Author Notes: Pls pls pls read this with 'another him' from deltarune in the background, it fits this whole thing so much!
"Ahh~ the human soul truly is an unprecedented mystery, isn't it?"
"No matter how much a person tries to alter their physical appearance, the shape of the soul remains intact. Almost as if, once it's created, it becomes permanently immovable in its essence."
"Because the soul's shape isn't defined by what you show on the outside, but by what changes within you."
"Why is it that good people sometimes fall to the dark side, or despicable people for one reason or another turn benevolent to those around them?"
"Could it be some strange phenomenon? Or is it because the ever-capricious and inevitable fate decides that's the path they must take?"
"Both conjectures, though valid, lack an answer solid enough to be deemed definitive."
"However, I've arrived at my own much more satisfying conclusion. One that dictates that while a person's appearance can change depending on various external and unrelated factors, the soul is the complete opposite."
"It takes shape based on what lies within a person."
"It sounds cliché, but bear with me here."
"While things like physical appearance are connected to a person's demeanor, they don't necessarily define their nature."
"A burly, musclebound man isn't necessarily brave and kind-hearted, just as a skinny, sinister-looking fellow isn't necessarily a coward or a villain."
"Because at the end of the day, appearances are just a mask you wear so others see what you want them to see."
"Think of it like a movie. Actors always try to give their best performance when portraying their characters, but their soul won't mold itself to the script they're meant to follow."
"Do you know why?"
"Because the soul takes shape based on experience."
"Well, it seems I've finally gotten to the point I wanted to make. Ahem — to explain it in a clearer way, we'll have to stick to a somewhat more familiar example."
"Imagine there are two children, with no connection whatsoever, who live out an identical routine. They eat at the same time, study at the same time, and sleep at the same time. Pretty simple, right? Well, brace yourself, because here's where it gets interesting."
"One day, during their usual morning stroll, both kids come across a wallet. The first child sees it and thinks: 'Whoa! A wallet! I should find the owner and return it.'"
"Now, logically, you'd expect the other kid to act with the same benevolence as the first."
"But instead, the second child thinks: 'Whoa! A wallet on the ground! I don't think anything bad would happen if I took it with me…'"
"Why did this happen? Why, despite two individuals seemingly living the exact same life on paper, did they react so differently to the same situation?"
"The answer to this mystery — and to the whole enigma in general — lies in something nearly as vital to a human being as their essential organs: their memories."
"Memories, experiences, fears, joys… those are the things that give shape to a person's soul. Both kids may have lived a similar life, but at the end of the day, it's the memories and experiences they've collected that shape their worldview."
"Flesh withers, but the soul remains. You can change the ship, but not the captain."
"I already explained it a while ago, but while the body can be easily modified externally, the soul isn't so simple to alter. It takes extremely special and specific circumstances to change a person from the inside out without affecting their exterior."
"...But what if there was a way to change that?"
"So far, I've done nothing but talk about the limitations of such a task, so it's time to test a little experiment to prove the contrary."
"If the soul takes shape based on a person's memories… what would happen if we got rid of everything that makes a person who they are?"
"A body and soul devoid of any kind of memory… something like an empty glass jar."
"You don't need to worry about what to fill the jar with, because being empty means it can hold anything. What you should be asking is what kind of result would come from filling the jar with something completely different from what it once held."
"Could you still consider it the same jar you once knew? Or would it become an entirely different object, separated from its previous iteration?"
"...Or could it stop being a jar altogether, and become something completely new?"
"There are so many questions and so few answers, even I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the implications an experiment of this caliber might bring."
"Would a person remain the same if their soul changed? Could they still act the same, even when the change was internal rather than external?"
"Body and soul, appearance and identity…"
"Transformation and alteration, destruction and reconstruction…"
"All those concepts are nothing but tiny gears turning the life of the one who bears them."
"That's why it excites me to observe you."
"Your soul and body have been purged of any trace of identity they might've once had."
"From now on, it will be the world and your experiences that shape the new form your soul will take, and the appearance that will reflect on your skin."
"You'll have a mind to think, a body to feel, and a soul to exist. All of them reset, dismantled, remade, and reconstructed from scratch to create something new — something unique that's never been seen before."
"As you might understand, once this conversation ends, it'll be as though it never existed in the first place."
"I regret that it has to be this way, as I'd very much like to see how my presence would influence you… but for the sake of a successful experiment, even I must consider myself an external agent that must be purged from your essence."
"I believe with that, everything's ready."
"A new world awaits you, my friend. One where you'll have to adapt, fight, and strive to achieve whatever it is you'll seek from now on."
"Before we finish, is there anything you'd like to ask me?"
…
…
…
"...Who… who are you?"
"Ah, naturally, I expected you'd ask that. You see, due to circumstances beyond my control, it's impossible for me to reveal my identity."
"But if what you want is to associate me with a name, then… 'Observer' should suffice."
"And with that said, it's time to begin a new story."
"I wonder… what kind of experiences will you have? What kind of people will you meet?"
"I truly hope your new existence turns out to be a pleasant one."
"For this world that brought us all here, and for this world that will one day take it all away."
"Good luck."
Author notes: I really hope you all enjoyed this! Recently got hooked into ZZZ so i wanted to get this out of my head! i'll probably continue this with another chapter but for now this prologue should suffice. Anyways, see you later guys.
Bye Bye!