I sat on a chair in the same old room surrounded by rotating galaxies as I breathed through the imaginary vacuum. Beyond me was a single door that wasn’t accompanied by any walls. Luckily, there’s a spoon and a cup of ice cream in my hand which I can enjoy.
The door creaked open and the girl with the same face as me entered. Only her long straight hair as white as a dove contrasted my crimson hair that weaved down my waist. She ventured forth, her mind a canvas void of understanding. But lo, upon encountering my presence, a tempest of fury erupted within her soul, transforming her countenance into a mask of righteous indignation.
Death though has come. I wish I would be able to witness myself getting beheaded. However, since the ice cream tastes fine, I think it would be alrighty.
I stood up in my chair, put the ice cream on the table, and opened my arms wide. “Welcome back, my dear customer! We’re having a good day at the cosmos and I wanted to share some wonderful news! It looks like you've drowned yourself in debt by letting this girl become the narrator of your boring life for fifteen years.”
She sat unfazed on the chair before my table. She avoided any eye contact while pressing her lips.
As the air silenced awkwardly, I sat on my chair and asked, “Are you broken-hearted my dear? Perhaps you want someone to fling with? A Homeslice? Broham? LYLAS? LYLAB?”
Her face didn’t change, but uncontrollable tears crawled down her eyes. “Is this… the afterlife?”
After I took a bite of the ice cream, I shared it with her. “Hey, do I look like Mot, Azrael, or Grim to you? Dying was your fault for your ‘yadda-yadda,’ like how Eminem raps, completely unnecessary to civilization. Why don’t you have a taste and calm down, you freak.”
She only took the treat after I insisted. When she took a bite, her eyes widened while feeling goosebumps in her body. In this imaginary world, one can retain their senses, a mere reason that her tongue reacted to the cold cream dampening her tongue. “This… is good… I suppose.”
“Yeah, right? I suppose a dead person won’t be able to know how amazing ice creams are. Now, give it back,” I asked while taking the ice cream off her hands.
“I don’t understand what you mean. My anger is still here, but why do I feel so calm?”
“Have you ever carried a dumbbell? They’re fully compatible with dumb people like you. For a girl who only read a few books in life, I would like to recommend Rich Dad and Poor Dad, but never mind. Well, the real good news is… your life hasn’t been control-alt-deleted yet.”
“I’m still… alive?”
“You’re pretty cool when you understand mythology, although deep inside you’re trashy when you’re OOC. I suppose it may take years to regenerate a severed head though.”
“I’m sorry for what I’ve said before. I would’ve known that you were concerned for me and my family. It’s just that… I’m not cut out to make decisions myself.”
Not lying, even as she drowns in rage, her politeness left a smile on my face. “Hmph! I suppose this is the time for introductions. I’m Saori, and as you know, I regretted my sharp memory for being able to remember every single day of your dumb crap.“
Quimora sighed, “Iit feels like I’ve been looking at myself from a mirror.”
“You pale-haired ghoul may have already known we’re sharing the same body. Now, for the fast talk, do you feel any anger left inside you?”
“It’s strange… I just died,” Quimora looked at her palms and muttered. “Why don’t I feel anything… like nothing happened?”
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I raised the ice cream and analyzed, “I don’t know which Buddha or HP made this 2C (too cool) food, but the eerie sensation in this imaginary world maximizes your dopamine levels, like snotting your weeds for breakfast. Like Entropy’s concept, a massive probability would make hot things cold, like your head. I also expected you to cry ‘Emilie’ though.”
“I suppose… You know everything?”
“I was born the same time your real mother ejected her nine-month fruit. I don’t know everything about the world, but yours isn’t the same case.”
“My real mother? Then, am I adopted? If so, who is my real mother?”
“Don’t bombard me with questions. I nearly exploded from your reactions earlier. Don’t forget that I’m only a freeloader in your mind.”
Quimora widened her eyes out of realization, “I knew it… Your voice sounds familiar… Aren’t you the one who tried to save me that one time?”
“Don’t blame me for why you tripped. With your noodle body, there’s only a miniscule of luck that makes your escape successful. Moving on, do you still feel like you need to get things even?” Quimora shook her head, to which I replied with a cold stare, “I do. All those emotions are passed on to me and I can’t help it. How about we make a deal? I just need a vessel where I can live throughout the world. After that, you have the right to be selfish.”
Quimora sighed, “I don’t know. You can do what you want. I suppose I don’t deserve to live anymore.”
I tapped her head and laughed, “Young woman, I can’t let you die a virgin. You can go ahead and laugh like I do, do things that you like, even make fun of the world and destroy it.”
From ripples of mirthful chuckles, my disposition morphed into a tempestuous storm. My teeth clenched tightly, harboring an anger that simmered beneath the surface. “However, I don’t believe your life is a waste. You’re a dead weight, but you’re not stubborn. Little do you know I charge a hefty price with high interest rates. Enjoy this world, and I will be responsible for those who dragged you down. I will make your dreams closer to reality, my dear sister.”
Quimora chuckled and said, “I suppose you’re a cute person when you’re serious, Saori. Thank you very much for being there for me. I would be glad to have a sister like you.”
I smiled and looked up at the cosmos. In mere seconds, an unraveling force in my forehead was being pulled by an unknown force, and was trying to escape. “I can already feel the force of life pulling me out of the ground. It’s time for the narrator to come back to life.”
The ground dispersed like I was pulled into a massive black hole. Everything in my view surrounded by a fiery circle went flat above me as I fell into the never-ending darkness. The scenery gradually became thin and vanished. Somehow, even through this darkness, I felt the nerves connecting to my consciousness.
Emerging from the cosmic slumber, I awoke to a familiar galactic panorama. The stars didn’t twinkle like brilliant diamonds across the painted walls of the room. Numbness enveloped my fully naked body, yet a profound sense of control lingered, like a whisper from a distant memory.
Suspended between oblivion and existence, I felt a surge of gratitude wash over me. However, this experience left an uncontainable grin and laughter that even paralysis can’t halt.
“HAHAHAHA! Fifteen years! Too long, didn’t notice–”
My declaration stopped after hearing an AI-generated voice in my head. Suddenly, a floating digital screen appeared before me. It didn’t take too long to convert my elation to vexation.
[Congratulations! You managed to retrieve a vessel. You successfully obtained the ability: ‘Void.’ You also adapted the host’s ability: ‘Cloning.’ ]
“Tsk!” I clicked, “Whoever put this lazy writing style in my face shall fear death. Vanish in my face forever, and never go back. I’m not a fan of parodies.”
[As you wish, my master. ]
I sighed, leaned back in my bed, and rested for hours to recover control of my body while I muttered my thoughts, which I longed to do ever since I reincarnated.
Heck with the systems! Even so, fifteen years of chores wouldn’t recover the hell I went through. This body is so frail like NEET’s. I can’t compress my past experience within two weeks like how capitalists tell their life-worth luck within 300 or so pages.
Skade’s involvement with Roze raised suspicions for me. From what I perceived, she’s the ruler of the belief called Entropy. It’s ironic how scientific that statement was. Like my methods of evaluation, this belief eliminates unconditional chances leading to the desired outcome of the future. I can never see Roze as God. She’s just a living tankless water heater.
Project Schrodinger, a secretive meetup together with well-known nobles with criminal records. The document didn’t hide anything but its intention, foul play. It won’t make sense to create a gathering of pigs other than a barn. Or is Skade really making his palace a barn? Does that make Skade the pig king? That possibility would make sense, but even if I removed the random variables, I can’t conclude a specific outcome.
However, the name of the project imitates a scientist who created an imaginary gruesome experiment with a cat and a radioactive toxin. Even with the difference in worlds and languages, it’s too convenient not to be original.
It proves that there are Earthlings here alongside me.