'This is the MC thinking'
"This is the MC talking"
This is Tia or the System
Standard disclaimer: I don't own anything. I wish I would. But I don't.
The first beings to ever exist were the Aspects. Beings born of the Void. They were embodiments of absolutes.
One of these Aspects was the Ouroboros Dragon Ophis, the Aspect of Infinity. For millennia, it had stayed in the Void. The Void was the beginning and the end. And more importantly, to Ophis, it was home. And Ophis was submerging itself in the silence The Void brought with it.
Being the Aspect of Infinity was not the easiest existence there was. For Ophis felt everything to the highest degree possible. And for the Ouroboros Dragon, that meant to the infinite. So being able to surround itself in the silence of the Void, the very antithesis of the infinite emotions Ophis felt, was everything the dragon-god could ever want. Could ever need. It was content.
Until the silence was broken. Shattered, by none other than the Aspect of The Dream. The True Red Dragon God Emperor, Great Red.
Enraged by the intrusion into its home and the following loss of silence, Ophis attacked. The Infinite fought The Dream. They fought for days. Years. Decades. Neither can overpower the other. For both The Dream and The Infinite were endless.
And for the first time since the creation of the Aspects themselves, as The Infinite was continuously met with The Dream, something was born from the Void.
But the lack of silence took its toll on The Infinite. Without being able to stem the infinite barrage of feelings with the silence of the Void, Ophis lost itself. And that was all it took for The Dream to win over The Infinite. And Ophis lost its home. Leaving only Great Red and the newly born Aspect of the Infinite Dream behind.
Have you ever been in such absolute and all-encompassing darkness that left you disoriented to such a degree, that you couldn't tell top from bottom and left from right?
That's what it was like for me for pretty much as long as I could remember. Well, that and the bonus of the absence of literally every sense there was. I couldn't see, feel, smell, hear or taste anything. If I'm being honest, I wasn't sure if I even still could.
It was like I was imprisoned in my mind. And boy that place was not nice to be stuck in.
I'm pretty sure I was alive and able to feel at some point in my existence. That is until I died and found myself here. Where ever here is. I have no clue whatsoever.
Which made this my, what exactly? My afterlife? My punishment? I honestly couldn't tell if I deserved it or not. I only recalled vague impressions of what my existence was like before it became this.
Time had become somewhat of a problem to keep track of as well. With all this not being able to sense anything I had going on, I was unable to keep track of anything.
I could have been like this for a couple of days or uncounted centuries. I honestly couldn't tell.
This leads me to the fact that I was narrating in my mind. It might be a coping mechanism. I don't know. But it was at least something. In contrast to the absolute nothing, I had going on otherwise. So there is that.
I don't know if I'm talking to myself or some imaginary audience. Or an actual audience. I'll take whichever is a better indication of my mental state.
But back to the actual topic at hand. All this not being able to sense anything stuff I was talking about? That had changed.
Where before absolute nothingness had encompassed me, I was now bombarded by the exact opposite.
Colors so bright and intense they nearly unmade me.
Noise so loud that it threatened to shatter me.
From one moment to the other I abruptly started to feel. And I felt like it was tearing me apart.
It was too much. Too much to be able to grasp or understand. I could only hope to hold onto any semblance of whatever made me, me. And I did so desperately. Until I wasn't only me anymore. Something had, for the lack of a better word, latched onto me.
I lost consciousness.
I awakened with a gasp. And isn't that a novel experience? Well, you know, after the unknown amount of time I spent in absolute nothingness. I'll take what I can get.
I was levitating? Yeah, let's call it levitating in absolute darkness.
You are currently in The Void.
And I'm hearing a voice in my head. A female one at that! Great. First the narrating thing and now a feminine-sounding voice? I think I finally broke.
I don't think you are broken. Well, at least not anymore. I had to fix you up quite a bit after whatever was left of your astral body after getting caught up in a lot of primal energy. I'm quite amazed that you even held on that long. Must have been a solid half second before you started to disintegrate.
'Uhm, thanks? So, if I'm not imagining you, who are you, and what THE FUCK HAPPENED?!'
Oh, yeah. I guess waking up like that is quite disorienting. Sorry, I'm quite new at this myself. I mean, I haven't been alive for more than a couple of days at this point. And I spent most of that trying to fix you. So there is that.
So first things first: I'm the Aspect of the Infinite Dream. I was created? Yeah, created a couple of days ago after The Aspect of Infinity and The Dream fought in The Void. All the primordial energy they released paired with being in The Void gave birth to me.
'Okay, and how do I fit into this? I'm pretty sure I wasn't created here. At least I think I wasn't.'
Ah, no. I don't think so either. But, whatever was left of your astral body, after floating in The Void for however long you did, got caught up in the Aspects battle. And as I previously said, you started to disintegrate from the exposure to all that energy. So, when I came into being I noticed you. And the fact that you could withstand the primordial energy for as long as you did was quite impressive! So I decided to latch onto you and try to save you.
'Didn't you say I lasted all but half a second? Are you making fun of me or something?'
What? No, of course not! It was quite impressive. I don't think you understand the magnitude of power you were exposed to. You shouldn't even have lasted a hundredth of the time you did!
'Ah, well, thanks I guess. And thank you for saving me.'
Don't worry about it. It was my pleasure, really.
We lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes while I tried to make sense of what I had just been told.
'So, what exactly happens now?'
Oh! Sorry. As I said, I'm quite new to this as well! Do you remember me telling you I was the Aspect of The Infinite Dream? And that I spent a long time trying to fix you up?
'Yes. I do recall you saying something along those lines. But to be honest with you, I'm really out of my element here. I have no clue what all of that means.'
No worries. So while I was trying to repair what was left of your astral body, I latched onto your consciousness. I was newly created with only the broadest idea of what my existence entails and what I am. I kind of rifled through your soul to get a better read on what and who you are while I repaired various aspects of you.
And, I am the Aspect of The Infinite Dream. So when I saw something in your memories that embodies everything I am, I changed into that.
'And what did you see in my memories that is all that?'
Oh, well. Give me a second!
Welcome to The Game!
You have been chosen as The Gamer. Congratulations!
Name: –
Level: 1
Class: –
Alignment: True Neutral
Race: Voidborn
Gender: Male
Status:
HP: 350 (Reg 25/Min)
MP:200 (Reg 25/Min)
STR: 25
DEX: 15
CON: 25
INT: 10
WIS: 5
CHA: 25
Attribute Points: 0
'Are you kidding me? You changed into a Gamer System?!'
Well, it does encompass everything I am. And it allowed me to bond myself to you and save you from being obliterated. So it's like two birds, one stone, right?
'I mean, yeah. I'm sorry, I don't want to seem ungrateful or anything. It's just a lot to take in.'
But seriously. It changed itself, at least in part, to save me. How does one pay something like that back?
'So, I get to choose my name and class? And what is a Voidborn? And don't take this the wrong way, but did you rip off DnD with all that Alignment and Class stuff?'
Yep to the name and class question. That's the first thing you can customize. There is more, but let's take it step by step, shall we? And I didn't really rip off anything from DnD… I just borrowed some ideas from it. There is lots of other stuff I took inspiration from. You had A LOT of The Gamer-related memories to choose from. I just took what I liked the most and felt what fit me the best.
Thinking about it, I was able to recall my previous life again. I was nothing extraordinary. A mediocre human being. I read a lot. Be it books, fan fiction, or whatever else I could procrastinate with.
I died before I even reached my thirties. I still couldn't remember how exactly I died, but I knew with a startling certainty, that it was no accident. But I didn't die a violent death either. So, natural causes? Who knows.
As to your race. Sorry. I know The Gamer normally can choose or make some insane gamble as to what race he will start as, but your race is predetermined because of where we are and what I had to do to save you. There is nothing I can do about that.
I was born of The Void and the power of two Aspects. And you were, let's call it reborn, in The Void, and are bonded to me. I'm pretty sure there is a possibility to evolve, should you become powerful enough to do so. But as of right now. That's just what we are.
Well, if there is nothing to be done about it, then that's that. I'll just have to accept it and move on.
'Let's start with my name then. I don't want to use my old one. New existence, new name, right?'
Sure. I can understand that. So, what will it be?
'Hmmm, it will have to fit with the theme. Being a Voidborn and all that. So how does Tai'Ren sound?'
It wasn't a human name, but neither was I anymore. And I kind of wanted my name to reflect my new origin. The Void.
Sounds fine to me! Tai'Ren it is!
Name: Tai'Ren
Level: 1
Class: –
Alignment: True Neutral
Race: Voidborn
Gender: Male
Status:
HP: 350 (Reg 25/Min)
MP: 200 (Reg 25/Min)
STR: 25
DEX: 15
CON: 25
INT: 10
WIS: 5
CHA: 25
Attribute Points: 0
'I'm sorry if this is weird, but do you have a name? I'm not sure what to call you. The System? The Aspect? The Infinite Dream?'
Hmm, good point. I suppose it would be easier for both of us if I had a name you could refer to me. You did just fine with your name. Any ideas?
Ah, so it's my job then? This is beginning to look more and more like all those stories I read back in my old life as a human.
'Well, you are born of The Void just like me, right? And we are bonded to each other. So, how about something to show that? Tia'Ren? Tia for short?'
There was a moment of silence before I could hear a slightly emotional voice in my head.
I'd like that. Tia'Ren and Tai'Ren. I like it. Thank you.
'You are welcome. After everything you have already done for me, that is the least I could do for you, Tia.'
I could feel a sense of contentment and gratitude that wasn't my own. Yeah, that was the right choice. We were basically siblings now. I had to smile at the thought.
'So let's move on to the Class thing, shall we? What options do I have?'
[Warrior] [Mage] [Rogue]
That has got to be the easiest choice I will ever have to make. I mean, who wouldn't pick [Mage] when they had the choice? The option to do magic, honest to god magic, was just too enticing to pass up.
The Class [Mage] has been selected. Please chose a specialization!
[Void Mage] [Elementalism] [Abjuration] [Illusionist] [Necromancer]
'Uhm, Tia? Is there a reason why I can only choose two of those? The other three seem to be greyed out or something.'
That is because of your race. It seems like as a Voidborn your inclination to magical pursuits is limited to the element that has given birth to us. It is what gives us power after all. I'm sorry, but I don't think there is anything I can do about that right now.
She sounded sad and apprehensive about that. I wonder why. Is she afraid I would blame her for it?
But you do get two basic gamer abilities right off the bat!
You learned two new skills:
Ability: Observe-Lvl 1 (Active)
Provides information on a target.
Ability: I.D. Create-Lvl 1 (Active)
Transform a part of The Void into what is known as an instant dungeon to earn experience and rewards.
'Don't worry about it! I would have chosen [Void Mage] regardless. So it's no biggie!'
With that said, I lock it in.
Name: Tai'Ren
Level: 1
Class: Void Mage - Novice – (1/100)
Alignment: True Neutral
Race: Voidborn
Gender: Male
Status:
HP: 350 (Reg 25/Min)
MP: 250 (Reg 50/Min)
STR: 25
DEX: 15
CON: 25
INT: 15
WIS: 10
CHA: 25
Attribute Points: 0
You learned four new skills:
Ability: Void Bolt-Lvl 1 (Active)
You draw upon the primordial essence that is The Void and releases it as a bolt of condensed Void energy. Deals 20 + 3xInt DMG. Costs 25MP.
Ability: Void Dash-Lvl 1 (Active)
You draw upon The Void to overload yourself with its energy for a short amount of time. While overloaded your Void-related abilities deal an extra 10% DMG. Last for 30 seconds.
Ability: Void Blade-Lvl 1 (active)
You form a blade of pure Darkness in your hand. The blade deals 50 + 3xInt DMG. Costs 50MP. Lasts for 60 minutes or until it is dismissed.
Ability: Void Gate-Lvl10 (Max) (Active)
Traversing the void leads you to wherever you have already been. Create a gate and step through it. The gate closes and vanishes after you have done so. It takes the caster 60 seconds to create the gate. Costs 200MP.
Looks like my INT and WIS stat increased by 5. I suppose it comes as a bonus from my class. That's nice. If playing games has taught me anything in my past life, it's that free points are good points! And those skills I learned? I was THIS close to squealing. I didn't of course. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
'Okay, Tia! So far so good! What's next?'
Next up is the Character Creation! You can customize what you want to look like! Well, somewhat…
Tia had added the last part with the same nervous tone she used before when I couldn't choose all of the Classes. Looks like I will be limited again. Let's take a look at the damage, shall we?
A projection of what I currently looked like appeared before me. At least, that's what I guess it was.
I was looking at a good-looking male body that stood at roughly 1,80 meters tall with well-defined body musculature. It was a swimmer's build. I wouldn't win any weightlifting competitions anytime soon, but it was a good start. I certainly wasn't that ripped when I was human. And I seemed to have lost a few years. I would place the age of my new body at around seventeen to nineteen years old.
The face was framed by pitch black hair, that, if one was to look closely, had a slight purple shine to it.
What stood out, though, were the eyes. I had glowing, light purple eyes. They were beautiful. I know that probably sounds narcissistic. But there was no other word to describe it.
'Okay, that looks great so far Tia, why the apprehension? I was already preparing myself to look like some eldritch abomination or something!'
I tried to calm Tia down with some humor. I didn't like the fact that she seemed apprehensive about talking about stuff with me. She shouldn't feel guilty about anything. I wouldn't be alive without her, after all.
I tried to give you as many choices as I could. But you being a Voidborn, there is quite a lot we simply can not change. Like your eyes and hair color. They are due to your race. I doubt you can change them at all. And I don't just mean in the Character Creation. Even later on. I'm sorry about that. The same goes for your ears.
The ears were probably the most unusual part of my new body. Well, apart from my purple glowing eyes. They were, there is no other word to say it, elven ears. Long and pointy.
'Don't worry about it, Tia. As I said, I wouldn't be around anymore if it weren't for you. And what little limitations we have faced so far, were not worth mentioning.'
I felt her calm down a little at that. Good. The last thing I want is for her to feel bad.
I tweaked some minor aspects of my new body. Thinning the Cheekbones a little bit, giving myself an undercut and stuff like that. I couldn't say how long I was playing around with everything, but when I did finish, I was quite pleased with myself. And Tia. She did most of the work before I even started, after all.
All in all. I did look pretty good if I do say so myself. The eyes and ears gave me an otherworldly look and pushed what would have passed as a somewhat handsome face to the next level.
Yeah, I had no problem whatsoever with my new body. I mean having an athletic swimmer build without having done anything to earn it? Sign me up!
'So, I suppose the last part is to know what world we are actually in, right? Because as far as I remember nothing like any of this existed in my world. And don't start laughing or anything, but all that talk about "The Infinite" and "The Dream" earlier kind of reminds me of an anime I watched a long time ago.'
Yeah about that….
Oh, this doesn't sound good.
The world is still the same. It's still Earth. The thing is. I'm pretty sure you aren't in your original dimension anymore. I have no idea how you got here, though. Sorry.
What I could glean from your memories, the dimension you are now living in is what you would have referred to as "DxD" in your old dimension. And I have no idea if anything is like you have seen in the anime before. But the fact that Ophis and Great Red do exist here does point in that direction.
I was in DxD. That…. I wasn't sure how to feel about that, to be honest. On one hand, there were a lot of cool characters that I would like to meet. Places I'd like to visit and events I would like to be a part of.
But on the other hand, there were just so many dangers and hardships in this world, dimension, whatever, that I don't know if it's worth all that hassle. I mean, between Devils enslaving everything they fancy, warmongering Fallen Angels that kill for Sacred Gears, a breast-obsessed Issei with the cheat that is the Boosted Gear, everything Ophis does to regain her silence, and FUCKING TRIHEXA, there is a lot of danger I would have to face.
I suppose we can't just jump into another dimension? Something less insane? Like, I don't know….'
I petered off at the end. Thinking about it, pretty much all the anime I could recall were filled with world-ending threats.
Sorry, but no. As far as I can tell, we are stuck here. But hey, I'm new to all of this! So maybe in the future?
'Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Tia. I appreciate it!'
And I do. At least I'm not alone in this. I have help. And with enough preparation, I might be able to handle the plot.
Yeah, I don't think so either. But glass half full, and all that jazz. I mean, I stopped watching the anime after the third random power-up because of boobs. Don't get me wrong, boobs are great and all, but the story kind of loses its appeal when you know the protagonist is just going to turn it around with the promise of doing something sexual to the girls around him. But never actually bagging any of them. It just gets frustrating after a while, you knew?
And none could have guessed that watching an ecchi-harem anime would someday be vital for my survival.
'So how do we do this, Tia? I mean, I do have Void Gate, but I have never actually been to anywhere on this dimensions earth before.'
Hm. Yeah, I see where that could be a problem. But I think I can help you out. After the fight with Great Red, Ophis did get thrown out of The Void. And I'm pretty sure she went somewhere on Earth. I'm fairly confident I can track her teleportation and get us to wherever she emerged.
'Pretty sure? Fairly certain? That doesn't sound like it's safe. And do we want to be anywhere near Ophis right now?'
Well, it's not like we have much of a choice, do we? Unless you want to stay here for eternity?
I silently shake my head in the negative.
Yeah, I didn't think so. So One bandwagon teleportation coming right up!
Quest Alert!
Make it safely to Earth and don't get ripped apart when leaving the Dimensional Gap.
Rewards: 500XP, 1 Gatcha Token, The End of the Tutorial
Failure: Death
Wait what?
'Tia, I don't think this is such a good id…'
I didn't even get to finish the sentence as I was swallowed up by a purple gate that would probably, maybe lead me to Earth.
AN: I have a general idea of where I want this story to go and what characters will be involved in it. Aside from that: This is my first Gamer story. I know, it's nothing really original or groundbreaking. But nevertheless, it is something that I wanted to try my hand at.
I can't really say when or how regularly I will update this story. It will depend on how much time I have to write and how much inspiration I have.