Hi, Sorry will be taking a quick break over Christmas break. Will get back onto writing early Jan. Thanks for your patience.
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Everything was blindingly bright. A rush of light invaded his vision, dazing him. It took a few seconds to readjust before the scene in front of him gradually began to take shape. Before him was a spectacular view of the river. The wind was howling, forcing the waves to batter the shoreline. The sun was low in the sky, cascading deep orange into the sky above. A picturesque scene if there ever was one.
In an attempt to find his bearings, he looked around in some vain attempt to figure out where he was. A frightening realisation struck him; he didn't know where he was, he didn't remember his name, he didn't remember much of anything. There are many frightening things in the world: death, torture, love. Yet, none could hold a candle up to the sheer horror of not being able to remember a thing. But he did remember. He remembered what it first felt like to look upon the view in front of him; a mix of emotions but it is still something. He clung to this scrap of memory in his head and wouldn't let go for fear of everything else, the fear of the unknown.
As he looked out over the river, he couldn't help but feel strange. This place had obviously been somewhere of importance to him. Left with no other option, he decided to wait there, fearing moving so as to not lose his only piece of retained memory.
Well Hello There. Aren't you a sorry mess. You poor thing, all frightened stiff... Don't worry I'm here now. You have nothing to fear.
Shocked by the sudden appearance of the disembodied voice, he quickly looked around to try and find the source.
Haha! Don't spin around so much, you'll make yourself dizzy. You won't be able to find me because I'm not there. I'm in my pavilion enjoying some fine wine and freshly picked grapes. Anyways, back to the matter at hand. I'm sure you're confused... Being reborn is not an easy undertaking.
'I've been reborn?' thought the man.
Why yes. Yes you have.
Startled once again, he hastily replied through his mind. 'Why can you hear my thoughts?! What's going on here? Why don't I remember anything?'
Wow, that's a lot of questions. I can't answer them all or we'll be here all day and neither you nor I have time for that. To summarise you were reincarnated by me to act as my representative. I am Apollo the god of the sun, music, medicine and archery. You are Renn Terzi a former doctor of earth who lived and died helping others. You were an upstanding man and it was a true shame you had such an unbefitting farewell form the world. Due to this and your proficiency in medicine I selected you to become my partner.
Renn had been shocked at least 4 times in the space of a mere hour. Today was just not his day. With the new knowledge of his own name and a bit of his past, Renn had calmed a little. As the a few of the dark patches covering his mind were revealed, more of the fear washed away from him. There is something comforting about knowing one's own name.
Now introductions are out off the way, we can finally get on with our work. We need to scout the area to find an area to establish ourselves, somewhere we can settle and build upon.
Renn was a still afraid of leaving the area. He held a connection to the view here as it held the only connection to his past self that he had encountered. However, the voice that called itself Apollo was the only other person he had met. It seemed moronic to abandon the only other being he had ever seen. Apollo also seemed to know a lot more about him than he remembered, which was reason enough in and of itself to remain at Apollo's side. Renn was filled with determination. He now had a objective, something to achieve. It felt like he had purpose and direction in his life, providing a relieving warmth.
According to Apollo's wishes, Renn was about to start scouting the immediate area. A muscle memory filled his mind and he started to attempt to move his limbs in a manner that would normally be considered an act of walking. To his surprise however, Renn found that he didn't progress at all. He did not move for he had no limbs. No physical body to speak of. He wondered why he had tried at all, maybe some left over scraps of information.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Ohh, right I forgot you were not used to this type of thing. As you no-longer have a body moving will be quite different. You embody what we call a vessel. It allows souls to inhabit it's ethereal body and transcend back to the physical planes. A queer type of existence if I do say so. It is controlled in part by me and mostly by you. As your soul is intertwined with it's body you merely have to will it's movement or actions. Try thinking really hard about a specific movement or action.
Following Apollo's suggestions, Renn willed himself to move forwards. After a few seconds, Renn did in fact inch forwards very slowly.
Good. Good! That one usually takes a while for the new souls to figure out. Now, be careful you only have a limited amount of mental energy as a soul. Do not let it run out! If you get tired or feel drowsy you need to stop. A soul exists only as a mental presence with nothing else tying it to the universe. If you exhaust your mental energy you will dissipate, fade out of existence, and no god is powerful enough to ever bring you back.
Renn inscribed Apollo's words into his mind, making sure as to never forget them. Although he has no real memories, Renn had been left with instinct and the desire to live was certainly still there.
So, let's have a look around then now shall we?
Renn inched forward bit by bit, gradually becoming more familiar with controlling his new body. It was slow progress at first and required Renn to actively will himself, but after a few tries and a lot more practice Renn could begin to move without active effort. Now actively scouting the area, he began to speed up to a more acceptable pace. The ruins around him seemed vaguely familiar. The towering buildings rose for stories, obscuring the horizon, yet as he advanced forward breaks between the buildings gave a narrow view of the river behind. The buildings looked dilapidated, unused for years. Holes scattered the towering walls, looking like most of the buildings had no right to be standing. Vines scrambled up most of the buildings and the floor was littered with moss. The scene overall was eerie, yet also a little serene.
Having explored several blocks worth of ruined city, Renn finally stumbled upon a sky-rise that seemed relatively in tact. A building more than 20 stories tall stood surrounded by rubble and half collapsed buildings.
Here! This place will do. It's high enough and structurally sound enough to provide decent protection. It provides enough room to improve at a latter date, especially when it has more than twenty stories of unused space. Just imagining the havoc we can reek in here is getting me excited.
Obviously confused at Apollo's excitement, Renn continued into the building and began ascending to the top. Renn, understanding that Apollo could read his mind, wondered why, even though he was confused, Apollo did not explain more. Despite this, Renn continued to climb to the very top. As he approached his destination, he felt waves of fatigue wash over him. He had been flying through the city for nearly 2 hours, which was already a commendable feat.
Before he reached the top, Apollo interrupted once again.
Be careful, don't overexert yourself. We can rest here for today and pick up again in the morning
Relieved at Apollo's suggestion, Renn stopped climbing the tower. He had found it progressively more difficult to move further up and his concentration was drifting. He moved towards one of the large holes in the wall, identical to the many he had seen during his ascent. The sky was dark now and the sun nowhere to be seen. As Renn's consciousness began to drift, he threw one last glance over the calm river, seeing the tip of a green stone popping up through the waterline.