There was no sky.
No ground either.
Only a vast ocean of invisible pressure, where existence itself felt… thick.
"…So this is what being dead feels like."
Arata's consciousness floated in silence.
He tried to move.
Nothing happened.
"No arms. No legs. No heartbeat."
He paused.
"…No pain either."
For some reason, that bothered him more than it should have.
"Am I still me?"
The question lingered.
Then—
Something responded.
Not from outside.
From inside him.
⟪Cognitive Familiar: Initializing⟫
Arata froze.
"…Who said that?"
Response:
"I did."
The voice was calm. Neutral.
Not emotional, not mechanical.
"…You're inside my head?"
"Correct."
Arata exhaled slowly.
"So you're the skill."
"Affirmative.
Designation: ⟪Cognitive Familiar⟫.
Function: analysis, assessment, advisory, and dialogue."
"…You talk too formally."
"Speech pattern can be adjusted if requested."
"No. Keep it like this."
He paused.
"…It feels reliable."
"Acknowledged."
Silence returned.
But this time, it wasn't empty.
Existence Check
"…So," Arata said quietly,
"What am I right now?"
"Current state:
Physical body: none
Soul integrity: stable
Race: Transcendent Parasite (Spiritual-Type)
Location: boundary layer between material and spiritual domains."
"…Boundary layer."
He tasted the words.
"So I'm not in a world yet."
"Correct."
Arata thought for a moment.
"…Can I die again?"
"Probability: extremely low."
"…That's reassuring."
He paused.
"…Or scary."
"Both interpretations are valid."
Arata almost laughed.
First Sensation
Then something changed.
The pressure around him shifted.
A faint vibration passed through the void.
"…What was that?"
"External phenomenon detected."
"…Like what?"
"Recommendation: observation."
For the first time, Arata felt something like movement.
Not his own.
Something else was approaching.
"…Is it a soul?"
"Partially."
"…Partially?"
"It is alive."
The vibration grew stronger.
Then—
A blurry outline appeared in his perception.
A shape.
A mass of biological signals and chaotic emotions.
"…That thing is alive?" Arata murmured.
"Yes."
He felt something strange.
Not hunger.
Not instinct.
But curiosity.
"…If I touch it," he asked quietly,
"What happens?"
"Unknown."
"…You're supposed to analyze things, right?"
"Insufficient data."
Arata stared at the approaching presence.
"…So this is it."
He didn't feel fear.
He felt interest.
"…My first contact with the world."
The shape drew closer.
Its emotions leaked into him:
Fear. Pain. Desperation.
"…It's suffering."
"Confirmed."
Arata was silent for a long moment.
Then he said softly—
"…What if I connect?"
The void paused.
Even the world seemed to hesitate.
"Warning:
Host interaction may irreversibly alter your existence."
Arata smiled faintly.
"…Good."
He moved.
Not with a body.
Not with limbs.
But with intention.
His existence stretched forward—
and touched the foreign soul.
First Synchronization (Unintentional)
The moment contact occurred—
Information flooded in.
Heat.
Blood.
Heartbeat.
Pain.
Fear.
A scream echoed.
Not his.
Someone else's.
"…So noisy," Arata murmured.
"Host candidate detected."
"…Candidate?"
"Yes."
Arata felt something new.
Not hunger.
Not instinct.
But connection.
"…So this is what it means to be a parasite."
He didn't feel disgust.
He felt clarity.
"…Interesting."
The soul trembled.
Its consciousness brushed against his.
A faint voice echoed.
"Help… me…"
Arata paused.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he asked quietly—
"…If I enter,"
"…will I still be myself?"
There was a brief silence.
"Probability of self-loss:
negligible."
Arata closed his awareness.
"…Then it's decided."
His existence expanded.
And for the first time—
he chose a host.