Calm yourself, human.

No harm will come to you here.

Heal. Rest...

What am I, you ask? Why did I save you?

Good questions, my guest. I’ll tell you my tale if you wish, seeing as we have the time. Many years it has been since I last spoke to another, and I find myself missing the pleasure.

As you might have already guessed. I am a monster of considerable power, known to few as an [Ingens Leviathan]. One of the [Ancient Horrors]. The only one in existence, in fact.

Surprised? You should be; after all, the [Horrors] went extinct long before this world even existed. You are lucky I'm not like the other horrors. You would have been driven mad by their visage before they ate you alive in the blink of an eye.

Rather dull, don't you think? Well, it can't be said that [Horrors] were ever the most intelligent of beings.

However, there are exceptions to everything, and I am one such exception, although my case is certainly unique.

That is to say, before I was reincarnated into a leviathan, I was a human. Unlike most, I retained all of my memories as a human and any intelligence I had garnered as one. I will explain how I was able to keep my memories in due time.

So, on to the reason for the horror you see before you.

In hindsight, it's simple, really. The [God of Death] needed a servant. A servant unlike any he'd had before. A servant that even the other gods would hesitate to fight, fearful of losing their lives. Of course, it isn't all quite that straightforward.

But I digress; that is enough of my rambling for now. I will now tell you my tale.

The Wanderer's Tale.

— ✦ ✧ ✦ —

The story begins the day my life ended, on a ship, in a realm that you will never see in this life. A fierce storm seethed overhead, and thunder bore down on the turbulent sea.

Everything was drowned out by the storm's howling winds; only the thumping booms of cannon fire could break through for a mere instant.

I sprinted down metal hallways through the chaos onboard that ship, skirting under burst pipes and steel beams. The ship had taken severe damage over the course of an ill-fated battle, and getting anywhere onboard was a dangerous proposition.

The metal creaked ominously all around me, but I reached the Captain's deck without incident. I struggled to salute my superior as I breathed heavily.

"Private Gray, report!" The Captain shouted, barely audible over the din. There were more than a dozen officers in the enclosed space, all of them yelling and giving reports.

"Sir! We have lost all power to the engines. We're dead in the water!" I reported sharply, shouting, bordering on screaming to be heard.

Not exactly illustrious, but there was no other way to convey information right then. Early in the battle, a particularly devastating hit had taken out our communications. Now everyone was reduced to using runners to deliver orders and reports.

It was truly a piteous state of affairs.

"Inform the bravo gunners to concentrate their fire on the secondary target!" Someone else shouted at me, and I nodded. Turning on my heel, I grimaced as I sprinted back off the Captain's deck.

I had passed the internal passageway that led to the Bravo Gunnery on my way here. It had been completely destroyed. The only other option was to sprint across the deck through the rain and shearing wind.

Death was likely in the course of completing my orders, either to enemy fire or simply being swept overboard. There was no time to hesitate, though. If we wanted to have any chance at survival, everyone had to put their lives on the line that night.

Throwing open the metal door out onto the colossal metal deck of the battleship, I braced myself, taking a moment to get my bearings. All the lights had been extinguished long ago. I had to recall the way by memory alone.

Then I was off, desperately praying my boots wouldn't lose traction and I wouldn't go skidding off into the sea's abyssal depths.

Brief flashes of awe-inspiring lightning in the raging heavens illuminated my path. It was as if the sea and sky were lock in a battle of their own as cannons fired unceasingly, only to be overruled by the fury of nature itself.

In truth, this battle was idiotic. A wiser Captain would have retreated to fight another day in more tranquil waters. Where the opponents could actually see each other.

Instead, we and the enemy ships were reduced to children firing blindly into the dark with toy water guns.

The deck lurched heavily to one side as another devastating strike landed somewhere up ahead. I hit the deck as I was thrown off my feet, grabbing onto anything I could. The mind-numbing screech of metal and the storm's howls drilled into my skull.

Struggling back to my feet, I fought on. I could just barely make out the indistinct outline of a metal hatch. The entrance to the Bravo Gunnery, or so I hoped. The gigantic gun was further beyond it and closer to the ship's edge.

The gun roared, a concussive shock wave nearly blowing me off my feet once more. There was an painful ringing in my ears now.

Still, somehow I reached the hatch and threw it open before tumbling inside.

Someone came up to me a moment later, gripping my shoulders tightly as they steadied me. I could see the fatigue in the man's eyes, but he was still determined to fight.

"WHAT ARE OUR ORDERS!?" The man shouted again, but only now could I finally hear him. Wincing, I waited as while cannon roared its fury across the seething waves yet again.

"Move to the secondary target! We're dead in the water!" I shouted in return, despite only being a step away from my shipmate.

The man nodded sharply and turned back toward the controls for the huge cannon overhead.

I leaned against the wall, soaked to the bone and shaking from the cold. When I joined the navy a year ago, I’d known a scenario such as this was theoretically possible, but I hadn’t taken it seriously.

How naive I’d been back then.

Not that I had much choice in the matter, all able-bodied youths were forced to join the war in some shape or form. I had viewed the entire thing as a chance to see the world, to explore, to wander.

Not as a war, where death and suffering were the expected outcome.

I hadn't struggled with my commanding officers' tests, and my climb through the ranks was only a question of time, not ability.

I'm not being conceited, mind you. I was intelligent, even then. I simply lacked the drive to excel.

Another violent explosion rocked the battleship, and I forced myself to my feet.

Perhaps if I had chosen to wait a moment longer, I might have survived the night. It’s impossible to guess.

Dashing through the furious downpour, shielding my face with my arm, I never saw my end as it streaked across the lightning-lit sky. Either through bad luck, or fate, I was struck almost directly by an enemy cannon shot.

In the blink of an eye, I lost both of my legs and was thrown dozens of feet into the air. A fiery explosion of iron and steel propelled me toward the edge, and for a short moment, I was weightless.

And then I plunged into the sea.

I drowned mere moments later, or perhaps I bled to death. There is no need for your pity, though. I felt no pain. I welcomed death's cold, lifeless embrace as the ocean swallowed me into its unfathomable depths.

— ✦ ✧ ✦ —

As perhaps one of the very few beings who can tell you, death is a rather sudden and unnoticeable thing. I went from choking on saltwater to somewhere else entirely in an instant.

"Greetings, Gray Ramsay." A voice said, breaking through the cloudy haze obscuring my mind.

I gasped. For a brief moment, I was overwhelmed by the memories and sensations of my death. The pain and shock of the explosion. The terror as I had slowly sunk to my demise.

I gripped my chest tightly, feeling the pounding of my heart in my ears.

It took several minutes to recover my composure, but finally, I straightened and observed my surroundings. There was no doubt in my mind I was dead. I wasn't in a hospital, that was for certain. You don't wake up standing in a hospital.

Well, to be fair, I wasn't exactly standing either. I was floating. Floating in a dark, impenetrable void that seemed to expand outward forever.

Before me was the only break in the monotonous emptiness. A figure whose name I immediately knew without thinking.

"Death," I murmured, my voice nearly inaudible.

The deity of death looked precisely how I always imagined it would. A genderless yet uncannily feminine skeletal humanoid cloaked in a wispy black robe and sinister shadows. Its head was almost entirely hidden in the darkness of its hood, but I could just barely make out a skull within.

"Are you here to take me to the afterlife?" I asked finally, more to break the oppressive silence than anything else. The deity seemed content to simply observe me with its sightless eye-sockets.

"In a way," Death replied. Its voice every bit as alluring and incomprehensibly terrifying as I had expected it to be. No, even more so. "I am here to offer you a chance."

My curiosity was piqued even further. I’d never been the religious sort. I have always considered myself an atheist, if not a materialist, so meeting the God of Death was a fascinating event.

The god's existence raised many questions that my unceasing curiosity demanded answers to. If there was one god, surely there must be others?

Just the deity before me proved a number of religions back home wrong.

"What chance?" I asked warily.

Despite my curiosity, I was also worried. If there were a myriad of religions, there was an equal if not greater number of beliefs as to what happened after one's death. Which one would turn out to be true?

Would I burn for my sins for a hundred thousand years until I was nothing but a shadow of myself? I couldn't claim to be the paragon of virtue, but such a fate seemed... excessive.

I had died for my country, after all.

The agonizing silence dragged on for another moment, the deity seemingly in no hurry to decree my fate. Finally, it seemed to come to a decision.

"A chance at freedom," The aberration said, the many shadows surrounding it expanding and contracting in unfathomable ways. "Eventually."

"Freedom?" I asked, cocking my head slightly. "Freedom from what?"

Also, what was that bit about ‘eventually’? That sounded ominous.

"You have been running, Gray Ramsay. Desperate to escape the cycle of rebirth, and the clutch of the gods. I am here to offer you a chance, for something in return."

"I... I don't understand," I admitted, although I was intrigued. Had I been running?

Death didn't seem surprised by my bewilderment and continued speaking. However, for a split second, I saw a flash of golden light in the corner of my eye before it was consumed by the void.

"After one’s death in this world, one finds themselves before a host of their patrons. An offer is made by each, promising whatever the soul desires in their next life." Death explained, its raspy yet melodic voice sending shivers down my spine.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The closest comparison to the deity's voice was touching water that was both hot and cold at the same time.

"However, no soul is reborn with their memories. They are broken down to their most primal form, ready for a new life." Death continued, "I offer you a chance. A chance to be reborn in a body of my choosing with your memory intact. I will hide you away from the seeking gaze of your enemies, where you will have time to grow. All I ask in return is that when I call upon your service in the next three hundred years, you will come."

I blinked, shocked. Not only had Death given me a glimpse into what life after death looked like, but it had revealed a new shocking revelation.

I had enemies, even after death.

Unsurprisingly, I had an overwhelming multitude of questions, but I asked the most pressing one first.

"Why are you doing this?"

It seemed essential to know. From Death's words, the standard process had been violated somehow. I could only assume there would be some sort of consequence for doing so.

"In truth, you are of little interest to me, Gray Ramsay." Death said bluntly, "I owe your immortal soul nothing. Be that as it may, a servant of mine owes you a debt. It is on their behalf that I make this offer, whether you accept it or not means little to me."

I narrowed my eyes. I had no experience reading between the lines of divine beings, shocker, but I felt something was off with the god's claim of indifference. Not enough to try to call Death out on it, though. I was also distracted by another brief flash of golden light in the darkness.

Reviewing the deity's words, I couldn't find any obvious deceit or trickery in them. What's more, I couldn't imagine what the god could possibly gain by lying to me about its offer.

So I turned my attention to more interesting considerations.

It was clear whatever I was going to be reborn into wouldn't be human. Not an entirely incomprehensible concept, I had read my fair share of fiction after all. Additionally, I would live for at least three hundred years, if not longer.

"What would be expected of me during the three hundred years?" I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

"I will not call upon your service needlessly, and whatever I ask, you will be capable of carrying out." Death replied, responding to my question with a clear non-answer.

I moved on quickly.

"What will I become?"

I swear I saw the skull of the god grin beneath its hood.

"Uncountable eons ago, before the birth of the gods, humanity was ruled by creatures of the dark." Death said, and I caught a hint of emotion in its voice for the first time. Excitement. "These creatures were known as the Ancient Horrors.

"The gods fought these abominations, and through great sacrifice, finally defeated them. They were thought to be eradicated, these beings of primal, incomprehensible fear and terror."

Death was undoubtedly grinning now, and it was terrifying like nothing I had ever seen before.

"But I kept a piece of one of those Horrors, just a tiny, forgotten piece. I have held onto it for all this time, waiting for the perfect moment."

"I'll be a monster," I breathed, unsure how I felt about the idea.

A colorless flame now burned in the deity's eyes, and its gaze drilled into my soul. Well, I suppose I was nothing but a soul. I had noticed by that point that I didn't have a physical body anymore.

"Yes, a creature even the gods themselves fear!" Death hissed mirthfully, and I felt like I was beginning to understand.

"And I will serve you. I am a secret weapon, which is why you have interfered before the other gods speak to me." I said and gestured to the now many golden flashes intruding on the tranquility of the darkness around us. "I assume those are the other gods?"

"You must make your decision, Gray Ramsay. Will you take my offer, or be forced to be reborn as a helpless infant, where you will be hunted down by your enemies before you can even stand?"

Death seemed to laugh, but the sound was blood-curdling. It sounded worse than the most deranged convict in a mental asylum.

"The other gods will try to protect you, but they won't succeed! You have no other choice, Gray Ramsay! Now choose!"

The golden flashes of light had grown brighter now and appeared faster. I was running out of time, and despite the maniacal demeanor of my host, Death was right.

I took a deep breath and let it out, steadying myself.

"Just one more question," I said. Death didn't reply, and I took that as permission. "What world will I be going to?"

I had my suspicions there was more than one world by now from previous comments. But it had never been directly confirmed. I couldn't imagine an Ancient Horror returning to Earth, but what did I know? Gods were real, after all!

"You will be reborn in the world known as Brisingid, hidden away from the sight of your enemies." Death replied immediately. It seemed to float closer to me, almost leaning down toward my face.

"Now choose."

Taking one last deep breath, I tried to organize my thoughts. There was so much I didn't know, so many questions I wanted to ask, but it was clear I wouldn't have a chance. I couldn't tell if Death was lying to me about what would happen if I accepted the offer of the other gods, but what did it matter if it was.

I wanted to be reborn with my memories, even if that meant being in the body of a monster, even if that meant three centuries of servitude to the death god.

"I accept your offer," I said, and then the world went black.

— ✦ ✧ ✦ —

Astonishingly, I didn't lose consciousness; everything just shifted yet again. I was getting quite tired of it, actually.

All of my senses were abruptly changed, feeding me information that at first didn't make any sense.

I was curled up now, no longer standing, but it was simply impossible for me to understand in what way. I could tell I was encased by something warm, wet, and... slimy?

Please, Death, tell me that I'm not about to be born... I prayed. That would be unbearable.

Wait, did Ancient Horrors have birthing processes? Did I even have a mother? What the hell was I, exactly?

I struggled to move my head and, shockingly, succeeded. Score one for not being reborn as an amorphous blob of mouths and tentacles!

There was something wrong with my head and my neck, though. It was definitely not human, but I couldn't describe it. In fact, I couldn't see anything.

I couldn't tell if my eyes were closed or whether my attempts to open them produced any results. I rather hoped I had eyes, now that I thought about it.

Anyway, it was clear I was enclosed, possibly within an egg or something similar. Hard, yet likely breakable if pushed. I don't know how I made this deduction with such little information, but I had an overwhelming urge to push and break free.

Before this urge, what could I do but follow it? So I pushed out for all that I was worth. The result was deeply unsatisfying, to say the least. I hadn't felt a single crack or sign I had damaged my enclosure. The split-second image of my own legs as they had careened through the air flashed through my mind.

A wave of anger, strangely cold and distant, rose within me, and I pushed again. The results were satisfactory in the extreme, and rather explosive this time.

I shot upward out of my prison like a decompressing spring. Immediately, my vision was overwhelmed by a multitude of bright lights and vibrant colors. I could feel something brush across my skin, weighing down on me but also holding me up.

I blinked, realizing that doing so took far more effort than ever before, and I began taking in my surroundings.

I was underwater.

Innumerable beams of bright sunlight streamed down through the beautifully clear, serene water, illuminating the sandy floor in strange and alluring patterns.

Still carrying some of my initial momentum, I slowly floated through the water, finally taking in my new body. There was no question I wasn't a human anymore. The distinct lack of response from almost all of my original appendages confirmed that.

Luckily, turning my head was exactly the same.

Upon first glance at my new form, I thought Death had played a cruel joke on me. I looked like an eel. My body was long and sinewy, with pale grey skin and slightly lighter spots spaced equidistant from each other down either of my sides toward my tail. I was rather long for an eel.

Judging my length with only my eyes, I estimated I was nearly ten feet, with a diameter of roughly six inches at the widest. My body narrowed toward the tail, where there were fin-like protrusions.

However, what convinced me that I wasn't an eel was the six strange protrusions jutting out from the base of my skull. They were nothing but useless nubs of flesh currently, but it was evident that they weren't fully grown yet.

Through this observation, I made another discovery. I had what seemed to be 270-degree vision, and I already had a mild headache. I would have to get used to that.

Still utterly incapable of moving my body beyond my neck, I turned my attention to my immediate surroundings for a second look. Specifically, danger, but there was only the empty ocean, utterly devoid of any other creatures to speak of.

Only me, what looked like thousands upon thousands of eggs, and small bits of plant life ensconced throughout the sand. I didn't recognize any of the aquatic flora, but that wasn't surprising. There were an uncountable number of different types on Earth alone. I was supposedly on an alien world now.

The thought made me pause, and the absurdity of my situation finally registered for the first time. I had died. I had made a deal with the God of Death. I was now some horror of an eel and in an entirely new world.

Couldn't have reincarnated me with opposable thumbs, could you, eh Death? I chuckled at the ridiculousness of my thoughts.

However, my moment of shock and weakness was quickly overcome by my rising curiosity. What would this new world be like? Were there other races, monsters, maybe even magic?

I was an eel... thing, so who was there to say that magic wasn't a thing in this world? It wasn't so unbelievable as it would have been not so long ago.

Could eel things learn magic? I hoped so.

Taking a deep breath through the gills behind my head, I fought to tamper down my excitement and curiosity. I still couldn't move anything below my neck.

Before I could explore this new world, I would have to learn to crawl again.

But mere moments after I began to experiment with trying to move my body, twisting my neck back and forth fruitlessly, I was rudely interrupted.

[The Divine Accords] welcome you to the [Realm of Brisingid], unknown entity!

A [True Soul] is detected...

A [True Body] is detected...

Reconfiguring... New categorization was created...

How do you wish to proceed?

W-what?