"Where I am?" – I feel that my body is as light as a feather, around me an immense light covers me completely. Could this be heaven? I have never been a believer, but I can't find how to explain this situation.
Until just moments ago I was on fire in my apartment. It is a fact that I just died, but then why am I still alive?
"Oh unfortunate creature, what a miserable existence you have had to endure in this brief life that you have had to lead in this world" – A woman's voice resounds in my mind, as if it were telepathy. Despite being heard as a mixture of innumerable voices, the sensation that it produces in my being is one of complete tranquility. Is it about god?
No, it can't be possible. I have been reluctant to believe in god all my life since my mother left us and my father died of cancer. If there was a god, I hated him with all my might. So why was I in that place?
"Far from the poor teachings that have been instilled in you about me, I am not a god who miraculously intervenes in the lives of people. I only contemplate my creation and evaluate how they behave in the situations that are presented to them" – All the preconceived beliefs that I had about what a deity is, collided with the statements of that mysterious being who spoke with me.
Far from showing anger at my defiant stance, he seemed to sympathize with me, as if he really suffered from my own pain. I cannot deny that at that moment I had an immense desire to cry, to scream and curse, but my being was immersed in a peace that I had never experienced before.
"To make up for your pain, I will give you a second chance to live. Unfortunately once a soul has lost its physical body, its etheric body cannot be reinserted into the reality from which it was taken. That is why I will send you to a new world, where one of my little creatures has made the unfortunate decision to take his own life." - Is seriously? Are you telling me that I have to enter the body of a person who just committed suicide? It's obvious that if such a person committed suicide it's because his life was shit like mine. So where is the damn compensation for all my suffering?
Without giving me time to claim it, that entity threw my soul through a tunnel of multicolored spectrum that fluctuated in various directions. In front of me, memory fragments of the soul that had left the body I was destined to enter began to be seen.
Vintage clothes, frills and baroque look. That was as if it were taken from an aristocratic novel. Like the costumes of the nobles of France or England, everything was a diverse mix that clashed with the reality he was leaving.
It was then that all that visual frenzy came to a screeching halt and my vision went black again. The sensation of a new body little by little took over my being, my senses were sharpening with the passing of the minutes, making me realize the situation in which I found myself.
The smell of humidity and dirt was unbearable, my wrists and ankles burned at the contact of what seemed to be shackles. Slowly my vision was adapting to the environment, observing carefully that I was in a kind of underground dungeon like a prison.
The sound of the rats prowling in that place, rummaging through the corpses of other unfortunate prisoners, made him give a heartrending cry that resounded on the walls of that jail.
Soon a man approached the bars of the cell, lashing out with a yelling blow in a language he couldn't understand. The expression on his face seemed filled with fury, reminding me of Richard's face. Fear gripped me and I closed my lips in fear of the unknown.
I didn't want any more pain, because I had been punished a second time. What kind of cruel joke was this god playing against me once more? The exhaustion from my reincarnation made me lose consciousness, leaving myself vulnerable to that situation.
"User Do you want to load the world language pack?" – A voice made me wake up from my dream and look around me looking for its origin. No matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find who was talking to me.
Completely disoriented, without the slightest idea of what was happening, I dared to answer him trying to find his source with it. "Yes, I accept it" - Soon the voice answered me for the second time, informing me that the process was running.
"Process? What are you talking about?" – A strong headache shook my being, making me scream in intense pain. A large volume of information went through my neurons making me drool from how unbearable the pangs in my head were.
When the process finished, a screen appeared in front of me. As if it were the interface of an online game. - "Welcome to the world of Pandora Miss Hitomi , as a gift from the goddess Artemis, you have been given a unique ability. Which will allow you to know all the secrets that this new world holds for you" – I couldn't believe it, certainly that seemed taken from a fantastic story like the ones narrated in the light novels that I liked so much.
Now I knew the name of my benefactor and the place where I was. It was certainly not my world anymore, it was the world where the former owner of this body lived. The ability that had been granted to me was known as "World Oracle". Its main function was omniscience, the ability to know all the secrets contained in the world where I now found myself.
Technically a divine attribute had been given to me in this new life, but in my current situation it was completely useless. I was still confined in that cold cell and thanks to my ability to understand the languages of this new world, I knew the truth of my situation: I was condemned to death.
Amelia Clarise Van Hellen, daughter of Earl Alexander Van Hellen. She was a submissive noblewoman whose birth was shrouded in scandal. The Count's wife had apparently had an affair with the Emperor Augustus Primus of Alberon . Product of that forbidden relationship, Amelia was born, a girl with purple eyes and reddish hair. Unmistakable signs of Imperial blood running through his veins. Faced with such infamy, the Empress sentenced Countess Van Hellen to lifelong confinement in the Wailing Tower. A prison intended for nobles who had committed a great sin against the crown.
In the case of Count Alexander, the imperial family was a bit more lenient. The emperor, being a close friend of the count, felt a deep repentance within himself, preventing the empress's anger from turning against him as well.
Stripping him of his title and possessions, sending him into exile with good financial compensation in between. Leaving the unfortunate Amelia in the hands of the empress, who proclaimed a decree of silence in the empire, under pain of death to whoever revealed even by accident, details of that dark episode of the imperial family.
Throughout her childhood, Amelia suffered from the Empress's abuse. Who always took the opportunity of any mistake that the poor girl made, to lash out at her furiously.
Both she and her daughter Lucrecia raged against Amelia, making her life a torment impossible to bear. Only relieved from time to time by a light that seemed to have descended from the heavens for her: Crown Prince Leopold Primus of Alberon .
Leopoldo was the emperor's eldest son, product of his love with the concubine Angelica Stuardo. Daughter of one of the oldest families, founders according to the legend of the creation of the empire, the empress did not dare to do the same thing she did with Amelia's mother.
Since she was the true love of the emperor, the empress decided to do something more despicable due to her jealousy. According to rumors that were soon silenced, during one of the hunts organized by the imperial family, the empress sent one of her maids to the tent where the concubine Angelica was resting.
Pouring out a potent elixir to attract the beasts, the concubine Angelica unnoticed met her death at the hands of the wolves. A short time later, the maiden who had committed such a crime was found lifeless in her bedroom showing serious signs of torture, but the official version of the palace was that such a woman had decided to commit suicide out of remorse for causing such an accident.
Apparently the emperor had taken out all his fury against her, since she could not touch the empress. Because it belonged to the imperial family of another nation that was a serious threat against the Alberon empire .
With deep regret, the emperor tried to give all his love and protection to his firstborn, being condescending every time the empress tortured poor Amelia. Being a scapegoat for Leopoldo's protection, that was what the poor girl's existence boiled down to.
Being aware of such a situation, Leopoldo consoled Amelia and gave her all the love that had been denied her. Making deep feelings grow between the two of them, but being an impossible love due to their bloodline.
But Lucrecia's jealousy grew as the years went by, since unlike Amelia, Lucrecia only saw Leopoldo with an unhealthy desire. Leading her to commit barbaric acts against her stepsister. To such an extent that one full moon night he ordered Amelia to be taken to his chambers. Where without any qualms he proceeded to cut out her tongue, to immediately inflict a wound on herself on her right hand. Shouting for the imperial guards who, seeing the scene, proceeded to hold the injured Amelia as if she were a sinner.
The trial to which she was subjected became a farce, unable to utter a word, Amelia had to endure the slander that Lucrecia launched against her without the slightest contemplation. At the end of the trial, the verdict of the imperial court was clear: Amelia the sinner had been found guilty of attacking a member of the imperial family.
The death sentence would be carried out on the second full moon of the fifth month of the Alberon calendar . For which, there were only barely two days left before she was sent to her place of execution: the cursed mountain of Dragulos .
"I can't believe so much shit together, that explains the fact that all my attempts to speak were in vain" - It was incredible, but thanks to my special ability, I could know in detail every secret that had to do with the original owner of this body.
It was more than clear that it was all a setup, but right now I found myself unable to even do anything about it. No one would listen to a single word I said and also, my tongue had been cut out.
If I want to live, I must find a way to escape on the way to the Dragulos mountain , if I don't, this second life will end without even being able to feel freedom. I feel very tired thinking, I'll just sleep a little before the time comes.
"Amelia, are you awake?" – A gentle voice could be heard coming from the other side of the cell bars. On the threshold were two silhouettes that he could barely make out in the dimness of the torches that illuminated the dungeon.
"You only have five minutes, Prince Leopoldo" – Apparently the young Leopoldo had come looking for Amelia until she was locked up. Unfortunately for him, it is no longer Amelia's soul that inhabits this battered body.
The expression on his face, illuminated by the fire of the lamp that accompanied him, reflected a deep regret as he lowered his gaze to contemplate my countenance. It was a fact that he sincerely loved Amelia, but due to the empress and her vast power among the noble faction, it was impossible for him to do anything to remedy the situation during the trial.
"Soon they will come for you my dear Amelia, the empress has bribed the mayor of the prison to advance your execution. Please have this with you for when the time comes. I will follow on my horse at a distance to rescue you in secret. Survive my sweet love" – With a gentle kiss on my forehead, Leopoldo reminded me of that moment with Grandma Yang.
I cried, I cried bitterly as he left the cell. He probably thought it was due to his words. But the truth is that my tears were for that life that was taken from me. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was my life. And now I was living the consequences of sins that I had not committed.
That despair made me faint soon after, falling completely asleep in my cell waiting for the time to leave.
Before the sun's rays rose over the horizon, the jailers came to my cell and dumped a bucket of cold, viscous, and foul-smelling liquid on me. When I fully realized what it was, I realized that it was animal blood.
The empress had given the order to prepare me as bait for the mountain-dwelling beasts. A succulent morsel for the jaws of any monster tenacious enough to catch up with me. It was a fact that they did not want to leave even the slightest chance for me to survive the execution.
Practically dragging me, the guards led me by the arms to the prison carriage. As soon as the door closed, the coachman lunged at the horse, beginning the gallop that would cross the main streets of the town.
"Death to the sinner, may she rot" - The crowd's screams resounded between the planks of the carriage, accompanied by the stones that were thrown and that from time to time managed to hit the bars hitting my body.
What did I do to deserve such punishment? I can't believe that I have to continue going through humiliation in this life like in my last one. I promised myself to fight to live, but this is too much. I don't think I can bear it. Even if there could be a hope that Leopoldo would come to my rescue as promised, where could he go? In this empire Amelia is known as a sinner and her features are easily detectable.
The journey continued repeating the same events until we finally reached the main gate of the imperial city. When the carriage stopped, the guards at the checkpoint began to rant, but this time I could understand their language thanks to my ability.
"This bitch will give us a lot of work to escort her up Dragulo Mountain . I don't understand why the empress insists on taking her to that place to execute her, it is enough to throw her in the forest of Medea, which is only two days away. The wolves will take care of her just as they did with the stupid concubine Angelica" – The gate guard gave the impertinent escort a blow on the helmet, reminding him that it was forbidden to even mention the name of Leopoldo's mother, under the death penalty.
"The Empress only wants her dead, there is no need to take her to Dragulo . Just rip out his heart as proof of his death. All the members of the royal family carry a mana core embedded, that will be enough proof that it is her." - No Please. Why does this happen to me? If we don't get to the Dragulo mountain path , Leopoldo won't be able to rescue me and I'll surely die at the hands of the beasts.
The oracle of the world told me that the mana core stone carried by members of the imperial family allows its bearers to make use of ancient magic. A magic that has been passed down from generation to generation since the first emperor.
According to the myth, there were five dragons that were responsible for shaping this world, known as the draconic race . One of them was Alberon , the Crimson Calamity. Alberon 's descendants were distinctively scarlet hair and violet eyes. Unmistakable mark that the draconic lineage flowed through his blood .
The only requirement to keep this power is that the lineages of the descendants of the draconics should never mix . Since, to do so, the physical signs would manifest as is, but the mana core would be completely useless.
The emperor, by having his affair with Amelia's mother, had diluted their blood lineage and consequently, Amelia could not inherit draconic power .
The only one capable of manifesting powers at a young age was Leopoldo, as his mother Angelica was a distant relative of the Alberon offspring . Thus keeping intact the blood lineage necessary to activate their powers.
"Everything is ready, get this bastard out of here" – As soon as I finished checking the carriage, the death march continued towards the roads outside the city. The stone paving that adorned the streets was soon replaced by the dirt and pebbles of the rural roads.
How many hours would have passed since we left the imperial city? I'm not even aware of it, I just know that the sun was at the noon point when we set out and now it had almost reached the point of sunset behind the mountains.
The smell of pine and moss reached my nose despite being locked in the carriage cell, there was no doubt that we had reached the Medea forest. The sound of howling wolves made the blood in my veins run cold like cold winter ice. My heart did not stop beating with force before the inevitable that was to come.
I knew that as soon as the carriage door was opened, one of the escorts would enter brandishing a dagger and pierce my chest to take my life. My body would be thrown to the side of the road and the blood that bathed my garments would attract the beasts, who would feast on my flesh.
"Damn you goddess Artemis. Is this the second chance you promised me?" – I thought to myself this blasphemy before the goddess that I did not respect, because of the destiny that this second life had in store for me.
"It's time to start" – One of the guards approached the carriage door and opened the bolts. As soon as I saw the torchlight, I saw the leering expression on his face. That man had in mind to kill me, but not before satiating his base instincts with my body. Bringing his dagger closer to my nightgown, he cut the fabric exposing my chest before his eyes.
The rough sensation of his hand running through my skin disgusted me, while he ran his tongue over my chest savoring the mixture between the sweat and the dried animal blood with which they had bathed me.
"Oh avo, tame it " – Forgetting that my tongue had been cut out, I stammered that please kill me. Provoking the laughter of that barbarian, who soon lashes out and then punches me in the mouth.
I was ready to abandon my life, stop fighting against the inevitable, giving in to the carnal desires of that human beast. It was then that a loud sound shook the treetops, causing the birds to fly out squawking as if they had seen the devil.
"Alfonso, leave that bastard and come quickly. Something strange is happening around here" – Buckling his seatbelt before completing his ignominy, that man came out cursing out loud at his frustrated plans.
I can't think straight, but the mutterings of those men soon turned to screams of horror and despair.
"What is an elemental dragon doing in Medea's forest? They only live on Mount Dragulo . Everyone in formation must escape" – The voices of the guards soon went from intelligible sounds to guttural laments. The crunch of metal and bone crushed by the beast's jaws echoed through the silence of the night.
The echoes of the fading lives were like a sepulchral trill that little by little was extinguished until leaving a void. Which was soon filled by the thunder of the beast's footsteps approaching the carriage.
Instinctively trying to save his life, the stallion began his frantic run in the middle of nowhere while pulling the carriage that was still attached to him. The pounding inside the cell made my body crash from one side of the walls to the other, hurting me even more than I already found myself.
Trees fell one by one like domino pieces colliding with the wings and tail of that elemental dragon. Who frenzied howled trying to intimidate the steed, which did not give rest to its gallop and soon was breaking the fragile wooden wheels.
Just when he was a few meters from a cliff, the carriage spring broke the axis and released the steed, who, preferring to fall into the void, threw himself to his imminent death. Being caught in full fall by the dragon.
The neighing of agony of the horse was a hellish sound to my ears, the sensation of chewing the entrails of that poor animal made my skin crawl before the imminent outcome that I would experience just like him.
Just a few seconds after the sound of the dragon's chewing stopped, a rumble shook the carriage. With a single blow with its claws, the dragon tore through the ceiling, exposing me to its mercy.
Without further regret, I relaxed before my imminent end. Just when the imposing animal was about to open its jaws to devour my body, I exclaimed in my mind - "This is the end for a pathetic soul like mine"
As if by some miracle, the dragon stopped to look at me. Just like a dog that has heard the voice of its master, that being looked at me and suddenly exclaimed: "How is it that you can speak the ancient draconic language , human?"
" Draconic language ?" – During all this time while I was listening to the voices of the guards on the way to my execution, I felt a strange detail in the way I was hearing their voices. The ability of the oracle of the world apparently translated any language into my mother tongue and in the same way, did the same when communicating with another being.
A mastery of all the languages and dialects of this world was something too useful for me that I was thrown without the slightest explanation by the goddess Artemis. Thanks to his gift, it seems I have been able to save my life from the inevitable end of facing such a magnificent beast.
"Sorry for my rudeness, but we dragons aren't exactly violent or rude. But we must be fierce before humans since they are responsible for the barbaric massacres against my people" – As he explained to me, the mysterious creature was a member of one of the five original clans of the founding dragons of the world. Faust, a proud dragon descendant of Casius : the dark revenge. His clan was apparently the last holdout of the original draconic race .
For millennia, the human beings that made up the founding families of the empire had kept vows of pacification with the elemental dragons. Given their status and nature, the founding families considered themselves dragons that had attained the maximum level of mana mastery and eventually abandoned their draconic form to become humans.
Preserving the unequivocal seal of the physical characteristics of the species to which they belonged and their core of mana embedded in the heart. Thanks to this, their ages were prosperous and longevity was an additional hallmark of their blood lineage.
Being able to live up to 250 years with his human form, an eighth of the original longevity of what an elemental dragon is. But all this changed drastically when Thaddeus Primus of Alberon , fifth emperor of the Holy Empire, broke the peace treaties and began an indiscriminate hunt for all existing elemental dragons. Supported by the rest of the founding families, the emperor's ambition was such that he sought to prevent the fulfillment of an ancestral prophecy.
The strangest thing about all this is that when asking the oracle of the world about the prophecy regarding the story told by Faust, the voice remained silent at all times and only specified from time to time to say that it was not his domain.
"I have prolonged my talk with you human, I am sorry for having given you a hard time. But now I must withdraw from this place. If at any time you need help from me, look for me in the Dragulos mountain and show this object to the guardian of the entrance" – Moving his claw up to his neck, Faust took one of his black scales and deposited it on my hands. He told me that dragon scales are very valuable items and they are rarely given willingly to humans. Those scales that are taken by force lose their color and turn to dust.
Just before leaving, when their wings were already beating vigorously in the night sky, bathed in rays of moonlight. Fausto turned his head in my direction and said a few last words to me: "Among your belongings there is an object that can be of use to you, little human, if I were you I would take a look at it before leaving the forest."
Just as he said his words, the dragon fled from me at full speed towards the mountain, quickly disappearing into the horizon. Heeding his advice, I rummaged through my clothes for the object I mentioned and when I took it out of the pocket of my ragged clothes I saw it clearly.
In the prison cell Leopoldo had given me an object that he said would be useful in my rescue, when I asked the oracle for information about it, he confirmed it.
"User, the object you are holding is a shapeshifter pearl. It is a single-use high-level magic item. Its ability allows the summoner to change its appearance from a mental projection" – I couldn't believe it, such an object with incomparable characteristics must be something very expensive and difficult to obtain. But Leopoldo had taken so many considerations trying to rescue Amelia, that he felt a deep pity for him. But I'm not going to live a lie just to please someone else.
Amelia Clarise Van Hallen had died in that dark prison, so unfortunate that she didn't even know that a ray of hope was hidden for her in the darkness. Looking at that afflicted face on the surface of the water on the shore of a lake, I saw in his eyes so much sadness that I put my hands to my face trying to hide the tears of compassion.
She did not want to shed such tears to offend the memory of the unfortunate young woman, but who in her heart could not even feel sorry for such a miserable life. Only if you weren't human would you be able to look at him and not feel an ounce of sympathy.
I took the pearl in my hands and deposited it in the water just as the oracle of the world had told me. By dissolving in the water, the pearl would activate his spell and he had to drink the water thinking about the physical form he wanted.
There was no doubt, if I had to choose a physical form for my new life in this world, it had to be that of my old self. Whoever denies himself on a whim completely denies his essence. Those were the words Grandma Yang once said to me when she was consoling me at the door of my apartment, one day when I came back from high school and had been attacked by some college girls because of my appearance.
As soon as I took a sip of the water, my body began to burn with the same intensity with which the flames of the fire consumed me. The horror seized me once again and I threw myself into the lake trying to mitigate that pain. In the struggle my torn clothes separated from me and I was left completely naked in the middle of the water. When the spell finally finished taking effect, I looked once more at my reflection on the surface and what I saw was something I couldn't believe.
It was me, I definitely had the appearance that I kept from my past life. But the hair and skin blemishes were completely gone. When I felt my abdomen, I noticed that it was still just as full and I laughed out loud at the situation.
" Pffff . Definitely magic can't work miracles with body fat" – I didn't stop laughing until I realized that I was completely naked and a small voice made me cower to the point of diving into the water to hide myself from embarrassment.
"It usually happens if you have the habit of eating only sweet things and never healthy ones" - Turning around behind me, the small radiant silhouette of a fairy gave me a lecture on good nutrition. My surprised face was such that the little creature laughed saying that I looked like an idiot.
"Who the fuck are you?" – I was a little angry at that way of insulting me, but the fairy had a worse temper and blowing a little on the water, it got so cold that it made me run to the shore.
"My name is Callisto, the guardian fairy of the Medea forest. You insolent brat should have respect for your elders" – Even trembling from the cold drops that dripped from my bare skin, I looked at Calisto just as surprised as if a ghost appeared before me.