So yeah, maybe running a sleep deprivation world-record clearing gaming marathon stream wasn't my smartest idea, honestly I'm not sure how authorities or emergency services didn't get called in like less than halfway through it. At some point I just collapsed, but not before actually beating the original record by a few hours (Suck on that Randy).
Now? I find myself as a floating consciousness? or is it soul? In a borderline incomprehensible plane, woven in complex patterns made of colors from all the visible spectrum and beyond, honestly trying to focus on, process or comprehend those in any way just brings me a killer migraine (Can souls get headaches? Apparently so).
Honestly I'll probably go mad with boredom at first, and quickly at that, then continue to spiral until I eventually stop thinking entirely, kinda like what Kars went through in JoJo's... Yeah fuck my life? afterlife? Honestly fuck everything at this point.
"Oh me, oh my. I delay my arrival for a few moments and you're already spiraling into madness?" A voice calls out, seemingly from everywhere at the same time, shortly before the space around stabilizes into a pristine white expanse, somehow releasing a pressure from my soul I didn't realize I was feeling until now.
In front of me appears a familiar figure I recognize from the game I sacrificed my life playing, one that has constantly fooled players over and over again through the course of the main story of Black Desert: the White Witch, a fragment of the goddess Sylvia.
"Illezra" I called her name, waiting for her response "Not quite, I suppose you have yet to witness the end of my world's story." She said, giving a dramatic pause before beginning her explaination.
"My quest was completed, you- or rather the vessel you controlled, defeated Hadum, the piece of me that was twisted by darkness back when my divinity was shattered."
"After Illezra purified the defeated Hadum it was only a question of when I would become whole once again. The rest of 'her', or rather my quest went rather smoothly."
"As for why I presented myself to you like this, It's because I had decided to take once the form of Illezra as it's one you would be most likely to both recognize and associate with me." She finished.
"So, what's the deal with the... void? nothingness? everythingness? that was around me before you arrived?" I questioned, curious about the beautiful but headache inducing patterns that used to be present in this space before.
"Ah, the Chaos that separates realities, beautiful and complex, most gods do not know much about it, other than the fact it exists. Even I, powerful as I may be, cannot claim to truly understand it's deepest secrets."
"Honestly the fact that it took you as long as it did to start losing yourself surprised me. Many young godlings have had their psyche shattered by glimpsing at it let alone trying to process ANY information from it" She said to my shock
Well I guess that counts as another borderline suicidal action I commited, and this one wasn't even intentional!
My thoughts were stopped by her voice "We're getting off-topic here. I have a proposal that I'm almost sure you'll agree to, dearie. I owe you a great debt as you, through the family 'Xialla', played a crucial role in my revival. And I am not one to leave debts unpaid."
"I can grant you a second chance, shoving that wonderful soul of yours into the vessel you most utilized when acting through 'Xialla', as this is the only one of them that can both resist the merging process and most importantly harmonize appropiately with your soul, as the connection you hold with others if faint if present at all." That would mean...
"Due to this process you would, in fact, become a female as said 'most used' vessel was the drakania you called 'Zynra'. I do understand that most mortal beings would have conflicting thoughts about suddenly changing physical sex, though I think you might just be the exception, aren't you dear 'Regula'." Oh god the closet was already made of fucking glass, you didn't need to use a warhammer to crack my egg Sylvia.
"Hmm... It might make the process more strenuous but I can probably shove all the actual true knowledge of all the 'lifeskill' professions you invested so much time into right into your mind. Considering you were able to resist even moments within the Chaos between realities then processing just a few centuries worth of knowledge over the course of a year or two shouldn't be too hard on you." Great even more migraines.
"I will also grant you a way to access all of the assets you managed to accumulate during your journey through my world. Honestly you have way too much time on your hands, you have a greater stockpile of resources than most kingdoms would, and even if we disregared that you have enough silver coins to buy said kingdoms a few times over. Then there's the stockpile of almost enough weapons and armor to equip an entire army." Ah, the life of a hoarder pays off well doesn't it.
"Yes it does" She responds to my thoughts. "The black spirit will also be coming with you, after all you both are, in fact, 'still one'. As for its temper, it has actually become rather tame now that Hadum is finally gone and back to being just another piece of me and thus his influence gone. His assistace will prove useful to you during your journey." I still don't forgive it for all the suffering during enhancing.
"As for my final gift, I will grant you knowledge on how to traverse across realities safely without getting deleted in the Chaos like you were about to be before I intervened. You'll obtain knowledge of both an 'easy but expensive' and a 'hard but free' method of doing this, though the second will require you to grow well beyond the original power of your vessel." Mhm, training arcs are perfectly reasonable and expected.
"Now, as for your first stop in this new life-" I cut her off with a single word "Berserk" She began to smile lightly at my choice of world as i began my explaination "I WILL fucking destroy the godhand's band of assholes and find a way to prevent Griffith from going full psycho." I said, beginning my rant.
"I'm not gonna lie he very much acted like a manipulative asshole from the beginning, which considering how many assholes there were in their world is almost reasonable. And he actually seemed to care for Guts and Casca, hell Guts was the only person that managed to make him ever act irrationally." I continued.
"I truly think that if he hadn't gone through a year of constant inhumane torture that left him stripped of his voice, his looks, and his ability to fight he wouldn't have accepted the godhand's offer. Berserk's 'causality' is bullshit and I will prove it."
Sylvia chuckled in response, and after a few moments of consideration on her part responded. "Well it seems like your resolve is absolute, I might just keep an eye on you for a while longer with how interesting you're proving to be, if you don't mind of course."
"Right, about as expected, and I don't mind so long as you stay out of the more private moments of my life, okay?" I answered, knowing she'll probably peek anyway "You know I can still hear your thoughts right, 'Regula'?" Ah hell.
"Hmm that should do then, we probably won't be seeing eachother in person like this for a good while, until you can freely travel through Chaos" She waved goodbye before darkness engulfed my vision.