One night, I made camp in a small clearing, surrounded by the eerie sounds of the forest. The darkness pressed upon me like a heavy shroud, and the stars above were dimly visible through the dense canopy of leaves.
As I sat by the crackling fire, a profound sense of dread washed over me. The air grew cold, and my senses were on high alert. I knew that my encounter with the mysterious voice was imminent.
It had been over a month since I escaped Xander. I could tell because of the new moon that shone brightly in the sky, illuminating everywhere around me. But apart from tye time, there was something else I could figure out. My birthday had just passed.
I reminisced about five years before, how I'd met Alicia. She was so friendly and simple, one would not expect her to have been a princess. All of a sudden she turned on me, becoming as vicious as a green snake hidden in fresh, green grass waiting for a moment to strike. I was betrayed in the blink of an eye. And for what, I had no idea.
'That's right. That mysterious voice is yet to speak to me again.' As I thought this, I seemed to have called out to that voice to speak to me.
Oh. Do you miss me so soon?
'Huh?' I was startled at first, but quickly collected myself after realising who was speaking. 'Where have you been? I nearly died out here!'
Am I supposed to still give to you my power after that day? I had no idea. No matter, I came to collect what I am owed.
'What you are owed? Don't tell me... ? Won't I have some more time to myself?'
Ha ha. Don't be so naïve, little fellow. I can come and collect whenever I please, and I please right now. Goodbye.
He had just finished saying this when my vision blurred and I descended into an extreme darkness. This darkness was slowly being illuminated by where I stood. The whole place eventually began to give off a dim light that shines all around. I noticed that the place I was, was where I had fought Hans and his squad. Except this time, they all lay dead.
The sky was utter darkness, there was no moon. Even the dim light from the ground all around could not illuminate it. I looked around for a bit and came back to where I stood.
'What is this?' I wondered. Was I dead? I had no idea. 'I guess this is what it feels like to have one's soul taken, huh?'
Suddenly, Hans, who was dead a moment ago, stood right up as though he had been alive the whole time. His right arm was bent in a strange direction and bled like a stream as his ulna stuck out in a dreadful manner, making me feel a sense of trepidation.
Then, his voice boomed as he spake thus: "This is the end of the line for you Jason Xilmoa! Your soul is mine." My vision twisted again and I found myself engrossed in completely absolute darkness.
As the entity reached out to claim me, I felt an overwhelming force pulling me into the abyss. The world dissolved into a maelstrom of shadows, and I was consumed by darkness.
Time lost its meaning in that endless void. I was trapped, helpless, with only my thoughts for company. Memories of my journey, the encounters and battles I had faced, replayed in my mind like a never-ending loop.
Then, as if by some cosmic intervention, a flicker of light appeared in the distance. It beckoned to me, a glimmer of hope amidst the inky blackness. I moved toward it, my consciousness drawn by its radiance.
I reached out to the light and found myself in a completely white environment. Right before my face was a dark red screen that was a tad strange. On it was written:
You have unread messages, do you wish to read them?
Yes. No.
The scene was certainly strange, but I would not be fazed by strange. I had resided in the darkness for so long I wouldn't want to go back there, no matter what. It was that horrible. I moved my hand and touched the 'yes' button. Surprisingly, my hand fazed through it.
'Huh? Is this thing actually here?' It got me confused for a bit. 'Maybe I should try it with my thoughts. Yes, read the messages.'
The first message opened right in front of my eyes. It read:
Welcome, User. You have successfully acquired the ImMortal system.
Open the next message?
Yes. No.
Of course, I was already too curious to stop. What system was this? Was I actually still in that darkness while someone was playing a prank on me? Not that it would matter anyway.
I tried to comprehend the situation, but my thoughts were fragmented. 'System? What is that?'
The next message opened. It read:
Your soul has been used as fuel for the system, therefore linking your soul eternally to the system. Whenever you reincarnate, you will do so with the system. Do you wish to reincarnate?
Yes. No.
'Reincarnate? Doesn't that mean to come back to life? Yes! Of course, yes!'
Error. User still alive. Minimum requirements for reincarnation not reached. There are more messages. Do you wish to read them?
Yes. No.
'Still alive? Yes, read the next message.'
Soul of user is currently not synchronised with System. Do you wish to synchronise?
Yes. No.
'Yes.'
Synchronisation completed successfully. User can now reawaken.
Reawakening user. Failure.
Retrying. Failure.
Retrying. Failure.
Retrying. Failure.
Retrying. Success.
Identifying User. Success.
User is named Jason Xilmoa.
Age: Twelve.
Race: Human.
Power levels:
Vitality: 100
Magic Essence: 10
Strength: 3
Agility: 1
Dexterity: 1
Intelligence: 1
Stamina: 1
Stat. levels low. Need improvement.
Attempting to improve. Failure.
Necessary requirements for improvements not met.
All messages have been read.
Despite the overwhelming confusion, a glimmer of hope emerged within me. I had been granted a second chance, something utterly beyond my imagination. Now, I would use this second chance wisely.