2024-09-26 18:47:42I had no body.
All that was there was my essential organs neatly packed into some kind of clear, plastic casing moulded to be the perfect fit of a human's inside form. My heart sat in place within this casing, squeezing itself to pump blood, and I watched the movement of my lungs as they heaved up and down. Taking all of this in, I laid back and started to cry. “You don't have to be too hard on yourself. I have a solution for you.” The doctor said, standing so I could see him, and pointing his hand at the robotic-looking human frame with shiny metal. “Waterproof, strong, and connected to your brain and spinal cord, this frame will help you get a body. You will be able to use it to walk, eat, and carry out every basic human function that you would need to with your human body. It will also help you cover the burns on your face.” “And what am I to give in exchange for this?” “Yourself.” He replied, fixing his gaze on me. I'd been through one tricky interview already, and I wanted to be sure of what this man wanted and the full conditions attached. If I had done the same with Hades, I would have known that my body was burnt and barely alive, and would not have sought revenge after all. This prompted my next question. “What do you mean?” “There are wars that you will be required to fight in.” “So I have to give myself for your cause, then.” “Yes.” He replied, adjusting his glasses. In that instant, I was reminded of Hades' words to me. Why was I surprised? He had made it clear that I would not be human, but that I would have to fight in wars for me to get myself back. He had also promised that there would be a guide for me to find myself, and I now wondered if that guide was the doctor. With no arms, as my body had burned from the shoulder below, leaving only my necessary organs, the doctor made a video recording of me agreeing to the process. After a sixteen second recording, he dropped the camera, smiled, and then snapped his finger. Everything started to blur for me, except his face as he passed his hand over it, and I was sure, more than anything, that his face had morphed into the one of Hades that I spoke to when I died the first time. When I opened my eyes again, there were no bright lights, but only the light shade of blue in the sky outside my window as the sun rose to show morning. I got up, went to stand there, and even opened the window, and never had I felt so alive. The sound of chirping birds as they sang their morning tunes, and the dew that settled on the grass, and the window… THE WINDOW… This wasn't my room's window. I started to remember the details of my terrifying dream. Of dying and having Debbie leave me and speaking to Hades and having nothing left but my head and shoulders and the internal organs of my body and the doctor's face turning to Hades' again. The anxiety it caused me made me put my hand to my chest as my breath quickened, only for me to hear the dull sound of metal clanking against another metal. I swallowed, not wanting to see, until I bowed my head and saw my feet. They were designed after human toes, and very much like the robotic one I saw standing in the corner. Only that this wasn't made out of shiny metal, but matte black. So was the rest of my body — my new metallic body — modelled after the form of the human body, but made of metal and not shiny, but covered in matte black paint. I turned each part around, from curling my fingers to clapping my hands to shaking my legs and even moving my waist. Everything moved accordingly, just the way a normal human body would respond to the mind's movements, until I tried to pinch myself and realised that I could not feel. At this point, I started to look for a mirror, to see what I looked from the eye of another person, and I soon found one in the room when I looked hard enough. Raising it high up, I saw that my face and both my shoulders were the only parts of me left from my old body, with everything else covered in the matte black metal. It was the sight of my face that did much to break me down. Half had burnt away, and was a large, bald, scarred mass, while the other half was what I used to be — a handsome, charming lad with blonde hair and green eyes, of which I had only one left now. One eye. Unable to take anymore, I threw the mirror on the floor, shattering it into pieces.
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The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General MY MISERY
I tried to think of how best to kill myself.The first way that came to mind was picking up a shard of the mirror and using it to cut my wrist, until the edge rubbed uselessly against the matte black metal without so much as a scratch. Looking for another way, I tried to pull the body apart, but it was as solid as a human body, if not even more. There was only the dull clunk of the metal as I hit it against the floor, before it cracked the place where I hit.All my efforts proved abortive and I could only sit down and cry, considering myself dead. Exhaustion made me lie down, until the door of the room was open, and Doctor King walked in.“I'm not sure if you like your new body, after all.” He said after watching me, and I looked at his face, checking to see if it had turned back to the one I met when I died, to Hades’ face. It was also the same one that I had seen when he waved his hand over his face before the operation, and I now wondered if I'd only been hallucinating.“No. I don
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General MAIA
I spun about, looking for the voice that spoke. It sounded like a woman's.“I am Maia, your System Guide and a part of your System and set to guide you to the Seal. Before you will appear a screen, your System Dashboard, to set you on the path you should go. Now, I will show you the details.”A holographic screen showed in mid air, and when I tried to touch it, it responded. On it were some statistics I could barely understand, but which I reckoned were connected to me, as my name and a small image of myself wearing the half mask were at the very top of the screen.Name: [Alexander]Level: 1Bronze Coins: 0/500. 0 used.Experience Points (XP): 0/10,000 Health Points (HP): 0/10,000Magic Points (MP): 0/10,000Strength: 5/10Intelligence: 4/10Agility: 1/10*Skill Section*Active Skills: NONEPassive Skills: NONESkill Cooldowns: NONE*Quest and Mission Log*Current Quests: NONECompleted Quests: NONE*Statistics and Analytics*Kill Count: 0/10Distance Travelled: 0/50 kmResources Gat
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE WARNING ALERT
It took me checking how far I'd gone before I realised how much of a distance fifty kilometres was. I walked for what felt like hours until my throat was dry and parched, and swallowing became a nasty chore.Tired, I sat in the sand to take a drink of the water, and I was well down a generous amount before calling onto Maia.“Yes,” she answered as the System Dashboard appeared, even bright in the sun.“How long is the distance I have covered?”“Approximately 4.8 kilometres.”Stunned, I swallowed. “And that means I have 46.2 kilometres to go?”“Yes. I would also advise you to be careful with your water ration as there is a long way to go, and to keep your katana close, as there are dangers to be encountered in the desert.”“What's the worst that could happen?” I growled, disgruntled by my condition. It would have been worth it if I could find somewhere and wait to die, but I was not afforded such luxury, only unless I could get through with these cursed levels.“Threats…”“I don't want
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General SAND DEMONS
I pulled out my katana and gripped it hard with both my hands.They stood in the distance, as tall as seven feet to my measurement, with red blazes where I thought their eyes were supposed to be. They were large, looming figures, made of sand and with sand continuously pouring off their human-like forms. They also had what I thought were horns all over, and looked very much like walking desert lizards from where I stood.One of them stopped and yowled again, before rushing towards me. I ran towards it as well, cutting sideways with my weapon to attack. Alas, nothing met my surprise when I heard my katana ring upon the skin of the Sand Demon with an impact that was so hard it jarred through my entire metallic body and was felt by the rest of me.I pulled the katana away and rolled through the sand, while the demons followed after me. One held its hand open, and shot a gust of sand that missed me. I tried to get up as fast as I could, but another gust of sand hit me, knocking the katana
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE STONE HEART
The water I poured the first time had destroyed one of the Sand Demons' arms so that when it stood, it had only one arm. I sat on my bottom the entire time, now sure that they would kill me, as I'd run out of the water to use in fighting them, but nothing matched the confusion I felt when I saw them bow before me even as I sat in the sand.The one with an arm raised its head and spoke in a language that was strange to me. I found it imperative to call Maia.“Congratulations,” her voice intoned. “You have made your first kill.”I turned the stone heart of the Sand Demon in my hand, finding it almost unbelievable that I had killed such terrifying things with water. Only water.“I need you to tell me what the Sand Demon said. He said it in a language I don't understand.”“He speaks an ancient language, indeed. He said:I have terrified travellers across this distance for millions of years, but none has taken the heart of a Sand Demon since Alexandros the Great fought us on these plains.
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General THE WAY TO THE OASIS
The sun was rising when I returned with the katana to where I'd been, and there I found the Sand Demons were waiting for me with a camel. I thought it was odd, seeing creatures made of sand standing with one that had blood running through it. I was quick to ask Maia where they found one as my curiosity was riled up. “The Sand Demons are lords of the desert. There is scarcely anything here that they do not know of, as they have roamed here for thousands of years, killing any desert traveller who they come across and who has not killed them.” Once again, I thought of killing the two Sand Demons to raise my points so that I would reach the bronze coins I need. Certainly, I had the stone heart, and they would let me kill them, since I had no reason to feel pity for them myself. They seem to be evil beings to travellers, after all. “Can they allow me to kill them if I have the stone heart?” I asked, slowly convincing myself to do the deed. “You said they'll let me do anything, right?”
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General ODESSO
I was so pleased by the Oasis that I planned to sleep there.It was a beautiful place, a welcome change from the dryness that filled everywhere else in that desert, and I spread my hood and sat there after finding the camel a comfortable place to graze, simply absorbing the pleasantness of the place. The camel was like a gift from the Sand Demons, and the oasis was a place I would hate to leave, but I had to, if I wanted a body and not some cursed half-metal being unable to die..“Maia?” I called, looking over the oasis.“Yes.”“How far are we from the Sword of Pella?“You have covered 24.6 kilometres, which means you have 25.4 kilometres to cover.”I bit my lip in agony, seeing that I still had not reached up to half my journey. Getting up to my feet, I went and took the camel, speaking softly to it as my hands touched against the brown fur. When I felt I had spoken enough, I climbed it and looked at the night sky above me, killing all plans to sleep.The night was serene and gentle
The Reincarnated Heir Becomes A General AGAIN AND AGAIN
A small altar that was almost negligible gave it away.It stood close to a broken wall that was roughly triangular, with the jagged, chipped edges.I looked at the altar as my camel rode past, and then looked away, going forward till I looked again, and saw another altar like it, just as small and near a roughly triangular wall with jagged, chipped edges. Then I rode forward again, and saw another altar like it, just as small, and near another roughly triangular wall with the same jagged, chipped edges. All similar.At first, I thought this was something the king who destroyed the city had done, but it was all too similar. The same cracks and chips in the same places.Swallowing, I held up my hand and watched the shadow of me on my camel by my right side. From the map on my system dashboard, I could clearly recall that I had been heading north all along, and even now, it was proof that I was still heading north. Then, urging my camel so that it went in the straightest line that it cou
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HALF A MAN
I decided not to ride the Pegasus on the way back.This decision was driven by a variety of factors. First, I did not want to rush back to the tent, most likely because I did not want to find Inar waiting for me, or anyone else who wanted to congratulate me on my participation in the war and claim the Pegasus. Second, I wanted to be alone, to reflect on my death and how far it was from me. Certainly, I wanted to be able to die, but seeing so many dead men who had been marching to kill only the day before had touched my heart. Third, I wanted to admire the Pegasus and bask in its splendor. There could have been more, but I ultimately walked back."Will you not allow me to take you back?"I jumped back in fear, looking around for the voice that spoke. I was certain that no one had been close, but I still could not see anyone."I am here, the Pegasus."My gaze returned to the animal by my side, which shook its head in response."Can you speak?" I inquired, unable to think of any other qu
A CURSE
I felt much better when I washed all the blood off.With enough water in the pot, I watered both my Camel and my Pegasus, before settling to cook my own meat. It was an already dried and salted piece, and all I had to do was heat it up.As I cooked, some soldiers moved past with ragged, unsteady steps, and I waved them all, wishing them a good morning. They were quick to hail me, and some even stopped to give me their narratives of my action in the past day's battle in drunken tones. Others walked by with loot — horses and Eagle men's armour for the most part, and sometimes women. They, who I had not seen since I stepped foot in this camp, now appeared to have crawled out of their holes.When I was done cooking, I went back in to eat, and after that, set out to go bury my Pegasus' previous owner. He had been good while he lived, and might have been interesting if he wasn't fighting on the other side.The time to go came and I mounted the Pegasus, following the animal as it flew me to
BLOOD ON MY SKIN
The sky was lighting up when I woke up again.Nevertheless, I was groggy, and then went into the tent, forgetting that I had allowed myself a roommate, until I went in and saw her lying on the floor, clad in her armour. It cleared my eyes at once and I felt sympathetic, praying for the sun to rise so that she would meet Bruma. I was quite sure that he would take her in and still permit her the freedom she wanted without any sexual demands as well. He had Seni, and did not appear to be interested in women.With this in mind, I went back outside. There, I felt regret that I did not ask for any of the wells. I still carried the blood from the previous day’s battle, and now I needed a wash to keep me clean.I moved around, admiring the sight of my Pegasus and Camel together, both of them gifts to me. I did not have any plans on what to do with them, but I loved the beasts too much to let go.Once again, I looked down at myself and could still see the bloodstains. It amazed me that I had c
A CAMEL AND A PEGASUS
I did not turn until I reached my tent.Once there, I stopped the Pegasus and stepped back, in awe of the animal. Its magnificent white fur showed even in the dark, and I took off my armour — which had discomforted me so much that my body adjusted itself to the discomfort, and then threw it in the tent. I then returned to the animal and threw my arms around it.“Tomorrow, we'll bury your old master, and I'll take care of you.” I said to the beast.It huffed, and I laughed at the sound. It made me think of my camel as well, long forgotten in my inventory, and I asked Maia to bring it to me. This she did, and I had both of them with me, a Camel and a Pegasus. I tied both to the same anchor knocked in the sands, and sat on the ground not far from them, watching when something caught my eye from the side — a shadow.I took the pains to sit still and watch, curious about the spy. Whoever it was had their sights on me so hard that they did not even move while watching me, which allowed me t
THE PARTY BEGINS
My Pegasus had come with a saddle, a parting gift from its previous owner.Gently, I mounted it to even louder cheers, almost falling off as it rose. The wing caught me just in time, and I held even tighter to the bridle, giving the Pegasus a gentle rub when I maintained my balance, shifting my helmet to one hand to enjoy my ride.They started to call for me to fly, and I gave it another gentle pat, which sent it into a trot. An even harder one set it running, and a pat on the wings sent it off the ground, and the body stopped swinging from side to side, giving way for a smooth, gentle motion through the air as we went even higher and higher. Our men and their torches were now reduced to tiny, candle-sized lights, while the Pegasus flew in a circle, going round and round without stopping.I was soon weary of flying, and we slowly descended to the ground, settling on a patch of clear ground the men vacated for us. More applause followed, and when I got down from the Pegasus, I was lift
ANDREAS
Andreas was a man I thought had gone mad.Certainly, I knew I was the one who killed the man. I pulled the arrow that killed him. I did it for the Warlock. How was he then going to feel if the Pegasus refused him in front of everyone else?“Which of you will go first?”I did not want to. So Andreas stepped forward amidst rounds of cheers and applause from the men, especially those who claimed to have seen him shoot at the Pegasus. Funny enough, I found that my mind started to play tricks on me too, and I even began to wonder if I had truly killed the man or if I had imagined myself doing it. Even now, the events of the battle were surreal as I thought of them, like things that had happened in a dream while I slept. The darkness was coming over, and a few men were holding torches to offer light. Andreas went closer to the Pegasus under their watchful glares, backed away when it snorted, and stood, as if uncertain of what he started to do. It made me roll my eyes.Still, he refused to
THE PEGASUS
All eyes were on me as I lowered my hand, including pairs from my fellow men and those from the enemy. It was as though they were waiting for an instruction, waiting for something to be said, and I felt the need to say it just as much.“VICTORY IS YOURS. TAKE UP YOUR SHIELDS AND ATTACK!” I boomed.With these words, I picked up a shield, grabbed my sword, and ran towards the enemy, starting to feel the now familiar thump-thump of their arrows upon my shield and armour. Not long after, I had the eerie feeling that I was attacking alone and surrendering myself to the enemy on a platter of gold, until I heard men yelling behind me. Together, we rammed into the ranks of the Eagle men and their horses, and I cut into the first man of them I saw on foot, dividing his face into two horizontal halves. He was not the first to die by my hand, and neither would he be the last, as they turned and started to run, ignoring those of them who stood and tried to call them to fight.“Don't stop.” I crie
FIGHTING THE EAGLE MEN
The closer we drew to them, the louder and more frequent the thumps.I looked through the ‘Y’ in my helmet and a gap in the shield and saw how they stood like statues, their bodies standing still, their arms working in an impressive mechanism as they shot at us while sitting on horses. They were doing it at exactly the same time, and firing at the same angle, following the orders of the man on the Pegasus, who flew all over the battlefield with his flying horse. I could also hear the sound of the whistles Bruma told me about when he first told me about them, with the sound very similar to the one an eagle makes.That was when I fully understood what Bruma meant by order. They were far more ordered, more arranged, and more composed, as though they could read one another's minds. I would still have pondered on this if an arrow did not pass through some opening in the shield and lodge itself in the neck of the commander next to me. I watched in horror as he stopped, his eyes surprised, a
THE MARCH
The commander of the Eagle men was a quick man, and that was what saved his life. His Pegasus took him up into the sky just as rocks and swords found their way to the exact spot he had been, allowing him to escape unscathed. It caused a ruckus in our ranks, while the commanders took pains to call for order.“He has done what he set out to do.” Bruma spoke coldly beside me, while his very presence beside me burned into my skin because of the amulet I was wearing. “To rattle our ranks, annoy the strong and arrogant, and shake up the weak and feeble. We might be fighting an already lost war at this point.”“No, Bruma.” I declared, suddenly incensed by the prospect of losing. All the anxiety that had filled me when I opened my eyes to the day was gone, leaving the blood pulsing through my veins so hard that I felt it flow through me. Pulling my sword out of its scabbard, I felt ready to kill all the enemy if need be, and ready to die.“I did want to ask you about your sword. Whose is it?
