[Truth finder has been activated]
Noel's eyes were shut, and his body was completely still. At the moment, he looked no different from an ultra-realistic doll.
He sat on the bed with a stern expression etched on his face. His eyes would occasionally roll from side to side, still sheltered by his eyelids.
Noel needed answers.
The wind began to pour in through the window, causing the curtains—as heavy as they were, to flap violently. His hair—pitiful as it was, danced under the afternoon breeze that washed over his room.
Noel took a deep breath.
He wasn't meditating. He was searching.
Noel's mind was temporarily shut away from external stimuli, preventing him from noticing the chaos that had begun to brew in his bedroom.
While pillows suffered the fate of being tossed back and forth by the wind, his mind was completely still.
Like a lake. Perfectly calm.
His consciousness had travelled far away from his physical self, and his sense of being had temporarily shifted.
Noel opened his eyes.
He wasn't in his room this time. He looked around, observing the scenery before him.
You could say he was out-of-this-world.
He couldn't see himself as he had no visible form. His consciousness was simply acting as a vessel, allowing him to perceive reality at a different place. As such, he could only observe his whereabouts.
It was dark. Very dark.
However it wasn't as bad as he expected. In fact, it exceeded his expectations, causing him to doubt what he saw.
After all, the abyssal black that threatened to swallow you was nowhere to be found. Instead, he could see stars, emanating different colours and embellishing the cosmos.
He couldn't ignore the larger sight before him. Poking at the edges of his blind spot, no matter how far above he looked, was a bright blue ball.
It looked so much different from the one he knew.
White clouds hung graciously over it, covering most of the land. However, the exotic blue of the sea could not be hidden. In an enthralling dazzle, they beamed in his eyes, perfectly contrasting with the dull brown of the land. He momentarily forgot what planet he was staring at.
Earth was once like this?
Was this even really Earth?
He could look deeper or simply scan around. He did both.
Like a 3d photo, Noel, still channeling his consciousness, 'zoomed into' his planetary view like it was some cosmic arcade.
His 'eyes', having no physical attribution, darted left and right, assimilating all the data he could gather.
Noel froze in surprise.
Yet another wonder met his eyes.
So…much green…
Noel discovered that outside the urban areas, were a vast expanse of trees, wound into magnificent biomes. Tropical forests were scattered sparsely all over his view, sinking his mind in endless amazement.
Noel continued to observe, sometimes zooming in, sometimes otherwise. The further he went, the more information he could collect. He could sense visual, auditory, kinesthetic and even olfactory data.
[Truthfinder Lv3]
Infinite data began to flood his mind. However he was unaffected by the influx. He processed his thoughts at insane speeds, sorting, storing and erasing data with unnatural precision.
[You're running low on mana]
Huh? Already?
Noel frowned….mentally.
Another thing he had noticed was that magical energy, also known as mana, was nearly non-existent. The atmosphere had virtually 0% magical energy and he could only barely find clusters of mana in specific regions on the planet.
What's going on?
Noel was curious. The 'Earth' he knew was surplus in mana. In fact, it was so much that it ended up driving humanity to extinction.
A timeline where magic is yet to be?
Noel pondered.
If so, what was he supposed to do?
Noel's consciousness drifted over the Earth's surface, eager to visit the region with the largest cluster of mana. He believed it to be a great starting point, as well as a means to satiate his curiosity.
Ah, it's Nigeria…
The further he dived, the stronger the mana density he felt. Considering the total absence of mana in a larger fraction of the world, it seemed unnatural.
Almost abnormal.
Curiosity turned to determination in a flash. However, he had no time left.
[Mana is depleted.]
[Deactivating Truthfinder]
Noel wished to whine and complain, but he was unable to.
Already?
He felt slightly frustrated by the low density of mana. However, thinking about it made him question a lot of things.
How did the world turn upside down?
Noel wanted to sit and observe while taking notes as the world changed from an utopia to an apocalyptic dystopia. However, probably by instinct, he knew he couldn't.
Is this the trial? He wondered.
Like dirt to a vacuum, Noel felt himself being forcefully dragged away. At the same time, the rambling of billions and billions of humans began to rise, easily gaining volume each second.
Noel was still several feet in the air, when he sensed himself—his body, beneath the roof of a very much familiar building.
Perhaps it was thanks to the bird's eye view he got for a few seconds, but he had only discovered that he was in the United States.
Before he could observe any further, he was back in his body, prompting him to open his eyes.
Returning to his flesh made him realise how heavy he actually was, and it caused him to grumble in dissatisfaction. Scratching his head, he jolted to his feet, trying his best to adapt to his new vessel.
No, it's hopeless.
Noel's body was ridden with excess fat and he had a poorly formed posture. It seemed like the more he tried ignoring it, the more it was shoved in his face.
Wouldn't I be fighting again soon?
Noel was no fool. Although he was extremely curious about a lot of things—most importantly what he had forgotten, he knew that his travelling back in time wasn't some coincidental chance for an arcade. At some time, at some point, he was definitely going to be up against some unknown variables.
Gods, maybe.
As to why he thought so, it was all thanks to his upbringing.
Regardless of how terrible this world's current situation was, or how dangerous 'climate change' seemed to be, he knew it was still a far better off version of the planet he was born into.
He basically grew up on a battlefield.
Noel's timeline was far in the future, where Earth had devolved from a developing civilization to a war-ridden wasteland. Anarchy was the order, and peace was wishful fantasy.
So, even maybe for a second, Noel wanted to remain here.
Noel sighed.
What am I really up against?
"Status"
The familiar blue screen appeared before him, casting a faint glow on his face. It read his profile data which was documented in the system.
Noel momentarily wondered why he didn't think of this from the beginning.
[Name: Noel *****
Vessel's name: Gregory Watkins]
Vessel, huh?
[Race: Human
Role: Apostle
<1 signed contract>]
Noel was intrigued. Apostle? Contract?
Seems there's more to this guy than I thought.
He sat back down on the bed, scratching his chin.
What contract?
The screen's content changed, revealing a new message.
[Gregory Watkins
Role: Apostle
Deity: Watcher of Ages
Bond: Contracted soul
Heh?
Lost ownership of my soul?
Was this part of the conditions?
Wait…am I the contracted soul?
Noel was frightened, yet perplexed. The fear of the unknown, as well as the fact that he was potentially owned by someone else weighed down on him. He didn't know where to start gathering his thoughts, what to question (aside everything), or where to start digging.
There were too many unknowns, and too much bad news all at once.
No, No. Think this through.
If Noel was sent back in time, to a timeline that he didn't exist in, then it made sense that he was sent into a different body. However, wouldn't that mean that his soul alone had transmigrated?
Noel recalled earlier messages from the System, momentarily forgetting the terrible news that lay before him.
So…the special authority strained my soul…
And then…
His eyes widened in horror.
Fragmentation.
How much of himself had he already lost?
Sh*t!
He slapped both hands to his face, sliding them down both sides of his cheeks. He had to start from somewhere, so everything could make sense.
Noel felt overwhelmed.
The fragments. The missing parts of himself. He decided to begin from there.
If I regain everything I've lost, I should be able to…
The word 'Contracted' shone right at him.
A contracted soul.
Noel remembered this as people that sold themselves to gods. In his era, chaos was unending and suffering was rampant, so people giving up wasn't all that uncommon.
And these people 'giving up' would sell their souls to deities. In return, they would have a certain level of access to the said god's abilities, or authorities, or both.
However, they were now tools for that god, which would ultimately devour his/her being.
If Noel was contracted to a…
Wait! That's it!
Contracts with gods are often, if not always, centered around the soul. If Noel had replaced the soul that formerly resided in this body, then…
He was devoured.
Noel bit his lip. His theory was that the former soul was swallowed right before he was sent into it.
But he met another conflicting fact.
If he's been devoured, then how is he still an Apostle?
Noel's face sunk.
An Apostle was one of the many roles in the 27th stage of the playground.
He…is still alive. Somewhere.