Volume One Chapter 01: The Established Prologue
oOo
Sitting on top of my own bed, with my own headphones on, I then continued to play the newly popular and trendy monster simulation game {Evolve & Adapt} upon my old PS Vita handheld gaming console.
The game {Evolve & Adapt} is a single-player role-playing-game, where the user first starts off as a bottom-tier canon fodder creature, but as the user continues to kill, eat, and consume other bottom-tier creatures. The user is able to likely evolve, possibly mutate to become a lot much stronger, or advance to the next evolutionary stage of that said creature's race, via the in-game evolutionary system. Kind of like the old {Spores} game.
Feeling kind of a bit thirsty, I then paused my gaming by going into the PS Vita home screen, whilst leaving the game still running into the background. ('Now I wonder what kind of soda can drink I should get from the fridge. Maybe some Pepsi or Mountain Dew for chance.') I thought so to myself, as I went downstairs to the kitchen room from my bedroom.
As I've just arrived downstairs, I then immediately noticed that the kitchen room light was already on, but I chose to somewhat ignore it, at the time, as I must have thought that one of my roommates must have properly forgotten to turn all the lights off before going out, as I'm still here. All alone by myself.
But, as I step foot into the kitchen room. There was suddenly a loud bang, which certainly sounded a lot like a gunshot being fired, as a sharp pain then immediately encroached over the area of my chest where the place that I got shot.
"Augh!" I then involuntarily let out a disgruntled scream, as I instinctively grabbed my chest, around the area where I've got shot, till no avail as blood is continuously flowing out like a steady running stream.
My own casual clothes are starting to be dyed red from the colour of my own blood, as I looked down upon my own blood-soaked hand. It was then that I suddenly realised something, ('I'm Bleeding! I'm Literally Bleeding! It's My Own Blood!') I thought.
It was then that I immediately turned my own attention away from my own blood-soaked hand, and then made eye contact with the unknown assailants who shot me.
"Why did you shoot the kid, Jak? And didn't I say that you should stop being so trigger-happy with your own gun, or else it would then keep interfering with our so-called 'Work'?" One of the robbers shouted, loudly reprimanding his own partner in crime.
The robber that is named Jak then looks somewhat down and apologetic, then said this. "Sorry, John. I didn't really mean to mess this all up. I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted." The robber that is named John responded, as he then immediately took the gun that shot me off of the robber Jak's hand.
He then said this to me, whilst pulling out the hand gun and then steadily pointing it at me. "I'm sorry, boy. Now that you have actually seen our faces. I can't possibly let you live. Now can't I? I can't possibly let you go or else you may go and call the police. So die for me, boy..."
I then stood extremely still within my own place, as I then looked at my bloodsoaked-hand and the handgun firearm that is steadily pointing at me. ('There is really no way for me to even escape out from this sort of situation, huh? And even if I did manage to luckily run away and then escape from the capture of the two robbers. I will eventually die from blood loss anyway, way before any sort of ambulance or emergency help arrives.') I thought.
Without even saying anything, I then immediately close my pair of eyes, whilst standing in front of the two so-called armed robbers. The one who is named Jak is slightly perturbed over this, as he then shouts. "Why are you still here and not running away? Do you have some sort of a death wish or something, kid?"
"Oh, interesting?" The one that is John said, as he lightly smiled.
He then thought of something to himself, ('What a brave and courageous kid, huh? I would gladly obliged if that is your so-called deathwish.')
The one that is named John then immediately took a few steps closer towards my current location, to get a better aim and the accuracy of the handgun, whilst pointing the end of the handgun at my own head directly.
A few seconds later, I then immediately heard the familiarised sounds of the handgun steadily being fired, as an instantaneous sharp pain then immediately passed through my head temple. And then immediately felt my own consciousness steadily slipping away from me, as my brain-dead body then accidentally tumbled over, whilst falling towards the ground with a loud thud.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Blood then continuously flows out from my two opened gun wounds, as a puddle of my own blood then started to form around me. My own corpse is still warm, as it only has been a mere couple of seconds since I've first been murdered.
Is it truly a murder if I was the one that actually allowed for it to happen? Though, I'm not the one that actually pulled the trigger upon the gun, and it just sort of happened by chance. Involuntary Suicide, or perhaps accidental manslaughter to be completely accurate within this case.
• • •
An unknown amount of time has actually passed, and I was suddenly woken up to the loud sounds of actually running water happening all around me. ('It felt like some sort of dream, and I finally just recently woke up. Did I did truly die by that gunshot from the robber's handgun, or am I now still alive but somehow survived the gunshot and am now stuck inside the emergency ICU ward, or perhaps all of that is just a dream.') I thought so towards myself.
It was then that I've suddenly heard the sounds of a gentlemanly middle-aged man's voice steadily ringing withinside my own head. {"Oh, great! You are finally up, unlike the many dead souls that have actually passed through the River of Styx (Afterlife) along the path towards reincarnation. You are amongst the rare few that actually manage to stay calm and not outright panic, all of a sudden, after realising that they actually died."}
I then immediately rebuked the kind gentlemanly voice and then spoke my own personal opinion. ('Well, truth to be honest. I am actually scared and am afraid of dying, but I just simply don't show it. I am just simply not a very expressive type of a person.')
The kind gentlemanly voice then responded, {"I know your type of people the most, they are called introverts and are the most easiest group of people to handle the most via the process of reincarnating them."}
I was certainly very much at a loss for words over what I'd just heard, as I then asked the mysterious kind gentlemanly voice a question. ('Are you by chance, God?')
It didn't take long for the kindred entity with a kind gentlemanly voice to then answer my questions and enquiries. {"And no, I am not God, but rather a deity in question that steadily possesses the quality and the divinity of an actual god. I am kind of like an Angel, a servant of God, but I don't actually serve anyone. But, my one and only purpose in life, the reason that I was created, is to guide dead souls like you that have been chosen to be reincarnated by the Universe's Will to their next life."}
('Oh, that is very interesting.') I thought, and then a sudden question then immediately popped up withinside my own head. So I then immediately decided to asked the question straight away, without holding anything back. ('Will I by chance get to keep my own memories from my previous life when I'm being reincarnated, Deity of Reincarnation?')
{"Well, usually yes. As having an individual like you, who have access to such advanced knowledge, skills, and thinking capabilities due to your advanced scientific civilisation. It would then steadily affect the possible development and the balance of power of the other world that you could possibly reincarnate into. Just like those typical OP isekai type protagonist stories withinside your own world, as they tend to happened occasionally when a cataclysmic disaster-level Demon Lord, a Dark God, or Primordial Evil then shops, etc..."} The Deity of Reincarnation then responds by giving me a long and lengthy lecture about the subject in question.
('I see.') I responded nonchalantly, not really expecting for much to even happened, but the next few words spoken out by the Deity of Reincarnation then completely surprised me.
The Deity of Reincarnation then said this, {'With the world that you are going to be reincarnated into, with or without your knowledge and the memories from your previous life. It would hardly make a difference, as you would hardly have the chance to even use something that is common knowledge in your old world, within this new world. If you don't actually survive that long to even used it even."}
{"It's a Grimdark magical fantasy world, with plenty of swords and magic, magical beasts, otherworldly monsters, spirits, fairies, undead, demons, etc. Every sort of Grimdark monster, demi-human races, or eldritch outer dimensional space creature that you could possibly think of, exists. And only around 30% of the world's entire population is actually human. Comparing that world to Earth, it's like comparing the moon to Earth. It pales in complete comparison. So you getting the chance to keep your own memories, won't make a difference, but it would definitely increases your chance if survival within the long run."} The Deity of Reincarnation said so cheerily, whilst slightly looking down upon me as an inferior creature, but doesn't openly state it as it is quite demeaning in a way.
('Huh?') I was then left momentarily speechless due to the Deity of Reincarnation's sudden change of demeanour, and the fact that I'm possibly reincarnating into a world of swords and magic, like I've always dreamt about since I was a lot younger.
In my early to mid-teen years, when I was so into reading so much manga, manhua/manhwa that it almost became more like an addiction than an actual hobby that I like to do within my free time.
Before I could even get a chance to voice out my own personal opinion, the Deity of Reincarnation then suddenly abruptly ended the conversation by saying this. {"I guess the time for communication between us mortal and deity is now over, and I must send your own mortal dead soul over towards the other world. So be mentally prepared."}
{"And also, just to let you know, the whole world acts quite similar to your world's version of a tabletop Dungeon & Dragons RPG game, with the whole Status, Skills, Ability concept, etc. Alongside the Evolutionary Monster Governing System which will be guiding and aiding you, withinside your next life, as your starting race has already been decided for you by your previous life strand of Karma/Fate."} The Deity of Reincarnation said this, as my own consciousness then immediately went into deep sleep when he/she had actually picked my own soul up, and then steadily prepared it for reincarnation. So when I then finally opened my eyes up, I would have already been withinside my new body already.