Inside a dimly lit room.
Two figures could be seen within the room.
One of the figure- Klaus, Xavier's brother got to removing his shoes, probably in preparation to go to bed.
Xavier on the other hand, with a light sigh dropped onto a dark chair.
His brows were tightly furrowed, and his hands were placed on his chin, giving others the feeling of him being lost in thought.
And indeed.
He was very much lost in his own thoughts.
***
.
.
.
It had been a few hours since I made it to this strange world.
In this strange world, there seem to be people called Arcanists- people who go through the Arcane Ascensions, and then we have the espers who awaken their esper attributes and join a prestigious esper academy and last but not the least, we have the most elusive of them all- the transcenders.
Those who consume divinity potions even at the risk of losing their own sanity.
All this I had digested from the memories of the owner- well to be more precise, the previous owner of this body.
...In addition, I kind of came to the realization- a couple of hours ago- that I was born into a family of hunters.
Humans who hunt supernatural creatures, supposedly more rampart in the supernatural era than in the current dark era.
But, all that aside.
I could see...
'This.'
"Arcanist Status"
▪︎ Name: Xavier
▪︎ Origin name: Unknown
▪︎ Ethereal Core: Dormant
▪︎ Ethereal Fragments: Nill
▪︎ Temporal Fragments: Nill
▪︎ Phantom reflections: Nill
▪︎ Aspect: Unawakened
▪︎ Innate Ability: Foresight
[Time till Arcanist Ascension: Unknown]
[Chances of undergoing the Arcane Ascension: 1%...100%]
[Complete more quests to increase the chances of awakening.]
"Esper Status"
▪︎ Rank: Unranked
▪︎ Exp: [0%.....100%]
▪︎ Attributes: Unawakened
▪︎Innate Skill: Unawakened
▪︎ Esper Arts: None
▪︎ Esper relics: None
"PARAMETERS"
▪︎ Strength: 8
▪︎ Speed: 8
▪︎ Constitution: 8
▪︎ Agility: 8
▪︎ Resilience: 9
▪︎ Intelligence: 9
▪︎Spirituality: 10 {peak mortal state}
"Transcender status"
▪︎ Retracement Level: [0%...100%]
▪︎ Bloodline status: Dormant
▪︎ Pathway: Dormant
▪︎ Sequence Level: Nill
▪︎ Spiritual Anchor: 99%
▪︎ Bloodline abilities: Nill
▪︎ Mystical Item:
~ Pocket Marauder Compass.
~ Ethereal Bell Of Subtlety.
But, I wasn't looking at either of this.
What was really disturbing me in ways I couldn't quite place my hands on.
Was:
[Time till Arcane Ascension: Unknown]
[Chances of undergoing the Arcane Ascension: 1%...100%]
[Complete more quests to increase the chances of awakening.]
So, to cut stories short.
I and my twin brother- in a sense that's- each have our separate systems who somehow manage to give us quests to accomplish.
Though it seems to require some certain extent of physical or mental intervention on a supernatural act or paranormal event before a quest can be issued out.
Well...that's all about it.
And I can still vividly remember how my transmigration had taken place.
****
•
•
•
Heaven or Hell- wherever I am, I deserve it.
The thought crept into my mind as I floated across an endless expanse of a lightless void- a world where darkness itself was the second closest thing to nature.
In that weird state, I couldn't remember much from my previous life- just numbness and the endless grief it brought.
Sighing deeply.
'...Maybe ending it was the only crime I had ever committed. And if that earned me Hell. Well, then I had accept it.'
After what felt like a lifetime- perhaps tens of lifeteme, even- in this weird state of floating through an endless darkness.
The darkness finally showed signs of receding.
Blinking.
My eyes blinked into a starless void- one devoid of any light or sound. And I continued to wander around for what felt like an eternity.
My mind was slowly corroded by the passage of time and it was getting increasingly hard to hold on to myself-... to hold on to my past.
As I moved through the starless void, my very soul tethering on the edge of breaking apart- I slowly started to lose myself.
Yet, I struggled to hold on.
I allowed myself to be carried by the invisible current as I floated across the vast expanse of endless darkness.
Here.
There was:
...No friends, no family, no lover, no enemy, no hatred.
There was absolutely nothing.
In this vast expanse of nothingness, even emotions started ceasing to exist.
Hence, I could only forcibly hold on to myself.
...I could only try to grasp a fistful of my sanity.
And hence, I had no choice but to be alone for what felt like an… eternity, while my sanity slowly slipped through my fingers, like grain of sand held within an unclenched fist.
Tick-
Tick-
I had no idea how long I had been on this endless voyage of mine- and I was only struggling to hold on at this point.
I could feel it: giving up meant losing everything about myself.
...And I couldn't allow that no happen.
Not now. Not ever.
And just then-,
Like the void had received its answers.
I felt a strong force pulling me.
And I could feel it.
Fear.
It was slowly crawling its way towards me.
Slowly eating me from the inside.
But,
Thump... Thump...
I immediately shoved down the fear settling within me.
I mean.
'...What more is there to worry about? Worse case scenario: -I finally get the death I deserve.'
Before long, I got dragged into an endless whirlpool of light. And then-,
A bright incandescent light flared to life, causing me to involuntarily close my eyes.
***
Tick-
Tick-
.
.
.
Opening my eyes once again.
I suddenly found myself in a mysterious space that seemed to hold infinite knowledge.
I blinked, trying to somehow make sense of my unusual surroundings.
Up in the sky- if it could be called one.
Seven stars could be seen. And each one seemed to represent a different aspect of life. And just as I-,
Thump... Thump...
Stretched my hands towards the seven stars in the sky. I realized a shocking fact:
Thump… Thump…
My hands were being pulled back and before I could make sense of the weird sensation of falling into an endless void.
I realized that the strange vision was gone and my eyes opened to ruined structures and buildings. A bright incandescent flame roared chaotically around me, and buildings crumbled into a pile of dust and shards, one after another.
And then-,
It came.
Boooommm!!!
Memories flooded in like a raging tsunami that had been held back for years.
I staggered, coughing out a mouthful of blood as I fell to my knees.
I tightly pressed my hand against my temples, as though that would alleviate the intense headache assaulting me.
Tightly clenching my fists and biting hard on my lips to suppress the pain that threatened to consume me, I struggled hard to make sense of the various scenes rapidly flashing past me.
Slowly, the flood of memories no longer came in, and it soon became glaringly clear that I had... transmigrated.
'...Is this some sort of joke?'
That was the first thought that came to my mind.
I had read multiple webnovels, infact I could be said to be a veteran reader and a… failed author. But,
Thump... Thump...
The idea of transmigrating had never once crossed my mind.
'Wasn't that supposed to be impossible in the first place?'
And a few- or perhaps a lot of questions flooded my mind- psyche.
Like for example:
How did I transmigrate?
Why have I transmigrated?...and so much more.
At first, I thought maybe a god of sort decided to give me a second chance after all the pain and trauma- I had to go through- But, I easily waved that off just as it came.
How laughable.
If suffering was the criteria for transmigrating.
Then I am afraid this strange world will be filled with transmigrates at this point.
But there was still something that was baffling me or to me more precise - unnerving me in a lot of ways.
The previous owner of this body had set up a petrol explosion in order to escape from a demon. His plan did end up succeeding, but it came at a cost.
…At the cost of unraveling some sealed memories of sort. And this said memories were responsible for killing him.
But,
A chilling cold slithered down my spine and my hands trembled violently, and before long my body soon joined in the fray.
Badump! Badump!
How can someone die because of a few set of memories?
I mean-,
How dangerous most those memories be, to be able to lead to such a traumatic event-...t-o… to succeed in killing someone!
And what made everything worse, was the fact that this sealed memories- of sort, along with a few of mine- were all sealed together.
The thought of the seal breaking open sent chills down my spine and I had to tightly clench my hands in order to stop the sonorous tremors running through them.
Even if it didn't work.
It was still better than nothing.
Sighing lightly.
I exhaled sharply, and before long, I eventually managed to pacify my rapidly beating heart.
'Alright, let's say I just happen to be a lucky fellow and got transmigrated.'
My mouth twitched slightly at this thought of mine. But it wasn't like I had any other choice.
I could simply go with this easy way or keep cranking my head around the unfathomable mysteries behind my transmigration.
"So... what next?" I muttered while running a hand through my hair.
I shifted my gaze to assess my surroundings more vividly. And I soon realized a fact that didn't really sit well with me:
Thump... Thump...
I was surrounded by roaring flames, charred broken structures and broken pile of woods that blocked most paths of escape.
I frowned.
And just as I allowed my eyes to move around.
My frown deepened.
At least, until I caught a glimpse of a lady pressed onto the ground by a large towering stone, with blood gushing out uncontrollably from her abdomen, forming a pool of dark blood around her.
'Shit!'
I was about to move to save the young lady when-,
Thump... Thump...
I suddenly came to a stop.
My heartbeat echoing through the stifling silence.
My heart tightened as I sucked in a deep breath.
Wheew!
...That was too close for comfort.
I mean-,
Who wouldn't be relieved.
I had almost ended up saving the demon that just tried to kill me!
According to the memories I have.
Demons aren't from this world- but are from a world known as: Hell.
Though I wasn't sure if it was the same hell- as the one rumored of, back on earth-, but I more or less guessed they were probably the same.
Who cares anyway.
The only thing that disturbed me and elicited a deep frown from me was the fact that these so-called demons- by possessing a human- can anchor themselves onto this world.
'Hmm.'
I stared at her with a wary gaze.
'... There's no need to be scared of her right?'
I questioned no one but myself and perhaps, the endless void within me.
With the grievous injury she had sustained, she was definitely in no position to pull off her possession stunt. Or… can she?
The question deeply troubled me.
If it turned out that she could, then attempting to approach her in order to get some answers would be no different from courting death.
...And I had no plans of doing that. At least not until I figured out what was going on? And most importantly...
Thump... Thump...
Fighting against the fear that threatened to overwhelm me, I took my first step towards her.
Tok-
And then,
Tok-
I took another step towards her.
Tok-
Each step of mine echoed through the stifling silence and her cold gaze sent chills slithering down my spine.
But I simply bit on my lower lips and-,
Tok-
Kept moving forward.
Tok-
I couldn't afford to show any sign of weakness.
Tok-
Arriving before her.
"Who sent you?"
I muttered with the coldest voice I could muster.
She simply glared at me.
Her silence made it obvious that she wasn't willing to say anything.
Irritated.
I was about to lose myself but just then-,
A smile crept up my face.
"...As long as you tell me who it's. I promise not to kill you."
I paused, allowing her to digest the words before proceeding:
"You should know that we- Winchesters take our words seriously."
The demon was silent.
Biting on her lower lips as her thoughts ran amok.
...True. The Winchesters value their words. But-,
Biting her lips even harder.
...If he were to search my memories. I would probably suffer a fate worse than death. But...'
Her gaze shifted towards me.
And I calmly waited.
I wasn't scared that she wouldn't accept the deal.
She would.
Not only that, but she would eventually fall into the trap I had waiting just for her.
Chuckling inwardly.
I portrayed the same stoic, cold expression.
'...I have no other choice.'
With a long sigh and with clenched jaws, she eventually spoke up:
"His name is Azazel. A higher demon."
Now...-,
I frowned deeply.
That's a big problem.
To be known as I higher demon.
At the very least, one must be a demi-god!
'Just great!... Just arrived here and I already have a demi-god, out for my blood.'
With a narrowed brow, I shifted my gaze towards her.
"What does the demon want from me?"
Agitated, I added subconsciously:
"Why did he order for me to be killed?"
T-his... how the hell am I supposed to know that.
Clenching her jaws, she felt I was mocking her impure bloodline.
"You can ask him when you go to hell."
She spat out irritatingly, anger seeping into her voice.
I was first taken aback, but then-,
"Euuf!"
I exhaled sharply.
...I didn't know how to reply to her words nor did I know how to press on without appearing too-eager for the answers.
Sighing deeply.
'...Well at least on the bright side. I know who's trying to kill me and well- on the not so bright side, I don't know why this higher demon is after my petty life.'
And to make matters worse.
Shifting my gaze towards the demon.
'...This stupid lower demon doesn't seem to have an inkling about the higher demon's plan.'
Facepalming myself, I resisted the urge to "gift" the demon a dirty slap.
"Urgh."
I struggled to calm down.
I mean-,
Who even takes a mission without knowing what said mission is about.
But thinking about it.
I guess she isn't to be blamed. After all, she was only a lower demon, probably not even worthy of meeting with the higher demon.
'What did I expect anyway?'
For the demon to rant on about his plans.
Lightly shaking my head.
I turned back and proceeded to leave.
As for the demon, she could bleed to death for all I cared.
But just as I took my first step-,
Tok-
The demon realized that she'd been tricked- She didn't need to be killed by him.
She would still bleed to death anyway.
'Fucking bastard!'
Gritting her teeth, she spat out:
"You pathetic weakling! Your father will never be proud of you! You're just a bastard who runs away from the truth."
Spitting on the ground as though in disdain, she added:
"Pathetic."
In the moments of anger, she had made us of an ability fully possessed by higher demons and partly, by a minute number of lower demons.
Mind read... subconscious dive or whatever name you gave it. Its goal was simple.
To dive into the target's psyche, into the target's hidden thoughts, motivations and paranoias. And then use them as a leverage to get under said target's skin.
...I suddenly stayed rooted to the spot. I tried to move, but my body just wouldn't.
...It was almost as though something. Someone within me was screaming for me to teach her a lesson.
I had a guess:
...It was probably the remnant soul of the previous owner of this body. That would explain why I felt so aggrieved all of a sudden.
And I could feel a familiar emotion slowly crawling its way towards me.
Anger.
It was slowly eating me from the inside.
Slowly trying to overwhelm me.
I felt like the demon had struck a fragile chord in my soul and... I had to strike back.
'Blood for blood it's then.'
And then-,
A cold expression slowly crept up my face and I turned to face her.
Now with an expressionless look.
Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
I brought out a mini-book from my back pocket.
Scrolling through the pages without saying a word.
The demon glared at me and if looks could kill- I would probably be dead by now. But that was nothing compared to what she was about to go through.
She wondered what the human needed the book for.
'Smack her to death?'
I eventually stopped at a particular page that read: Romaniakn Exorcism Spell.
"Huff… Huh."
Steadying my breath.
My feelings were a mix of thrill and anger.
The thrill that I could try out one of the mysterious, supernatural aspects of this world and an indescribable anger towards the demon for using a subtle part of my memory against me.
I couldn't accept it and I definitely ain't planning on letting her go scot-free.
Closing my eyes.
I opened it with a sharp exhalation and then-,
Thump….Thump...
My lips started moving, and strangely enough, I could read, pronounce and most importantly, I understood every single one of the words.
These words of mine- seem to hold within it-, a mysterious energy that resonated with reality, sending formless waves of energy towards the demon.
"Aaaaaaaargggghh!!!"
She let out a loud, blood-curdling scream.
And to make matters worse. This was but just the beginning and before long, she felt the pain of a thousand needles boring into her soul, each set of words shattering her soul into pieces and fragments.
Such pain.
It couldn't be described in words.
...She literally felt like dying!
"Aaaaarggh....please make it stop!"
"Please!!"
She pleaded.
Waddling in her pool of blood, as she tried all means to alleviate the pain. Yet,
"Aaaaarggh!"
Nothing seemed to work.
If anything,
Thump... Thump...
The pain was only intensifying.
Already engrossed in this mysterious state of having an invisible force feeding me with a strange energy, I continued reading at a fast pace. Heightening the pain that shot through the demon and the ear-piercing screams that escaped her lips.
Of course, I was already too engrossed to notice any of this.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!!
Scrolling through the pages, I continued to recite the chant.
And when my voice finally died down.
Thump... Thump...
The gathered adrenaline slowly ebbing away.
My eyes moved towards the demon, as the mysterious glow in my eyes slowly dissipated.
Staring at the demon- or at least what remained of her.
I felt a cold chill slithering down my spine.
Thump… Thump…
Tok-
Tok-
Instinctively moving backward.
'T-his... was this done by me?'
My lips shivered uncontrollably and before long my body soon joined in the fray as I gazed at the dark pool of blood or to be more precise- the body of a young lady who had been utterly disfigured and dismembered by a mysterious force.
And then-,
Thump... Thump...
A dense black smock suddenly shot out of her body, startling me,
Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
My heartbeat echoed through the stifling silence.
As I fell onto the ground with a loud thud.
The black smoke immediately phased through the ground, leaving a charred metallic stain on the ground, while I simply stared blankly ahead of me, shocked and completely shaken by the grotesque image before me.
And just then-,
Badump! Badump!
It popped up.
[Congratulations on completing a side quest:
Exorcise a demon!]
[Reward is being generated...]
[Reward has been generated:
[Chances of undergoing the Arcane Ascension has been raised to 1%]
[You have awakened your innate ability:
"Foresight!"
[You have received 2 attribute points.]
[...You have been granted the mystical Item:
[Pocket Marauder's compass!]
But…-,
Badump! Badump!
I could be less bothered about any of this.
My hands trembled violently and before long, my body soon joined in the fray as my mind was completely overwhelmed by guilt.
...A guilt so profound it haunted the very corners of my mind!