In a certain space— in which gravity seemed no longer to apply and unidentifiable substances floated— there roamed the souls of the dead, lost.

The space had no floor or ceiling. The backdrop looked like the darkness of space itself, and no sound could be heard within it. It was eerily silent.

Suddenly, a thin hairline crack appeared, and a flat female voice rang out.

[The process of "Retrieval of Souls" by an individual named "Atronia Myrrhine Icilia" successfully reached the first threshold. Stage two—]

A soul— took the form of a luminescent orb and sparkles of their own— was drawn into the fissures. The whole process is soundless.

[—success]

The calm feminine voice ceased—forced to stop.

An unseen but distinctly perceivable quake approached, and a presence of a monstrously imposing existence swiftly shut down the connection to the silent space. The uncanny vacantness resumed its eerie status as if nothing had occurred.

Part 1

A flat feminine voice echoed in Reid's semi-conscious state.

[A transfer of Reid Jacob's soul to Aumanas Ilruna's soul was successful]

[The Authority of the Fallen Elf, Degradation, transferred successfully]

[Profile updated successfully]

Then, a black screen with white texts on it spread through his closed eyelids.

[Description: An unlucky soul sucked into the doomsday world of Alnarkiz inside the soul of a Fallen Elf]

[Name: Aumanas Ilruna

Race: Elf (Fallen)

Class: Wandering Mage

Level. 1 (0% EXP)]

[Authority: Degradation

Privileges: Decayer, Forest Manipulation (Corrupted), Shadow Affinity, Eyes of Light (Corrupted)]

"—hn," Reid groaned softly as he opened his eyes with difficulty. What was that?

"...you're finally awake," an echo of a rather heavy voice bounced from a range away.

Who?

He quickly sat up, realizing that he had fallen asleep on some sort of long carved stone. He scanned his surroundings.

He seemed to be in a stony chamber— rather dusty but not very dirty— and unmistakably old.

Other than five more rectangular carved stones Reid had woken up from, there was little interior in the room.

The room was lit by a chandelier of some kind, and sticks were placed into the floor, drilled in. He couldn't view the walls or the room's ceiling.

The rectangular carved stone structures were put in lines one to two meters apart in a neatly circular manner.

He could tell that all the rectangular stones were like sarcophaguses, filled with different people. The only difference is that they aren't awake, and not all of them are humans.

A few steps away from him stood a middle-aged man.

The man possessed a considerable stature, evidently polished by hard training and life experience.

He had a bushy reddish-black head of hair, mustache and beard. He wore armor and a cloak that matched the color of his hair. There was a massive sword in his back.

Reid scowled. What is with this situation?

He couldn't precisely recall his final moment before he was in this unfamiliar place, but he recalled that he was trying to head to his work, with nothing out of the ordinary happening on the way. How did I get here?

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Reid suddenly noticed something in the corner of his vision. My hands—

Frowning, he saw that his skin color was so white that it seemed like a lie. He wore all-black clothing, seemingly made of fabric and animal hide. Seriously, what is happening…?

“Only one, huh?”

There were two other people in addition to the middle-aged man.

One of them, a man who seemed to be in his late twenties, wrinkled his forehead in a non-committal manner. He was dressed in dark clothes of mixed thick cloth and leather, a thin sword sheathed at his waist. He was the one who just said that.

“Her message is true, then," said a woman beside the middle-aged man in a soothing voice. Unlike the other two, she wore neither protective suits nor a weapon. A dark brown robe with black stripes made out of thick fabric covered her body instead. "I cannot keep summoning the departed souls to our side if She is not in favor, and if even the souls gradually have no compatibility."

“So we’re on our own,” the man in his late twenties pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Even the gesture didn't seem serious. Reid immediately surmised he wasn't the kind of guy who took anything seriously in the first place.

“Save the discussion for later,” the middle-aged man interrupted.

From the sound of it, he was the one who mentioned his awakening earlier. He seemed to be the most serious out of the three as well.

He turned at Reid, his gaze was calm.

“You must be confused, so we're all here to answer your questions. I will begin with an introduction. My name is Elihai wal Ivri. I am the Grand Marshal of the Grim Crusaders from a fortress city called Black Moon.”

"I am Atronia Myrrhine Icilia," a woman beside him introduced herself with a serene smile. "I am an Oracle from the Temple of Stars, a faithful servant of the Primal One, the Celestial Wanderer."

"Isetra Setya," said the man in his late twenties with a casual smile. "I am the leader of an organization called Highdawn. You better remember that. It'll be something you'll be heavily relying on."

"Let's not go around in circles," Elihai, the Grand Marshal, said in his heavy voice. "This may have been clear for you, but you are an unlucky soul who has died in your home world."

Reid reacted with a calm disguise. "I'm Reid Jacob. I don't recall my death."

"Some people have that experience," Isetra nodded with a knowing look on his face. "They have no idea that they died or even know why they died. My advice is to ignore them. They will only serve to torment your head, disturbing your day-to-day activities."

"What did you summon me here for?" Reid asked, ignoring the distraction of his own voice, and that he knew their language.

"We meant to ask for your help," Elihai replied in the same stern tone. "This world is in a terrible state. At this stage, you could even say that it is hopeless. We are looking for a hope—for that hope. But a soul like you doesn't have to share the same will. There is an option to be liberated into the cosmos like your other five companions if you do not wish for a second chance to live."

Reid couldn't help but frown. "What happens if I'm not summoned here?"

"We don't know," he answered stoically.

I’m just a computer technician, and I have only turned twenty this year… There are still many things I want to do!

Reid Jacob had a pretty good life.

He had a great job, a supportive family, fun friends, and endless entertainment sources.

His job allowed him to build his custom computer shortly after he started working, and his salary let him buy all the games he loved playing. He became a computer technician because he grew up with it. His father and brother were technicians too.

His life was satisfying, and he even thought about starting a business with his brother someday. So, when three strangers told him he had died in his world without knowing how, he was understandably upset.

I know life isn’t fair, but can you blame me for feeling this way...?

Reid thought his reaction was normal.

“Is there any way for me to go back?” Reid asked directly, surprising himself.

The three people in front of him didn’t look surprised. Reid assumed this soul-summoning from other worlds had happened before, so others might have asked the same question, or these three were just good at hiding their emotions.

“Maybe,” Elihai said. “Unfortunately, we don’t know much about that subject. We focus on surviving longer, and there’s a lot we don’t know beyond that matter.”

“This world… is it a magical world?” Reid asked hesitantly. I’m probably dreaming.

He remembered something before he woke up.

“Did you hear a woman’s voice and see a text screen?”

Isetra accurately guessed his thought, smiling casually.

Reid only stared at him silently.

“That was Her voice, the Celestial Wanderer, who acts as a medium for summoning souls like yours,” Atronia said. “As the name suggests, She is a celestial wanderer. She’s our guide. What you heard and saw was Her Authority.”

Elihai continued. “Besides the Celestial Wanderer, there are also the Blade Monarch and the Eclipsed Monarch.”

“I worship the Eclipsed Monarch, while Elihai follows the Blade Monarch. You already know Atronia. Anyway, these are the three beliefs in Black Moon, the fortress city where you are now. We don’t know about any others.”

“What’s the problem of this world?” Reid asked. “What’s my purpose here? Is there anything special about people from other worlds? What kind of body am I in now?”

Atronia looked slightly surprised. “...You are an elf. A fallen one.”