Chapter 1: Arrival in the Void
For as long as he could remember since he'd died, he'd been drifting in a void without purpose, endlessly floating in the darkness. Time blurred—days, years, maybe even centuries—he couldn't tell. The void offered no company, no sights, just the endless quiet and one recurring thought.
"It's so boring…"
But despite his desperate desire for some form of entertainment, nothing changed. Unlike the fanfics he'd read, no magic portal appeared to whisk him to a new world, and no voice told him he had some grand purpose. He remained as he was: a solitary soul, a dimly glowing orb of light.
Then, one day—or perhaps one second—he noticed something. A tiny glimmer, like a star in the distance, pierced the void. His translucent form felt an inexplicable pull toward it, like a faint hope calling him from afar. He began drifting toward the light, though it remained just as far away, as if the void itself was stretching infinitely between them.
Time lost all meaning as he drifted. But slowly, so slowly, the light grew. It intensified, and the closer he got, the more it consumed his entire vision, casting a bright glow over him.
Finally, an invisible force yanked him forward with unimaginable power. He had no chance to resist as his soul collided with the light.
---
[System Alert]
[Soul Detected]
[Analyzing Soul…]
[1%... 35%... 82%... 100%]
[Merging Soul]
[Message from the Creator: May this creation of mine be of use to you.]
---
"Ughhh…?"
His eyes shot open, and a blurry cityscape greeted him. He was hovering high above, the neon lights of Tokyo spread out like stars beneath him. Confusion flooded his mind as he gazed over the sprawling city in the dead of night.
"Where… where am I?!" he stammered, his voice echoing in his own head.
It took him a moment to understand: he was no longer just a soul floating in the void. He had become… something else entirely.
A cold breeze swept past him, though he could hardly feel it. The world beneath him was vibrant, alive, yet something felt fundamentally wrong. He felt… detached, as if his body wasn't quite there. Looking down, he realized he had no physical form—just a faint, ethereal outline. He was still a soul, but this time, he had substance, purpose, and a connection to the world around him.
"Wait… is this Tokyo?" he muttered. It was strange, speaking after so long in silence. The neon glow and dense urban sprawl looked all too familiar from his previous life, and an eerie sense of recognition washed over him.
He knew this Tokyo—this was the Tokyo from Tokyo Ghoul. Buildings, streets, even the energy in the air carried an unsettling edge, like something sinister was lurking just beyond sight. And he was in it, right at the heart of one of the most dangerous fictional worlds he could have imagined.
"Alright," he muttered, trying to steady himself. "I can figure this out. Just... breathe..."
But he had no lungs to breathe with, and his body felt weightless and incorporeal. Panic began to bubble within him, but then, as if on cue, a series of mechanical prompts interrupted his thoughts.
---
[System Activated]
[Congratulations! You have been chosen as the System Guide for this World.]
[Please proceed with the setup to initialize your abilities.]
---
"System Guide?" he repeated, bewildered. It sounded like something straight out of one of those isekai novels he'd read. Was he supposed to be some kind of helper, like a system AI for a player in a video game? And for a world as brutal as Tokyo Ghoul?
"Alright," he thought, "if this is happening, I need to know what I can do. Time to check out this 'setup.'"
A new screen appeared before him, suspended in the air. It displayed options, stats, and abilities waiting for activation. Reading through them felt both strange and exhilarating.
---
[System Setup: Select Primary Abilities]
1. Task Assignment – The ability to assign quests to chosen individuals in the world.
2. Emotion Influence - Subtle ability to influence emotions of selected individuals.
3. Illusion Creation - Capable of generating brief, simple illusions that can only be seen by specific individuals.
4. Resource Locator - Ability to locate objects, materials, or places.
5. Memory Modification - Allows minor adjustments to memories.
6. Skill Upgrade – Access to enhance the abilities of selected individuals.
7. Item Creation – Capability to create items and resources.
8. Environmental Manipulation - Limited control over the surroundings in a small area.
9. Adaptive Prediction - Ability to predict a few seconds of future events for one chosen individual. However, it has a cooldown.
10. Insight – Power to access information about the world, its inhabitants, and their history.
---
As he read through each option, he couldn't help but marvel at the possibilities. Each skill seemed tailored for guiding others—helping characters grow, develop new abilities, and gain insight into the world. But in Tokyo Ghoul, a place of constant danger, these abilities were more than just tools; they were lifelines.
He chose Insight first. Information could mean the difference between life and death in a world of flesh-eating ghouls and relentless investigators. Task Assignment was next; perhaps he could find a way to influence certain characters, guiding them toward safer paths or uncovering hidden storylines.
Then came Skill Upgrade. He didn't know who he'd encounter in this world, but maybe he could aid someone who genuinely needed the help—someone with the potential to change things for the better.
Finally, he selected Item Creation. He wasn't sure how far this ability would go, but he hoped it might allow him to create items to help the weaker characters defend themselves.
The moment he confirmed his choices, he felt a strange warmth spread through his form, like pieces of himself were coming together.
---
[System Setup Complete]
[Welcome to Tokyo Ghoul. As the System Guide, your duty is to support the individuals of this world through their challenges and battles. Influence their growth, guide their decisions, and shape their fates.]
---
A quiet thrill ran through him. This was real. He had a purpose again, and in a world that had once felt so far from reach. He felt the weight of responsibility settling in, knowing that even the smallest decisions could have life-or-death consequences here.
He glanced down at the bustling city below, watching as the headlights of countless cars weaved through the streets, people moving about their lives, unaware of the dangers hiding in the shadows. Somewhere down there, Kaneki Ken, the protagonist of this story, was likely still human, blissfully ignorant of the nightmare awaiting him.
"I wonder," he thought aloud, "how much I can change things… if I even should."
But as he pondered, a familiar, eerie feeling crept up his spine. He could sense something nearby, watching him. The sensation was strange, like static buzzing around him. Activating his Insight, he let the world filter into his mind.
---
[Entity Detected: Ghoul]
[Species: B-Rank Ghoul]
[Location: Rooftop, 20 meters ahead]
---
His non-existent heart might've skipped a beat if he'd had one. A ghoul was close, and if he'd been any closer, he might have been within its attack range.
"Great," he muttered. "I haven't even been here an hour, and already I'm in danger."
The presence grew stronger as he focused, his vision sharpening until he could make out a tall figure standing on a nearby rooftop. The ghoul was watching the city, its eyes glowing a faint red in the night. Fortunately, it hadn't noticed him, but it was enough to remind him just how perilous his situation was.
He glanced at his abilities. Task Assignment came to mind, but he couldn't assign a quest without a player to assign it to. For now, he had to observe, learn, and find his bearings.
"Alright, let's do this smart," he said, feeling an odd sense of determination. This was his world now, and he had to figure out how to survive in it, even if that meant remaining hidden.
As he drifted along the city's rooftops, his Insight ability proved invaluable, identifying ghouls, humans, and even key locations in the city. The feeling of having information at his fingertips was empowering, but he knew he'd need much more if he wanted to make a real difference.
Suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure in the street below. Black hair, quiet demeanor, walking alone with a book in hand. His breath hitched—Kaneki Ken, the boy destined to become a half-ghoul and plunge headfirst into this world's horrors.
"Kaneki…" he whispered, feeling an odd mix of excitement and dread. He was staring at the protagonist, the person he would one day support—or maybe even guide directly. But Kaneki was still human, still blissfully unaware of his fate.
And just like that, a wild idea sprang to life. What if he could help Kaneki? What if he could subtly influence events, maybe even change the course of the story for the better?
Before he could fully process the thought, a notification appeared.
---
[Would you like to assign your first task?]
---
He hesitated. This was his chance. He could intervene, offer a nudge, and perhaps set Kaneki on a safer path. Or he could remain in the shadows, watching events unfold as they were meant to.
Finally, he made his choice.
"Yes. Let's assign him a task," he confirmed, a faint glimmer of hope in his heart.