an overview of the world I would be entering. Though I'd also gained a lot of useless information too, as expected.
Another major thing I have realized is that it is possible to return to my old universe. Theoretically of course, but still. I never thought that being reincarnated would come with the prospect of returning to my old life.
I wasn't sure how I felt about it.
On one hand, I could return to my home, safe and mundane. But on the other hand, there lay infinite possibilities. One of the biggest effects of the visions was undoubtedly the endless curiosity they awakened within me.
It was utterly painful. Knowledge handed to me, but kept out of my grasp. I saw the world, yet couldn't live within it. It made me insatiably desperate.
Over the 8 months, my desire to return to my old, dull life had faded, now no more than a lingering thought.
The thing I now wanted the most was to explore this new universe, and live my best life in it.
Another aspect of life that my isolation had made me desperate for, was companionship. I was stuck in a void, with no living being to accompany me. It drove me crazy at the beginning. But I adapted, the visions helped too. But each day that passed, my loneliness only grew exponentially.
It won't be long before I completely lose it, I presume.
sigh
I can't even sigh properly, since I have no physical body so to speak. It's just my soul, protected by a mysterious layer that [Great Sage] calls the 'Infon Barrier', floating in a void. If it wasn't for the Infon Barrier, my soul would be long destroyed by the harsh conditions of the void. The barrier also kept my soul in a sort of stasis. That meant that my soul couldn't age, or deteriorate.
This Infon Barrier, as its name suggests, is formed from 'Infons', which are apparently the most basic component of ALL things. Matter, energy, souls, magic, everything is made out of Infons. Unfortunately, they are too complex for me to grasp fully. I can't even perceive them, the only reason I know of their existence is the Infon Barrier that is directly in contact with my soul.
The barrier is a natural part of the process of reincarnation, during which the Material, Spiritual, and Astral bodies are broken and rebuilt. This leaves the Soul exposed, which is a big nono. Hence the barrier. It's also something inherently created by the soul to protect itself.
Apparently the rebuilding of my bodies hasn't happened yet. They've been broken down, but haven't reformed due to the miscalculations. [Great Sage] says that I'll get my body back as I leave the void and cross over into the Cardinal World. I certainly hope that'll happen.
But there's an issue with that too. When me and [Great Sage] looked back at the memories of my death, there was definitely a moment when the Voice of the World said something about constructing a bloodless body.
That's concerning. Very concerning.
[Great Sage] said that it means that the body I'll be given will most likely be non-humanoid and a creature without blood.
From what I know, there are few races in the Cardinal World that don't have blood at all. And none of them sound too appealing to be stuck as. I don't wanna be stuck as a damn Treant or something, unable to move far from my core tree. That would just be the lamest possible scenario. The other options aren't too bright either. And one of them is too horrifying to even think about. So let's just not.
One more thing that's been going on these past few months, is me figuring out all my skills and abilities. I've been getting a hold of and optimizing all my powers, thinking about possible applications and stuff.
Again, [Great Sage] has been an absolute blessing in that regard. It's quite literally the perfect thing I could've asked for in the situation I am in. Unfortunately, since I can't use many of the abilities I've been gifted with, due to the lack of an actual body, I've had to rely on [Great Sage] to simulate and assess these abilities.
Some interesting things I've discovered and done, are with my Unique Skill [Predator], which as it turns out, is almost as brokenly powerful as [Great Sage]. Now I'm starting to wonder if every Unique Skill in the Cardinal World is just as powerful. Though, thankfully, I don't have to worry about running into users of Unique Skills often, since statistically, they are pretty rare.
[Predator] has 4 main functions after simplification; Predation, Storage, Analysis, and Mimicry. Essentially, I can 'predate' any object or entity, inorganic or organic. When it comes to living beings, I either have to kill them, or overpower their will to be able to predate them. Things like trees and grass have such weak wills that I can just directly predate them.
Once predated, everything is stored in the 'Stomach', a subspace within me that is accessible to me alone. The Stomach has a maximum capacity too, of about 200,000 m^3. That's an awful lot when you actually think about it. That much space would be enough to fit 200 million liters of water.
Once something is inside this 'Stomach', I've set it up such that [Great Sage] will automatically run a complete analysis on it and store that information for later use. Once analyzed, I can choose what to do with the substance or entity. If it is a living being, I can copy their abilities and characteristics. If it's a non-living substance, I can copy and replicate its properties and create stuff from it.
For example, I can predate some wood and create chairs from it, or predate rocks and make statues from them. I can even perform more complex processes like mixing, separating, and fusing things to make new things. There's a limit, of course; I can't change the very nature of the substance itself. That means that I can't transform the matter itself, just break it down and reconstruct it.
Also, if [Great Sage] recognizes the predated thing as harmful or something that needs to be gotten rid of, I can isolate it within my Stomach. Moreover, I can identify specific harmful properties and effects and break them down into mana too. Another important feature of my Stomach is that time doesn't flow inside it, a sort of permanent stasis. That means that I can store food in there without it rotting, and various other things too.
And lastly— arguably the most impressive feature of [Predator], is that it works on magical stuff too. This means that I can gain the magic and skills of the entities I predate, or even learn a spell directly by predating it and analyzing its effects.
All in all, the skill is simply spectacular. And it's even more amazing when used in sync with [Great Sage]. For example, all the analysis and control of the predation process is handled by the Parallel Operation sub-skill of [Great Sage]. That makes it basically strain-free for me to use, otherwise, I would have to constantly process and calculate new information when using [Predator].
Then there's all my Tolerance skills, which I still haven't managed to get my head around. There are two levels to them; Resistances, and Nullifications. I have one Nullification skill— Pain, and 4 Resistances— Temperature, Physical Attack, Electricity, and Paralysis.
The idea that I cannot feel pain at all is so absurd, even though there's the fact that it only applies to pain inflicted on the physical body, not the spiritual or astral bodies, nor the soul. I wonder how it will work exactly. Back on earth, I remember a rare condition called 'Congenital Insensitivity to Pain'. I remember it because I'd seen a documentary where someone with that condition bit their tongue off unknowingly, because they couldn't feel any pain at all.
That would be troublesome, but I'm sure that it'll work out— after all, there's no way a skill like that would be harmful to its user… right?
Let's just hope for the best. There isn't much else that I can do anyways.
Now that I'd gotten a good hold over all of my abilities, as much as I could in this godforsaken void, and I was running out of things to do now. All that was left, was getting out of this place— something which was out of my control, and something which frustrated me to no end.
This unending isolation, entrapped within this unending darkness.
It was horrible.
I had distracted myself as much as I could, for as long as possible.
But it was getting to me. I knew it, I could feel it. It was chipping away at my mind— slowly but surely. The darkness of the void, slowly eating away at the light of my soul… predating it.
All I had was [Great Sage], and my visions. Visions that only fed my growing curiosity of the Cardinal World— my growing obsession.
The human mind was not made for isolation, and the human mind was also naturally curious. My current situation desecrated both those natural tendencies. What's worse is that I have no idea about how much longer I'm gonna be stuck here… neither dead, nor truly alive.
But in my current state, I can do nothing but wait… and hope. Hope to be liberated from this void, from this solitude.
And so I will.
~~~
A/N: Hope you liked the chapter, don't forget to vote and review.
Look forward to the next one! (Though it will take some time as these chaps are somewhat long and I don't have much free time nowadays)
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AsteRaven
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