'Boring' I think.
'Being dead that is.'
I drift in the void without a body, just a mere remnant of thought.
'What form do I even have?'
There is nothing. Everything is black. No sound. No time. No self, except this flicker of awareness pretending to be "me."
It has been years since I died as Torie Lin.
'Or maybe I just stopped counting.'
'I wonder… if I had slept better, would I even be here?'
My thoughts drift back to how I died.
It was a rainy day.
I was coming back from a long shift at the company.
My boss wanted me to finish three months of work in two days.
So I worked for two days straight.
No sleep. No rest. Just endless documents and a screen that never stopped burning into my eyes.
'Dammit…'
'I curse that boss of mine. That bastard should be in hell.'
I try to shout to vent my frustration.
Nothing comes out.
'Right… I don't have a mouth.'
Silence answers me again.
Then—
Something changes.
Not in me.
In the void.
I see a golden dust in the horizon.
Or I just know it's there.
It's impossible to tell in this place.
It's getting closer.
Or I am getting closer to it.
It grows and grows until it becomes the size of a large watermelon.
'What is this?'
I don't move. I don't even know if I can.
But I feel curiosity.
And something else.
Instinct.
It comes closer.
Closer.
Then—
| premature awakening. Checking compatibility |
'What the hell was that?'
I try to focus harder, like that would change anything in a place without form.
| compatibility 91.7%. Merging with the host... |
'Host? Me?'
The golden seed pulses once.
And everything collapses inward.
A blinding light erupts.
Not into my eyes.
Into my existence.
| WARNING! Host is in a soul state. Seed recommends having a body. Constructing host body. |
'Wait—what?'
Suddenly, I feel it.
Painless, but overwhelming.
Something is being built.
From me.
Or around me.
Or as me.
Bone that is not bone.
Flesh that is not flesh.
A shape forming directly from my soul.
It feels unnatural.
But not painful.
Just… wrong in a way I can't describe.
'I… have a body?'
I look down.
Hands.
Real hands.
Fingers twitching like they are learning what "existence" means.
"What the…"
My voice comes out.
I actually hear it.
I instinctively touch my throat.
It responds.
I am real.
Before I can process it further—
| Due to premature awakening, the seed lacks energy to create complete realm. Initiating emergency mode. Assigning task to the host! |
The world shifts again.
A blue panel floats in front of me.
Not physical.
But undeniable.
"EMERGENCY QUEST"
[ Bring '???' Energy to the seed ]
I stare at it.
Then at my hands.
Then at the endless void around me.
"...I have a system?"
A grin slowly forms on my face.
Not relief.
Not joy.
Something sharper.
'Fine.'
'I shall create the realm… and rule the heavens with it.'
The moment I say it—
Far beyond the void.
Beyond the forming world.
Beyond the abyssal sky that has not yet fully existed—
Massive figures stir.
Not waking.
Not fully.
Just… shifting in their sleep.
One opens something like awareness.
"A new realm?"
"It's too early for any of the seeds to sprout."
The voice ripples across existence itself, cold and ancient.
But no one answers it.
Silence returns.
Then, after a pause—
"Interesting…"
And the presence fades again into eternal stillness.