I'd like to tell you about everything I saw when "my vision returned", but I couldn't. Not when my vision was filled with nothing but pure darkness. The only reason I knew I was alive was because I was blinking and breathing. My pain and soreness were gone, and when I looked down to observe myself, I was relieved to find that I was in my body! I was wearing the work outfit I died in, my tattoos were back, and a quick pluck of my hair revealed the white strands I'd known and loved.
"Is anybody out there?" I shouted.
No one responded. The only thing I heard was a strange, droning ambiance like a laundry machine running in an empty basement. It was unnerving, but it was too early for me to start losing my mind.
"Hope you don't mind me walking around, then!"
Again, nothing.
So, I made good on my word. I walked. And walked. And walked. Nothing but pitch black in any direction. The droning sound didn't get louder or quieter, and I hadn't stumbled across any people or light sources yet. As time went on, a feeling started to emerge in me. Like I was being watched. No, that was too charitable. It was like I was exposed. Like something bigger than me was out there, stalking me. Waiting for me. Just as that creeping dread reached its apex, a pop-up appeared, startling me like the worst jumpscare you've ever seen.
Igrin Remaining: 10
Aura will not be consumed by the Void.
"What the hell does that even mean? Do I have to fight 'Igrin' to get out of–"
My words were cut off by a loud, monstrous roar from behind me. I turned, horrified to find an animal that looked like a skinless dog walking on its hind legs with hooked arms, black leathery skin, a shelled back, and black marbles for eyes running straight for me!
"Shit!"
I turned and ran from the thing, only for my escape to be stopped by the creature as it pounced on my back. The thing screamed as I turned to face it, the sound like an old car engine failing to start. I instinctively guarded as the thing attacked me with its hooked arms. Blood splurted from my arms with each attack, but, miraculously, the thing wasn't strong enough to cleave my arms off and rip me to shreds. Left with no other option, I waited for the thing to run out of energy before I tried to run again.
It didn't take long for that to happen. After an agonizing ten seconds, the thing stopped slashing down at me. Not wasting a breath, I reached out with my left hand in an effort to push it off of me.
At least, that's what I'd intended to do: push it away, get some separation, then run. Once I had some space, I'd look around for a weapon, then I'd use it to defend myself.
What actually happened was that electricity gathered in the palm of my outstretched arm. It started as a tiny, tennis-ball-sized sphere that grew to the size of a volleyball, shifted to cover my entire arm, then shot from the tips of my fingers in a single pillar, piercing the monster in front of me! It screeched, coughed up black blood, then died. The pillar of electricity faded to nothing as I lowered my arm, allowing the monster's body to fall to my shaking lap. As I pushed it off me, a new pop-up appeared in my vision.
Igrin Remaining: 9
"W-well… Guess I found my weapon," I panted, shakily standing to my feet. None of this made any sense, and I didn't have the time to think about it since nine more of those things were out there.
Indeed, another Igrin showed up mere moments after I spoke. Just like the one before it, the creature charged me before attempting to pounce on me. Rather than run, I sidestepped its pounce and hooked its body with a jab. To my surprise, my fist was coated in fire. The Igrin screeched like the other as it tumbled to the floor. It didn't get back up.
Igrin Remaining: 8
"I think I'm starting to get the hang of this!"
I already knew how to fight. It was one of the few good things my uncle taught me how to do. From the moment I could walk, he was showing me boxing clips. Once I was about 6, he had me on a sandbag. By the time I was 14, I was sparring against other teens and young adults in my city. I'd been good at it. So good, that he'd actually wanted me to leave the life behind and become a boxer! It probably could've happened if he hadn't been killed on my 15th birthday. As soon as he was gone, the Family had me knee deep in work, and I couldn't spend any more time in the gym. Looking back, they were probably the ones who did it.
"I hope you assholes burn."
Now that I was here, I wouldn't be around to give my old Family the revenge they deserved. Even if I could, Officer North wouldn't be proud of me if I did. I wanted to make her proud, but that anger…
I had to leave it behind. Being here suggested that there was life after death. An afterlife. A person who could listen and grant a dying wish. If all of that was true, then I had to trust that someone out there would give the Family their due recompense. For now, I had to focus on what was in front of me.
As it turned out, there were three Igrin in front of me. Rather than wait for them to attack me, I charged the first one I saw. I overwhelmed it, releasing a flurry of punches to its head and body before it could so much as screech. My fists weren't coated in fire or electricity, but my punches themselves came out fast. Unnaturally fast. At the risk of getting hit, I decided to end my assault with an open palm. When the attack sent the Igrin flying back, the resulting breeze confirmed my suspicion. That was wind! I can manipulate fire, electricity, and wind! I wasn't sure how, but I knew that was all there was to my abilities.
Igrin Remaining: 7
I felt the difference between the three. Electricity was chaotic, where fire was aggressive and wind was calm. If I evoked those feelings in my attacks, I would be able to implement their associated element. I tested it on the second Igrin of the trio, coating my fists with fire as I struck it with a single uppercut. I followed it up with an open palm, shooting the creature away with a gust of powerful wind.
Igrin Remaining: 6
With this last Igrin, I decided I'd try something different. I'd killed the last four Igrin with just a few attacks. I hadn't been able to summon any more pillars of electricity, but I could call on the element. Rather than use them, though, I decided to test my own strength on the creature. I waited for it to pounce, catching it as it did and throwing it to the ground using its own momentum. It collided with the black floor with a loud bang, kicking and screeching as I punched down at the creature. My attacks clearly hurt it if the blood was anything to go by, but none of my attacks were strong enough to kill it.
"So that's my limit. I can fight, but I need aura to seal the deal?"
I called on electricity, coating my fists with the element, only to stop when the Igrin on the ground let out an ear-shattering screech. I stepped back as the creature kicked me off and scuttled away from me.
Into a crowd of five waiting Igrin.
"Goddamn it…"
These were all of the remaining Igrin. The crowd all screeched as they stared at me before they each separated, moving to circle me like a pack of hungry wolves. Without anywhere to go, I waited, calling electricity in my right arm and fire in my left. I couldn't afford to fight 1-on-1 with these guys. If I wanted to end this, I needed to end it quickly with as few attacks as possible. My body seemed to agree with that decision, as it began to glow a faint white, misty aura seeping from my pores like steam on hot food.
I waited, gathering wind in my feet as the electricity and fire in my arms surged in power. I waited, ears and eyes searching for anything that could even be misconstrued as a signal to attack. I waited, my body more powerful than it'd ever been.
The Igrin pounced, all six of them. I jumped impossibly high, propelled by the wind I'd gathered in my legs. Before the monsters could readjust, I thrust my palms towards the floor where I'd been. Pillars of electricity and fire combined to form a massive swirling explosion. The Igrin didn't stand a chance.
Igrin Remaining: 0
Congratulations! Awaiting Permission to Return to Milkat.
I plummeted into the ground, my fall broken by the squishy bodies of the dead Igrin. The darkness made it impossible to know how high up I'd actually been, but I knew I should've had a few broken bones at least. When I stood up, I felt like I'd only fallen off the top bunk of a bed, and I felt it was time to finally allow myself to ask the questions that I'd been thinking.
"What the fuck was that?! Am I the fucking Avatar now?! And what the fuck are these Igrin? What–"
"This all has been happening quite fast, hasn't it?" An unfamiliar voice called. It came from below me. One of the Igrin?
"U-uh," I tried, unsure if I was hearing–
"Hello."
"Shit!"
It was one of the Igrin! I stepped back, sinking to a battle position as the Igrin stood to its full height. It laughed, waving me off with its hooked arm. "Oh, relax, Giovanni. This battle is over. You've won! Don't expect any rewards, though. If I rewarded you for failure, I'd be setting a terrible precedent."
"R-rewards…?"
More of the confusion I'd kept bottled up for the sake of focus came pouring out.
"What the fuck do you mean, 'rewards'?! Is this all a fucking game? Where the hell is this? Where the hell am I?! Who the hell am I?! Do you know anything about where I was? Or what happened to me?! Why is all of this–"
"Relax, Giovanni. Relax."
"Giovanni! You know my name!"
"Of course I do! I'm the one who approved of your transmigration, after all!"
I paused. I'd seen that word on the screen before I died. "Transmigration Sequence".
"Y-you… Are you… Shorsy Myrlor…?"
"No, I'm not. My name is Justice Moon. Shorsy is… well… I'm sure you'll meet her one of these days. I'd suggest not bringing that name up to anyone, though. Most people don't know it, and those who do would kill you for using it in public. As for me, though?" The Igrin observed itself. "You'll have to forgive this appearance. I couldn't think of a better way to reach you. Again, it all happened quite fast. Long ahead of schedule, actually, so I'm unfortunately too busy to meet with you personally. The best I could do is possess an Igrin. You'll have to forgive me."
"When you say 'this all happened quite fast', are you talking about my transmigration?"
"That is correct. Your death occurred on schedule, but Fang Leung's death… well… wasn't supposed to happen. Azurine was supposed to spike the poison, but the added beating and chase down wasn't on the menu." He paused. "Seems a few Spirits got in her head and convinced her to speed things up. Oh well. I certainly don't blame her. Go easy on her, yeah? Fang Leung put her through a lot. She deserved that win even if it messed with my schedule."
"Fang Leung…? Is that the purple-haired guy? And Azurine? That's the girl from the hallway?"
"Yes to both. How astute! You'll do just fine over there."
"So… now what?" I asked. "You're gonna take me back there?"
"I am. But not before a few words of wisdom." The Igrin, Justice, stepped close to me. "First off, try not to fail any more of my Quests. This first one was a dud. I just needed an excuse to talk to you, and I felt it would be easier to let you have some fun with your techniques than to learn on the job and risk you hurting someone. I hope you enjoyed yourself, because from this point on, you won't be able to use your techniques in battle here. Furthermore, the Igrin themselves get stronger each time you come here, so if you fail too many Quests, you just might find yourself getting overwhelmed by them. You don't want to get overwhelmed by Igrin. Now, for the important message." He placed a hook on my shoulder. "Giovanni Kivela, everything you are experiencing is real. This is not a dream. It is not an illusion. I have plucked your Soul from your previous body and allowed Shorsy to place it into the one you currently inhabit. You are no longer dead. This is not the afterlife. You are alive on Milkat, a distant planet in your universe. You inhabit the recently revived body of Fang Leung, an Ascendant from the planet Milkat."
I stood there, soaking that all in. It was as if Justice could read my mind or something. I really had believed this was a dream. The pain I'd felt in battle was real, and that palace I'd been in was real, but I'd still allowed uncertainty to live in my mind.
"You'll have to forgive those lingering memories you experienced," Justice continued. "Shorsy is quite good at using the Transmigration Spell, but she isn't as skilled with using it as I am. You see, another reason I needed to get you here was to perform Soul Surgery. You won't have to worry about Fang Leung's memories influencing you anymore. The only memories I allowed to remain were those related to combat and language, as you've experienced."
"Why?"
It was the only question on my mind now. Why me? Why give me this? Why give me those pop-ups? Why… anything? I wasn't a saint, and I wasn't the kind of person who deserved all this. So… why do it for me?
The Igrin's lips curled into a smile. I wasn't sure whether to call it comforting or terrifying.
"You asked for a second chance, no? Be happy I'm the one who answered your call and not anyone else."
"Can't be too ominous, can you?"
Justice laughed, finally removing his hook from my shoulder and stepping away. "Sorry! Just know, there are a lot of 'powers that be' out there. Few as gracious as I currently am."
"That grace come at a cost?"
"It absolutely does. You are my current star pupil, equipped with my first iteration of The Ruler System!"
"So that's what those pop-ups are?"
"Indeed. All provided by the System I've created. Follow it, and you might just be as strong as I currently am someday!"
"Can you give me more to work with than that?"
"I can, but I won't. We don't have enough time. Your System is done initializing, and it's about to send you back to Milkat. If you want answers, you'll have to get them from your team."
Light gathered around me with those words. My body began to float from the ground like I was in one of those indoor skydiving chambers. I called out after Justice.
"When will I see you again?"
"Sooner than you think!"
"Got it! And don't give me a bullshit Quest next time you wanna talk!"
"Ha! No promises!"
I scoffed. No matter the circumstances, that guy was the reason I was even here. That hadn't been lost on me.
"Oh, yeah. Uh, thanks. For this."
"A bit too early to thank me, don't you think? The life of a Clan Head is not an easy one!"
"A wha–"
The light filled my vision, cutting off my question completely.
Permission Granted. Transportation Confirmed.
Now Arriving: Milkat