2:07 PM -
Inside a dimly lit office, two figures sat across from each other. The room held an air of quiet formality, the weight of past encounters lingering in the air. On one side of the desk sat Queen Maxima, her gaze cool and steady. Opposite her was a woman, hands folded nervously.
"It's been over a year since we last met, Queen Maxima," the woman began, a hint of unease slipping into her voice. "If I'd known you were coming, I would've prepared…"
Maxima interrupted her with a dismissive wave of her hand. "There's no need for formalities," she replied, her tone firm. "I didn't come here for pleasantries. I came to know about my son. How is he? Where is he?" Her words cut through the air, carrying an urgency that silenced the other woman.
3:41 PM -
Akondo stood on the edge of a high-rise building, the hood of his jacket pulled low over his face as the sharp chill of the evening wind bit at him. He watched the city sprawl beneath him, his eyes narrowed in thought.
"It's been three days, and still, I haven't confirmed if everyone I swap bodies with dies because of my power…" he muttered to himself, glancing down at his hands. "But based on experience, they all have. Maybe it is because of me…"
A question lingered in his mind, dark and uncomfortable. Does everyone I swap with die? He tilted his head upward, squinting at the sky as a flock of birds drifted lazily across it.
"Wait a second…" he murmured, his mind racing as he watched the birds. "The message in front of me always says 'swap bodies.' It never specifies humans, does it? What if I tried swapping with an animal? Could that actually work?"
A new thought with hopr, "If I could take over an animal's body, I might be able to survive without causing anyone's death. Maybe… maybe there was a way to live without harming anyone." His gaze settled on a bird perched on a distant tree branch, studying it intently.
"If I can really swap with animals…" Akondo whispered to himself, a small smirk forming. "Then maybe things just got a lot easier."
With a new determination, he headed back down from the rooftop, pressing the button for the lift. The metallic doors slid open, and he stepped inside, staring thoughtfully at his reflection in the elevator mirror. Moments later, a young woman joined him in the elevator, her short party dress shimmering under the lights, her gaze fixed on her phone.
Akondo glanced at his reflection, the faint ghost of a memory flickering across his mind. "Freddy... he died in an accident. But was it really an accident, or was it because of me?" He felt an odd detachment, shrugging the thought off. "Strange. I don't feel guilty… not even a little."
The elevator doors opened again, and a man stepped in, positioning himself squarely between Akondo and the woman, who was still obliviously tapping on her phone. Akondo leaned back against the wall .
The guy smirked as his gaze slid over the girl's figure, pulling out his phone with a predatory glint in his eyes. Akondo noticed, but chose to keep looking away, pretending to be lost in his thoughts.
Without hesitation, the guy moved his phone closer, his hand hovering just inches from the girl's backside. He snapped a photo, the click of the camera barely audible in the enclosed space. The girl, oblivious to the violation, instinctively turned to face Akondo when she felt the disturbance, her eyes locking onto his. The guy quickly slid his phone into his pocket, then placed a finger against his lips in a silent plea for her to stay quiet about what just happened.
Akondo's stomach churned at the sight, but he turned his gaze back to the lift doors, suppressing his anger as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor. The doors opened, and the girl walked out, blissfully unaware of the creep's actions.
"Thanks for keeping your mouth shut," the guy said to Akondo, his tone dripping with false bravado.
Akondo didn't respond, his silence heavy as he stepped out of the lift and walked away. The guy followed, heading toward the nearly empty parking lot beside the building. The area felt deserted, shrouded in an unsettling quiet.
Reaching his bike, the guy retrieved his phone and grinned, "That was sexxy ass. I've gotta send these pics to my bros. It's been ages since I got a shot like this." He pulled up the photo, excitement dancing in his eyes.
But before he could send it, a hand shot out of nowhere, gripping him with a fierce intensity. Pain shot through his arm, and he whipped around to find Akondo, his expression steely.
"Wait, you… you're that fucking ass kid from the lift," he stammered, his bravado wavering.
Akondo tightened his grip, and the guy yelped in shock. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, panic creeping into his voice.
The guy swung a punch at Akondo, but he deftly dodged, then retaliated with a swift blow that sent the guy crashing to the ground.
"Ever since I came back from Freddy's body, I can feel his strength coursing through me—and more," Akondo thought, a flicker of confidence igniting within him.
He snatched the phone from the guy's hand and quickly deleted the compromising photo. "There has to be a backup app on here. I need to wipe it from there too, he thought as he scanned the screen." But the guy was back on his feet, fists raised, and swung a punch that sent the phone flying to the pavement.
"You wanna fight, huh, kid?" the guy taunted, his tone dripping with aggression.
Akondo stepped on the guy's phone, smashing it beneath his shoe. "Yeah bitch… I guess," he replied, a hint of defiance in his voice.
"Hey! You broke my phone, you fucking ass!" the guy yelled, rage boiling over as he lunged at Akondo with a series of wild punches. Akondo dodged with ease, then landed a brutal kick right to the guy's groin.
The guy crumpled to the ground, gasping in pain as Akondo walked away from the scene, the adrenaline coursing through him.
"I'll kill you for this, kid!" the guy shouted, his voice choked with anger.
Akondo didn't look back, his strides steady and unyielding as he disappeared into the shadows of the parking lot, the threat lingering in the air behind him.
.
.
After a while, Akondo reached a park and settled on a branch, gazing out at the winter landscape. "I don't feel hungry at all, especially compared to what I should be," he thought, leaning back against the rough bark.
"The winter looks different than last year," he mused. "Sometimes it snows, and most times, it just stops."
His eyes drifted to a nearby tree where a couple of birds were perched. "Anyways, I should focus on what to do now," he reminded himself, pushing aside the distractions.
"I should recap first. Now I understand a few things about what's happening to me. First, I swap bodies every twenty-four hours… well, not exactly twenty-four hours. It's more about when I leave the last person's body. I left Freddy's body around 1 PM today, so I'll probably need to swap again tomorrow around the same time. If I leave the new host's body at 3, 7, or 12, then the next day, the timer will adjust relative to twenty-four hours. When that time hits, a system will pop up with a one-minute countdown."
"That's all it… I guess," Akondo concluded, glancing at his watch. "3:55 PM."
"I'm not sure how to initiate a body swap by myself, but I managed to do it last time. I know now that I don't need physical contact to pull it off… I just need to look at the person. To turn back, I have to focus my thoughts intensely, no matter how far away I am." He glanced at the birds again. "If I do the same with these birds, can I actually soul swap? I guess I could… or maybe not. But if it works, it might give me some relief. I could find a way to adapt to this situation without harming anyone, and I'd finally understand if people really do die."
Akondo locked his gaze onto the bigger pigeon among the flock, his determination growing. "Change body," he commanded, his voice firm in the stillness of the park.
But nothing happened.
"Ah… it's not working," Akondo thought, frustration creeping in as he tried to look deeper into the moment. He concentrated harder, but still, no change occurred.
He didn't blink, focusing solely on the bird and pressuring his mind to initiate the swap. Half a minute passed, and still, nothing happened. Just before he blinked, he felt an unusual clarity wash over him; he could see inside the pigeon, clearly perceiving its aura and soul. Then, in a split second, he blinked.
His body suddenly became motionless, lying still on the branch as he opened his eyes—only to find himself inside the pigeon.
"Woah… I… did it," Akondo thought, feeling a rush of exhilaration, but he quickly realized he couldn't maintain his balance on the tree. He fell to the ground with a soft thud.
The other pigeon, startled, flew away for no apparent reason.
"Come on, control this pigeon body!" he urged himself, struggling to regain his footing. Finally, he managed to stand up, though it was awkward and unsteady. "That… that means I can survive without swapping into a human? Why didn't I try or discover this sooner?" he marveled, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.
He glanced at his human body sprawled on the branch. "Hmm, perfect! It's lying there so peacefully; anyone would think my body is just sleeping," he concluded, a wave of happiness washing over him. The realization that he didn't need to take people's bodies to survive brought him relief. But that happiness was short-lived as a system notification popped up before his eyes: "Swap to a human body in 1:38 seconds; otherwise, you will die."
"What the… I need a human body?" he exclaimed in shock, panic creeping in.