I turn around. Everywhere is dark. I have no idea how I ended up here. The last thing I remember is Karim's face, but my memory is foggy. I feel things on the edge of my mind but they are out of reach. I can't remember my time on Earth. I'm not even sure if I was ever there.
I feel like my memories have been formatted. A blue screen appears above me.
"Welcome player 12095A to the Blink. Your first nightmare is due in an hour".
The voice was definitely coming from the screen.
I try touching it, but my hand waves through it. It must be some sort of hologram.
"Who are you?"
"I am the Grim System".
It displays a timer, counting down an hour.
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I have not been completely honest with you from the start. My name is Arya, that part is the truth, but my story is much darker.
I was born in the Mushin Province as a normal girl. I grew up like every normal child and had a teenage crush at the age of thirteen. Then, my mother disappeared. My father lost his mind and killed himself. I was all on my own.
I lived off the generousity of neighbours until one day, I started manifesting strange abilities.
It started when I saw my mother's ghost. Then, I could hear her speak. I never thought it was anything special because loved ones sometimes reach across the realms to communicate.
Then, I saw my father. Not just him, I started seeing other ghosts too. There was this neighbour of mine that had recently lost her husband, her name was Jisoo. I wanted to comfort her, so I told her that I could see him.
---
Let's pause for a second with the storytelling. My world must sound like a regular world from my narration. It is not. No one is human. Not everyone is gifted, though. If you are gifted, you are sent to join the Emperor's army.
I was born a Gorhm. I am what we call a spirit character. All we Gorhms have long flowing white hair and the mark of a snake on distinctive parts of our bodies. Mine was at my lower back. We lived at the top of the mountain and only wore white garments.
The second race that shared a border with us was the Kacryth. They can transform into animals at will. They usually have marks on their foreheads which give you a clue as to their spirit animal. Their hair colour also gives a clue. Very few of them can pass for humans. Cursed Kacryths have more than one spirit animal fused together. A more decent name for them would be hybrids.
Another pause; I am using past sentence because I don't know if things are still as I remember them. I don't even know if they still exist.
---
I resume. Further South of our borders lived the Yundei. They are sword wielders and magic benders. They can pass for regular humans anyday. The only hindrance would be the markings on their hands. They have the largest weaponry and tool market in the continent. You can find any potion or magical item there. Pure Yundeis were gradually becoming extinct because of their recruitment into the emperor's army and their wide acceptance of inter- racial marriages.
In my own race, it was a taboo. If you so much as lust after a member of another race, you are hanged on the spot.
The last are the Xiju. They are giants. Of course they have their own special abilities, but I just don't know them. They weren't particularly friendly with members of other races.
That said, all races lived on one large continent surrounded by an ocean. No one ever went beyond the sea and came back. Beyond the sea was the dark realm were all the demon lords and their beasts dwelled.
---
Back to my story. When Jisoo heard about my ability, she reported me to the head of the clan. They said that I was cursed. I needed to be purged from the clan. By purged, they meant killed.
I was hung on a pole unceremoniously. People gathered as usual. Those neighbours who used to take care of me shook their heads at me.
I begged to be sent to the emperor's army, but they only saw an opportunity to get rid of a poor orphan. I was the only beggar in my entire clan. Sucks, right?
After being hung and assumed dead, I was tossed into the ocean.
My body floated for weeks. I did not even realize it because I was communing with my mother.
Death would have been much more pleasant than what I had to endure. But, the thing about being me is that you can not die. Only special people can snuff you out. And when you are reborn, you still maintain the same power and gifts.
My body washed up on the shore of the demon realm. I didn't still wake up then. Fang, a demon queen found me herself. She revived me, though I wasn't dead.
She took a very dark interest in me because I was very beautiful, not to brag. My beauty is what kept me fed.
She chained me up and usually came in at well spaced intervals to touch me. This is where it gets dark, she is a bisexual demon. She could manifest both male parts and female parts. I was constantly raped.
Then, she came to see me and offered me a way out. She wanted my beautiful body for herself in exchange for my freedom.
I accepted her offer. It was either that or I stay chained up forever.
She said she would kill me and I would be reborn in another body, while she would possess my original body as her new body.
I accepted yet again.
She killed me and marked me with a servant seal. I was reborn as a demon. I became more powerful than I was before I had died. But, I could not leave since I was now bound to her because of the seal.
She had tricked me. My demon form is that of a huge man- like form with four demon arms. I lashed out at her and threatened to kill myself. She was so obsessed with me that she was willing to give me a human form. She gave me the form of a handsome man with demon horns. She did that because she still had plans for me.
After being her sex slave for four thousand years, I decided to run away. It looked impossible but I was determined. That was when I discovered the ability to open portals using gem stones. The demon realm was filled with precious stones, so stealing them was not a problem. I made a portal to the Empire.
Peace corps had attacked me as I arrived. There had been Han, the one with the annoying wind blade that was nearly impossible to dodge. There was Venus that disappeared between time and space, there was Chen, who had a fire blast equal to the intensity of the sun. There was Arigana who could anticipate your every move even though she was blind. She was very skilled with the use of a sword. As you must have figured out, she is a very gifted Yundei.
There were many others, but those were the ones who pestered my quiet existence the most.
I was eventually summoned by the emperor when my fame grew. I was quite ruthless when I unleashed my demon form. Everyone was weary of me because I was a demon.
My nightmare started when the old empire died. The cause of his death was never clear. His son took over and started assigning strict rules over the empire. People in the Imperial Army started returning to their various homes on the continent because of the unfavourable system. Most of them were outcasts and had no homes to return to. If things had been different for me, I might have been one of them.
He ordered me to kill every single one of them and turn them into an undead army. I refused, but he threatened to exile me from the continent. Out of fear of returning to the hands of the demon queen, I yielded. The status he promised me meant nothing to me.
Killing people was against my beliefs. I slaughtered all of them when I unleashed my beast. You're probably curious as to how I unleash my inner demon. Blood has to touch my horns. It doesn't necessarily mean that I have to kill anyone. Well, it kind of does. Once I stab you with my horns, I start transforming into my true form. The transformation is very quick so people don't have enough time to attack me.
After killing them all, I began the process of raising them up. Since it took a lot of my energy, I was left weak and vulnerable. The Peace Corps showed up and started fighting me. One of Han's wind blades was enough to bring me to my knees.
I still managed to put on a good fight despite how weak I was. It was Arigana who dealt the fatal blow and chanted a transmigration spell. I am not certain what happened after that. Like I said earlier, my memory is very foggy.
As I look up, the countdown is nearing zero. Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. After a soft beep, a door that I had not noticed before opens.
"Proceed to the Arena". The System says and disappears.
I turn towards the door.