Opening his eyes, Ferris found himself standing in a dark forest.
This place wasn't familiar to him.
A lucid dream perhaps? It can't be... He looked at his hands. These were not his, but his new body.
He was still hesitant at taking in his new identity. Dreams are places where you appear in your most honest self.
If it wasn't his old body that was used in a conceptual space, then has his subconscious adapted to his new identity?
A new life.
Sizzle.
He turned around when he heard the sudden crackling noises.
A bush in front of him suddenly ignited into a blue flame that didn't emit smoke or even heat.
The bush was also intact. It wasn't being used as a fuel source for the fire, but rather, it was as if it was being used as a vessel.
[Greetings, strange visitor.] A woman's voice came out.
The bush speaks? He tilted his head in confusion.
[...I'm not a bush]
She heard me? Ferris instinctively tried drawing his sword, but he was unarmed.
"Who are you?" he asked, easing his battle stance back to normal.
[I'm just a dreamer]
"Was it you that caused this?" he asked in a stern voice. But he intentionally left his question vague.
[Goodness... Hehe, your reincarnation? Or transmigration? Honestly, I don't know the difference between those two. I should hook myself to the dictionary again...]
So she knows...
[Anywho... I just wanted to visit this unexpected visitor. I've never seen a case like this before.]
Ferris furrowed his brows. "Are you... God?"
The fire stood still for a moment.
[...I guess so?] The flame laughed. [But this conversation isn't what I'm here for. To keep it short... I'm interested in you and what your presence will bring to this world. Since you're struggling a bit with your new identity... I'll help you out.]
Snap.
A ringing noise engulfed his senses, making everything around him feel like shifting sands in a desert.
He woke up with two visions.
There was one boy who wanted to be a knight.
Another wanted to be a hero.
He rose up the ranks, abandoning his family to pursue his dreams. To follow and destroy the prophecy.
In the end, that boy did become a knight. And died as a knight.
But what would've happened if he tried just a bit harder? Could he have killed the world-ending serpent sooner?
If only he had a bit more talent. His people might've gotten another chance.
But what good is a knight when he has no one left to come home to?
The other boy who wanted to be a hero also tried his best.
But his family was the one that abandoned him.
Despite everything, he kept trying.
But failed the hero examinations twice.
What would've happened if he succeeded?
If he saved up enough money to treat his mother?
Was he selfish? He could've chosen a different path.
Maybe he was.
The guilt rotted him from the inside. So he drowned himself in ecstasy and dopamine.
In the end, that boy didn't become a hero.
He died a villain to himself.
But what good is a hero when there's no one left to believe in him?
One of them succeeded in the process.
One of them failed in the process.
But the two met similar ends.
. . .
Blessings are supernatural abilities that are possessed by superhumans who are referred to as "Blessing Users." These abilities are produced from a special kind of energy called essence.
But Ferris was born with none.
However, that was no longer the case.
Looks like you're my kindred spirit, our new body. Let's fulfill our prophecy together.
We are both our own blessings!
Ferris
Blessing:
The knight of prophecy
. . .
[That's the spirit]
Snap.
Ferris woke up haphazardly. There was a lingering sense of dread in his heart, but it seemed to be fading away quietly.
Who was that? It felt like it was pulling strings on me like a puppet.
I wasn't thinking straight there but...
But now, he felt more normal than ever before.
Two different sides.
On the same coin.
The same being.
However, it still felt surreal. Everything was more familiar now, yet it still seemed new. As if he was just a newly born baby.
First things first.
"I have to clean this mess." Ferris stretched himself, cleaning the discarded tissues and puke then putting away his laptop.
After that, he followed his memories to take a shower.
"Hmm." He inspected the water heater and the shower head.
Following his instincts and memory, he had a vague guess on what the knobs meant.
One was for opening and closing, one was for the temperature.
A hot shower is the best shower.
He cranked it up to the max and turned the knob.
The knight's creed.
A knight must never curse in the presence of others, even if you're alone.
"Ah, FUCK That's hot!"
***
Grumble.
Now I'm hungry... First of all, how much money do I have again?
Ferris sighed. This strange sense of oneness with himself was starting to take effect. But a new life is a new life—he intended to make the most use of it.
He started to look for his phone, which was usually hidden under his messy bed.
So this strange slab is called a phone? He instinctively pressed the power button.
A swiping password appeared, but he had no trouble opening the archaic riddle.
Is this made from magic? No... I believe it's called electricity. Ferris inspected the apps displayed on the home screen. Despite knowing very well what it was, it still felt like seeing it for the first time.
My online bank should be here.
He opened the app and was met with another password barrier.
. . .
"!!!" Ferris made a fearful expression as he instinctively moved his thumbs to type the password out.
12345678
Is Ferris insane?! For a moment, the two individuals inside the body separated.
(175 dollars)
...I was worried for nothing.
But another worry arose.
This amount could only last him a month—starving at best.
A month...
Ferris failed the hero exam two times. Ordinarily, people would only get three attempts.
And only one exam was held every year. On the first day of June!
And today was—
Ferris exited the online bank app and headed for the calendar.
April 30th of the year 365.
Tomorrow is the start of May, and after May is June.
Barely enough money to get by one month.
And one month before the hero exam.
Ferris closed his eyes. He had only finished high school with subpar grades.
Finding a job that would suit him would take more than a month, and the cost of having to travel around to find one would be expensive.
He had already paid his rent for the month, but with the money he had, he'd never be able to pay for the next one unless—
However.
The hero exam provides a bonus cash reward of a thousand dollars to every passer. That was the only way to survive.
Well, even if I was well off... Ferris focused on himself in delight. I'd still do it.
Grumble.
But I'm still damn hungry. I need meat. Protein!
He lifted his shirt and caressed his stomach.
During the first ever attempt at the exam, Ferris did work his body out to a good level of fitness. But after the failure of the second exam—
His muscle was quite imbalanced. There was a noticeable tub in his belly, and he now had frail arms and legs.
But the foundation he created didn't disappear. This body certainly had the capability to regrow and activate its old muscles.
Grumble.
Alright, I need to go out and eat... Ferris took his phone and credit card then wore a hoodie jacket. It's cold at night...
He looked at the clock. It was near midnight.
Before I even start working out tomorrow, I need to fix this stupid sleep schedule. Ferris sighed and went out into the night.
Tall spires, bland and repetitive architecture. Strange lights littered the streets. Is this a fortress city? Ferris was entranced and mistakenly stepped into the road—
Beep!
His sharp instincts saved him.
What is that creature?! Horseless carriage?
No.
That was a car.
He breathed easy. Without many people around at night, he had the peaceful atmosphere to get used to the world and experience everything he already knew from memories.
Walking around the streets, his mind clicked in and he walked into the alleyways.
This path is a shortcut to...
The forever strange, forever immortal, forever open. A holy bastion of a tavern called 11/7!
But I prefer to pay in cash... Luckily, there's one machine that provides that across the street from the tavern.
Ferris approached an ATM machine and carefully plugged in his super strong and definitely not weak password.
He received 175 in batches of 1s and 10s.
Paper money... Ferris counted the cash and inspected such precise craftsmanship and engraving but something arose.
"!!!" With his decades of instinct training, Ferris felt a small piercing pain in his hands.
I think someone was watching me just now... But I should act normal.
For now.
Entering the holy tavern, he was amazed by the technology. Even though I've been here countless times, this time it's quite a different experience.
Despite the shock, he planned to head in and out as fast as possible. The faster he slept, the faster his sleep schedule would be fixed.
In the alleyway, Ferris took a peek at the food he bought inside a plastic bag.
To think people have created small containers of cold food—and a machine to make them hot... How convenient. If we had this at the knight training school, all of us would've become 1st layer knights.
Step.
A hooded figure appeared from the shadows cast by the dumpster.
At first glance, the figure seemed to be behind the dumpster and simply stepped out.
But with his keen eyes, he saw something else.
I'm sure of it. This person literally hid inside a shadow and stepped out.
A Blessing user.
"Kid... The money you took out, h-hand it over."
. . .
The Knight's Creed.
A knight must vanquish all evil.
"Nu-uh."