Wu Chen was no more. The soul that once held this name would now be called Veronika Shepherd. In a future world and time when all he had known was lost to the ages. But magic still appeared to exist, as he felt the stirrings of spirit energy tingling all over his body.

“But...” His voice uttered the word with delicate tones.

No. Not delicate but feminine. He wanted to groan. No. She wanted to groan.

The Wu Chen who made the world tremble in awe as a fit and handsome man was now Veronika Shepherd, a woman. And a young one at that.

She felt the contours of her chest to confirm the truth of it. The body was slender and just developing at the end of her teenage life. The body definitely lacked the skill of a cultivated martial warrior. It seemed the previous soul had only started the journey before it was cut short.

“Interesting.” She mused on the discovery and easy acceptance of the fact. The body’s former soul gave Wu Chen’s another chance. For both their sake, she would honor the life given and fulfill the promise. And she will continue to be Veronika Shepherd: a woman with potential.

First things first. She had to get up and get running.

Her eyes fluttered as they opened to glimpse a waning sky above them. Storm clouds threatened a nasty downpour of rain, which would aggravate the gaping wound to her side if left exposed. She had been shot with a bullet. It was a small kind and more of a flesh wound, but she guessed that she had been lying incapacitated for some time, as the wound was starting to fester with infection.

“Have to get up.”

[Command acknowledged. Initiating movement protocols]

Green text flashed across her inner vision like a digital wall board. On an instinct, Veronika found her body moving to stand: completely ignoring the pains she felt.

[Channeling oxygen levels into lower artery valves to level pain thresholds. Portioning flow into surrounding wound areas. Optimal healing enzymes enabled]

An artificial voice spoke its command in her head. Yet, it held the same familiarity as a body’s inner voice. Veronika wondered if this was the power of the Law of Wisdom the body’s original soul had offered her.

“Very interesting.”

Veronika allowed the new and unfamiliar take hold of her, as she absorbed the essence of her new body and surroundings.

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So far, the weak soul hadn’t lied. She had been shot on a battlefield of a derelict wasteland where no one would care to look for her. Other dead bodies surrounded her. Soldiers like her. But it made her wonder if her body was unique in the world and the only one to hold the Law of Wisdom.

Now wasn’t the time to check for this understanding. She had to recover and escape to some place where she could recover.

“Ugh!” she yelped at the sharp pain she felt to her side near the wound.

[Analyzing pain threshold spike. Reducing bile response from cholecyst to small intestine. Rerouting oxygen efficient blood to liver and lung areas]

The artificial voice rebounded around her mind like an alert. Sure enough, the pain had eased at her side area, and she felt her breath become steady, enough for her to walk.

[Scanning forward terrain. Heavy obstructions 100 meters ahead will impact movement and prevent wound healing. Diversion to the level path facing left, recommended]

Again, the artificial voice spoke in her mind. She wasn’t about to complain, as she too had concluded that the safest way forward was to take the path free from debris and unlevel terrain.

She began shuffling forward, holding her side as she went. Thankfully, her clothes were made to withstand a stifling heat. Hard cloth pants covered her legs and were tucked into calf-length leather boots capped in steel. Her upper body was covered in a harden khaki tunic, soft t-shirt and kept together with a utility belt. The downside was the drag her boots gave to her feet. As much as they offered protection, they were heavy.

[Adjusting stride length for flexible boot movement]

A flow of energy rushed into her feet that empowered her strides to be faster and steadier. She walked along the level dirt path away from the horrific sight of slain bodies and artillery. Her path led her to a vast expanse of rock, sparse grassland, littered sand and clear blue skies. Among the grounds were smoking carcasses of robot body parts and many from mech tanks. But she didn’t see many other human bodies among the ruins. The land was more or less a resting place for synthetic devices and technology.

[Scanning...]

“What’s to scan in this wasteland, er, dump,” Veronika said with a weak laugh.

[.... scanning .... You are standing in the Expanse for the Lost on the south-west edge of Anaconda continent. The Concordat Forces sent your squadron to fight the resistance of the area]

“Fitting. Naturally, I failed.”

[Failure was due to danger from a trusted ally. It was not anticipated] The artificial voice reasoned within her mind.

“Yes, the betrayal. Well, let’s restart this life and do what we need to do.”

[May I suggest you seek shelter and fully recover before resuming the journey]

“Suggestion accepted. Where to go?”

Veronika glanced across the landscape and found a small cavern a few meters a head. Additional scanning from her utility tools confirmed safety. At least, she hoped their readings were correct, the LCD screen on her handheld scanner was cracked. Where else was there to go? With her decision made, she carefully picked her way over rumble to the dry cavern and began to bunker down for the night.