Before he could fully process that thought, his vision blurred, and everything began to spiral. His legs gave out from underneath him, and he collapsed back onto the bed, eyes rolling to the back of his head.
"Whoa, what the—"
His life—or rather, the life of this body—flashed before his eyes, like a movie playing on fast-forward. Fragments of memory, feelings, thoughts, and experiences flooded into his mind all at once. Yet strangely, it didn't hurt. It was uncomfortable, sure, like someone dumping a bucket of information into his brain, but it was manageable.
As the torrent of memories slowed, Cross began sorting through them, piecing together the details of his new life.
His name was still Cross. That was the first thing he noticed. "Huh, guess the universe has a sense of humor after all," he thought. Physically, he wasn't too different either. Shorter, maybe a little leaner, but still recognizably him. Except, in this life, he was an orphan. No family, no roots.
The memories showed that he worked part-time at a convenience store down the street and had a whopping $1,500 to his name. Rent was due next week. Not exactly rolling in wealth, but hey, it could've been worse. At least he wasn't homeless.
But that wasn't the important part. No, the important part—the part that nearly made Cross burst out laughing—was what One had told him. This wasn't just any Earth. It was a parallel Earth where some of his wildest fantasies had come true.
Source.
The memories confirmed it. There was a supernatural power in this world called Source, and it was capable of turning ordinary people into beings who could level entire buildings or crush cars with a flick of their wrist. It wasn't just a myth here—it was basic knowledge, understood by everyone.
Cross grinned. "So, I wasn't dreaming after all."
As he sorted through the memories, he began piecing together the specifics. People who wielded Source were classified into six distinct categories. And the names of these categories? Oh man, they were too good.
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Body. Soul. Mind. Will. Domain. Unknown.
"Who came up with these names? They're just so… lazy." Cross chuckled. "Like someone forgot to name the last one and just said 'eh, let's call it Unknown.'"
Each category had six stages of power, with Stage One being the weakest and Stage Six being the pinnacle of that particular classification. Most people could barely reach Stage Two in their lifetime, let alone ascend to Stage Six. But the truly terrifying individuals, the ones who reached the higher stages, were practically gods among men.
Cross could feel his excitement bubbling beneath the surface. Source. A parallel Earth. All the makings of the fantasy world he'd spent years reading about. His inner nerd was practically squealing.
The memories were still filtering in, but already, Cross was starting to grasp the basics. He hadn't unlocked his own Source powers yet—this body was still a regular, everyday human as far as power was concerned. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that he could gain those powers, and he'd be damned if he didn't figure out a way to ascend those stages.
"I wonder what class I'll end up with," he mused aloud, pacing around the room, still taking in the various bits of… questionable décor on the walls. "Body? Soul? Maybe something cool like Domain. Or hey, let's go full edgy with Unknown."
The thought of finally having supernatural powers sent a jolt of adrenaline through him. He was going to have fun with this.
Then, as if to punctuate that realization, a single thought struck him like a lightning bolt.
"Wait a minute… I'm in an anime world. With powers." His eyes widened in mock horror. "Please, for the love of all things holy, do NOT make me a side character."
He walked over to the laptop, still chuckling to himself. If this really was his life now, then he'd have to make the best of it. No more wasting time on mundane Earth things. This was the moment where everything changed.
He clicked the laptop shut, deciding that whatever had been on that tab was none of his concern. "I think it's time to leave this room and figure out what the hell is going on."
Just as he was about to open the door and step outside, his mind wandered back to his encounter with One. That stickman god had been oddly chill about everything. Too chill, in fact. And yet, there had been a moment—a brief moment—where One had frowned. Cross hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, but now, in the quiet of his room, the thought gnawed at him.
"Do you not get bored?"
He had asked One that question in jest, but there was something about One's reaction that lingered in Cross's mind.
"Guess I'll find out eventually," Cross muttered to himself.