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Chapter 1
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"I love you all." I say with a shaky smile. Every movement caused various aches to flare up. The blurry faces of my loved ones broke my heart. To think I would make such a large family. Seeing all of them together for the last time made me think about my life. It was a long one, with many mistakes and many right choices. I made the most of my bad start. A drunk dad and an absent mom. They died in a shooting when I was young. I was then forced into foster care and it didn't take long to understand how the world works. It's cruel and cold. Nobody would care about an orphan who would ultimately amount to nothing. So I did everything in my power to become someone. In the end it wasn't much. Being a simple welder, I made a decent living and managed to find my wife. We went on to have a very large family over the years. I am 87 now. I didn't win the game of life, but I gave it a good try. My heart rate slowed, and I laid back in my bed. My eyes closed for the last time.
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The first time I opened my eyes in the vast void my mind immediately went towards the supposed next step, judgment. I was an atheist but the situation I was in proved that differently. Hope filled my heart. I honestly thought that I was gone. Made undone. I then felt myself be twisted and warped and once again I closed my eyes this time in terror.
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Void System Initiating
A voice rang out in my head and I felt a tightness around my throat, snapping me out of my stupor.
“Was I being suffocated?” I thought in panic as I grabbed the rope that was tied around my neck. Tears formed in my eyes in confusion and terror. A few seconds of struggling passed and my vision started to darken.
Void System Initialization Complete
Welcome Cyril Reed!
Power like nothing I'd felt entered my arms and I yanked as hard as I could as if my life depended on it. And something gave, I dropped to the ground with a heavy cough. My eyes were watery and I coughed violently once more. I breathed in the air through my nose and mouth like water in a desert.
“Note to self; never take air for granted.” Before I could think anymore the androgynous voice spoke in my head again.
Merging Personalities
…My mind blanked as I staggered up from the floor on autopilot. Sluggishly, I walked to the brick wall in front of me and slid down to a fetal position. After a few moments,a sensation of what felt like a sledgehammer collided into my head. I instinctively grasped my head to try and stop it. After what felt like an eternity, the pain subsided and with it clarity finally entered my mind.
It almost made me laugh at how bizarre this all is. Almost.
Personalities Merged Successfully
Samuel Reed had died in another world, and Cyrill Arc committed suicide in this world. What is left now, is a combination of both of us.
I looked up at the brick ceiling and saw where I just was. A stool and broken rope laid in the center of this empty room. Just looking at it made my heart ache. Cyrill found his way out of this place.
It made sense though, I was the only survivor of a rebellion that my family failed. Living in disgrace pushed us to do this. Anger seeped into my mind before I pushed it back. That could be dealt with later. A lifetime of letting things go had helped Samuel make peace within himself. The perks of being old and wise I thought with a grin.
I walked out of the depressing room and shut the intricate wooden door.
I made my way down the candle lit hallway and came to the door of the master bedroom. My room. The room was dimly lit from the sun outside and all that was in it was a huge canopy bed along with three large dressers. A tall standing mirror revealed itself in the corner of the room as I stepped further into it. Curious, I stood in front of it. Black hair tied into a loose ponytail. A pale complexion, and a skinny stature. My eyes stood out the most, a ruby red.Overall I looked like a royal nerd.
“Definitely going to fix that” I thought with a snicker. I then threw myself on the bed, and decided to think about where I should go from here. Along with this… Void System. At the thought the voice came back.
Congratulations on a successful reincarnation!
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
System compatibility: 99.8%
Suggestion: To view the voice as words please ask!
“That’s pretty convenient.” I would much rather have words that I can see, over an intrusive voice in my head.
“Definitely” I say out loud.
No need to speak out loud, mental thoughts are accepted.
"Even better." I mumbled. The exhaustion hit me like a truck a few moments later. I glanced at the welcoming bed for a moment before thinking about what I'm going to do next.
"I guess that can wait." I then sat down on the comfy victorian style and started to plan. Relin was a very brutal world compared to Earth. For one, the world is stuck in Earth's equivalent of the Medieval Age. Which means it lacks a lot of commodities that I took for granted. There is also magic. Cyrill or I don't know a lot about magic, seeing as the use of it is kept to a minimum in this country, Valal.
"I'm definitely getting my hands on some of that." Which turns my mind towards the 'System'. A yawn escapes my mouth and I realize just how exhausted I am.
"I guess everything can wait." Stretching my aching body I make my way towards the canopy bed and I flop down into the soft sheets. A new chance, here, in this world. I close my eyes and drift off to a deep slumber.
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The words don't hurt me. At least not yet. The looks and isolation are hurting me the worst. I would do anything to see my family again. On one hand I felt sorry for their deaths. They died fighting for what they believed. Just thinking about the execution sent chills down my spine and an ugly feeling in my gut. In the end, they died, and I survived. Sometimes I wonder why they left me alive. Reality rears its head and deep down I know. To add insult to injury. I was made an example in this shit hole of a city. The capital of the great country of Valal, Raum. Corruption has rotted it's way to the core of this city. I want to change it. So very badly. In the end, however, I'm just one pathetic person.
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My eyes open wide and I take a deep breath. I put my hand on my pounding heart. Cyrill's memories gave way to a deep sadness.
"Poor kid. In the end, it was too much." The sadness he felt was all encompassing. A fire lit in my heart, I will honor his wishes. Cyrill may not have been able to make a difference, but both of us?
Quest Added!
To Destroy or Build
Decide the fate of your home city of Raum.
Time limit: None
My eyes light up at the quest. "I guess now is a good time." I say as I roll out of bed.
"Maybe there's a tutorial for this?" I have played a lot of games in my old life. So I should be able to understand this whole system thing.
Quest Added!
Tutorial
Learn the in's and out's of the Void System.
"Think Stats"
Huh that was pretty simple.
"Stats"
Strength: Your physical strength.
Dexterity: Your physical agility.
Charisma: How good you are at influencing people.
Wisdom: How you understand the world around you.
Intelligence: How fast your mind processes things.
Luck: The odds you're dealt in life
"Pretty simple." I thought as I mulled over the new information. Looks like your run of the mill RPG. Before I could focus on the new information, more words etched itself in my head.
"Think Feats"
Hm. "Feats"
Feats: Special abilities only unlocked through milestones or drastic actions
Note from benefactor: The system will constantly update with new features.
Quest "Tutorial" Complete!
Reward: A feat of your choosing!
Sage's Recall: Perfect Memory
Invigoration: Blessed Regeneration
Sundering Blows: Powerful Martial Buff
"I have a feeling this will be important." Looks like these will be the baseline of my 'build'. As good as physical skills are, I doubt that having a strong body will make me cast spells faster. Cause magic. Not to mention how powerful eidetic memory is.
"Definitely Sage's Recall!"
Feat acquired: Sage's Recall
A headache sprung from the depths of my head and I fell back onto my head, rubbing my temples. It subsided after what felt like an eternity. Despite the pain I've been through these past twelve hours, the future is looking better and better. Now then.
“Stats!”
Samuel Arc
Level 2
Strength:1
Dex:2
Charisma:3
Wisdom:1
Intelligence:5
Luck:1
~
Feats:
Sage’s Recall
“Seems that the system won’t tell me how to level my stats up.” And my stats are pretty average I bet, leaning more towards the scholarly type. I shrugged my shoulders and stood up from the bed. I then realize how sweaty I am.
“Let’s hope that this world has water for bathing.” That’s a commodity I refuse to give up, even if I have to go wash in a river. After that, well I need more knowledge, and a library would be a good place for that. It should be easy with perfect memory.
“That boon will definitely come in handy.”
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