(This chapter was uploaded on Saturday 14/October/2023 8:00 PM, timezone GMT+3)
('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the notes at the end of the chapter.
"..." small moment of silence
"Talking"
"He-" Someone was interrupted.
'Thinking'
[Skills' names, chanting and spells' names]
Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.
(Line Break)
'And that's how I go, choking on mere mashed potatoes. Like.... How does anyone choke on that? WHY THE FUCK DID I HAVE TO GO IN SUCH A PATHETIC WAY? HUH?'
"Hey, calm down, human"
'AND WHO ARE YOU? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TELL ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN IT'S MY DEATH? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY THINGS DID I WANT TO DO IN LIFE? I WAS A YOUNG MAN BARELY AT 23 YEARS! WAS! NOW IT'S ALL GONE! GONE! WHAT CAN I DO TO GO BACK? HUH? I WANT TO GO BACK! I HAD MANY THINGS TO DO AND TAKE CARE OF!' The poor young man, he spiraled into a mental breakdown.
The impact of experiencing death was heavy, and it was common for the souls coming to the afterlife to be mad for quite a while before calming down.
Some would desire to go back, saying that it was unfair that they died young. Some would just start crying endlessly. Some would go on, rambling about what they wanted to do or rambling about either debts of blood or good deeds they wanted to pay back. Some select few would stay silent, deathly silent.
Our soul today was the type to die young and have things they wanted to do in their life. This soul took their time before starting to calm down. To be precise, it took the soul a few weeks of mindless rambling, crying, and repeated questions. Then, came the phase where they stayed silent and thought of nothing, effectively a vegetable.
'This poor soul, to think I would witness him choking on mere mashed potatoes. I should give this soul his time'
The being responsible for these situations was patiently waiting for this to end. From experience, urging these souls netted nothing but risking the soul descending into eternal madness. Thankfully, it only happened once.
The soul of a mortal being is a fickle and delicate thing. Even after reincarnation, they will be mad for the rest of their existences if one was pushed to that limit once. No number of lives fixes madness of the soul. If it was the body, changing bodies fixes it. But souls are not that easy.
'What is this place?' The question was dull and devoid of life.
The soul looked around until they felt a presence. They looked around but saw nothing. They clearly trained their vision where they felt the other occupant of the space, but there was nothing floating there.
'I guess death took its toll on me. I should just stay silent. There is nothing I know how to do without a body, anyway'
"Have you finally calmed down, young soul?"
'Ah! It's the voice from before!' The soul felt the telltale signs of relief; he was not alone here.
"So, you did. This is good. Is there something you want to say to me? You can tell me what worries you"
'Can I go back? My old mother doesn't have another person living with her. I want enough time to ease my mother's life'
"It is not possible. Your life ended when it was fated to. There is no changing a fate that reached an end"
'What do I do then?'
"Go and reincarnate to another world. You are fated to find a happiness that heals this wound on your soul"
'Is there absolutely no way I can help my dear mother?'
"Sadly, that could not be done. If I send you back there, even if I bent time to do it, there will be consequences on your end. One of your dear people may die earlier than planned, you may find yourself facing difficulties in life that were not meant for you and so on. I am deeply sorry to say this, but it is better for your mother if you choose to let her be. She will be helped by one of medics who will come to try helping you stay alive, if that eases your worry"
'Thank you for relieving my worry, sir. Well then, where is it? The portal to the next world?'
"There is no portal this time. You are fated to be born anew, starting your life from a newborn baby to adulthood all over again"
'Do I have to?'
"Yes, you do have to"
'How will I go there, then?'
"Your soul will fade into existence and enter its designated new body. In fact, you are already doing so, since you agreed to go there"
'Oh, yeah. I already sense myself slipping away'
"Have a good life over there, young man" 'Sadly, he forgets his memory through reincarnation'
(Line Break)
(After 23 years)
'I HATE YOU TO MY VERY CORE!!! FREDERICK!!! NOW I AM FORCED TO LEAVE MY FAMILY BEHIND!! WHO WILL BE THERE TO SUPPORT MOMMY AND CLEA?!'
The being waited for the soul to calm down first, just like last time.
"Know that your sacrifice is very noteworthy, Nephelont. Your wife was pregnant, and the children were revived with her"
'So.... you are telling me I will leave my children behind too?'
"Those children grew up to cherish the chance you gave them, they always looked up to the chance of somehow reviving you in some capacity just to spend time with you. And as they will become after growing up, they were the help that world needed. They helped your father to reach the deepest depths of the dungeon and stop it from spawning mindless monsters.
It became an endless treasure trove of magic stones, minerals, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and many other resources. The ones calling themselves xenos, those incomplete among them, were also able to see the sun at last, all because you sacrificed your life at that moment. You were heralded for it"
'What will I do then? Can I go back?'
"Sadly, your fate ended in this world. You need to reincarnate into another world" 'His desire to go back to his first world was a lingering feeling, even after losing his memories. It twisted his fate into a closed circle'
'Fine, then. When and how will I get there? Can I come back to this world once I am done with the other one?'
"That is up to fate, Nephelont. Now, your soul will fade into existence and enter its designated new body"
'Goodbye, then. And thank you for telling me these kind words, sir'
"Lead a good life out there, young man"
(Line Break)
(After an unknown amount of time has passed)
'And that's how I go, choking on mere mashed potatoes. Like.... How does anyone choke on that? WHY THE FUCK DID I HAVE TO GO IN SUCH A PATHETIC WAY? HUH?'
"Hey, calm down, human"
'AND WHO ARE YOU? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TELL ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN IT'S MY DEATH? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY THINGS DID I WANT TO DO IN LIFE? I WAS A YOUNG MAN BARELY AT 22 YEARS! WAS! NOW IT'S ALL GONE! GONE! WHAT CAN I DO TO GO BACK? HUH? I WANT TO GO BACK! I HAD MANY THINGS TO DO AND TAKE CARE OF!'
'This poor soul, to experience the same thing time and again'
'What is this place?' The question was dull and devoid of life.
'I guess death took its toll on me. I should just stay silent. There is nothing I could do without a body, anyway'
"Have you finally calmed down, young soul?"
'Ah, it's the voice from before' The soul felt the telltale signs of relief; they were not alone here.
"So, you did. This is good. Is there something you want to say to me? You can tell me what worries you"
'Can I go back? My old mother doesn't have another person living with her. I want enough time to ease my mother's life'
"Do you remember your mother?" 'The poor thing, he asks me the same thing every time, and I am not able to tell him the truth behind it'
'My mother was.... She was... I don't remember her' They sounded defeated but did not kick up a fuss.
"That happens after spending a long time in this space. The ones who came before you had a similar experience. Some lose only some memories while some others forget everything.
They forget who they are, what species they were, what they like, what they dislike, what they dream of, what things they were doing, how they died, who were the people present in their lives, who among those people was dear to them and who they despised, and some unfortunate ones forget all of that and more.
You are among the fortunate bunch who did not forget everything"
'But what now? What becomes of me? Would I stay in this dull place? It's all the same shade of white everywhere. It may drive me to true madness over time'
"You are going to go to another life. And if it eases your worry, another person took over your body, someone whose obsession with serving his mother is as strong as yours. He did not completely forget the mother he left behind in his world"
'But could he do it?'
"Do not worry. That person also forgot a lot of things. It would seem like that to everyone else. After some time, he will be seeing your mother as his mother and will serve her as good as you would have"
'What about me? Can I repay him? I would be serving his mother in his place if he did the same to me. Repaying favors is good manners'
"You are going to go to the same world he came from. Considering where and how you will arrive in that world; I will give you the ability to always know the time of day and how many days you were in that world for"
'What should I do to meet that person's mother?'
"You will be sent underground. Go up until you see his family members. You will know who his family members are once you lay your eyes on them, individually, of course"
'Is there something else I should know?'
"There is nothing else you need to know now. Unless you want something, you could request to go now"
'Could I have your name? I am sorry for not being able to give my name first. I forgot it'
"No problem at all. My name is %&#^$&@$!^#%$*%. I reckon you could not comprehend it. As for your name, remaining here any longer will make you forget more than that"
'Can I go now?'
"As you wish. I will help you go there"
The being opened a portal to another space.
"Going through will put you in your new body. Of course, it is the same body that person would have if they remained in that world. Your new name is Nephelont Cranel. Remember it well"
'Thank you for being patient with me. I hope your job could get easier for you'
"There is no easier or harder in this job, young soul"
'Farewell'
"May you find happiness this time"
The soul, now taking on the name of Nephelont Cranel, hurriedly went through the portal to not forget any more things.
'I will help your mother since you will help mine, friend whose name I don't know' Those were Nephelont's last thoughts as his consciousness faded.
"Why is his fate so cruel? This is now 573rd time he reincarnated to that world and back. Thankfully for him, he died earlier than fate wanted this time, creating a variable. I just hope this poor thing veers down a different path after changing this time's death.
This is the first time he ever gets reincarnated after his other body's death, not before it. And it happened in a way that created a paradox, no less. To think he will exist in two separate spaces at once without knowing"
This being was originally detached from the souls he reincarnated, only comforting and cheering them out of a formality. They went but almost never came back to him. They went to another of his kin the next time.
This soul was special to him. He has seen it go and come back hundreds of times, forgetting things more and more as subsequent reincarnations went on. The only things he never forgot were his mother and some other random things, different each time.
"Sir %&#^$&@$!^#%$*%, the next soul is ready" One of his assistants came and reminded him that he has many others he should be taking care of.
"Well, should we see to it then?"
The assistant was shocked. His normally stoic and soulless boss had a trace of positive emotions in his being this time.
"What happened with that soul, sir?"
"His fate changed for the first time in an eternity"
"Have you told him more than you are allowed to?"
"God gave me the capacity to break that rule without getting punished, only for a few times within my existence"
This soul grew on him after so long, enough to use his limited privilege. He felt happy for the first time in a while since the soul could find a different fate, one that is not a vicious cycle of forgetting and resetting every time he dies.
(Line Break)
'Where am I? It feels tight and cold'
Nephelont regained consciousness.
'Oh, right. That gentle higher being said that I could tell the time of day whenever I wanted. I should try that'
Day 1, 10:04 AM.
'Ten in the morning, I have time to think of a way to get out of this restrictive space'
Nephelont tried moving his limps, but he discovered a cruel reality. All his limbs were sore. It was very painful to move anything.
'Then let's look inside. If what I think is right, some energy I forgot the name of should exist in some of the other worlds. I should be able to feel it if there is some in me'
Nephelont tried to look inside his body, to feel things. All he felt was the shape of his body.
'Although I vaguely remember being human in my last life, this time I am not one. It is either that this person was not a human, or that he was destined to become something else. I hope his mother would recognize the body that should have housed her son'
Nephelont's new body was that of a winged reptile's. Scales covered him, from the hard ones on his back to the soft ones on his abdomen. He had four equally long legs with human-like hands. The hands differed from that of a human only slightly. His fingers ended with short, stout claws. He did not know if they were sharp or not. His neck was long and felt flexible. His tail felt as long as the length of the rest of his body. ('1)
He felt a pair of wings on his back. They were the only things that could move a little.
'Something to work with. I should try to flex them as strongly as I can. It may destroy some of my restrictions'
Nephelont tried to flex them for the first time. They did not move much, nor quickly.
'I might need to get familiar with how I move them first. Quick movement can come after that'
He tried moving them slowly at first. He knew that trying to force them to move quickly would only hurt him. After a few hours, he started feeling different.
'The air I breathe feels suffocating. Don't tell me I have a limited supply of air here?! MOVE!'
In a panic, he only thought of moving, and his body instinctively responded to survive. His wings broke enough of the material around him, stone, now that he felt its shards. He could push himself to the little opening his wings created.
He wanted to throw punches on the walls around him, but that yielded nothing but pain. He then switched tactics. His claws were an option.
He swung them against the walls, digging them. After a few minutes of mindlessly digging stone, an opening appeared.
The air is slowly but surely returning to be more breathable.
'Phew, crisis averted'
He breathed a sigh of relief. It felt nice surviving and breathing normal air again.
'I should expand that opening now. Staying inside will achieve nothing but starvation'
Nephelont punched the opening a few times, and it started widening. It was nothing marvelous, nor was it clean. It was pure pain, too. But it was progress he was satisfied with. Anything towards survival counts.
Day 1, 1:41 PM.
'So, it took me this long to get out, huh? Aaaanyway, I am hungry now. I should see what I can get outside'
Nephelont sat foot outside to discover he was trapped inside a wall this entire time. He also discovered a bunch of pinkish cliff-like stone walls and a jungle.
He looked around his immediate area and found a tree embedded with crystals. He found it pretty and felt an instinctive desire to protect it. He gave up that thought since his priority was to go up.
'I see the ceiling and most of the walls. I also see a lot of trees and plants that look edible. Their problem is that they are colorful, possibly poisonous'
He did not know why, but he remembered that colorful things could be poisonous.
'Are those humans? No, I should not appear before them. They may try to attack me'
Nephelont built that assumption based on what he saw. He saw the 'humans' kill a monster as soon as it got out of a wall. He also came out of a wall. It was torched alive with some form of flying fire. He may be killed like the monster.
He looked around, hiding in the foliage. After a quick observation, he saw a mossy thing kill a monster and eat a small crystal it produced after it turning to ash.
'Weird. Are there things that become ash here? Is it something that one or two species do? Or is it something all species do?' He would never know for sure if he would turn to ash if he died. He wanted to avoid death at any cost.
'Forget that. It may be weird, but I think I want to try one of these small purple things'
He jumped the mossy thing and slashed it apart. Its purple stone became visible to Nephelont's eyes. When he tried reaching for it, the mossy thing reformed itself and made a few more copies of its body.
Nephelont slashed one, thinking that a few more stones would form inside the new bodies. He was disappointed when the body disintegrated, leaving nothing behind.
'You think you are smart, huh?' He went after the copy that most likely had the stone.
'Found you!' He slashed it apart only to find nothing inside.
'Is it its escape mechanism, then? That sounds fair. I will have to tear the stone away as soon as it becomes visible to me' He made a plan for when he finds another mossy thing.
He wandered around and saw many trees that had fruits hanging around them. From a distance, he saw 'humans' eating them.
'So, they were safe to eat. At least, some of them were for sure. I can make sure of the others later'
He went to search for a tree like that one. He instead found a group of flying insects. They were black and red, with a white stinger at the bottom of their abdomens.
'A hive? A nest?'
Nephelont saw the glaring hive behind them. It was sure to house more of the stuff.
'Could I do this? No, I should know what I could do before doubting myself'
He took his distance and started trying things. He slashed at a thick tree. It was shredded through.
He tried punching another. It fell over.
He tried to bite another one. His teeth sank through smoothly.
'What else can I do?'
He started doing test flights. He left the control to his body, as he remembered the difference in movement when his body moved the wings instinctively. He was a little successful.
He remembered how they moved and moved them in the same way. He went over it a few more times before trying to increase his speed.
After doing all that, he tried making a landing. He descended slowly. Little by little, the ground drew near, until he reached it.
'The landing was smooth enough. I need to learn how to land at higher speeds, though. I would not always have the luxury of landing at my leisure'
He then started trying to change direction. He failed miserably and slammed into a wall.
'I tried changing the direction my wings beat, but that failed. I should try angling my entire body with the direction I want to change to'
This time, he succeeded in changing directions, only slightly.
'I may need more practice if I went against a sentient foe. Good for me, these are most likely not sentient. But still, I need to know more before trying to kill those bugs. Can I make that flying fire ball thing?'
He returned to trying to look inside himself. This time, he felt it. He could scream it into the world. And scream it into the world he did. He pushed something from inside him and clicked his sharp teeth against each other, sparking the moisture he pushed out into red and yellow flames. What he saw next was a continuous stream of fire. It lasted until he stopped pushing it out.
'I might have to know if I had a limit on that. It may come in handy knowing that bit of info'
He returned to that hive. He did not know it at the time, but the hive itself was a monster called 'The Bloody Hive'. The deadly hornets surrounding it were its spawn.
A monster came to him and tried attacking him. It was what he would later know as a 'Mad Beetle'. It came charging at him out of the foliage. He did not have the time to react to it, but its charge came to a screeching halt after slamming its head into his hind leg.
'Now I know that my scales are sturdy. Since this is also a bug, I should test how fire-resistant its body is'
He called that stream of fire from inside him once more. Once it hit the beetle, it started screeching in pain while scratching him with its thin arms and slamming its head into him mindlessly. It wanted to kill him before it dies. But alas, it died before he even got hurt.
'Well, insects are weak to fire, right?' He just went for it.
He went to the place he found the hive in before. The hornets were still there, patrolling the perimeters to make sure their spawning grounds were safe.
He torched them, with most not being able to react in time. What remained of their colony marked him for death. He was an enemy that had to die, even at the cost of their lives.
'Bad! This is bad!'
Nephelont sprayed them with more fire. Once he almost ran out, he stopped burning them.
'I should burn the thing they come out of, or this won't end any time soon'
He eyed the hive. The thing started wriggling.
'WHAT IS THAT?!! IS THAT THING ALIVE?!!'
He now thinks that the hive is alive, which is true.
The hornets never stopped approaching him this entire time. By the time he looked around for them, he was surrounded.
'I will ignore all of them for now. Burning that thing comes first. Once it starts burning, whatever is inside will burn as well, including other bugs'
He ignored their attacks. They were fast, but not fast enough to hit him when he galloped at full speed. He reached the hive and put his everything in this breath. The hive started burning from its base down below and the fire spread to its top.
The little openings it had for the hornets to get in and out of were no help now. They allowed fire to spread to the thing's insides. All the hornets inside started burning. Their wings could not carry them anymore and that was their end.
'Now, all that remains is the swarm I left behind me'
Nephelont turned around violently. He left his wing unfolded. The hornets closest to him were swatted away by the force of the impact. He slashed at the ones that were following behind them right as they flew past his wing, thinking they could sting him.
Some of them moved away from that path and changed directions. Those met a gruesome end. Nephelont could not slash them this close to his head, so he opted to bite them apart. His teeth proved a viable set of weapons, as they tore through a few of the hornets. The rest of them felt fear and ran away.
'I WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!!' "ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!"
His triumphant roar revealed his location to a group of adventurers who were nearby. They knew they could not defeat a green dragon when they were merely level three, so they wanted to escape.
Unfortunately for them, Nephelont saw them fleeing.
'They are fleeing. That means I am stronger than they can deal with. I should be able to safely talk to them now. Maybe they could help me take the purple things out of the monsters I killed just now' That was a decision he will come to regret the following day.
He flew in their direction, freaking them out. When he landed in front of them, one of their party members started shaking to an uncontrollable degree.
"Calm down, will you? I just want you to help me with something" 'Being a little forceful might be a better solution to their fear issues'
He grabbed two of the party members in his front claws and left the other two standing on their feet.
"Follow me if you want them alive" He flew in the direction of the hive's remains.
By now, the entire thing was nothing but ashes. The tree it was attached to was also burned to nothing.
"Help me gather whatever these bugs could give. You can take half of the purple things and your companions after all have been taken care of"
Nephelont released one of their companions but held the other hostage. They saw an opportunity, no matter how unrealistic. They did not want to test his patience by asking questions. They went to work immediately.
Day 1, 6:45 PM.
'It took me this long to learn how to control my body to this extent. I need to be better. Anyway, let's see how long it takes you guys to gather the bugs' remains'
He observed them as they worked. They started by gathering the magic stones that already were on the ground. Then, they started carving them from the monsters' chests. Nephelont now knew where to cut these bugs to get the stones.
Day 1, 7:23 PM.
'Not bad, for all of them to be gathered this quickly. I guess teamwork is a factor in this speed'
The largest stone was that of the hive. It was a few times larger than that of a hornet, say something like seven times larger.
"Put them here" He pointed at a spot on the ground before him.
The adventurers did not trust him completely. They did it only because they valued their party members. They were all of one small, newly formed familia. They complied and gathered everything from magic stones to hornet shells in front of him.
"As agreed, you get half of the purple things, and you also get your companion back. As for the shells, I don't need them. You could take them if you want"
He divided the number of the stones in half and shoveled his share closer to himself. Afterward, he let their last party member free as promised. He started eating the stones to taste them.
'Bland... They taste like nothing. Even water tasted like something at times. These things are just tasteless, more so than water is'
"Why are you still here? Go away before I change my mind"
They paled and scurried along with their share of the stones and the shells. They were already lucky enough to escape the monster alive. Any more testing their luck might kill them.
'That may not have been the friendliest thing, but I don't care about what they think of me'
He munched on the stones and noticed a few things. One thing that was noticeable first, the stones replenished his energy. They also made him that tiny bit stronger. The increase in his strength was minuscule, but any increase counts when accumulated.
Once Nephelont finished eating the stones, he ate the fruit he saw other adventurers eat. He found where its tree is on the floor. Might as well have something sweet since the stones left him craving for something that has a flavor.
Day 1, 8:01 PM.
'I should start searching for a path up tomorrow. I will need to find a place to sleep for the night'
(Line Break)
End of Chapter.
'1:
His body isn't described fully, I know that. That will be in chapter two. I chose to preserve it for there only, since repetition might be boring or outright bad. It is essential for the flow of the next chapter, so it was preserved for it.
Have a good time till then, ladies and gentlemen.
Ps. Who am I kidding? The next chapter was uploaded alongside this one. Go read it.