[Dying mortal detected...]
...
[Scanning soul...]
I lay on the ground, limp and bleeding out. With assault rifle barely in hand, I tried to will my body to move. It simply wouldn't. What was the point anyways... My family is gone, my friends are gone and my homeland doesn't even exist anymore. As I accepted death, I started to reflect.
When did things go so wrong?
Probably when the world went mad, I still remember watching the breaking news. Where Russia apparently launched dozen nuclear warheads to American soil and decimated several population centres. The USA obviously not pleased with this development, counter attacked. Reducing Moscow to ruin and wiping out half of Russia of the face of the Earth. Whatever remains of the Russian federation collapsed and all that remains are refugees that no longer have a home country anymore. I recall... That global markets shattered and trade became unstable, surges of crime all over the world occured while chaos ensues. I lived in tiny little Singapore. It was metropolis with more riches a country of such size have no right to have, remaining neutral in global affairs and being friendly to practically everyone.
Unfortunately we kinda relied on international trade and exchange to survive. With Russia gone and USA effectively crippled, a massive void in shipments and demand forced many countries to act. NATO suddenly became isolationist, focusing all their resources in helping their biggest ally and benefactor; the United States. They cut off all trade with countries not part of NATO, except the EU oddly enough. I guessed they needed the extra income. Japan and Taiwan heavily industrialised to make use of what's left and create opportunities for themselves, China and North Korea both went into "hiding", similarly to NATO became extremely isolationist. Guess they didn't want to deal with the metaphorical and potentially literal fallout. Singapore rushed to made deals with the remaining countries, with America out of the picture, we were very vulnerable to well everyone. We have have fancy weapons but if anyone decided to attack us we honestly can only drag a fight long enough that maybe the opposing military feels it's not worth wasting such resources.
Alas, it was all for nothing anyways. For the next few years, the world entered the modern equivalent of the medieval Dark Ages. Where technological progress effectively stops and massive stagnation all over. Everyone was trying to scrape by with the remains of the new world. Life expectancy rapidly decreased as essential resources skyrocketed in price. Food? 3 times more expensive. Water? The bills nowadays are atrocious. Electricity? Better hope you can survive with little internet and candlelights. Riots occured. Oh god so many of them occurred. Worse it became pretty bloody a ton of times. Singaporeans are typically tame and docile, sure we sometimes complain about government decisions and whine about stuff but we wouldn't outright go against them. But when things we rely on to live became only affordable to those blessed with wealth, we had enough as while the government did their best.
It just wasn't enough.
Protests started, when riot teams came it truly escalated to riots. Soon some police officers aren't happy with the way the government is dealing with civil dissent and supported such movements. A civil war came and boy was it not pretty. I remember hearing bullets and gunfire while cowering with my family. When I was in school and had to hide in a damn closet with my best friends when a bunch of revolutionaries decided to threaten the government by occupying a school. Tragedy descended on the once thriving and happy country when the government resorted to military forces. The revolution was squashed but the people were furious. Finally, an actual all out civil war engaged. Soldiers not keen on killing fellow countrymen rebelled and fought against their own once allies. This was popular as many soldiers don't want to accidentally cause their families to die caught in the conflict. It all ended when a sniper bullet penetrated the skull of the prime minister and several P.A.P members died from poisoning. The other parties attempted to rally and tried to do countrywide triage but people were still upset. Families were destroyed, livelihoods cripped or broken and lives ruined. Anarchy is all that remains.
[Soul scanned...]
...
[Properties required for transmigration detected...]
...
[Commencing Reincarnation Protocol!]
I sighed and looked around, the blown up remains of some Malaysia city. Where was this strange voice coming from? Doesn't seem to be some strange solider playing pranks. Whatever. Where was I? Ah when Singapore fell, many fled to Malaysia to find a new home to attach too. Without a good way to reject, we became the one of many refugees. Did it matter? No. China and North Korea started attacking out of the blue. With swift and brutal attacks. South Korea quickly fell and became one with North Korea. Taiwan without American support foughtba bloody and painful war but still lost. Asian countries started to be assimilated by an unexpected alliance between North Korea and China. A deal where they help each other rule all of Asia and maybe even challenge NATO and EU to potentially rule the entire world. South Korea with all their caution and paranoia wasn't able to predict this happening as a full information blackout happened when said country entered absolute isolation. Malaysia out of desperation drafted everyone into soldiers, men, women and even some exceptional teenagers became part of the Anti-Invasion Defence Force. It would've been a good idea if China didn't copy the idea and enlisted all of China itself to be part of the war effort. Nukes were used too. Singapore was already a ghost city that Malaysia was on their way to occupying but they used that as a good way to spread fear. Nukes flew and cities ceased to be. Singapore, Thailand, India and many others got nuked either to oblivion or crippled by those atomic weapons. ASEAN gained a bunch of new members and fought against the might of the newly formed New Empire that China, North Korea and it's assimilated states named themselves. I was a small part of that war, here I am on the ground of one of the battlegrounds bleeding out.
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At least I took all of the opposing soldiers with me. Hopefully I played a miniscule part to stopping world domination. As I closed my eyes, I sobbed while life faded from my body. For I've lost everything.
An empty void surrounds me, without any bodily sensations, it feel very disoriented by the lack of senses. How am I still thinking? Surely I should be dead? Pretty sure a bullet hit a critical artery.
[Analysis complete: Displaying Information...]
What? Who? What the fuck is this voice? It's the one I've been hearing on my death bed too!
[Cause Of Death: Kinetic projectile hitting crucial body part.]
Well yes, that's a really fancy way of saying I got shot to death!
[Identifying protective measures...]
[Appropriate skills found! Displaying...]
What the fuck? Protective measures? Skills? What in the 9 hells is going on?!
[Physical Attack Resistance]
[Kinetic Force Absorption]
[Impact Redistribution]
[Piercing Attack Resistance]
Wait... Those sound suspiciously like video game skills! Am I being digitised into a game?!?!
[Identifying preventive measures...]
[Appropriate skills found! Displaying...]
What's the difference? Won't the above protect me from what I assume to be physical damage?
[Threat Detection]
[Projectile Warning]
[Body Reinforcement]
[Self Hardening]
So more "skills", for what? These abilities would be useful a few minutes ago!!
[Time Of Death: Midnight under stars and moonlight]
Huh. I never noticed that. Why does my time of death matter??
[Identifying appropriate abilities...]
[Appropriate power found! Displaying...]
It didn't say skills! Will I get something different??
[Gloom Magic]
[Lunar Magic]
[Astral Magic]
[Night Stalker]
Holy shit magic! Am I going to some fantasy RPG land?
[Occupation Upon Death: Student, Electrician, Soldier]
I guess I technically was a electrician even if it was barely for a few months before all hell broke loose.... I didn't even manage to enjoy my job for long.
[Identifying appropriate abilities...]
[Appropriate power found! Displaying...]
Ohhh what am I gonna get this time?
[Book Of Knowledge]
[Scholar's Intuition]
[Keen Intellect]
[Energy Generator]
[Current Control]
[Spark Magic]
[Weapon Proficiency]
[Enduring Will]
[Combat Instincts]
Wow that's quite a mixed bag. I wonder what some of them do, if this actually exists and I'm not delusional or something. Oh god am I imagining this-
[Innate Talents Before Death: Gaming, Building]
I guess that's true, I always loved playing Minecraft and City Skylines. Does that mean I would've been better at being an architect?
[Identifying appropriate abilities...]
[Appropriate power found! Displaying...]
I can guess what I most likely would get for building, but gaming..? Unless it's some sort of Game Master or Dungeon Master power I don't see how gaming would translate into a useful power.
[Material Magic]
[Intricate Builder]
[Gamer's Luck]
[Probability Reader]
[Game Master]
I was right! Kind of? I don't know what they do so maybe?
[Desires Before Death: Help community, provide for family, protect family and close friends, stop suffering]
...
I always wanted to help people, I wasn't creative enough to be an engineer and create solutions to problems. I don't have talent in entertaining people and I didn't want to be a doctor. I liked working with cables and stuff, so the path of the electrician is what I thought my destiny to be. Guess that no longer matters... The rest is simply I wanted the damn wars and suffering to stop since I can see how badly it effects everyone.
[Supportive Aura]
[Strength Through Unity]
[Sustenance Provider]
[Manifestation Magic]
[Protect]
[Life Guard]
[Pain Killer]
[Generous Mercy]
That's... Quite a lot. Not sure what some of them do but I guess this is what I get.
[Reincarnation Protocol complete!]
[Sending soul to final destination...]
Wah? Sending me to where-
I barely managed to have that thought before I had a strong sensation of being moved at speeds that should be incomprehensible. I didn't know how long I've been flying but soon I saw(?) a bright light. Closer and closer, I managed to see that it's a planet! Eventually, my 'body' stilled and I watched the green and blue planet. It's fucking humongous! At least it appears to be since the continent I'm somehow staring at is bigger than China, Russia, India and America combined! It's most likely one of those "supercontinents" that used to exist on Earth! Before I pondered further, a voice started speaking.
"Welcome to Celdion, your new home!"