To those that read something written by me for the first time: Thanks for giving this story a try.
To those that have already read my former work; I know what you're thinking, and I'm sorry I'm not writing on my other story. It's just that a lot happened, and I need some time to figure things out. But I really appreciate that you decided to give this story a chance.
Chapter One: 'No.'
-I.-
"Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey, one is always aware that it lies in wait. Though life merely a journey to the grave, it must not be undertaken without hope. Only then will a traveler's story live on, treasured by who bid him farewell." Although it was a quote you only got to see after all your character die, resulting in Game Over, I loved this quote. Maybe I needed it as a reminder to at least try. Or maybe I appreciated the contrast to myself. But alas, I digress.
You may wonder where this seemingly random line of thought came from, but it has a reason. And if you think about it, it's relatively obvious what brought this on: I died. Probably. I have no recollection of anything that could have possibly killed me, but my soul seemed to have left my body. It might as well be a weird out of body experience, but that wouldn't feel so… real. And for the love of god, getting in touch with reality was a rare occurrence for me. I'd rather dream about what could have been, and ran from my problems till it was impossible to do so.
'Pathetic.' I always thought to myself. 'You have everything you could ask for, but you're not satisfied. You'd rather complain and laze around.' Over and over again. I thought about killing myself, countless times even. But I was too much of a coward and a stubborn fool. It's not like I feared death, no. I was afraid of killing myself. Afraid what others might think. Afraid, they might forget me after I die. And too stubborn to give up. The more hopeless a situation seemed the more stubborn I grew, unable to accept my impending failure until it actually occurred.
Suddenly, I saw something. Or rather sensed something, as my current form had physical body with the ability to pick up any stimulus. "Do you want to have another chance at life?" I felt it say. That settles it, then. I really died, huh. Not that I care, but at least I'm not as confused anymore.
"Actually, I'd rather not. I quite like my current form. Neither ugly nor beautiful, neither tall or small, and no responsibilities. And no source of entertainment either, but I do not feel the need to entertain myself, so that's alright too."
"…you're sure? You could have a completely new start, in a world of magic and mythical creatures. You should really think about this carefully." The voice returned, seemingly surprised at first. I had to admit, it was a tempting offer. But… "Nah. That seems too much of a pain. You can ask me again in ten years or something." I replied nonchalant. "NO! IT'LL BE TOO LATE IN TEN YEARS!" The voice lashed out, and I jumped back (figuratively). Would'ya look at that. This voice is less of a benevolent spirit it appeared to be. The only reason it talked with was because it need my help. "Normally I would ask what's going on, but since you seem like a big pain in the ass, you don't need to tell me. No offense." I snarked back. "….." for a while, the voice was silent. Then it replied: "Fine. I won't tell you anything. In fact, it would be far easier for me if you figured it out yourself."
Figure it out myself? What does it mean? As I was about to ask it about that, the world around me started to be engulfed in light. Or at least that's what my 'senses' told me. "I don't actually need your permission to revive you. And now, even if you kill yourself, I can at least tell my superiors that I tried. Anything else I need to say? Ah yes. Good luck, asshole." And that was the last thing I felt in that form.
-I.-
Red. A nice color for a wonderful new beginning. I'm probably being birthed right now, but that's irrelevant at the moment. My soul is only latching onto a newborns undeveloped brain, waiting for it to grow strong enough to hold my complex thoughts physically. But man, I was not expecting that. I thought it would first attempt to reason, then curse me out, and then leave in search for someone more cooperative. Seems like souls are hard to come by. Or souls with the ability to reincarnate, for that matter. Not like I actually have any clue, but I can at least spend my miserable existence guessing.
At the moment, my senses are still quite hazy, but I picked up an important piece of information: my name. Aeon Micah Solis. Quite gaudy, if you ask me. But it didn't matter. And it might not even be my name. I just picked up a few words that sound like a name. I don't speak their language, but something tells me I'm right. I can already imagine my grand adventure: The story of Aeon Micah Solis, the boy who died in the gutter since he was too lazy to move. Or even better: Aeon Micah Solis, the boy who suffocated on his first meal.
I was not exactly a big fan of the idea of having to live again. I supposed I could use this as a chance for a fresh start, but I don't think I want to. Living, and my current situation in particular, is uncomfortable. The feeling of being inside something, but at the same time outside of it is weird. But that's a small price to pay for the ability to retain your thoughts and memories as they were. Although there are a few parts that I could live without, my memories are needed for something important.
That reminds me, I still haven't decided how I'll handle my mysterious quest. "It would be far easier for me if you figured it out yourself." Nothing it said was in any ways helpful. To be fair, I could've been less of a dick, but their reaction was just childish. That's not how an entity with the ability to grant a second life should act. Garovel would've at least attempted to reason with me.
My perception of time is quite flexible as long as body and mind are not completely synched, it seems. I have started to crawl while I was lost in thought. As my brain developed itself, I was able to properly receive stimulus. I could hear quite well, for a newborn. Or maybe the contrast from baby to young adult is just stronger than anticipated.
And with great senses comes great knowledge, or something like that. Unfortunately, my mother seemed to have passed away. She was just a stranger to me, so it doesn't really affect me. My father, he… nobody knows who, or where he is. Instead, I was sent to a sorry excuse for an orphanage. Sure enough, the building was in an average state, but for anyone besides the infants, care and food was lacking. They played amongst themselves, while our caretakers where busy taking care of a stoic child like me. The older kids went out to get food, some way or another. Sometimes they came back bruised, or even crippled.
I'm probably almost three now. I was able to walk, and the adults started to ignore me more and more. Some even avoided me. They didn't want to face a child switching between a weird grin and a lifeless expressions. To be honest, neither did I, so I did my best to avoid mirrors. Of course, I was unable to do so completely, but that had its own advantage, like, for example actually knowing how I looked like.
That's when I first noticed this world definitely was different from my former; although I had red hair and silver eyes, I didn't really stand out that much. Other people had far crazier combinations, but that's a story for another time. I don't want them to steal my spotlight.
But, oh well. It's time for my first sleep with a completely synchronized brain.
Now… that's a start. I wonder how this'll play out. And don't worry, he won't be like that the entire story.
And if you have anything to say about the story or my writing, just leave a review. They can be rather uplifting after all.