I looked at the eye sitting in my lap. My eye. Was sitting in my lap. I looked up at my captors. It was two boys I had taken off the streets because they needed a place to stay for the night.

There was a lightning storm out and I didn't want them to die. I fed them dinner and gave them dry clothes. They waited until I fell asleep in my chair to bash me on the head with a frying pan.

"Where's the money, old man?" The older one said.

"There is no money!" I said for the dozenth time. "It's all in the bank! I don't keep any money at home."

"Then give it to us out of the bank!" He said.

The younger one looked scared and was holding a knife aimed at me.

"All I can do is transfer it right now. Do you have a bank account I can transfer it to?" I said.

"No," the older one said.

"Then how am I supposed to give you money?" I said.

"Just give us your wallet!" The older one said.

I handed him my wallet.

"Kill him," the older one said.

Before I had time to react, the younger one stabbed me in the stomach. I grabbed his hands to pull it out, but he was surprisingly strong or I was just that weak. I was an older man and I wasn't very strong anymore.

Instead of pulling it out, he dragged the knife down, cutting through my insides. I screamed in pain, but the older one punched me in the face. I kept screaming and he kept punching me until things started to get dark. Then it was lights out.

I felt myself floating in an empty dark space. I couldn't see or feel anything, but I could think. I thought about my life. My whole life, I had trusted people I shouldn't have and they betrayed me. Over and over again.

I tried to be smarter. I tried to determine which people were trustworthy, but somehow I always chose wrong. I knew there were good people. I would see them on the news or at the grocery store when people helped me take groceries to my car.

It was just that when I chose someone to get close to or allowed myself to be vulnerable around someone, they took advantage of me. This was the last one in a long line of betrayals.

No one had ever tried to kill me before, but they had tried to rob me and beat me up. They had framed me for crimes I didn't commit. They had ditched their drugs or stolen items in my car, so I would take the blame.

I was tired of this. Too tired. If I ever got a chance to live again through reincarnation or something, I wouldn't let people take advantage of me. I wouldn't get picked on kicked around beaten down or killed. Anyone who tried something on me would pay.

I was done with my always obeying the law bullshit or always turning the other cheek. If someone hurt me, I'd hurt them worse. I didn't deserve any of the things that happened to me in my life. If another person betrays me, they deserve to be punished, not just get away with it.

A bright light suddenly blinded me. I blinked and looked down to try to get my vision back. My vision cleared and I was standing in the middle of a medieval road.

I stood there, disoriented, until a horse-drawn carriage bore down on me. The driver said, "Hey kid, get out of the road!"

I dove out of the way and landed in the dirt. I got up and brushed myself off. I looked down at myself and realized I was wearing peasant clothes. I was also young again.

My skin was smooth and free of wrinkles. I had muscle tone, but not overly so. I estimated I was 21 years old. I checked my pockets for a wallet or identification but found nothing.

I tried to see if I could remember anything from my host body. That was how these things worked right? If you ended up in a fully grown body, that meant someone had already lived that body's life until now.

So I should have memories of the person who lived here before, but nothing came to my mind. Great. I was wearing peasant clothes, I had no money and no identification and I was covered in dirt. I looked like a homeless person.

I walked around to explore and see if there was anything I could find that could help me, but eventually, I got hungry. I saw a bakery nearby, so I wandered into it, from the smell of fresh bread.

I walked into the shop and looked around. It had a very homey feel to it. The ovens were out and in view of the customer, so you could smell the bread baked and there was a nice warmth coming from the ovens.

"Get out of here!" The baker said. "No free bread! Can't you read the sign?"

"What sign?" I hadn't seen a sign outside.

The baker pulled a sign from behind the counter and pushed it in my face. It read, "No Free Bread!"

"How am I supposed to see that? It was behind your counter!" I said. With his hand so close to my face, I couldn't help but notice the blood under his fingernails. That was weird. Why would a baker have blood under his fingernails?

"Why do you have blood under your fingernails?" I said.

He got a confused look on his face, then he looked at his hands. "You know what, I cut my leg this morning pretty badly. That must have happened when I was bandaging it.

[Requirements met to activate the Morality System!]

[Talent activated: Soul Inquiry]

[Soul Inquiry: The ability to ask another soul any question you desire and it will answer honestly. Language gained: Soul Speak. Soul speak is activated with your soul, not your mouth]

'What is the Morality System?' I thought.

[The Morality System was designed by [redacted] for the purpose of [redacted] to be used by Tom Ketchup. It allows the user to determine the morality of others in relation to their own. Soul Inquiry is just one in a long list of talents and skills that will become available to Tom Ketchup]

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

'What kind of name is Tom Ketchup? That's not my name. My name is… my name is…'

What was my name? I couldn't remember it. Why couldn't I remember my name?

[Your full name is actually Tom Ato Ketchup. You are the first of your name and your generation and your line]

'Wait. Wouldn't that mean I don't have any relatives? Meaning no parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousins?'

[Yes. You have no relatives]

'Doesn't that mean I was created from nothing? Like I wasn't even born. I just didn't exist and then I did.'

[Yes. That is exactly what that means]

'Ok. Then can I use this Soul Inquiry thing now?'

[You may. Simply think the question at your target to activate]

'Ok. Why do you have blood under your fingernails?' I thought at the man.

'The bitch downstairs tried to get away this morning, so I had to be rough with her. It must have happened then.' The soul responded.

[Evil Detection System Activated: Hey this guy is evil]

'You think?' I thought to the system

'Thank you for telling me that, you awful awful person.' I thought to his soul.

'You're welcome, you homeless loser.' His soul said.

'How charming.' I thought.

This Soul Inquiry ability was amazing! I could achieve all the things I wanted to achieve in my previous life. I could determine who was a good person, and their intentions. I could learn everything about that and they wouldn't even know!

All that excitement aside, I now had a job to do. I needed to kill this evil baker and save the woman locked in his basement. And I knew what I had to do. I turned around and locked the door. I turned the open sign to closed. I turned down the lights to make it dark in the shop. The only light came in through the glass on the front door.

"Why are you closing my shop? Is this a robbery?" The baker said.

"You didn't get the blood the way you said. You have a woman locked in your basement and I won't allow that," I said, gritting my teeth.

"Maybe I do. What do you think you're going to do about it? Kill me?" He said. He grabbed a knife from behind the counter. "I'll just add you to the pile."

"I'm going to kill you if it's the last thing I do. Scum like you doesn't deserve to live." I said.

I didn't know what I was doing. I had never fought anyone before. I had been in fights, but it was always me just getting beaten up or mugged. Regardless, I wasn't afraid. I was doing the right thing.

If he killed me, so be it. As long as I got to kill him too. Then I would know justice was served.

I walked around the counter. The baker charged me, roaring with rage. I tried to catch his wrist before he stabbed me.

[Hidden Skill Activated: Counter Evil]

[Counter Evil: A perfect counter to attacks from evil people]

I grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and pushed down on the flat side of the knife, knocking it out of his hand. The knife clattered to the floor. The baker's eyes widened, but then they got angry.

"I don't know how you did that, but you're still going to die!" He said. He pushed me and I tripped and fell.

'System, why didn't my counter activate?'

[The skill has a 10-second cool down]

'God damn it!'

The baker put his hands around my throat and started to choke me. I punched at him wildly.

[Hidden Skill Activated: Auto Crit on Evil]

[Auto Crit on Evil: Delivers an automatic critical hit against Evildoers]

I watched my fist redirect itself in the air to punch the baker right in the throat. He began to struggle to breathe.

I pushed him off me and he fell over onto his back. I got up and watched as he continued to struggle to breathe, but then he recovered. He got up and rushed at me again. He tried to punch me.

[Counter Evil Activated]

I sidestepped his punch, grabbed his arm, and used his momentum to flip him and throw him onto his back.

"When I finally get my hands on you, I'm going to torture you, just like I tortured her. Except this time, it'll be personal," he said, from the ground.

He started to get up, but this was the end of the line for him. I'd seen enough of who this man truly was, to know the world would be a better place without him.

In my past life, I might have shown mercy and just called the police, but calling the authorities now would just end in my arrest and him getting away with his crimes.

I couldn't rely on the law to do what I knew needed to be done. I would have to do it myself. I lined up my foot and kicked at his head.

[Auto Crit on Evil activated]

My foot redirected from going toward his cheek to going toward his temple. My shoe made an impact with a sickening thud. His body rolled over from the force, and he didn't get up. I checked his pulse with my fingers. He was dead.

[You have defeated evil!]

[Wait for reward]

'What the fuck? This is so weird.' I thought. I had just killed a man and I was getting rewarded for it. But then again, this is what I wanted. Power. Power over my own life. Power over my own survival. And the freedom to never be taken advantage of again. I smiled. I couldn't wait to see what else this system could do.

I snapped out of my reverie. Now wasn't the time for daydreaming. Now was the time for action. And my next action was to free the woman in the basement.

[Choose your rewards]

[Chick Magnet: Women automatically think you're charming and handsome]

[or]

[Bonds of Loyalty: Allows people to bind themselves in loyalty to you, so that no outside influence, including charms and mind control, can change their minds. However, your own actions can still lose their loyalty]

[or]

[Healing Presence: People around you gradually heal from past trauma and emotional wounds, while becoming more confident and self-actualized. They become less dependent on you, but still value your friendship]

What were these choices? It's obvious what the right choice is. Chick Magnet felt too much like mind control, and Healing Presence is something I'm convinced I already had in my past life. And look where it got me. Murdered.

My meek and gentle nature allowed others to feel open to sharing their past traumas and troubles with me. They unloaded their emotional burdens onto me and it helped them heal and feel better, but then they would go on to live happy and fulfilled lives.

And I would be left behind, with nothing in return, except other people's horrible life experiences floating around in my head bringing me down and making me hate the world and the people in it.

Chick Magnet would get me girls, albeit in an arguably unethical way, but what I needed most right now was loyal friends. People who would watch my back and help explain the world I now inhabited. Bonds of Loyalty, while certainly self-serving, would help me protect myself in this dangerous world with murderous bakers.

'I choose Bonds of Loyalty.'

[Choice acknowledged. Bonds of Loyalty has been bestowed upon you. On to the next reward]

'Next reward?'

[Bonus reward for defeating evil for the first time!]

[Selfless Sufferer: The ability to take damage and pain from other people and suffer it yourself instead]

[or]

[Shared Suffering: The ability to share damage and pain among willing participants to reduce the amount dealt to the original individual who was hurt]

[or]

[Transfer Suffering: The ability to transfer your damage and pain onto another person, other than your attacker or attackers]

Hmm. This one was a little harder. Obviously, Transfer Suffering was the best for me, but what if in this life, unlike in my last life, I developed actual friends? I mean Manifest Dependency almost guaranteed loyal friendship. Why would I intentionally hurt people loyal to me?

That just seemed wrong. I would have to go with Shared Suffering. I certainly wasn't going with Selfless Sufferer. That was my past life all over again. That path betrayed me, so I won't choose it again. That would be stupid.

'I choose Shared Suffering.'

[Very well. Shared Suffering has been granted]

Ok, that was the neutral option.

[Additional bonus reward for developing an aura and choosing a side rather than picking a neutral option]

[Transparent Heart: People can always tell if you're telling the truth or if you're lying. Makes your truth more convincing and your lies less so]

[Clear Communication: People always understand exactly what you're trying to say. They never misinterpret your words]

[Absolute Sincerity: Everyone believes that you believe what you're telling them, whether it's the truth or a lie. Can be used to convince people of lies or convince them you're a crazy person]

Again, the "good" option was just something I had in my previous life. People always believed me when I told the truth, but no one believed me when I lied. None of these "good" options had been very good for me in my previous life. Why would they be good here?

The obvious choice was Absolute Sincerity. It gave me the option to lie if I needed to, but the ability to tell the truth convincingly as well. I would probably use the truth more often than not, but if I were in a sticky situation against bad people, what's wrong with lying to them?

'I choose Absolute Sincerity.'

[Choice granted. Dark aura increased by 20 points.]

What? Dark Aura increased? Is it saying I chose an evil option? I'm just trying to protect myself. How is that fair?

[Developing a dark aura is not necessarily bad, Tom. Dark auras make it easier to intimidate and control people, submissive people find you attractive as a potential leader, they make you appear strong, they make criminals more likely to talk with you, give you better prices from scared merchants, give you access to dark quests, and gives you respect from other people with dark aura's]

'Hmm. Interesting. It essentially gives me power over other people, rather than giving other people power over me like it was in my previous life. I'm ok with that.'

Now that I had chosen my rewards, it was time to deal with the baker. I dragged his body behind the counter so no one could see even if they pressed their face up against the glass.

Then I checked him for personal belongings. He had a set of keys and a coin pouch. I put them in my pockets. I walked around looking for an entrance to a basement. I didn't see one immediately.

It might have been hidden under something like a carpet or rug so people didn't think to go down there for any reason. I checked under the rugs. There were rugs everywhere in this guy's bakery. After the dozenth rug, I finally found the basement hatch.

It had a lock on it. I pulled the keys out of my pocket. I started trying keys until one of them worked on the lock and I opened the basement.

Then I realized something. I had never looked at my system status. Everyone always looked at their status in these kinds of stories.

'Status.'

[Stats]

[Name: Tom Ato Ketchup]

[Age: 21]

[Species: Human]

[Strength: 100]

[Agility: 100]

[Stamina: 100]

[Intelligence: 100]

[Class: Unassigned]

[Magical Potential: Unactivated]

[Dark Aura: 40]

[Bloodline: First of Line]

[Active Skills: Soul Inquiry, Counter Evil, Auto Crit on Evil]

[Passive Abilities: Bonds of Loyalty, Shared Suffering, Absolute Sincerity]

Interesting. My stats were normal. I was 21. It tracked all the stuff I already knew and there was a little bit of stuff I didn’t know about yet. It was a good status screen. I closed it, satisfied.

I walked down a flight of steps into the basement. There were barrels, boxes, crates, and bags lying around the room, and against one of the walls was a woman chained to the ground.

It was one of those bolts that had to be deliberately placed in the ground through hard work. So this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment kidnapping. He had either been planning this one or he'd done this before.

The woman had a gag over her mouth, but not a blindfold. When she saw me, she tried to scream.