Lexi’s crying was suddenly interrupted by a vile smelling man stumbling into the alleyway. He proceeded to pull his pants down and she fucked right of before she saw more than she already has. She stopped running at the sight of a patch of green grass. The noon sun shone down over her. She saw a man sitting under a tree reading a book. A jealous feeling filled her body, there he is all relaxed and happy just chilling under the shade of this nice tree, reading. Lexi can’t read, at least not the language of this world. For a moment she wonders if there is more than one language in this world, there must be. Not that Henrick knew, he’s never left the confines of this small town he was born in. She sits on the grass and wipes her hands and ponders her current situation. She is where she is. Inside the body of a teenager. She can’t do anything about that. She died, and now she is inside this boy’s body. This malnourished and weak body. This broke- wait no, he got paid for the shit earlier today. Where were the coins? Lexi took a minute, but she was able to recall a little stash under a board in a corner of stall number two. She gets up and starts walking back to the stable. On the way she passes the tavern where last night Henrick had spent all his coin drinking with Moss. She decided that she would come here for some food once she got the money.

At the stable Lexi could hear shouting up the stairs. Guess the griffin owner came by, or Donna is being shouted at by a new customer. With the commotion upstairs, Lexi was in and out before anyone even knew she was there. Her first visit was to The Tree Trunk. A hot meal later Lexi felt much better. Now she could concentrate on the grander scale of her situation. She is on a different planet, that’s for sure, the sun is blue and there are no stars in the night sky, that’s just unnerving. This planet has magic, well at least, people who can do magic. The Awakened. Moss’s dad is one of them. Awakening is something that just happens. Okay so a life of adventure is out of the question, or is it? Lexi forced herself to stop thinking about a fantasy adventure, riding griffins and fighting monsters. This is her real life now. She knows she must figure out a way to make money. Too bad Henrick didn’t leave behind any useful skills, just rudimentary knowledge of this small town near the lake that he’s never even seen. Even having worked at a stable for three years he doesn’t know how to ride a horse. How pathetic. She really hopes that she wasn’t the one who picked this poor pathetic bastard to possess. Noon turned to late afternoon and people started filling up the tavern. Lexi watched them order food and drinks. The place was full and still filling up. Two men dressed in amour decorated with all kinds of horns and monster teeth asked with they could join Lexi’s table. Her table was the only one left with three seats free. Lexi nodded and left the two adventurers the whole table.

Outside there were two horses, saddled and just waiting for someone to rifle through those saddlebags. Lexi knew from Henricks memories that someone was going to steal these bags, maybe even the horses too, so why not that someone be her, she needs money, and this kind of opportunity may never present itself again. She looks around, there is no one around. She takes a deep breath and takes the two horses by the reins. She leads the horses towards the stable that Henrick worked at but stops. No going there isn’t a good idea, she didn’t think this through. Where could she go? Moss. She could go to his house. Fuck what if his dad recognizes the horses? What if she just let go of the reins and kept walking? No one has seen her yet, she’s been lucky, and she can’t feel her luck running out. She turns a corner. Now she is a whole street closer to Moss’s home. Everything in her body was screaming at her to let go of the horses. She has never stolen anything in her life. Any of her lives. The guilt built and built, and she finally turned the horses around. Gave one a smack on the ass from the side and there is went the other one followed. Two corners later she was in front of Moss’s house. She lifted her hand to knock. Then lowered it. Why is she here, sure they drink together sometimes but Moss isn’t a friend, is he? Lexi thinks for a bit, then walks away. Henrick knew Moss a total of fuck all, she counted six times they drank and the only reason Henrick even knows where his home is, is because Moss needed help walking home one time. He didn’t even invite him in, to warm up from walking through all that snow. So Henrick is a friendless, homeless, animal shit peddler. And now she has his life, she refuses for it to be this bleak. As the sun set Lexy sat on a bed in a small room she rented at the boarding house. She has enough money for four days stay, and food for one day. She must find a job that pays better than the stable, there is no way she is going to shovel shit. She laid down and went to sleep.

***

Lexi found herself floating in endless darkness. She was in her original body; she could see perfectly as if some kind of natural light illuminated her. Her favorite blue onesie brought her a sense of calm and comfort. It was so soft just like the first time she wore it. She couldn’t tell if she was floating in place or moving as she tried to make herself fly up.

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“Hello, Immortal Soul.” A raspy voice called out from behind her. She turned to see a massive four-armed skeleton; three red eyes peered at her. Lexi screamed and the skeleton let out a dry chuckle.

“A usual reaction” it explained. Lexi looked up at the massive monster that was behind her. The red eyes burning with such energy, yet it was nothing compared to the vortex contained in a crystal that hovered behind its ribs. It wore a ceremonial skirt made of precious gems and metals, adorned in strange symbols. “How about we start off with introductions. I am Ga’Roth. What is your name?” Lexi took in the details of the skeleton. And she found herself not scared at all, instead she was filled with excitement. This creature looks like one of the world bosses from Legacy Online. The MMO she had been playing for years. She took a breath.

“I’m Lexi.” And finally answered.

“Nice to meet you, Lexi.” He put an emphasis on her name, his tone; playful. “I see you are on your third life now. How are you dealing with your own death?”

“I haven’t given it much thought.” She told Ga’Roth. “Am I supposed to?”

“Not if you don’t feel like you need to. The first few deaths can be jarring.” He chuckled, but there was no malice in his voice.

“First few?” she looked into his red eyes, they seemed to glimmer with excitement.

“Are you to tell me you haven’t figured it out.” Ga’Roth taped his cheek bone with an index finger. “Maybe third life is too soon for you? Would you like me to make you forget?”

“Too soon? Forget? Forget what? Can you start making sense? Who or what are you?” Lexi’s mind kept spinning but only those questions seemed to make it out of her mouth.

“I am Ga’Roth. God of the void and guide to the Immortal Souls.” His eyes smiled at her.

“Immortal Soul, you said those words before. What does it mean?” she pressed.

“Come now, are you not clever? Can’t you figure it out? I’ll give you a hint. You are one.”

“An Immortal Soul?”

“Yes, young one.”

“So, if my soul is immortal, does that mean that I don’t actually die? Is this why I’m possessing that boy’s body?” Lexi asked.

“Ha, Ha, Hah. No, you are not possessing anyone.” He snickered. “Now that’s a theory that doesn’t come up that often, usually people guess it reincarnation or energy transfer. Which isn’t that far off, but possession, that I find hilarious.” He laughed so much, finally he calmed once Lexi relaxed and smiled. “There you go, you have nothing to fear from me. I’m here to guide you after all.”

“Right, you did say you are a guide, what does that mean?” she asked.

“Well, you as an immortal soul will live forever. Sure, you will be limited by natural occurrences, lifespan, luck, etcetera, etcetera. Yes, you don’t die, to be more exact, your soul doesn’t. When your body dies you will be reborn, somewhere else as someone else. Your soul along with your memories may lie dormant for a while, that’s normal.”

“A while like fifteen years?”

“Could have been longer. Like I said limited. Compared to regular mortals, you are special.” He points a bony finger at her.

“Can you get to where you explain the whole guide thing?” Lexi demands.

“I like you. I tell you I’m a god and you speak to me as if you’re my equal. I’m going to be rooting for you.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean t-”

“Don’t you dare apologize for being yourself. You’re right, I am here to do my job as the guide. So let me explain. As an immortal soul you can choose to stay on the path you are now, or you could complete a set of trials and become Ascended. I can also, should you wish it, make it that next time you die, and your soul goes to a new host your mind wont wake again.”

Lexi could not doubt his words, she truly is technically immortal.

“Has anyone ever wanted that?” she asked.

“Not many, but a few. Over the centuries.”

“Why?”

“Sorry, their reasons are their own.”

“Is there some think of client guide confidentiality?” she teased.

“Sure, you can trust me with anything, plans, secrets, secret desires, I’m very good at keeping secrets. Anyway, would you like to step onto the path towards ascension?”

“What does that even mean? Path towards ascension? What does, becoming this Ascended get me?”

“To be Ascended means to live beyond understanding of regular mortals, the world at your fingertips. Should you want that. All you have to do is complete a few trials.” Ga’Roth’s red eyes beamed brighter.

“That’s vague. Fuck it. Let’s do this. Guide me, Ga’Roth.” She smiled, her lips widening until she was smirking.

“Perfect, thank you for accepting. Now, to come up with a trial that suits you. Tell me more about yourself.” Ga’Roth shrank to be just about four or so meters taller than Lexi. They began a long discussion about her life. Lexi told him how she had been abandoned by her mother after she was born. Spending much of her childhood bouncing from one orphanage to the next. Then he was taken in by a foster family from when she was fifteen, but they never adopted her. Once she was eighteen, she moved out. She had lived alone, worked and played video games in ger free time. How she tried to find her birth mother in her late twenties. She was unsuccessful. How sometimes she thought she would live alone the rest of her life. She laughed as that turned out to be true. She laughed even harder when she recalled that she died because she slipped on some trash.

“I got it.” Ga’Roth suddenly spoke. “Your first trial shall be to go forth and find the crown of the first king of Olaris.”

Lexi felt it, in her mind, words as if written with permanent marker. Find the crown of the first king of Olaris. Ga’Roth smiled and waved at her, then she woke up.