I'm sorry for writing this trashy System fic. I was bored.
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Chapter 1: The Beginning
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Part 1
Nothingness...
How long has it been since I started floating in this black void? Has it been days? Has it been weeks? Has it been months? I honestly don't know the answer to that question.
My memories became jumbled after I died.
Whoops, dropped a bombshell right off the bat. Sorry.
But anyway, that's right. I died. My life bar was snuffed out. I don't remember how it happened, though. Just like I don't remember my name. It was probably something lame, as I don't even remember it.
But I do, however, remember that I was a man before I died.
Nice.
Call me sexist, but being a dude is better than being a chick. I'm physically stronger and less likely to be harassed. Those pluses on my book.
Another thing that I remembered was that I was good at shooting things with a gun. Was I cop in my previous life? Maybe. I don't remember.
Curse my fragmented memories.
Anyways, life—or rather the afterlife—in this black void is rather boring. I have no one to talk to. There's nothing to look at. I don't have any music to listen to. It's like God is playing tricks on me.
I would honestly take being stuck in hell rather than this boring place. No, scratch that; hell is probably much worse.
...
...
...
Crap, I'm having an existential crisis again. This happens from time to time. Being stuck in a place like this can break people. If I could sigh, I would probably be sighing right now. What a pain.
Please, God—if You exist—release me from this prison.
...
...
...
Yes, I should have expected as much. As always, my prayers were left unanswered.
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Part 2
Some time later... Like much later...
It felt weird for some reason. Like the black void surrounding me was beginning to change. Not only that, I suddenly felt warmth, something that I haven't experienced for a very long time now. What was happening? I wondered to myself.
"...h!"
Wait? Did I just hear something? I heard a voice calling out to me. No, maybe it's just my imagination.
"...sh!"
No... I won't believe it! I'm just desperate! Yeah, that's it! I'm desperate!
"...ush!"
There it is again! I'm not going crazy right?! I'm not hearing things right?! Tell me I'm not crazy!
"Push...!"
Huh? Push what?
Before I could understand what I just heard, I was suddenly blinded by a bright light. My eyes felt like they were being burned off..
"You did wonderful dear. You delivered our son without any complications."
Oh... So "That" is what was happening.
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Part 3
A Couple Of Days Later...
My current name is Matthew Schicksal. Yes, you heard that right, I mentioned the word "current". It's weird for me to say it like that, right?
Well that's to be expected.
Because it would seem that I was reincarnated. I guess that Buddhism was right on the whole reincarnation thing.
I'm so glad that I didn't reincarnate to a cockroach or something similar to it. I guess my karma was high enough for me to become a human again.
I'm glad that I got this second chance. I honestly couldn't take it anymore, being stuck in thay black void and all.
However, there was still a problem in my current predicament. It's not as bad as before, but it was still bad nonetheless.
I'm...
I'm... I'm a newborn baby once again!
...
...
...
What? You think I'm being overly dramatic? Tch!
My answer to that is, you don't know my pain. You don't know my suffering!
Being a newborn baby has many disadvantages. I'm not gonna list them all, but I'll give some examples.
Firstly, I couldn't move my body as much because my muscles were too weak. I also had no control of my bowel movements, which resulted in me constantly crapping and pissing myself. Finally, I couldn't speak because I didn't want anyone thinking that I was the spawn of the devil. Do you know how hard it is to yell "Sh*t!" when you just crapped your diapers?
Ugh...
I hate this. I'm forced to fake my tears just for my parents to feed me when I'm hungry. I'm forced to cry at night for them to change my diapers. God bless my new parents for dealing with my crap.
Oh yeah!
Speaking of my new parents, my mother's name, from what I heard, seems to be Freyja. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes. She's got that Nordic going for her.
Then, for my father, it was Dirk. Yep, like the dagger or that tall blonde German basketball player. Unlike that blonde German basketball player, he had brown hair and was small. Smaller than even mother.
Now, as for their occupations, my mother is just a regular stay-at-home mom. There's nothing wrong with being a NEET in my opinion. I'm not judging her. She's also sick from what I could tell. That's amother reason why she stays at home.
My father's occupation on the other hand was far more exciting. From what I've heard, he used to be part of the military. But now he was the village doctor.
But enough talk about my father being a healer. Let's talk about something more interesting, and that is the military force that he works for, the Imperial Army of Erebonia. Yep, right with my assumptions. With that name– Erebonia–I know for a fact that I was definitely Isekai'd.
One of the few things that I remember in my previous life was geography. Erebonia is not a part of Earth's geography from what I can remember.
Strangely though, I have this weird feeling that I've heard of that name before. It's on the back of my head, I just can't put my finger on it. I feel like it's mocking me... I'm annoyed now...
...
...
...
Meh...
I'll figure it out on a later date. For now, I want to sleep. Being a newborn is exhausting.
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Part 4
One Year Later...
A year has passed since I was reincarnated into world. I now was able to walk on my own two legs, albeit it was still a struggle as my muscles were still a bit too weak and not fully developed yet.
Still though, with the ability to walk again, I decided to gather information about this country that I now reside.
And how will I do that you might ask? Simple, books! I have many books that I can read because my house actually has a small library. This was due to my father being a huge bookworm.
"Alright then."
The book that I decided read was about the history of Erebonia and how it was founded. It's a great starting point for me to learn more about this world.
"Let's see... Dark Ages? War of the Lions?"
I read the book for about an hour or so. I was intrigued by its content at first. But that intrigue soon turn to utter shock as I read a certain familiar surname, Reise Arnor... Reise Arnor...
...
I felt nauseous and happy at the same time as my memories, that I thought that I lost, began to flood my mind. It was like my head being filled with water, then suddenly it stopped...
My mind then became clear. It makes sense now. So that's how it is... Haha... This must be some sick joke...
"I'm in Trails series. That's why Erebonia sounded familiar to me."
The Trails series–for those who don't know–is a JRPG series is my previous world that was created by Nihon Falcom. They are some of my favorite games of all time. However, with the recent revelations, can I even call I even call them "games" at this point. I am living in Erebonian soil right now...
Hmm...
Why am I in this world then? Do I a purpose here? Did Adios bring me here to save the world?
Eh... Probably not. I'm no one special after. I'll just live my life as a simple Trails NPC. Heck, I might even meet some Trails characters when they visit this town. Or better yet, maybe I'll become a reoccurring NPC like Anton.
That's right, it's better not do anything. I really don't want ruin the story. I might make it worse if I try to change events.
"Yep, it's better to be just a simple NPC in this world."
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Part 5
Four Years Later...
Life here in Erebonia has been peaceful for the past four years. But I knew that peace wouldn't last long. That was because during that time, I found out that I lived in place that is vital to the story of Trails, Hamel Village.
Yes, that Hamel Village. The same Hamel Village where the aptly named Tragety of Hamel will occur.
How did I find out, you might ask?
Well, I met Leonhardt and Karin, two characters who are pivotal to the story of the Sky Trilogy, while my mother was taking me out for a stroll two years ago. The two of them greeted my mother, and Karin even lightly pinched my cheek as she called me cute. Karin made me blush because of how beautiful she was. I could see why Leonhardt loved her. She had this motherly vibe going for her.
But let's ignore that for a moment and focus on the hole I found myself in.
I really didn't want to play a big role in this story. I wanted to avoid it entirely because I did not want to f*ck with the story. I even made sure that my interactions with Leonhardt and his family were close to zero whenever I went out of the house, just so the story remained the same...
But, with my life and my parents on the line, I needed to make some moves.
But how can I though? I'm simple human without any superhuman abilities. Heck, I'm not even smart. How can I stop the upcoming tradegy if I was powerless to do so?
Simple, I don't. I'll be coward instead and run away with my parents. So with that, I decided to plant subliminal thoughts about moving to the capital.
"Mom, dad, what's the capital like?" were some of the questions that I asked them. I even told my parents, "I would like to visit the capital one day."
Regrettably, none of my coaxing worked.
"Maybe in the future, dear. We just don't have the money for it right now." That's what mom and dad would always say to me as their reply.
They probably thought that all of the things I said were just my childish whims, the selfish desires of a kid who knew nothing of the world.
Damn it, time is running out. I have no choice now. I made up my mind and decided to come clean to my parents. I don't care if they think that I'm crazy. All I care about is our safety. Nothing else matters to me.
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Part 6
Later That Night...
It was dinner time at the Schicksal household. My parents and I were all seated at the family table, discussing how our days went.
"So dear, how many patients visited you today?" My mother asked my father, sporting her warm smile.
"Only one," Father replied, as he ate the steak. "That Joshua kid scraped his knees while he was playing. Nothing bad though; I just put some disinfectant and covered it with a bandage."
This is how our evenings usually unfold. A peaceful dinner with the family. Nothing could be better than this.
Regrettably, I had sour the mood.
"Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you guys," I said, determined to keep them safe.
"What is it, son? Did something happen?" My father asked worriedly. He probably noticed the determined look that I had.
"What if I told you guys that reincarnation is real?" I asked.
"Huh?" My father said with a confused look.
"What do you mean, Matthew?" my mother asked in a strangely calm manner, staring at me with her red eyes.
"Where do I start?"
I began telling them about how I remember bits of my past. I then followed that up by telling them about the upcoming tragedy that was about to occur. This was my last-ditch effort for a peaceful life, and I hope my parents would believe me.
There was silence at the dinner table. Neither of my parents said a word for what felt like hours.
Then, after the long silence, my father finally began to speak. "I see..." He smiled. "I always knew that there was something special about you, Matthew. You're far too smart for a kid of your age."
He gave me a reassuring smile before he began patting my head. "You have a good head on your shoulders, my son. But we can't leave this place," he said.
"Why?! We'll die if we stay here!" I said in a panicked voice.
My father smiles once more. "Who says that we're going to die? Nobody in this village is gonna die on my watch." He then gives me a thumbs up. "I have a friend in the army, Matthew. I'll contact him so that the tragedy you told me about won't happen."
"But the events of the future would change if you called for help!" I argued. "It might evem make things worst!"
"Matthew." He puts a hand on my shoulder. "You being in this world means that the world has already changed."
I paused.
Me being here means that the world has already changed? No... that's not true, isn't it?
"Matthew, you can prevent a lot of deaths with what you know. Think of the many lives that you can change for the better with your knowledge of the future. Your plan of not doing anything is just selfishness, son." My father stated.
Am I being selfish? The lives of Joshua, Ash, and Leonhardt were ruined because of the Hamel Tragedy. Karin died along with many others because of the Hamel Tragedy. The Hamel Tragedy was also the catalyst for the Hundred Year War, another incident that caused many deaths, including that of Lena Bright... And I planned to do nothing about it... Does that make me selfish?
...
Yeah... It does. Damn it, dad is right. I was being selfish. I only cared about myself... Now I feel like an asshole.
I let out a tired sigh and then said, "You're right, Dad... Let's call for help."
I don't want to see anyone suffering. If my knowledge can prevent that, then so be it. I'll deal with the repercussions in the future.
My father looks at me and gives me a proud smile. "That's good, Matthew." He then stands up from his seat. "I'll head to Parm this night. Probably by tomorrow morning we will have-"
*Slice!*
"Huh?" Blood begins to pour out of my father's mouth. He is in a state of shock. How could he not be when his wife just carved through his chest with a sword. "Why...?" He asked staring at my mother.
*Slice!*
My father's head was severed from his body with one swift motion. It spun in the air before landing on the wooden floor at the same time as his headless body.
"What just...?" I muttered as I fell out of my chair. I then turned to my mother, who was holding a bloodied sword. My body began to shake in fear and confusion. Why? Why did she do that?
"Why, mom...?" I questioned.
"Hehe... I'm sorry to tell you this, Matthew, but I'm not your mother." She replies while sporting an evil grin.
Huh? What was she saying? She's not making any sense.
"What do you mean by that? How are you not my mother?" I questioned her.
"Foolish, foolish boy. Your mother died a week ago. I killed her, remember? Or did you forget that already?" The woman mockingly asked. "No... Scratch that. Of course you forgot!"
"She died? No that's impossible! Stop lying, mom!" I denied her claims.
"Oh, Matthew... Poor, poor Matthew. I'm not lying. Just look into your memories and you'll find out truth?"
I did what she said. I didn't want to believe her at first, but suddenly I recalled a memory. Something that was on the back of my head, hidden, as if someone had put it there. It was the image of my true mother lying on the floor, with this woman and another individual standing over her lifeless body. The other individual then approached me and did something to mind.
"What are these memories?! What did you do to me?!" I angrily shouted.
"Oh, I wasn't the one responsible for your memories being messed-up," the woman teased.
Memories... Messed-up memories... This is the world of the Trails series... Think... Think...
It took me a couple of seconds before I realized what happened. That's it! Memory manipulation! And the only person that I know that has that ability and is related to the Hamel tragedy was, "Weissmann..." I said in disdain.
Georg Weissmann, the Third Anguis of Ouroboros. The main antagonist of the Sky trilogy. A man with the ability to manipulate memories.
"Oh? You even know about my master. That knowledge you possess could prove to be useful to our cause." The woman who pretended to be my mother mused.
This bastard. I glared at the woman angrily and asked, "Why?"
"Hmm?" She smiled sinistrally.
"Why is my family targeted?" I asked, seeking answers. "Why did you pretend to be my mother?"
She giggled like a maniac, and it made me uncomfortable.
"As your father said earlier, he has friends in the military. Master knew about his connections, which is why he ordered me to infiltrate your household." The woman who pretended to be my mother explained.
"Why didn't you kill him earlier?" I asked the woman.
The woman grinned playfully before she started to explain her reasoning. "The time was not right yet. We are still gathering Liberlian weapons for our jeagers to play with. Plus, if your father suddenly goes missing, we'll have his friends in the army breathing down our necks, and we can't have that happening."
So they have had the Jaegers ready and waiting for over a week now. Plus, she killed dad without any hesitation... This can only mean one thing then.
"It's happening tommorow isn't it?!"
The woman claps her hands. "Bingo! I'm so proud of you, Matthew! You're so smart, my son!" She mockingly says.
This bastard. How dare she call me her son.
"Don't screw with me!" I stood up and charged at her in blind rage.
"Now that's not nice!" The woman mused as she teleported behind me and then delivered a kick to my torso.
*Bam!*
"Ack!"
"A child should not raise his hands against his mother. I didn't raise you to be like this! It must be your father's bad influence!" She mockingly says, taunting me.
"I... I can't move my... body..." I muttered, clutching my stomach. It hurts. It hurt so much.
"I delivered a kick to your liver, that should keep you down for a while." She stated.
Damn it all. If only I had revealed my past to my parents a year earlier, I could have prevented all of this. I could have prevented them from dying.
If only I had power.
[So you seek power?]
Yes, I want power.
[Do you want to make the world a better place?]
Yes, I wont let anybody else to die because of my complacency.
[Very well, the pact has been sealed.]
[Installing: Heavenly Restriction]
[3%]
[9%]
[17%]
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Part 7
Sylvia Fortner felt something was off. Even though she had knocked down the boy and killed his father, she still felt uneasy. Her instincts were telling her to run away, to leave this place entirely. Just being in this room was a death sentence.
Regrettably, she ignored her insticts.
Sylvia Fortner wanted to be praised by her master, Georg Weissmann. So, to do that, she decided to give him a present. Matthew Schicksal was that present. The boy knew things he shouldn't know. Things about the future. Things about reincarnation. He was a treasure trove of knowledge. With him, maybe even the Grandmaster would take notice of her. She could become her master's equal. Ah~ She felt joy at the thought of it.
"Alright, boy, I'm taking you to master Weissmann." She mused, approaching Matthew.
However, as she was about to grab the Matthew's body with her hand, she wasn't able to. Because instead of a hand for grabbing, all she saw was a bleeding stump on it's place.
It took her a couple of seconds for it to finally register.
"Ahhh! My hand!" She screamed in pain. "What happened to my hand?!"
What just happened, she thought.
"Looking for this?" Sylvia turned her head in the direction of the voice. And she was shocked to see a now standing Matthew holding her sword on one hand and severed hand on another.
Anger began to take hold of Sylvia. Her pride wouldn't allow for such humiliation. This brat! How was he able to steal her sword without her noticing?! How was he able to sever her arm with a blink of an eye?!
"You little sh*t! I'll make you pay for what you did to me! I'll-"
"You talk too much." Matthew didn't allow Sylvia to finish her sentence.
*Slice!*
Sylvia's body was cleanly split in half by her own sword. Her last thoughts before dying were of her master that she obsessively wanted to impress.
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Part 8
I, Matthew Schicksal, killed someone. I severed her hand and then split her in half with her own weapon.
It's strange. I should feel some sort of emotion right now, but I wasn't. Was this because of the Heavenly Restriction that was installed in me? Or was it something else? Who even gave me this new power?
"Damn it... If only I hadn't been so selfish." I muttered, looking at my father's corpse.
No, now's not the time for mourning. I still need to prevent the tragedy from happening. The woman said it was suppose to take place in a couple of days. I need to hunt and kill those jaegers before then.
"But how do I do that." I wondered.
Damn it, I should have asked that woman questions before I killed her. That was a stupid move on my part.
[I would suggest that you head west. You will find the jeagers that you are looking for in that general vicinity.]
That voice... It's the same one that gave me the Heavenly Restriction thing.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" I called out to the voice.
[I would be for the best if you were to calm yourself. I am what you may call the System. I am program that is installed to your soul.]
The System? Installed to my soul? I feel like I've heard of that term System before. Man, if only my memories of my previous life weren't so jumbled up, I would probably know what the System is.
Whatever, I already know where the jaegers are. I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to. It hurts just looking at my father's dead body.
[Are you ready to hunt the jeagers?]
"Yes, I am." I answered.
[Affirmative. Jeager Hunt 1 is now active]
Jeager Hunt 1
Objectives:
Eliminate the jeagers in the west of Hamel Village.
Rewards:
500 Glory, access to Status Menu, access to Inventory, and access to the Glory Shop.
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To be continued...