I knew I had died. How I died, I wasn't too sure about. I do remember a few things, flashes of memory. An ambulance and someone next to me. I think doctors or nurses in an emergency room. Everything had been blurred, I could barely make out shapes. Sound was muffled, like I was underwater. I couldn't really feel my body at all.
The first sense of full awareness or sensation I had after that, I was in a completely dark place. Like, no light pollution or all of the shutters on the windows closed nice and tight. It wasn’t cold, or hot or anything really. There wasn’t any sound, not even a lack of sound. It just… was.
I don't know how long I was there, but I freaked out. Panic, horror, despair. Lots of emotion. Lots of screaming. There might have been a bit of begging in there, too. We won't discuss any of that. Moving on.
When I'd finally gotten a grasp on my sanity or what was left of it, a light flared into existence in front of me. As it dimmed, or I got used to the sudden brightness in the dark, it turned into a window like screen with text. It took a little longer before the text became readable. It was like my mind was having to compensate for things it knew shouldn't be possible, yet were right there floating in front of me.
[Congratulations!
You have died!]
Well, that wasn't exactly a great way to start any kind of conversation, I thought.
[Due to multiverse balancing issues for souls, it has been decided that you will be allowed to reincarnate!
A new world will be selected for you, and a body will be provided, free of charge!
You have decades of experience from your previous life, however, due to incompatibilities in the coding of your previous world and the rest of the multiverse, none of your skills or knowledge will be transferred!]
“What? How is none of that transferable? Do you know all of the things I learned? I mean, sure, some of it was rabbit hole internet research, but still! And while I'm asking, what?!?”
[Don't worry!
Just because you did not have a class in your previous life doesn't mean you will miss out on any attribute or skill bonuses going into your second!
You will automatically receive a skill, achievement, or title to reflect your status as a reincarnation.]
“Wait… class? Attributes… This is starting to sound like a game…”
[To enable the best transition possible, you will be restricted in the choices available to you during the following starter phase.
Please standby…]
I had been watching the three dots blink for a while, trying to wrap my head around what the speaker from the window had been saying.. Finally, something happened. The screen, with its text and blinking ellipsis, dissolved and was replaced with a body and more screens with slider scales and drop down menus.
The body was mine. Well, the one I had when I died. Naked. Yeah, no one wants to see that.
[While we find a location that best suits your previous life and experiences, please take some time and select some desired parameters for your new body!]
“Is this… character creation? This really is a video game?? What is going on… ”
The sliders had names like height, weight, body type, hairstyle, and color. All that you'd expect for character creation in a video game. I had played enough of them over my years, that I could figure out how to work the interface. The slider that I kept going back to as I looked everything over, was labeled ‘Age’.
I slowly scaled it back, watching in amazement as the image before me got younger and younger. I kept going, watching as decades slowly fell away from the image. Finally, I got to an age that I remembered strongly.
The couple of years that my mind linked to what I looked like, were some of the best and worst of my life. I was the fittest I'd ever been. There had been a woman, we'd married and planned for a long life together. I was going to be a father, and then… I wasn't. Things just tumbled downhill from there.
Coughing and clearing my throat, I did my best to shake off the melancholy. I started playing with the sliders and changing several options. I clicked my tongue at the greyed out options that I found. Some of them looked very interesting. It was fun. It kept my mind… Okay, it kept me from freaking out.
Except, I wasn't needing to freak out at all, now. I didn't have any inclination to. I was confused, concerned, but generally curious. I wouldn't have said calm, but… there was no sense of urgency or danger.
My mind played over what the screen had said, from souls to new worlds to being reincarnated. I hadn't been the most religious in my old life. I had belief in a creator, but that was as far as I ever really thought about any of it. Now, here I was, given proof of a sort that souls existed.
Was this purgatory then? Or would I have even learned any of this, if there didn't need to be a balancing… of souls… in other universes. “Uh, hello? I have questions!”
As I spoke, a timer popped into existence above the image of my younger self. “Really? Just going to ignore me? Someone want to tell me what is going on?”
The timer reached zero, pretty fast. It had actually sped up as I asked for answers. The screens with the image of my youth began to change. Some of the selections that had been unavailable moved about and left standing in front of me, was a rather handsome young man that only tangentially looked like me.
[You have created your avatar!
The choices you have made here will affect the body created for you in your new world!
Please note that there may be additions or subtractions if your new race does not correlate to your old life!
Please standby…]
“Wait, I might not be human? Seriously? Is that like, elves and dwarves? Orcs and goblins??”
[New world found, generating body, preparing basic information package…]
“Hey, slow down… C’mon, what’s the rush? Answer my questions…”
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
[Would you like a guide in your new life?]
“Guide? Well, yeah, someone to help me out with basics and maybe tell me what's going… Hey, wait, I didn't… You didn't give … Stop! There's not a… Crap.”
[Good luck in your new life!
We wish you much success!]
Again, there was darkness and a lack of general sensation. At least, I think there was. It kind of felt like I'd gone to sleep and woken up. That whole, it's nighttime and dark out when I closed my eyes and when they opened it was daytime and sunny. Well, with one glaring exception: another screen. Though there were nuances about this text that seemed different than the last.
[[Error detected. Incomplete processing of template.Past life experience not migrated to S.I. parameters.
Standby…]]
“Well, this could be good, or it could be bad. I really wish I knew what was happening!” I thought.
Whoever, or whatever, was on the other side of this screen was not like the first one. This one seemed more professional, less excited. Oh, and a lot annoyed. I was so glad it wasn’t at me. Or at least I hoped it wasn’t.
[[Status sheet generated:
Name: Ian [Redacted]
Class: [To Be Selected]
Level: [N/A]
Health: [TBD]
Stamina: [TBD]
Mana: [TBD]
Strength: [TBD]
Fortitude: [TBD]
Reflex: [TBD]
Perception: [TBD]
Willpower: [TBD]
Skills and Abilities: [Processing]
Spells : [Processing]
Achievements and Titles: [Processing] ]]
This was new… Though, didn't the other one say nothing from my old life would count? Shouldn't I be in my new body before this all happens? Why does everything say ‘To Be Determined’?? Why was my last name redacted?!?
Remember how I said that I wasn’t really feeling a reason to panic? Well, whatever had helped me through that moment, was gone. Yes, I was trying not to panic. Again. I was also failing. Again.
A few moments later, a stream of text flooded the box before me, words flowing too fast for me to keep up with. Once it had finished, I tried to read through.
[[Past life experiences have been broken down and sorted to fit skills or abilities.
So, something I had done in my last life was giving me… magic. Try as hard as I could, there was nothing about my past life that I could remember. Oh, not just about this. There were a lot of gaps in my memory, period.
I’d already felt like my mind was under a blanket, and now almost everything about my life was boxed away out of my reach.
[[Entrance to the universe chosen for you requires sponsorship from a control level being.
Searching…]]
“Eh? What? Control level… being? You mean, like a god? Hello?”
[[Nalura, Moon Goddess of Tregasa, has accepted the position of your sponsor.
Filtering granted skills, abilities and achievements…
Preparing additional information to be added to the status sheet…
Utilizing short form to present data…]]
That was a lot happening at once, very quickly. Unlike the previous ‘screen’, this felt more like getting the work done, rather than rushing to get it over with. Was I being shuffled around between bored workers?? Also… Gods were real. Though why that was surprising, after the whole ‘you died and now we’re sending your SOUL to a new world’ thing, I couldn’t tell you. Maybe just everything hitting me so fast?
[[Additional information to status sheet:
Blessed of Nalura - The Moon Goddess has agreed to fill the role of sponsor for you in this new universe. She has also provided suggestions as to classes that fit within her responsibilities, that would accommodate projected and past life skills and abilities.
Moonblade - Scouts and hunters that stalk the wilds searching for the evils which hide from the light.
Glade Warden - There are places in the wilds and the frontiers that require protection, and none do it better.
Celestial Sage - These scholars and researchers delve into the darkness to find the secrets hidden within.*]]
I read the short descriptions of the three classes. They each sounded interesting, and I could actually see where they might have intersections with what I could remember of my past life. Only one had a selection to provide additional information. It was the first time I could expand on anything that had been shown on these screens..
[[Celestial Sage - This class is the most recommended from those available. While all three classes are expected to be of interest, Celestial Sage offers the best options based upon prior experiences and versatility. Of special note: Moonblades and Glade Wardens tend to remain in one location throughout their service to Nalura. The Celestial Sage is expected, and encouraged, to wander a bit.]]
Huh, I thought, the screen is actually giving advice this time. You know, instead of just dumping information on me and moving to the next thing. Even the tone of wording in everything this screen had said, spoke of the patience of a saint. Or someone that had to deal with the screen from earlier.
The first two classes sounded very nature specific. I could rather imagine what the two would compare with in the games from my younger days. The Celestial Sage, recommended by the screens… “You’re a wizard, Ian!”
I think if I had a face and lips right now, I’d have a big cheesy grin. “Celestial Sage it is then, and thank you for your assistance.”
[[...]]
Well, that was odd. Did these guys never actually get talked to or thanked? What, did people just yell and scream at them? Oof, that would have to suck.
[[Celestial Sage selected as class.
The following has been granted by the Moon Goddess for use within your class.
Further information can be extracted upon insertion into the tutorial at the selected world.
Tutorial creation complete, prepare for insertion into the world of Tregasa.]]
“Well, I still have questions… If you could help… Wait, just give… Crap.”
On Tregasa’s largest continent is an inland sea, colloquially known as Doramir’s Fist. In the northern part of the sea, sits an archipelago of five islands that the locals call Doramir’s Knuckles. The three largest of the islands, the ‘Middle Knuckle’, the ‘Fore Knuckle’ and the ‘Thumb Knuckle’ angle to the west with the ‘Ring’ and 'Pinkie’ knuckles stretching to the east.
The islands together were known as the Narmyr Empire. The capital sat nestled in a bay so small it was almost a large cove, two islands west of Garenas, the ‘Fore Knuckle’ or Merula. Several streets away from the palace was Temple Street. There were many shrines, churches and temples to the gods, goddesses and powers of Tregasa.
Within one, a young woman in the robes of an acolyte swiftly made her way across the marbled floor and through the gilded halls. The young woman’s dark hair was just long enough that the ends were bouncing and floating along with her hurried pace. She was being summoned to the main hall. Or at least, she thought she was. She was following a whisper on the air.
She stepped through the open doors to the main hall, her eyes searching. Within, several men and women were going about their tasks of cleaning or arranging the hall for the midday. At the back of the hall, under windows colored in yellows, oranges and reds was a crystal globe that glowed with a dim light.
One of the elder priests had stepped towards her as she approached the crystal. “Acolyte, is everything all right?” he asked.
He was about to say something else, as she hadn’t answered him. Instead she’d kept walking, her eyes locked on the globe that had steadily begun to brighten. She reached the dias, the priests in the chamber had stopped whatever they had been doing and were staring in awe as the crystal burst into flames, and the aura of their goddess washed over them.