'Hmm… What do you think? Eden?'
Aiden sat on a rock as he looked at the window in front of him.
[Skill status: Reflection]
[Reflection: Create an invisible shield around yourself that protects you.]
'Feels like a game.' Eden replied as Aiden put his hands on his chin. At least that's what he thought he did, but there was neither a hand nor a chin.
'…We clearly died that night. Do you think it's our afterlife?' Aiden said as Eden rolled around on his chair.
'That might be it.' Eden said as he kept spinning.
'But what is this blue window?' Eden asked as he stopped and looked at the window.
'Same question.' Aiden said as he tried to touch the window.
Ting
'I can touch it?'
Aiden said as he felt the sensation of the window on his 'hand'.
Ding
As soon as he touched the screen, another screen suddenly opened up in front of him.
[Welcome! Host, you seem to have woken up.]
'Uh, thank you?' Aiden said as he looked at the window.
[Now, you probably have a lot of confusion regarding your current condition. So, let me enlighten you.]
'…Go on.' Aiden spoke as the windows flickered.
…
This place had a different name from Aiden's previous world.
A world much larger than Aiden's previous world with different views and acts, its name was Venur.
While Aiden's previous world was heavily dependent on technology and had vastly improved in it, this world was more on the primitive side.
Venur was the opposite; instead of technology, there were artifacts and other tools.
Venur wasn't that developed on technologies, but to balance out the difference between the two worlds, this world had a factor that they had improved on; it was magic.
This world had magic, something Aiden had only heard of in fairy tales or read in novels.
This world had magical creatures. There were many different creatures, some intelligent, some unintelligent, some good, and some bad.
Whoosh
A figure suddenly appeared on a tree as it looked upwards.
'The moon looks beautiful today.' It said this as it wagged its tail.
It was a brown fox with a hint of white at the end of its tail.
'Now let's see what it is.' It said as its eyes glew purple.
[Clear vision]
It was already nighttime, but that wasn't of any concern for the fox as it used its ability [Clear vision].
'…Hmm? I can't see its figure?' It said, as it looked at a glowing figure that was sitting? on a rock inside a cave.
'Wow, there is something that can obstruct my [Clear vision].' It said it as it frowned.
'Boss was right; this thing that was just born isn't something simple.' It said this as it stood still and observed the glowing figure.
It tried and tried, but it still couldn't see the beast's figure.
If only it knew that what it was seeing wasn't a mistake.
…
'…So, am I really in my afterlife?'
Aiden asked as he looked at himself.
[Not exactly.]
[While your world has different meanings for the afterlife, the real meaning of the afterlife is that it is the life after death where your whole soul and consciousness will be reset, making you lose every memory and attachment you had to your past life. You will be born with a new face, a new destiny, and a new fate—everything new.]
[Reincarnation, on the other hand, is just like the afterlife, but you still have the memory of your previous life.]
'…Wouldn't that make most people have reincarnation rather than an afterlife?' Aiden asked, as reincarnation seemed more favorable. When there are two different options, there should be a balance between them so that one option doesn't overshadow the other.
[Reincarnation isn't that favorable. It is, in fact, like the afterlife, just with the memories of your previous life. But those memories cost a lot. Reincarnated beings have neither fate nor destiny. God won't look after them. They will be of a different race than their previous lives.]
'…I see.' Aiden said, as he didn't feel any different.
In his thoughts, he believed he didn't have any fate or destiny to begin with. And being of a different race than humans, he didn't have any attachment to humans he had met till now.
'Wait? Then, what am I?' Aiden asked, as from the information from the windows, he had tried to transform into a human.
If what the windows told him was right, he wasn't supposed to be a human.
Flick
As he asked a question, the window didn't answer in words but opened up a window.
[Status:
Race: Energy Beast]
'Energy beast?' Aiden muttered as another window appeared.
Flick
[Energy Beast: A conscious energy born after being in the presence of pure energy for thousands of years. They are purely made up of pure energy. When they reach certain conditions, they take the form of another race.]
'Energy beast…' Aiden said as he looked at his hands.
The group of energy moved as he could sense them like his own limbs.
'No, they are my limbs.' He thought as he did some movements that allowed him to feel a connection to his body.
'…Why should I turn into a human or other race? I can remain as I am.' Aiden said as he formed some tentacles from his body.
He was never treated like a human, and he never felt like a human. So, why should he turn back to one?
His thought process ran along these lines as he made his limbs swing around.
Chhssss
'Agh.'
But, suddenly, the limbs disappeared right before his eyes as he felt pain.
Aiden felt like his arms were cut off as he felt himself losing energy.
'What was that?'
Aiden asked, as he felt weak.
[Energy beasts can't survive in energy form for a long time since the energy starts to disintegrate. So, it is recommended to take the form of another beast.]
'…Thats disappointing.' Aiden said as he again stared at his body.
[The host will be able to remain in energy form if he becomes strong in the future.]
'Strong?'
[Yes.]
'…How strong?'
[You will have to evolve your core to the third base.]
'Core?'
Whoosh
As Aiden asked the question, he suddenly felt something pierce his body as some more parts of his body disintegrated.
'Huh?'
Stunned in surprise, Aiden looked at the cause. Due to his own glowing body, his surroundings were illuminated, which allowed him to see his surroundings.
It was a spear that looked like it was made from wood.
'Wha-'
"Fire the binding rope."
Aiden sensed being targeted as he quickly moved away from his place.
Whoosh
Several golden ropes fell at his previous place as Aiden looked at the place where he heard the voices from.
'It is humans.' Aiden thought as he felt disappointed. It seems like the humans of this place also hated him.
There were five humans: two were at the back, while three were at the front.
The one wearing a big helmet standing in the middle raised his sword as he pointed it towards Aiden.
"Slaying you will surely make our guild rich." He said this as he sneered. The two beside him also sneered, while the two behind them seemed to have a conflicted emotion as they looked back and forth between Aiden and the three.
As Aiden looked at them sneering at him, his head suddenly spun as he felt a big surge of mixed emotions attacking him.
'D-don't look at me like that.' Aiden said in a hoarse voice as he backed down.
Looking at Aiden backing down, the three humans felt powerful as they started walking forward.
Their image was replaced by that of the villagers, who were holding maschetes and fire tourches.
'B-BACK DOWN.' Aiden shouted, but he hadn't realized that the humans couldn't hear him.
Looking at them walking forward, Aiden took some steps back as his consciousness started to fade.
The light Aiden was emitting from his body dimmed down for a slight moment, but that didn't last long as it returned immediately.
It was so fast that no one had even realized what had happened.
But something had happened; the monster that was standing in front of the humans wasn't Aiden anymore.
'Tsk.'
'Disappear.'
Looking at the image of villagers holding maschetes and fire tourches with disdain, Eden scorned at them coldly as the images turned into dust and faded away.
As those images went away, the faces of the humans returned, as they still had that sneer on their faces and were walking forward.
'Now what should I do with them?' Eden said as he looked at the humans and then behind them.
Stretching his limbs, he prepared himself as he suddenly took some steps forward.
Looking at the monster taking steps forward, the humans stopped and raised their guard, as they knew the monster in front of them wasn't an easy one.
'Hmm, if I'm not wrong… this should work.' Eden thought as he smiled and dashed forward.
Maybe it was because his body was different or was just light, but his speed was very fast.
Srrrrrr
"Prepare your shield." The man wearing a helmet spoke as he and the others raised their shields.
Whoosh
Eden appeared right below them in small size, taking them by surprise.
'Say cheese.'
Whoosh