My eyes shot open as loads of information flooded my brain. The sensation was so foreign that it caused me to freeze up in confusion.

What’s going on!?

I closed my eyes, shutting out the view of the night sky. I lifted my back off the ground and sat on my butt as I tried to ignore the ringing in my head.

After a few seconds, I later realized that the thing that was overloading my senses was noise. Various sounds clumped together into an incomprehensible ring to the brain. The sounds weren’t loud, but at the same time, they weren't quiet either. I closed my ears with my hands as I waited for the noise to stop.

A few seconds passed, and the sounds quieted down and became more manageable. I didn't know if it was my brain adjusting to the sounds or whatever was making that noise finally stopped.

I removed my hands from my ears and opened my eyes again, to then be subject to the same thing again, but this time for my eyes. Millions of tiny objects of different shapes and sizes that were stacked together showed up in my sight. They were all somewhat colored the same, a dark brown color that you often saw when you went outside. Dirt, it was dirt. My eyes had zoomed in to the ground.

"Arg, this feels so weird," I said out loud. My voice was cracked like I hadn't used it for years.

I blinked multiple times to try and return my vision back to normal.

It took a few seconds, but I was finally able to get back my eyesight. The time it had taken for my sight to return was much shorter compared to my ears and that noise.

When I had gotten my senses back. I looked around to check my surroundings and see where I was.

I froze up immediately with fear, as my eyes became wide as saucers.

Blood.

Blood covered the ground and the walls of the houses around me. Empty clothes were strewn about like the people who'd been wearing them had simply melted away to form the puddles of red I saw. The place was also desolate and quiet, which only served to increase my fear.

No, no, no this can’t be real! This can’t be real. Where was I? where was this place? Was everyone here dead? Killed? Killed by what!?

I stood up and franticly looked around at the broken doors of the house and at the empty alleys. Fear that something must have been hiding craped into my mind. That something must have been watching me right now as I stood here alone. That it was waiting, waiting for me to turn my back so it could pounce.

Wasn't I going to be reincarnated or something? Wasn't I supposed to be a baby right now? And—shit, the blood is fresh! These people might have died not that long ago. I’m in danger right now! The thing that did this might return any second now.

I would have been hyperventilating, shaking, and hearing my heart beat like a drum in my chest at the moment by how terrified I was. But none of that happened. In fact, my body wasn’t moving at all. It was still as a statue.

I wasn’t breathing!

Realizing this, I immediately took a couple breaths, but it only resulted in a strong scent of iron coming back to me. The sickening scent of blood. The scent was strong. So strong that it caused me to close my nose and mouth with my hand. I took a step back as I looked around.

The people here were killed. Killed by something. Was it still here!? What had happened to their bodies!? And Why was my body acting like this!?

In a panic, I tried to leave the area but hadn’t expected the strength that my body would exude at that moment. My back foot, which I was pushing myself with, shot me forward so fast that my other leg wasn't able to keep up. That foot crashed into the ground, and I tripped and tumbled.

I rolled around a few times before I stopped, grime and dirt on my face. I used my hands to raise myself and get up to my feet again. But I couldn’t; I couldn’t get up as my right leg simply could not keep my balance. I looked down at my feet to find one of them injured. My toes were broken and bloodied, mangled in ways that would’ve made me throw up.

My eyes widened as I fell on my butt and panted. Though my body hadn’t had a need to breathe, I still forced it because it was my only way to calm down. I needed to take a slow, deep breath. I needed to put myself together. I needed to calm down!

My mind was in turmoil as I experienced my first panic attack.

[Stop! Stop throwing my emotions into disarray!]

A yell suddenly resounded, along with feelings of annoyance and anger going through me. I was surprised; I tried to look around to see who it was, but my body couldn’t move. It was frozen. It was as though my muscles weren’t listening to me, but to something else.

My frozen body then moved, getting up to its feet on its own.

I would have gasped in shock if I still had control of my mouth.

Something was controlling me!

“yak, I’m dirty. I should find a way to wash this off,” someone declared with my mouth.

[Y-You... W-who are you!? What are you doing in my body!? How are you doing this!?] I thought strongly as I tried to take back control.

[Your body? Haaa, you quite the jester, my little possessor. Not only did you muddy my beautiful temple that is my body by intruding on it, but you also have the gall to call it yours!? How ludicrous!] The voice yelled as they wrestled control away from me.

Their statement had caught me off guard, but not so that I stopped fighting.

What were they talking about? This was supposed to be my body, right?

[Tell me, what are you? How are… how are you able to have this much control over me!?] The voice asked, but I couldn’t reply because I was too focused on my doubts and trying to not lose ground on the body.

The fight for control in my body was like fighting in a contest of strength. A contest of who can push the other out and for how long because once you were in control, it was easier for the other person to kick you out.

My body twitched and spasmed like it was having a seizure as we fought one another for dominance.

I could also seem to be able to sense their other person’s emotions because the longer we fought, the more I could feel irritation and anxiety come from my hijacker.

[Are you a demon? A wraith? Or are you some kind of spirit? What is your goal?] The voice asked.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

We fell to the ground as we could no longer hold our balance.

[No, even if you were a high-ranked demon or spirit. Something like this should have been impossible. you shouldn't have been able to possess an undead regardless of how weak it was.] The voice said, speculating to itself.

[Wraith can't overpower a vampire like this… Are you… are you a necromancer!?] They asked again, but this time, I could feel a tinge of fear from them.

[Have you come to try and subdue an ancestor into your control? Because if you are, know that it will be the worst mistake you'll ever make!]

[N-No I…. I don’t…... I don’t even know what you’re talking about—I was just reincarnated, and I found you—I don't know what's going on here…] I mumbled, not really sure as to what to say.

Doubt, confusion, and fear clouded over me, and I didn't know what to do. The other person seemed to sense this because feelings such as fright and wariness that were coming from them decreased.

They took some time before they spoke again, but when they did, they were much calmer but still wary.

[Alright then, how about this? Stop trying to take control away from me, and we can…. Talk.]

Talk? I guessed it was the best way to resolve this because we really weren’t getting anywhere fighting like this.

I stopped struggling with them for the body and took a back seat. In control of the body, they stood to our feet. Checked our hands and feet and the rest of the body.

Our foot had already healed up and looked to be as good as new, besides the small blood stains on our toes.

The body was unhealthily pale, like it had never been out in the sun for years.

The other person focused on our skin and fingers for a few seconds before a feeling of confusion started to come from them. They closed our eyes before they shook our head. Opening our eyes again, they looked around before they folded our arms.

[Okay, who and what are you? Why are you in my body?] They asked sternly.

[I ahh….] Not having expected them to suddenly start talking to me, I stammered in my answer.

[Answer me! What is your objective?]

[I… like I said. I’m not sure what you’re talking about. My name is Leo, and I'm just someone who was supposed to be reincarnated—I don't know how I got in your body. The goddess may have made some sort of mistake somehow. I don't know what's going on. I am just as confused as you are….] I rambled.

Our face frowned, and more confusion and doubt came from the other person.

[What nonsense are you spouting? I asked who you are and the reason for trespassing in my body.]

[L-Like I said, I'm Leo, and I… umm… I… I was…... I was reincarnated here.]

[Reincarnated?]

[Umm… yeah, that. I was brought back to life after I had died.]

After I had said that, I felt the other person's mood plummet more than it already was.

[You think you're funny, huh?] They said with irritation. [Though I do not know how you’re doing this, believe me when I tell you. I know of ways to undo possession, and I certainly know how to torture the dolt of a spirit that tried. And if you’re maybe not a spirit, but a human who knows not what they are dealing with, I'll--]

[I’m serious. I’m telling you the truth so…... there is no need for threats, okay? I'm sure you can read my emotions, too, so it'll be easy for you to tell when I'm lying.] I said, proud of myself to have made a full sentence without stuttering.

They stopped in thought, probably verifying what I had just said.

[Very well then, I’ll humour you. Let’s say you were reincarnated, if such a thing is possible, and you managed to keep your memories, meaning you don’t have the mind of a toddler right now. Why and how did you reincarnate into the body of an undead? Undead are very destructive to living creatures, especially souls that just decide to reside in them as their new host. Tell me, how did you do it? How did you accomplish such a great feat? If you’re actually a soul, that is.]

Undead? Oh, I see, so that's why I was so pale. Did my soul just land in him, and now I was the extra? Or was there more to this? Because I didn’t think the goddess was a liar and that she had lied when she told me that she’d create a body for me. However, I was starting to doubt her honesty now when there was someone in my body with me. And why was I an undead? Couldn't she have chosen something else? Like an elf or something. Though she’d actually never clarified what she would turn me into. It was my fault for not asking, and I just assumed that I was going to be human.

Ohh well…. Anyway, I wondered what type of undead I was? I looked pretty pale and human, so I was probably something like a vampire or a ghoul, or a zombie, or a…… Hmmm, what other undead had those two traits?

[I wonder.] I said my thoughts out loud.

[……]

My roommate remained silent for several seconds before he sighed in exasperation with our body. Our legs moved, and we walked down the street. We were going somewhere, and I got the feeling that they didn't want to talk to me, which was fine since I wasn’t a fan of talking anyway.

They moved from what I would call the epicenter of the massacre. That place I woke up in had been a horror zone. We moved to a less blooded area and started to check the number on the front doors of the medieval houses.

I wondered what had caused this town to be so vacant. It was clear that people had died here in a gruesome way, and yet my friend here didn't seem too bothered by that. Did he know what happened, and that's why he was so calm? Because, at the moment, he was warier of me than the potential creature that might have done this. Or maybe he was the creature that had done this since he said he was an undead and all. If that was the case, however, that would mean that the goddess had lied and simply stuck my soul into a monster that massacres entire towns.

Hmm, it sounded fun, but I'd pass. I wasn't really keen on watching people die horribly. Maybe I should ask him if he was a monster or something?

I took my attention back to my roommate, who seemed to be looking at a different door.

What was he anyway?

[Umm... hey...] I said, trying to elicit a response.

[……] He completely ignored and just radiated emotions such as vexation and irritation at me.

Well, it looked like they weren't planning to talk to me anytime soon. Maybe I shouldn't have worried too much. I mean, the blood looks dried up, which means that this must have happened a long time ago. Maybe my roommate wasn't the monster, and I didn't actually have to stress about it.

We continued to cautiously check the doors till we found one that made our lips give a small smile. We turned away from the door and walked back to the middle of the street, where we looked around again.

What the heck is he looking for?

Our eyes then caught a building that was three floors high. We gave another smile before we ran in that direction. As we did so, I felt the world slow, and I saw it stretch. Powerful wind blasted our face, and I could feel the ground crack under us with each step. We arrived in front of the building that was about a few meters away in less than a second. But we didn't stop our momentum and jumped. The ground left us, and we scaled the entire building in a single jump. We crashed onto the roof and nearly fell through into the house, but we were able to catch ourselves on the sides before we completely fell into the hole.

We pulled ourselves up and out of the hole to stand atop the triangular roof. We continued to climb till we were at the very top of the building.

Holy shit, that! Was awesome! I thought excitedly. That was the first time I had ever experienced something like that. Was that how people who did parkour felt? I wanted to do it again! And why were we moving so fast? I've gone out of my house and touched grass a few times, and I know from running myself and from watching others run that. I can definitively say that moving that fast wasn’t normal.

[How did you do that? Are undead normally that fast and strong?]

[……]

He continued to ignore me as he scanned the surroundings from the high vantage point. Our eyes zoomed in again, and I could see much further than what I would normally have been able to do if I was human.

Huge walls encompassed the town we were in. Burnt-down and half-destroyed buildings showed up in a place not that far from here. Looking beyond the ruins, we saw small dots of light.

Light? Ohh, right, it was night-time right now. I hadn't noticed because of how clear everything was. I had automatically assumed that there were lights on the streets, though I should have questioned it, considering I did not see any shadow. Everything was well lighted up like light had been perfectly distributed everywhere, leaving no shadows.

So this was night vision, huh? It was pretty cool!

When our eyes zoomed in closer. People, wagons, and horses were going in droves out of a giant gate.

[People?] I asked.

"Tsk…" He clicked our tongue before turning away and heading to the hole we made on the roof.

Did I annoy him too much? No, the anxiousness and uncertainty I got from him showed that something else was bothering him.

We went through the hole and entered the house. We were in the attic. We looked around for a second before we suddenly drove our foot through the floor.

[Ehh, what are you doing!?]

He continued to ignore me as he drove our foot through the floor again and again till a hole big enough to fit us through was made.

At the end of it, our leg was broken and bloodied, and we could barely stand by how messed up it was. The wounds looked bad, but to my surprise, there was no pain. There was only a feeling of wrongness like something wasn’t right in our leg.

When we jumped through onto the first floor, the feeling of wrongness had already disappeared. It was an indication that our foot had already healed up.

That was freaky, and come to think of it. I haven't felt anything since I arrived in this world. Other than emotionally, I haven't felt anything physically. I was naked, moving around at night, and I hadn't felt cold, not even once. I broke my bones a few times, and I couldn't feel a shred of pain.

When I decided to inspect my body, I realized that everything felt numb to me. Unless I focused on what I wanted to feel, I simply could not feel it. My body wasn't creating those small movements that it often did when I was alive. It was like I was in an inanimate object that only responded to what you told it.

……………. Well, there was nothing I could do about it other than to get used to it. I seemed to have regeneration, so it would've been a pain to feel pain every time I got hurt. And there was no reason to distinguish temperature if it couldn't kill you, right? Right? Then again, fire might have been different since, in many lores, I've read, undead have always been weak to fire. Maybe I might be able to feel it.

Returning back to reality, I found that we were in a bedroom, and my roommate was searching through a drawer. I got tempted to ask what he was looking for but thought against it because I knew he wasn’t going to answer me.

He pulled out and tossed to the side a number of things like papers, tools, weirdly colored clothes, and a hand mirror.

A Mirror!

He picked up a rolled-up piece of paper and opened it. It was a map, a hand-drawn map that showed an island? No, it was one part of a continent.

[Hey, can you get that mirror and look at it for a second? I just want to check something.] I asked curious as to how I or, rather, we looked like.

[…..]

[Please?] I begged, but he showed no intention of accepting my request. When he turned around about to leave. I took control of the body, stopping him.

[You! What are you doing!?] He snarled.

[Ohh good, you can still talk, and there is no need to yell, by the way. I just want to check something with that mirror over there.]

He didn’t reply but continued to fight for control.

[Umm, pretty please? It'll only take a few seconds, I promise.] I said casually, as I barely held on against him. If I wasn't using everything I had, I doubted I could stop him from leaving.

[I see no reason to abide by your request or anything you have to ask for that matter. Leave! And stop bothering me!]

[Really? It’s not something that hard to do. You can do it yourself. You don't even have to give me control. It’s just looking in a mirror.]

I was exasperated now. This guy’s stubbornness knew no bounds.

[I refuse, now leave!]

Well, begging didn't work. What was I gonna do now?

I tried to think over my options while I kept my roommate in check. It seemed that asking him to be a decent person wasn’t going to work. That left me with one option, which was negotiating.

[You refuse? I think you're forgetting that I have equal control of this body, so if you don't want to listen, that's fine. You can do whatever you want but know that I can also do whatever I want. And right now, I want to look in the mirror, and we're not going anywhere until this happens.]

[You!]

And what happened next was a battle of who was going to get worn out first. My roommate’s stubbornness to not listen to me or my resilience to get what I want.