The game of DMND
" Hey kid, take a seat."
That's all the man in front of my eyes said to me.
I briefly looked around my surroundings to see if I can tell where I was.
It was an old fashioned room, like that one hotel from that Stephen King novel… what was it called again?... It started with a number….
...
...1408. Yeah, that was the one.
I briefly looked out the window. The sky was painted dark blue with the street bustling with people. Street lights were on to complete a picture you'd see commonly in New York. I always thought it was beautiful. Calming.
I finally complied with the man and decided to take the only seat available: a chair positioned right in front of the man's desk.
As I took a seat I began to take note of his features.
White hair and white beard styled to look like stalagmites, his face looked like he was in his mid-40s to early 50s. He had a three-piece suit and a fat cigar in his hand, smoke rising to the ceiling and swiftly getting absorbed into the vent above. His dark purple eyes stared at me intensely. It looked as if gems were jammed in to make the pupils.
No, not gems.
More like galaxies. I thought it was the trick of the lights from the lamp on his desk when I saw small spots of light forming erratically in his eyes.
"So, kid…"
His voice was… gravelly…. Calm… booming…. kinda like a cave.
It was, quite frankly, unsettling.
"You remember anything about yourself before you ended up here?"
The question caught me off guard. Of course, I did. What do I look like, some kind of amnesiac?
….
I didn't remember anything.
I didn't remember what my name was, I didn't remember what I did for a job… did I even have a job? What age was I? Which school did I go to? Did I even go to school? Where were my parents? Who were my parents?
...Now that I actually think about it, where was I?
How did I get here?
I started to panic a little, and the man saw it too.
"Calm down kid, it's okay, it's a natural thing."
Amnesia's natural?
"I… I don't understand. What do you mean it's natural?"
The man looked at me with pity, before taking a puff of his cigar and sighing out the smoke at the ceiling.
"Oh boy, where do I start."
"... What did you do to me?"
The man cleared his throat
"I didn't do anything, kid. What happened to you is… well…"
The man put his hand under his nose as if to ponder what to say.
"... Alright, I'm not going to beat around the bush. You're dead, kid."
….
What?
"Not just you, but everyone in your world died."
I took in what he said, processing his words. And then I chuckled. The chuckle became a short laugh.
"Ok, sir. Way to break the ice. So… tell me, what really happened?"
The man looked at me with a serious expression. I tried to look for any signs on his face that said he was fucking with me.
5 minutes went by, and his face didn't even change a bit.
Either he had a really good poker face, or he was telling the truth.
"I saw out the window, sir. The sky and the street lamps still exist. And most of all sir, people. Still walking and talking like nothing ever happened."
"Look at the people more closely then."
He was trying to pull something on me, I just knew it. I decided to comply just so this whole prank to get over as soon as possible. I looked more closely at the people passing the streets and instantly recoiled away from the window. I managed to stumble and fall on my rear in shock.
Those weren't people.
They… They had silhouettes resembling humans, yes, but….. any detail they had instantly betrayed the belief that they are one.
I sat on the floor, frozen, for about a good minute. I tried to process what I saw and managed to bring myself out of my stupor.
"What is this Cthulhu bullshit!? What are they!? Where am I!?"
The man simply looked at me, before opening his mouth.
"Simply put? You're not on Earth. You're not anywhere near Earth, for that matter. Consider this-" he waved his hand to gesture at the room "-as the afterlife."
He let that fully sink in me before he continued
"You don't remember your past life because you went through the entire process of reincarnation. You know, the whole weighing of the soul and being judged, judging whether you gained enough good or bad karma to be reincarnated into a human, an animal, evil spirits or even as a god."
He tapped at his desk, and soon a file and few papers appeared on his desk.
"So those are-"
"Souls? Not quite. They are spirits, but they weren't human in the first place. Some are Yaksas, some are demons, some are angels. You get the drift. But enough about them-" he gestured to the seat I had taken. "Take a seat so we can talk about you."
I quietly complied, scrambling to my legs and stumbling back to the chair.
"I understand that you are quite… Distraught about the whole situation. But I assure you, the faster this ends, the better it is for you."
I absentmindedly nodded. He opened the file and started to read what was in it.
"First off I would like to congratulate you on a well done. You managed to live a full-filling, albeit quite short, life. You accumulated enough good karma to reincarnate into a human, instead of reincarnating as an Asura, or as a preta. Or worse-" he looked up to stare at me. "Reincarnate in the purgatory and get tortured on the grounds of punishment for your sins."
I felt a shiver down my spine as he told me this.
"Although you had some…. Minor outbursts when you came in here-" he looked to the window "-it is perfectly understandable as to why. It is normal for you to panic in this situation, and in fact, is taking all this in quite well. In comparison to my previous… clients."
He slightly coughed into his hands before continuing.
"So, with very noticeable good deeds and relatively good behavior, along with the fact that you had died a very unnatural death."
Pardon? I thought. Unnatural?
"Yes, unnatural. You… and a lot of people in your world weren't supposed to die yet."
I was shocked at both his ability to read me like a book and at the revelation he gave me.
" I would like to make up for it with a gift. You get to choose which world you want to reincarnate in, and you will get a special ability."
It took a few moments for his words to reach my brain.
"Any world?"
"You name it. It can even be from books, movies, and even those an-ee-mae bullshit. Oh, and while the memories of your past life won't be available to you, every other memories or knowledge? Free game."
I… I had to think about this, which was already hard to do because I was trying to get used to the fact that I was dead. Then a question came into my mind.
"But.. won't me knowing their fate to be… counterproductive to you?"
"Very good question. The answer is yes, but I don't give a shit."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Look, kid, the space-time is a bitch. I don't know why it made itself as a multiverse, but because it did, that means I need to meet the same person every fucking minute and make sure they reincarnate in different universes. While the world you saw as fiction may be the depiction of the most major decisions that happened in the multiverse, that ultimately doesn't mean everything is the same."
I tried to understand what he said, and it took a minute or two to get that fully in my head. The man continued
"So kid, what does that mean? You being dropped at some point in time will change the future, but while time is a single string it isn't unchanging. In fact, the future branches into new multiverse so much your addition and interference won't mean Jack shit. I'll still see a million of those dead characters in my office, just not the ones you saved in your timeline. So go wild kid, extend some lives or end them prematurely. You won't get punished."
I felt somewhat relieved by his words. I guess now would be a good time to decide which world to reborn in.
Final fantasy was very enticing, enticing enough to make it to my top 5. But I decided to think more carefully before making a choice I would regret.
JoJo's bizarre adventure was very enticing as well, but… that didn't mean I would automatically be reborn as a stand user.
Hunter X Hunter….. well… while the concept of Nen and aura was very amazing to see, I didn't think I would enjoy living there. Who knew how I quickly I would die.
Wait…. Nen…. Aura…. There…. There was a world like that… but… more… more tame, more… more fun to live in….
"So, you have a world in mind?"
"Yeah… actually, yeah. I do."
"Alright-" he slid a paper and pen to me. "Fill in the form and let's see what you chose."
The form was nearly blank. All it had was a blank box titled 'World:'. I wrote down the world I wanted to go into, and more entries started to fade into the paper as I finished. I stared in surprise for a good while before continuing. By the time I finished the form was filled.
World (You may fill the name of the fiction you wish to reincarnate in instead): RWBY
Name: Magenta Valentine
Gender: M[✓] F[ ] Other[ ]:_
Race: Human[✓] Faunus[ ] Grimm [ ]
Optional: Place of birth (if left blank, you will be born in a random area in the world): Patch
I handed the form back to the man. He looked at the paper over.
"Aaahh… not bad. It actually goes well with the special ability you'll be gifted with. So, before we officialize this and you get reborn in Remnant, do you have any questions?"
I perked up at the offer and immediately asked what I had in my mind.
"How…. How did I die? How did everyone else die?"
"... Your world ended."
I knew this was the case but it hit me like a truck nevertheless.
"... How?"
"... Well…. Let's just say that a gay black priest followed his vampire boyfriend's diary, sped up time but ended up causing a mutually assured destruction on a universal scale. Guess that happens when you don't know how space-time really works. Dumb shits."
Wait.
"You meant to tell me Enrico Pucci killed me with Made in Heaven?"
"No."
I looked at him in confusion
"Enrico Pucci killed everyone, himself included, with Made in Heaven. Only a few multiverses actually got what he wanted."
Ah…
Wait, that meant I was already living in a world of JoJo's bizarre adventure…
…
I feel like my past life became underwhelming on another level.
"Oh, don't worry. You were a stand user as well. Got the full package in the world."
Wait, excuse me?
"You were a pretty damn good one too. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."
Oh.
"... What… what was my stand?"
The man looked up, pretty conflicted as to whether he should tell me or not.
"... I'm afraid I cannot tell you that, I'm already pushing the policy by telling you that you were a stand user."
"Understandable."
With that cleared out of the way, there was only one more question that came to my mind.
"And… who would you be?"
The man smiled
"Ain't that the million-dollar question here. Simply said, I am Ahura Mazda, the first God to have ever existed. You… can just call me Abel, if you want to. I wasn't Adam's child though, so don't mix me up with him."
Oh, the Persian God.
"That…. That would be all, sir… thank you.."
"Glad I could help. Now-" the form he had in his hand burst into magenta flames. "The form has been filled, the deal has been set, and all you have to do to start, is to picture what you want to look like, and go through that door."
He gestured to the only door that existed in this room. I simply sat up, offered a hand (Ahura Mazda simply smiled and shook it. His grip was surprisingly firm but soft at the same time) and walked to the door, taking a deep breath before gripping the doorknob.
"Be sure not to cause too much trouble now, ok?"
I looked back at the God and smiled, before opening the door and taking a step outside the room, into the corridors that were lined with doors on both side of the walls. The doors had next to no space between them, making me wonder how the rooms were even this spacious. It reminded me of The Shining.
...
...
Everything became dark and deathly quiet
My consciousness returned and all I could do was cry.
Not out of sadness or fear, but simply due to a base desire to. I didn't understand why until I became a bit more aware of my body. I couldn't move my limbs as well as I should've, but I realized why.
"Congratulations!" An unknown voice of a woman said. "It's a healthy and beautiful baby boy!"
I was an infant.
I felt myself being passed off into another hand as I slowly opened my eyes. I saw a man with silver hair and golden eyes, leaking tears, smiling at me.
"My God, he got my eyes, and he got your hair, darling." That's all he could muster out of his mouth.
I slowly looked around the room. I saw my mother, covered in sweat and tears. Her pink hair flowing in waves, her sapphire eyes looking at me with joy, smiling as if she saw a miracle.
What caught my attention the most was not my mother, my father, or the nurse. It was a translucent screen floating in front of my eyes, like a slab of cyan tinted glass.
Welcome Magenta Valentine, to the Akashic Record Lite, and to your new world!
Introduction: The Akashic Record is a program for celestial beings (Ie. Gods, Daemons, Angels, etc) to develop power and grow!
You have been gifted a more simplified and restricted version by Ahura Mazda for your stay in the world of Remnant!
Akashic Record Lite will be able to use the boundless information of the universe from the main server to help you enjoy your stay in the world of Remnant!
Controls: Because it's painstakingly clear that randomly shouting out commands will make one think you're crazy, all you'll need to do is think of the command clearly in your head.
The currently available controls are:
Help
Settings
Stats
Inventory
Mantra
Equipment
Goals
Compendium
Message
You have a new goal!
Current objective: Survive
Well shit.
After taking some time getting used to your new life, and body, you'll be setting your new stats to how you see fit!
For now, settle in!
"Look at him staring, dear!" My father exclaimed.
"You have so many things to look forward to!"
I couldn't agree more.
I felt my eyes close, and my breathing become steady as I fell into a deep sleep once more.
By the time I became aware of my surroundings I realized that a year had already passed. I was now living in my new home as I stared into the cyan screens in front of me.
Stats:
Magenta Valentine
Age: 12 months
Title: [None]
Level: 1
Hp: 200/200
Aura: [Locked]
Vajra: [Locked]
Str: 10
Vit: 10
Dex:10
Mnt: 10
Int: 25
Wis: 25
Chr: 10
Your stats may not look very impressive, but don't worry! You're only 12 months old, you'll improve in no time! You can raise your stats either through simply training and pushing yourself to the limit, or by allocating the points you get from leveling up!
Just a friendly reminder, while the Akashic Record Lite has been configured to act like a game for your sake, you must understand that you are not playing, or in fact living in, a 'game' or a 'fiction'.
This is 'reality'.
You only have one chance, and certain events will not be the same as the show.
Be sharp, be tough, be strong, be smart. Take care!
That was expected, but…. Concerning nonetheless. It meant that the show was no longer a stable, reliable source of information for what's to come. On the bright side, this may mean that characters like Pyrhha or Penny may survive the ordeal of volume 3. However, on the opposite side of the coin…
…
I'm quite scared to imagine the possibilities.
All I could do now is strengthen myself for what could happen in this world.
...
But not now, I'm afraid. As far as I can see I'm a bit too young to do anything other than think and learn.
…
Maybe I'll do just that.
And I can confidently say that I should familiarize myself with the Akashic Record Lite before anything.
I looked over the other controls. All of them were pretty much explanatory, except for the Mantra tab.
Normally one has the tab as 'Skill', or 'Magic'. If I remember correctly, Mantras were simply prayers, sacred utterings of the Sanskrit alphabet.
As soon as I decided to tap on the 'Mantra' tab, two windows appeared. One big and one small.
The big window simply had the word 'Mantra' written in an eloquent font at the top of the window, but that was about it. The rest of the translucent screen was blank.
The smaller slab of glass was the more important one. It explained to me about their definition of Mantra.
Welcome!
As a none-celestial being, you may be wondering what our definition of Mantra, and by association Vajra, is.
Mantra: Simply put, Mantra is considered the power of the gods, a program that uses and reads Vajra to perform tasks that range from mundane, to reality-bending. In layman's term, it's equivalent to 'skills' and 'magic' in RPG games.
Vajra: Vajra is the spiritual energy of the universe, holding the data of our very existence. By harnessing Vajra, we can use the spiritual energy as fuel, and the 'data' within it to 'code' programs to perform feats many would see as magic. This is called 'Mantra', as explained before. In layman's term, this is 'Mana'.
People of Remnant have very limited control over Vajra. In fact, that can only use the Vajra from their souls, in the form of 'Aura'. What little 'Mantra' they can form has become widely known throughout Remnant is called 'Semblance'.
The 'Vajra' of your soul will be classified separately as 'Aura', while the amount of Vajra you can hold that isn't from your soul will be separately categorized as 'Vajra'. Think of the Vajra bar (which is currently locked due to your inability to use Mantra, let alone your own aura) as an MP bar in a standard Rpg
You may be able to subconsciously develop Mantras (Ie. Danger sense, Observe, Weapon masteries, etc). Once you unlock your Aura, you'll be able to create your own Mantra which, until you unlock your ability to absorb and control the Vajra in the atmosphere, will be heavily restricted and limited to what you can do. After all, without assistance from the Vajra of the world, some Mantras are too powerful to handle with the Vajra of the human soul alone.
Well…. That is certainly intriguing.
In fact, this is downright interesting.
If I can unlock my Aura, that means I can create my own semblance.
…. Hell, I can create more than one semblance.
…
This was starting to become more like nen from Hunter X Hunter.
I wonder if some of the aura techniques they used can be applied to the world of RWBY?
Well, I guess all I can do is simply learn and practice.
"Look at our boy, he's so adorable looking all over the place!"
"I wonder what he's trying to find?"
You have created a new Mantra: Observe!
Your Mantra: Observe has leveled up to Level 2!
Hmm… It seems like staring at something long enough, with the desire to know what it was, did the trick.
Observe, painstakingly obvious in its name, allowed me to gain information about the object, or individual, I was looking at.
Which brought this to my attention.
Orchid Valentine
Age: 28
Title: Father of Magenta Valentine; Dancer of the Rotting Valley
Lv: ? (Observe level too low!)
Lily Nightingale
Age: 28
Title: Mother of Magenta Valentine; Vanguard of the Atlesian Fort
Lv: ? (Observe level too low!)
To be quite honest I understood that, as a baby, I didn't have much skills and experience in the first place to have access to every information around me.
But Jesus fucking Christ, those titles were intimidating.
…
I wonder what else I can do?