"NO WONDER!!" I say in a whisper-yell voice. I couldn't help but voice myself aloud as this revelation now made Terra's entrance into the novel make complete sense.
He was much too strong and much too mysterious. This is crazy. So, did the author plan it that way or did they just introduce a new character just because and me coming here was a coincidence?
Terra was an Extra who rarely appeared but when he did, all eyes were on him. I had no time to ponder on his thoughts when a deep voice speaks into my mind.
'Terra?' I whisper in my head, voice filled with shock.
'Yes, Elijah,' Terra's voice echoes, deep with relief. 'I am the original owner of this body. I'm here, but only temporarily.'
'I don't understand,' I say to Terra, completely shaken.
This person was incredibly powerful. Even if it's just a remnant soul, it's still vastly more powerful than I currently am. It could kill me for taking over its body.
'What has happened to me? Why am I here?'
'You've become a part of me, Elijah,' Terra explains. 'But you have your own path to follow now.'
'But I'm scared,' I admit. 'I don't know what to do.'
'You're stronger than you realize,' Terra reassures me. 'Trust in yourself, and in the journey ahead. But, never mind that. I need to warn you of the dangers to come and those that already are .'
Before I could respond, Terra's presence begins to fade.
'Remember,' Terra's voice returns, albeit faintly, carrying with it a sense of urgency. 'And listen carefully. There are powerful forces at play in this universe, forces far beyond anything I have ever faced.'
My heart quickens at the ominous warning, mind racing with questions.
'What kind of forces?' I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
'Chaos. It stirs in the shadows, beyond what we can access or see, waiting to consume everything in its path,' Terra explains with a grave words.
'To stand against It, you must become stronger than I ever was.'
The quick, raspy breaths I was taking are now stuck in my throat as the weight of Terra's words sinks in.
I'm starting to grasp the enormity of what lay ahead. The realization that I've changed from a mere reader into an active participant in this perilous world has left me shook.
No longer am I confined to the safety of observation, perched in a cozy room or on my dorm's rooftop, spectating as the narrative unfolds.
Now, I find myself threaded into the very fabric of the novel, no longer a passive bystander but an integral side character in the unfolding drama.
It's not just about navigating this new world or changing the course of fate, specifically Terra's fate; it's about confronting a darkness that threatens to engulf everything I hold dear; Z-Gene.
'I understand,' I reply, voice steady despite the turmoil swirling within me. 'I will become stronger, for both of us.'
I now know that the road ahead will be fraught with challenges and dangers, but I also know that treachery lurks in the shadows, disguised as allies and friends.
The demons are not the only threat; there are those who would betray their own kind for power and glory.
'Be wary, Elijah,' Terra cautions, his voice taking on a harsh edge. 'Trust absolutely no one but family, and even then, be vigilant. My final suggestion would be to befriend Lyra Everlight.
Yes, that Lyra Everlight, the Princess of the Radiant Dominion. Her true background is a mystery but she is the most trustworthy. Just look through my memories. You'll understand. Only befriend her after killing Veritas. Anyways, I must get going. Something wants to continue your arrival. Farewell, my other half.'
With Terra's words as my guide, I'll embark on his mission with the weight of the world, no, universe, on my shoulders.
I'm kind of confused about that last part though. It's impossible for me to be his other half. He's just a novel character.
For Terra's sake and for the sake of humanity, I'll have to traverse the treacherous world of politics and warfare.
Where some damned Houses who vie to ascend the imperial throne no matter the cost and the continuous onslaught on demons, keep crashing at our sides, I'll have my hands full for sure.
Once Terra's presence was gone from my mind, a series of golden lights appeared all around me.
'What the hell is going on now?'
The lights suddenly began to emit beams all over my body and straight into my soul.
"AHH," I yelled, expecting to feel pain. To my surprise, no pain had come.
As the lights expanded into horizontal lights, they started to scan every inch of my body, I couldn't shake the sense of unease creeping over me.
'What could be the purpose of these lights?' I wondered, my heart beating faster with apprehension.
[Scanning the Host for abnormalities.]
My breath caught in my throat as a robotic voice echoed in my mind.
~HAHAHAHAHA~
I couldn't help but laugh aloud. To think that I would get a legendary system. My loud laughter echoed throughout the medical room I was in.
It sounded almost maniacal and insane.
Though the author glossed over it, the protagonist also had a powerful system that aided him in his endeavors. That system simply helped him level up endlessly without any blockages.
Imagine just needing to accumulate a certain amount of "EXP" from killing living beings in order to proceed to the next level. And each increase in level meant a higher amount of exp. How easy was that?
Not to mention the crossing to the next Rank, the protagonist had his time consumed with raiding worlds overrun by demons, meeting the heroines, and other support characters and had no time to cultivate and enhance his mutated Z-Gene.
But, enough of that. The system is talking now.
[Abnormality found.]
[Identifying abnormality.]
[Abnormality identified.]
The tension in the air was palpable as I awaited the verdict, my mind racing with possibilities on what this system would identify abnormal besides coming from the real world to that of fictional once.
[Celestial &@$:'s initiation of Protocol: Temporal Soul Shift found. Relocating Host #1 now.]
Before I could even process the implications of the protocol, or even what it was, a strange sensation washed over me. It was as if the very essence of my being was being pushed in a different direction.
[Host found.]
[Protocol: Soul Coalescence commencing…]
A white, misty light ball materialized before me, hovering ominously. With a sense of… I don't know, giddiness, it began to merge with my soul, each part of it synchronizing seamlessly within my soul.
When the light merged with me, I felt a rush of memories flooding into my consciousness, memories that were not my own, but were Terra's up until the point of him collapsing.
"Wait! That ball was Terra's past soul while I had already fused with Terra's future soul. Therefore, Host #1 is actually the past Terra. Makes total sense," I say in a whisper-yell voice, the realization dawning on me.
They flowed through me like a torrent, exhilarating and barely expanding some of my understanding of souls and how they operate in universe of Z-Gene.
[Protocol complete. No abnormalities are found. The Host's soul is now whole and complete and is free to wander the universe of Z-Gene unfettered.]
As the protocol ended, I collapsed to my knees, overcome with the weight of whatever the hell just happened.
It was a sensation unlike anything I had ever experienced, even surpassing the time I had lost my…
Streams of sweat and dark-red fluids poured from my pores, pooling beneath me, completely soaking the black tight shorts I'm currently wearing.
And yet, amidst the pain and confusion, I couldn't shake the feeling of exuberance. I'll miss Earth but I always felt myself lacking.
Never really fitting in to the norm. Even my fellow bookworms were sort of foreign to me.
However, in Z-Gene, as Terra Uru, I can become more.
The universe of Z-Gene holds secrets beyond my wildest imagination, and my newfound identity is merely the first step on a path that would shape the destiny of worlds and this universe.
With my thoughts focused, I turn my attention to the system. Hopefully, it's a help system and not a damn sentient one. I hate those.
Inwardly so, I speak in my mind and ask the system, 'What kind of system are you and what are your directives?'
A sci-fi computing noise sounds within my head.
[The Celestial Imperium System has successfully activated. Now scanning the Host for bloodline verification…]
Another series of beeps sound aloud within my head. I couldn't help but be amazed at how overbearing the system's name was.
'Celestial Imperium System? F*ck, just make me a god already with that kind of name,' I think to myself, grand expectations filling my thoughts at the abilities of this system.
[Bloodline verification complete.]
Wait, I have a bloodline? What kind of bloodline is it? Even the protagonist doesn't have a bloodline.
Only a few select characters successfully awakened their bloodlines which are three heroines, my and Terra's father, a fleet admiral, and the direct Royal Family who are the Luminous Emperor and the Radiant Princess, Lyra Everlight.
[Welcome, Host. You have successfully completed a hidden quest of transmigrating and regressing at the same time.]
'What the… what the hell do you mean transmigrating and regressing? A hidden quest?'
[The Celestial Imperium System is a system that will assist the Host in becoming the first Imperium of the Zanthium universe. Please see the system panel for personal details and check the inventory for the Welcome Gift.]
'Damn*t!! Answer me now!!'
Knowing that the system wouldn't answer, as I've more or less guessed it's not sentient, I decided to pull up my panel to see what powers Terra exactly has as he only used 2 during his entire run in the novel. .
With no further ado, I simply say in my mind…
'Status.'