章節 5: [Ch.5] The World Has Changed

...Present day...

A large body crashed into me, causing me to fall into the dirt. I coughed painfully as my arms trembled to pick myself back up. The man shouted, "Filthy scum! Get out of my way!"

My pupils stopped trembling as the memories began to recede. I forced myself to my feet and looked around in confusion. It was definitely the same world. I recognize the town, but it is also a bit different.

As I walked through the street still in a daze, I was distracted by the new buildings as well as the variety of people conversing together.

This is much different from the past.

The Scholars nation has always been widely accepting of people from every nation, but I never saw this much diversity before. Not to mention they are all speaking to people from other nations without the slightest bit of prejudice. They were always pushing for inclusivity, but it didn't mean it ever succeeded.

So why does everything look the same yet feel different?

How did it change this much?

Just how long has it been?

My mind swarmed with too many questions as I continued to walk down the brick street. My bare feet rubbed against the rough path as the ripped robe hung loosely off of me. I glanced around in a state of confusion. Occasionally, I would run into someone who would curse me and push me down.

I guess that the inclusivity counted for everyone except those from the Eastern nation.

Tired from the walk, I sat in an alley beside a tea house. My mouth was parched and my stomach ached. If this is the same world, then I should be able to still use magic. I waved my hand to dissipate the thirst and hunger, but felt something go wrong.

My stomach burned and my throat felt like it was on fire.

I leaned over and vomited up a mouthful of blood.

My eyes trembled as I wiped the blood from my mouth and looked at it. Blood? This isn't right. I did the incantation right. It wasn't even that hard of a spell.

Something must be wrong with this body.

I closed my eyes and probed my soul. It was the same soul, but it felt like it was chained and being contained by another force.

My eyes opened as I realized the truth.

My soul was incompatible with this body. This was most likely due to the fact that it hadn't belonged to me, but another individual instead. The reason why I couldn't use my magic was because the body couldn't handle the pressure. When I lived as Moao, I had overwhelming magical capacity and strength. Even though I had been born with tremendous power, I still had to build up my body's endurance in order to withstand it.

This body didn't have that option since they never had much of a capacity for magic.

As Moao, I was a self-proclaimed necromancer who was capable of things normal individuals weren't. I knew much about necromancy and the state of this body precisely because I was the one who created the art of necromancy.

I even wrote notes about the technicalities behind placing a foreign soul into a human body. However, I never got to complete my research after…

No, that doesn't matter at the moment. What matters is that someone clearly finished my notes and even altered them. But why would they do that? For what purpose?

And why would they call back my soul?

Were they seeking revenge?

I can't imagine anyone calling my soul back for anything good after I nearly destroyed the world.

As I pondered the truth, a local orator sat down in the tea house and spoke to those sitting inside. His voice was eloquent and smooth, "Today we are going to talk about Prince Raylon and the demonic necromancer, Moao."

I nearly choked when I heard my name and his. I stumbled closer to the window to listen in as I ignored my hunger and thirst.

His voice bellowed, "This story takes place during the Dark Arts Era when necromancy was first founded. "

A younger child shouted out, "By that evil Moao!"

I twitched at my name as he chuckled. He nodded, "Precisely. The evil Moao first appeared over 150 years ago. Many don't recall who Moao actually was except for a select few."

My legs collapsed onto the ground as my body shook. 150 years ago?! It's been that long? Although the people live hundreds of years longer here, it has still been so long since I first appeared…

He continued, "Many died during that Era due to her atrocities. She was only in the world for 23 years before she met her end. However, her evil still runs rampant, threatening to end the life of the living. Our great leaders have erected great walls around cities in order to keep the dead out, but it still remains dangerous."

A child asked, "But why did Prince Raylon like such a nasty person?"

He answered thoughtfully, "It was because Moao was not always a bad person. Before her soul was blackened, she helped many who weren't as fortunate as the rich. She invented magnificent machines, medicine, and other creations that helped out the average person. She saved The Dragon King's life and even helped him receive his wings. Her god-like magic was only used to help those who were suffering. Prince Raylon fell in love with her pure heart and soon the two had a whirlwind romance that caused envy in many."

I crossed my arms and leaned against the side of the wall with a frown. What romance? Raylon and I were enemies. He hated me passionately. He was the one who led an army against me in order to kill me. And I was the one who...

My heart throbbed in pain.

To them, it was 150 years… But to me, it felt like only yesterday. I closed my eyes as I died, only to open them in a new body. There was nothing in between.

I never even had time to process my grief.

He continued, "However, after her attempt on her own father's life, she was thrown out of the Kingdom Sadon. After she was thrown out, her heart turned black. She researched how to bring the dead back to the living in order to throw the Kingdom Sadon into chaos. However, using the dark arts is known to poison the mind. Soon, her revenge against her father was distorted and she began to attack anyone close to her. The dead roamed the land leaving chaos and destruction in their footsteps. Prince Raylon was torn. He still loved her, but he couldn't bear to see her turn into a monster who killed mercilessly. So he led an army to confront her."

I walked away unable to listen to the story any longer. My eyes lowered as I stared at the ground with a despondent look. The story was too romanticized and the timeline was completely false. I never had a romance with Raylon, nor had I attempted to take my father's life. If I had, I would have definitely succeeded. When I was Moao, no one could hope to defeat me.

Unless they all teamed up against me.

But the story was still wrong. Anyone who was around then would have known that the timeline didn't make sense. When I was kicked out of the Kingdom Sadon, no one even knew I had invented necromancy.

How did this kind of story even spread? Shouldn't it have been corrected by those who knew what truly happened?

I started to wander around as I pondered what to do. I stopped walking when I noticed I was in front of a large gate. Guards stopped me with spears blocking my path. One spoke, "Are you trying to leave the city, scum?"

I frowned, "I am. Am I not allowed?"

He scoffed, "You are. However, the gate closes in an hour. If you aren't back by then, you won't be able to reenter the city."

"That's fine."

I don't want to be in this city anymore either.

There are too many people.

He sneered, "Then go ahead."

They moved to the side and I walked past the gates. I could hear one speak, "I hope that filthy easterner dies out there."

Another laughed, "I hope he gets torn into shreds by the dead we saw prowling around the other day."

I frowned and kept walking. I had no idea where I was going nor did I have any plans for where I wanted to be. I let out a sigh as I turned to see the sky turning dark. The sun was setting and the moon was appearing. I found a riverbank and sat down. I buried my head in the water and drank it greedily. I wiped my mouth and frowned at the reflection that wasn't my own.

I laid back on the grass and stared at the moon with lifeless eyes. The night was quiet as the river quietly trickled. I was still hungry, but I didn't have the energy to find something to eat. I barely had the energy to keep breathing.

Why did I come back?

Who brought me back?

Did they want me to suffer more for my sins?

Just why?

A sudden rustling noise came from the bushes close to me. I jumped up quickly with a serious expression. I hadn't heard anything approaching and I still couldn't sense what it was. I reached for my hip on instinct to pull out my weapon. However, my hand was empty.

My face paled as I realized I didn't have it anymore.

I completely forgot how useless I am now. I can't use magic and I don't even have a weapon.

Am I really going to die as soon as I arrived?

Well so be it. It's not like it's actually the end.

A creature walked out of the darkness.

Its pale, white eye burned into me. The other eye was missing and was replaced by blood and dirt around the eye socket. Half of its face looked melted and the grungy hair covered it. One arm was made of clay, filled with scratches and chunks out of it. The other arm was missing, revealing a disturbing sight. One leg was broken and could only be dragged as the creature walked.

The smell of the creature assaulted my nose, causing my face to scrunch in disgust.

The creature took another step.

Its face was illuminated by the moonlight.

My eyes widened, "...Sylvia?"