Welcome, Koda
This message floated into my mind as I wrestled with wakefulness. It was branded in my mind's eye in bright, fiery letters.
I could feel myself trying to wake up, but something was keeping me in this half asleep state.
[[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]]
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE GAINED A TITLE.
RETURNED SOUL.
CONGRATULATIONS, DUE TO YOUR NATURE AS A RETURNED SOUL, YOU MAY CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THE DOMAIN OF DEATH.
YES OR NO?
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE GAINED A TITLE.
REALM WALKER.
CONGRATULATIONS, DUE TO YOUR NATURE AS A REALM WALKER, YOU MAY CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THE DOMAIN OF DIMENSION.
YES OR NO?
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE GAINED A TITLE.
TAINTED BY CHAOS.
CONGRATULATIONS, DUE TO YOUR NATURE AS TAINTED BY CHAOS, YOU MAY CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THE DOMAIN OF DELIRIUM.
YES OR NO?
CONGRATULATIONS, DUE TO YOUR NATURE AS A RETURNED SOUL, YOU MAY CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THE DOMAIN OF LIFE.
YES OR NO?
CONGRATULATIONS, DUE TO YOUR NATURE AS A REALM WALKER, YOU MAY CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THE DOMAIN OF TRAVEL.
YES OR NO?
CONGRATULATIONS, DUE TO YOUR NATURE AS TAINTED BY CHAOS, YOU MAY CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THE DOMAIN OF CORRUPTION.
YES OR NO?
Nothing was making sense. Domains? Titles? I almost remember dying, the truck and the ice that caused the crash.
Since nothing seemed to be happening, I looked over the list of options and chose one at random
CHOOSE THE DOMAIN OF DIMENSION?
YES OR NO
YES.
SELECTION CONFIRMED.
DIMENSION DOMAIN INFUSES YOUR AKASHIA, YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED A MANA POOL.
A feeling of strength infused my body, and I almost woke up then. Yet that force still kept me under, waiting for more.
I decided to try and dismiss the other options, wondering if this was some kind of Near-Death Experience or my mind trying to understand its dying state.
The other five options faded, but I could still feel the questions they posed, waiting in my mind. Wakefulness washed over me.
It was hot, and it was bright. I was lying face up on some soft substance staring up into an endless blue sky.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
I lay there for a while, not moving, just feeling the surface hold me up. To be honest, I was waiting for pain to just wash over me.
I wondered why it was so hot and dry. It felt like the middle of summer, not the middle of January. Then, I actually paid attention to the feeling of the ground.
Sand.
Not tarmac nor patchy, icy dead grass. Just soft, fine particles of sand.
I grabbed a small handful and watched it sift between my fingers.
Yellow-red granules and very fine.
I sat up and looked around. Sand dunes towered above me, some wind I couldn't feel blowing the tops of the dunes.
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED A TERRIBLE HEAT.
YOU GAIN THE SKILL HEAT RESISTANCE.
The words once again blazed in my mind, which startled me enough that I flopped back into the sand.
Skills? Systems? Domains?
More and more questions, no answers forthcoming.
I sat there. I don't know for how long, but I sat there waiting. My mouth began to dry out and my winter clothes filled with sweat.
Finally my mind started to work.
I… died. The crash and the truck could not have missed me at all. Plus I didn't wake up in a hospital in horrible pain either.
Nope, still a sandy desert.
I looked up at the sun overhead, then looked away.
Fucking Hell, it’s bright.
I slowly got up, stumbling in the soft sand. There was nothing but dunes for miles in every direction. The sun was almost directly above me so trying to figure out North was going to be a problem.
The wind whipped against me suddenly, and I turned just in time to get blasted by sand, a sandstorm. Perfect.
I ducked my head, trying to keep my face from being inundated with the fine grit.
Then the flaming words again!
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED AN ABRASIVE ATTACK.
YOU GAIN THE SKILL ABRASION RESISTANCE.
I don't remember falling over. I do remember having to dig myself out of the dune. Luckily, the storm passed by the time I was free.
What the absolute fuck was going on?
QUERY ACCEPTED.
YOU HAVE BEEN INITIALIZED INTO THE SYSTEM. YOU WILL GROW STRONGER AS YOU EXPERIENCE THE WORLD AND OVERCOME TRIALS. YOU CAN ACCESS YOUR GROWTH BY USING THE COMMAND
[[STATUS]]
I was in disbelief as the System message faded. Somehow, I was in a game? Or a world with a game system.
I lay on my back, looking up at the sky and I tried to use the command.
[[STATUS]]
…?
Koda's First Status [https://i.imgur.com/uHzeczA.png]
Koda Mays
Corporea
Domain: None
Body
??
Hamr
None
Form
Strength: ?
Constitution: ?
Function
Dexterity: ?
Alacrity: ?
Akashia
Domain: Dimension
Mind
63
Hugn
10/10
Conscious
Intelligence: 50
Wit: 55
Unconscious
Instinct: 70
Empathy: 80
Anima
Domain: None
Soul
??
Sjel
None
Persona
Charisma: 55
Tenacity: 65
Karma
Wisdom: 45
Memory: 45
Gestalt
???
Titles
Returned Soul
Realm Walker
Tainted by CHAOS
Luck
---------
[[UNKNOWN ERROR]]
Achievements
None
Skills
Heat resistance
Abrasion resistance
E̸̤̭̓͛ ̷̨̧̻͔̈́͋̀͋̍͗͠L̷̺͛͐͝͠ ̷̢͎̪̯̪̔̍͋̈D̷̺́̈̑͗̃̚ ̴͖̜̂̓̈́̊R̶̡̻͙̣̰̤͂ ̸̫̬̼̹͗̉̐Ǐ̷̼̫͖̜̲̈̌̒̚̕ ̵̢̛̦̔̑̐͒̇́T̷̗̦͇͖̮̀̀̕͝ͅ ̵̨͎̙̱̲̲̮̋͛̏̀̉C̸̡̖̩̜̀͗͌͘͠ ̸̬͓̻̉̉H̴̡̺̘͆͘ ̴̦̯̝̠̻̑́͊͘͜Å̸͍̈́͒̀̎ ̷̪̜̆͐̅̅͝͠Ș̵̪̤̈́̋̂̔ ̶̨̮̙̫͉̋̈́̅͂̎͜͝S̶̠͓͖͇͆͘͝ ̵̨̛͔͍̓̆̓̏͛͂I̴͇̯͗͌͋͆̉̕ ̴̗̈́̏͗̀̾̆͘S̸̟̟̰̲̔̔͌̌̈̎̒ ̸̢̘̭̤̯̱̮͠S̵̯̮͎̍̽͐̄͝ ̷̟͉́̚͠͝T̸̲̯͚̄͐͝ ̷͙̬̩̍A̵̛͎̳̖̤͊͠ ̵̨̰͔͉͒͂̂̃̚͘ͅÑ̴̢̋̿͋ ̵̧̺͍̳̮̽̄̉̐͠C̵̨̨̰͍͓̻̈ ̴̨̩͉̖̎̓̊̌̍͐͝Ë̸͚̮̤̫́̏͑̆̈́̎͜
Boons
None
What the hell am I even looking at?