System: Initialization Complete. You are in a three day grace period.
The morning was fuzzy and a ray of light peeked through the large window on the north of the wall, waking Aiden up from the sweet sleep.
Cursing out loudly at the guard of the prison cell, he got up, and the world rolled around him. His head felt like it was getting hammered by someone, and he couldn’t make sense of anything around him, and he almost tumbled down the edge of the wooden bed he was sitting on.
Wait, a bed? It couldn’t be possible. He was in an underground prison, and it would be a miracle if he ever sees a chair, then sitting on a large king sized bed made up from mahogany and teak was next to impossible. Then it smelled so fresh, as if someone had spilled a bottle of perfume over it. When did the prison handed out perfume to people? It was an ultra rare commodity only the richest of the richest could afford.
Another headache hit him, and he suddenly had a lot of memories inside his head. When the headache subsided, the large room filled with minimal furniture became familiar.
He was not Aiden anymore. Wait no. He was Aiden only, from the post apoc earth, but an AI girl sent his soul to another world to possess a body, and this one was called as Li Zing. What a weird name.
The memories of the meeting with the AI girl washed over him and he felt longing for his home planet. Despite hating it after what humanity did with it, it was still his home planet and it had given him birth. Leaving it meant he lost a piece of heart he could never recover.
Anyway, what was gone was gone. He would not delve on past and miss on the opportunities of the future.
Aiden got up and walked around, experiencing the daylight, the cold tiles, and the scented aroma filled in the room. Everything felt so good that he spent ten minutes experiencing each thing individually. The sunlight felt soothing on his skin. He recalled the days when he would lounge on the beach, letting the rays tan his skin.
Sitting in front of the window it didn't matter whom he possessed. The only thing matter was the freedom. Only after spending years in the dark prison underground one would realize the importance of freedom.
"I'm fucking free again." He roared, letting his voice go out of the window. Eager to explore, he stood in front of the big window on the north of the wall and what he saw shocked him to the core. The tall, pagoda-like structures spread out across the cityscape. Squinting, he could make out a slum area in the distance several miles away. He seemed to be in a densely populated city, and in a posh area as all the buildings surrounding him were decorated like Christmas in Manhattan.
Enough about the Earth. He was not on Earth anymore.
”Master, you are awake?” A girl’s voice startled him and when he turned he saw a girl, fifteen or sixteen, standing in the door holding a tray in her hand. She shuddered under his gaze, almost dropping the ceramic ball filled with green liquid. Whatever was inside, he didn't feel good about it.
"Delia." A name appeared in his mind. She had long hairs tied into a neat bun over her head and wore a dark gray robe that covered her petite figure.
"How can you stand?" Delia shivered before rushing forward.
Frowing, Aiden watched himself in the body length mirror hung next to the window.
"Fuck! Why am I an old man?” The figure in the mirror had gray hairs, a protruding stomach, and his eyes and face looked like a beggar lying on the corner of the street. The luxurious silver-hued robe he wore clashed sharply with his haggard appearance.
"Master, you are only forty. You are not old.” The girl placed the tray down on the table next to the window. She then grabbed his arm and helped him sit back on the bed. “I am so happy for your recovery, master. I can’t believe you survive through the sickness.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she went to bring the cup of green juice for him.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“What is this thing?” Aiden asked.
"Medicine. Alchemist Ha prepared this with your instructions. You drank it daily before you became unconscious. If something has helped you recover, it must be this medicine, master." She begged him, tears rolling down her cheeks.
She seemed to care about him, which was a contrast to people he had met on Earth.
"Did I?” He pushed his fingers through his long gray hairs and the surface memories of the old man Li came to him. He was a head alchemist in a White Sun Sect, and he commanded an entire peak.
Wait, why was he an alchemist? Wasn’t he supposed to be a Necromancer? When he accepted the AI girl’s offer, she said he would receive a necromancer class which he felt suitable for him. Necromancers were powerful, and he could raise an army of dead and do anything he wanted.
Then why the fuck he awakened in an alchemist's body?
Li Zang was married to a sect elder’s daughter and had two sons and daughters. They all were in the sect only.
"Didn’t you say I’m just forty?"
"Master, are you feeling sick again?” Dilia touched his forehead, her cold hands sent a shiver down his neck.
"Why do I’ve four children at forty? Do I have multiple wives?”
"Of course not. You married to the daughter of a head elder. How can you get concubines? And mistress is not fond of you talking with any other woman than me." Dilia shook her head.
"Did I have twins, or triplets?"
"Master, why are you asking these questions? Are you still sick?" She looked like she would cry at any moment now.
"Just answer me for god’s sake.” He cursed out loud. This was crazy. He was supposed to be a necromancer, a free going man with an army of dead behind him to support his whims and wishes, and here he had fucking four children, and lived as an alchemist.
“Master, I don’t know why are you asking such questions.” She sobbed hard. “You married to mistress at the age of sixteen and then you had your first son the next year.”
"Fuck! Did I married a child?"
"Why would you marry a child? Sixteen is a legal age for marriage.” She replied through her sobs.
Okay, at least he dodged that bullet.
"Master, please drink this liquid.” Dilia pushed the ceramic bowl into his hands.
Aiden brought it to his nose and smelled the shitty thing inside and he almost vomited after sniffing that thing.
"I can’t drink this. This thing smells like shit.”
"Master please. If you don't drink this then I might get in trouble." She pushed the bowl up.
A memory played inside his mind where old man Li asked alchemist Ha to prepare a potion with ten-year-old Gray Ginseng, Immortality Grass Dew and a few more ingredients, and Immortal Grass Dew tasted utterly disgusting.
"Look there's someone at the door."
Delia looked back when he tossed the liquid outside of the window and kept the bowl close to his face. There were few drops inside which he gulped down.
"Damn it. This taste so bad." Just smelling it from close made his stomach churn like someone poured soap water inside. This was epic level shit, and he couldn't drink it.
System: A debuff is applied to the host. The host has received a wrong class so the system is undergoing maintenance. Only critical notifications will be active. [b]
"Wait what?"
"Yes, Master?” Dilia turned and stumbled, the tray flying in the air.
Aiden moved quickly and pulled her out of the tray’s way and helped her sit on the bed.
"Thank you, master." She jumped out of the bed. "You never helped this old servant before, and this one is gratified.”
The tray landed on the floor with a thump, and the bowl shattered.
Delia got into action and quickly cleaned the stuff, and as Aiden watched her work exhaustion took over him along with a debuff notification. An intense urge to sleep took over him and he lay back on the comfortable bed.
This was good. The bed, a servant, a wife, and a position in the sect. It was a happy life.
Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. Would he wake up back in his prison? Was this all a dream?
He would find it out once he wakes up.
***
In a damp underground cave, an old man sat cross-legged on a thick boulder.
A tall man with gray beard came out of the side cave and bowed to the old man.
"Senior, I'm ready."
"Something is wrong. Alchemist Li is still alive," the old man said.
"Impossible. I administered the poison myself, and he didn't doubt me until the last moment."
"And yet he lives," the old man said mockingly.
"Senior, please let me do this again. This time I won't fail."
The old man flicked his beard to the sideway. "You've failed, and now I need to take action myself, and I hate taking action myself." He raised his arm and the tall man flung back, pinned to the wall with a sharp piece of stone cone coming out of his heart.
The old man clapped his hand, and a woman ran in.
"Prepare another person to take his place and clean this shit up. I hate failures as much I hate taking action myself."