If life had a manual, mine was clearly written in crayon by a caffeinated toddler. And now, looking down at the mess I'd made of it, I could only sigh.
I had died in the most ridiculous way possible: choking on a piece of garlic bread. Not poisoned, not heroic, just—stubbornly, tragically—chewing wrong. And yet, as the world around me faded to black, I felt an odd sense of dignity. Until the voice spoke.
[System Booting…User: deceased.]
"Wait… what? Deceased? I—hold on! This can't be happening. I should die in style, not… darkness!"
[Cause of death: expired garlic bread. IQ score: questionable.Initiating Reincarnation Protocol.]
"Fantastic. Even the afterlife has bureaucracy."
The void rippled, like someone had shaken a snow globe, and suddenly I wasn't myself anymore. Or rather, I was, but not. My body had become… shadows. Smoke, mist, a vaguely humanoid wisp hovering above the floor of some very suspiciously normal Japanese park. I tried waving—what I assumed were hands—but ended up smacking the air with some tendrils of darkness.
[Welcome, User.You have been reincarnated as: Dark Entity – Shadow FormAbilities: Possession (usable only on female targets) 1 use left.Generating mission:Successfully possess a compatible target within 24 hours Possible reward: Depends on the host chosen. Penalty for failing: Complete erasure.]
I blinked, or attempted to blink, which was more like swirling a bit of fog in the general vicinity of where my face would have been.
"Wait… what? Possession? Only females? One attempt? And I have a day before I vanish forever? So the great me will be a female for life... FUUUUUUUUUUUCK"
[Timer started: 23 hours, 59 minutes.]
"Sure," I muttered. "Can't you just let me grieve? In the novels I read, the protagonist is reincarnated with a body, why am I not? And I want to be male, do you understand!?"
[Budget constraints.]
"Fuck me. Even the afterlife has DLC."
I hovered over the park, taking stock. There were people around: couples walking dogs, joggers with earphones, a few teenagers making dramatic poses for Instagram. All normal. Too normal.
My shadow self floated over a bench where an elderly lady was feeding pigeons. "Too old," I muttered. "You can't possess her… also, she seems scary." Then to a group of teenage girls giggling over their phones. "Potential… maybe… but they're all busy talking about TikTok. And me being… here?" My existence barely registered as a shadowy wisp.
Time ticked on. A pigeon landed on my smoky arm and gave me the most judgmental coo.
Finally, I perched on a tree branch, silently cursing my situation and wondering how my life had come to this. The irony wasn't lost on me: Italian, adult, sharp-tongued, charming—reduced to a shadow ghost flailing over a park in Shibuya, depending on a system that sounded like it was programmed by a caffeine-addled AI.
"Okay," I whispered, or made an approximation of whispering, "I need a plan.I don't want to be female and I can't just hope."
I thought. And thought. And, given the dire circumstances, I thought a bit more. The possibilities were… limited. My only ability, remember, was possession—and it could be used only on a female target. One attempt. One. Tick-tock. Failure equals erasure.
So I went through my mental checklist: young, old, busy, suspicious, clueless… all "no." I was running out of options.
And then it hit me. A risky, daring, and absolutely insane idea. One that might work, or might erase me forever in a puff of humiliation. My shadow tendrils twitched in anticipation.
"Alright," I muttered to myself, smoke-like wisps swirling with excitement. "If this works… genius. If it doesn't… well, at least I'll go out swinging."
I hovered silently over a more secluded area. From here, I could observe without being noticed. I could… prepare. My body wavered, thinking, planning, feeling the strange thrill of someone about to do the impossible with nothing but wit, daring, and a single skill at their disposal.
[Warning: Timer approaching critical threshold.]
I glanced at my shadowy arms, flexed them in a way that was probably supposed to be intimidating, and grinned, realizing how absurd this all was. "One shot," I said, voice echoing in the void that was now my existence. "One shot at life… or at whatever this is now. Let's make it count."
The park around me continued as normal. The joggers jogged. The pigeons cooed. Life, utterly mundane and blissfully unaware, went on without me. And yet, for the first time since this ridiculous reincarnation, I felt alive. Not normal alive, but alive.
My shadow form shivered in anticipation. The single opportunity that the system had granted me—a chance to avoid total erasure—was within reach. The plan was audacious, possibly insane, but also, if it worked, perfectly brilliant.
I inhaled, or simulated it. I extended my form, feeling the strange energy of the world around me. One attempt. One decisive move. No room for error.
And with that, I drifted closer to the target, a grin curling across where my face might have been, knowing that either I was about to rewrite my second chance at life—or disappear forever, leaving nothing but a faint whisper of smoke in a quiet Tokyo night.
'Strange, why she seems familiar? Where have I seen her before...? Well it doesn't matter I suppose... Here goes nothing'
She walked slowly. She wore a turtleneck sweater that accentuated her generous curves and a cream-colored shawl draped elegantly over her shoulders. The small star-shaped hair clip glistened in her dark hair.
He activated his unique ability, and as if by magic his body was forcefully drawn inside the lady.
As she passed under the shade of the old maples, her figure expressed a mature, undeniable elegance. Her pace was carrying her toward the gate, toward the welcoming familiarity of her house.
But what she didn't know was that something was now inside of her.
Author here: How is it for a start? And don't worry the Mc will be male.
Ps. If you have a better immage for this novel, post it here, I will use the one I like better.