I opened my eyes slowly. It felt like someone glued my eyelids shut and I needed to use all of my strength to pull them apart. The sun shone right in my face, shadows casted across my skinny body thanks to the tree branches above me. I was naked.

And a man. Stastically speaking, it was harder to live as a woman than as a man. Many more hurdles to jump through, no one would take you seriously when in battle, and the sleazy guys were always there in the corner eyeing you. I shook my head, trying to regain at least a bit of clarity.

Since I wasn't reincarnated into an infant who still had no information about the world, I just needed a bit of time to get familiar with this life before I could remember something. Earth... but it was just the same name. A planet populated with different species and races, bountiful, mostly safe, magic present. 

It was a relief in some way. When you had to navigate the world where no one but you had access to spells, things would often get out of hand. I stood up and felt my knees buckle. My steps were shaky, but I managed to get to the nearest pond. The area around me was beautiful. A meadow of some sorts, with a ring of trees surrounding it. The little pool of water I was kneeling next to was in the very middle of it. 

I looked at myself. Male in features, but somewhat feminine. Pointy ears. A mix of golden and amber in my eyes. My hair was grayish and on the shorter side with a small braid tied on the right side of my face. Looking down on myself now, my body was lithe. It lacked muscle and hair. Between the legs... it barely mattered. I looked back at the water and waved a finger.

"From the water you shall raise," I spoke in a weird, clicking language. It was not one of this world people would understand. The language of spirits. I continued, "and as it was promised to me by the Spirit King and the Spirit Monarchs, you will serve me." The water began to bubble as if boiling. It started to worm up and entangle with itself before a pair of white eyes appeared. The low spirit of water. It looked like a snake with a pair of wings, all made of water. 

"██████, you have called upon Us once more," it hissed. Any ordinary spirit couldn't just speak my name. I looked at it with a confused look, tilting my head to the side just a little. I shot back, "I didn't call upon you, however. Where is the Monarch of Water?" When handling spirits your mana pool didn't matter. If you had made a contract with a spirit before, you could call it for as long as the spirit would extend their hand.

"..." It didn't say anything back at first. It flew near the water for a bit before coming back to it's original position. "You don't know? The funeral has begun." The words it said stunned me for a second. The funeral? What? It was possible for spirits to die, but it was all a natural cycle. They die of old age or overuse of their abilities, then it takes a few years for them to reform. Spirits didn't need to hold a funeral. Before I could say anything, it spoke again.

"I can tell you weren't told anything. To think you're the oldest contractor we have—" I grabbed it by the neck, or at least where it's supposed to be. I hated hearing about my situation. The water spilled between my fingers and reformed again. Without magic, it was hard to deal with spirits. Physical attacks don't really hurt them. I'd need to summon the other spirits before I could do anything to it. The spirit formed a little hand from the water and it shook a finger at me.

"Let me finish. The Spirit King has died. As He used—" Again, I'd grab it by the neck if I managed to, but the spirit just... disappeared. It was there one second, the other it was gone. The water didn't fall back into the pond. The spirit just poofed out of existence. The small, circular spring began to bubble once more. Out of it, a massive paw clawed itself out, then another, and finally a huge head of a sphynx cat. The spirit had no eyes, just empty slits where they usually are on a face. 

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

It didn't say a word, just purred. This was one of the higher spirits of water. I crossed my arms and just clicked my tongue. I think this isn't something I can know about, at least for now. The small spirit mentioned that the King has perished... does it mean... the curse is gone, too? I said all those things to Him in my past life, now it feels kind of sad to end it on this note. I doubt I would be able to talk to Him now.

Sighing out and just shaking my head, I stretched out my hand and put it on top of the spirit's head. Its size was maybe four times larger than mine, but I know they wouldn't harm me pointlessly. "As it was always, so it will be now. I have formed contracts with all spirits there are, you not an exception. Felumn, I appoint you my spirit for this life." The purring boomed and echoed throughout the nearby forest, the strength of it so powerful it has made the birds closeby fly away. With the bond finished, the spirit disappeared. I felt the same type of tugging in my chest as I always did.

Looking around, I found the exit of out here. It was the same way I probably entered here. I'm still not sure why this body was without any clothes or protection in this forest. My memories are fuzzy and I can only recall the few bits about the world itself. I came up to the closest tree and muttered under my breath. "As it was promised to me by the Spirit King and the Spirit Monarchs, come forth — spirit of wood." Barely visible, a string of golden magic flew into the forest canopy. Down from it, on the same golden string, a small spider slid to meet my eyes. 

"Clothes, Kararik. Something comfortable and of this world," I said. The lesser spirits weren't always used for battle, more often capable of things to support the contractor. The spider understood and began weaving clothes. First the shirt, then pants, underwear, socks, a belt, even gloves. It was not necessary to form bonds with the lower spirits after reincarnation. They would use much less of their power in order to assist me, so the bond between us stayed across different lives. I still needed to refresh it every couple of lives, though. 

The clothes it created fit me perfectly. The clothes resembled a school uniform in some way, or at least what bits of it I remembered from my memory. For example, I know it had something written on the small badge attached to right side of my chest, but I couldn't remember what exactly. It was left empty in that case. The set itself was black and white. The shoes, the pants, the tie, the blazer and the gloves were black. The shirt, the socks and underwear were all white. I looked somewhat like a normal person now.

Navigating through the forest was easy. This wasn't the very first time I ended up in a place like this. If it wasn't for the past experiences, I'd be probably walking between the trees for some time before finally relying on the help of another spirit. If it was me many lives before, I'd be happy to ask them for assistance. Now, if I can, I prefer to do things on my own. As I was walking and jumping above the thick roots, in my head, I was thinking about the death of the Spirit King. He was the King of Spirits, but would his death affect anything? I didn't even know He could die. 

I'll get my answers at some point. I'm not in a rush. I told Him clearly in my past life. Reincarnate me again and I'll just become a farmer. I do know what I'll be doing this life, so let's try to live to the fullest. I covered my eyes with the back of my hand as I finally walked out of the bushes, preventing the sun from blinding me. I was on a cliff and before me was a massive city. It looked like a combination of your usual fantasy and real life. The tall buildings made of glass with some sort of magical orb spinning above it. A huge building I remember as the academy. The stores and people walking down the streets. A set of large birds flew across the horizon. It was as peaceful as a world can be, for sure.

With the death of the Spirit King, I really wish for this to be my last life.