The darkness pressed in from all sides, heavy and suffocating despite the lack of a body to suffocate. He started wondering if he was stuck in some sort of limbo and his next concern was how long he would have to remain there… along with what was waiting for him on the other side.
Then, without warning, a sound pierced the silence.
A soft clicking sound ignited within that void.
It was mechanical and precise, like the notification he would get on his laptop.
Desmond's awareness sharpened and he immediately wondered what that was.
Light bloomed in the darkness, and words took form with a soft white glow. They directly appeared in front of his face, or where his face should have been in that void.
The text was now clear and fully visible against the dark background.
[Karmic points calculated... Processing soul transmigration...]
"What the hell?"
Desmond flinched at his ability to speak despite having no mouth. He stared at the words. Despite the fact that he had no eyes, he could somehow see them.
Where had he seen something like this before?
[Target > Basic Toad]
"Toad? TOAD?!"
He started to panic.
This couldn't be real.
His mind started to spin and all sorts of thoughts went through it. He must have passed out and was currently hallucinating. Or maybe it was the head trauma he had sustained… Yes, that's what it was. Drain damage.
'This can't be real,' he thought. 'I am at the hospital and a doctor must be—'
The screen flickered.
[ERROR... Recalibrating transmigration protocol...]
An uncomfortable realisation disrupted his mind. He knew that word. He used to read a lot of light novels when he was in his teens and this had been a particular frequently used trope.
His thoughts came to a halt.
"No… Don't tell me…"
The darkness rippled. And Desmond suddenly felt the void shift itself around him. The pulling sensation was stronger this time and it felt like invisible hooks had latched onto his consciousness and were dragging him somewhere.
'What is happening? What the fuck is happening?!'
[New vessel located... Soul transfer complete]
"Soul transfer?! Hey! What does that—"
[WARNING > Original body's memories corrupted... Data retrieval failed]
[Compensation protocol initiated]
More text flooded the screen, and they appeared faster than Desmond could process. They especially followed his line of sight as he was being pulled through the darkness.
[Host has gained SSS-Rank Summoner Authority]
[All contracted summons unlocked]
[All abilities accessible]
This made no sense to him.
None of it made any sense.
The pulling intensified and it became a sudden violent tug that caused him to be pulled at an impossible speed.
[WARNING > … Error... Error... Error... Survive The End of The...]
The message fragmented and vanished, causing Desmond's panic to skyrocket.
'What the actual f—'
The message cut off, fragmenting into static.
The darkness convulsed and then, cutting through the chaos, Desmond heard something new.
Voices.
Real voices.
"—is confirmed. The poisons worked perfectly."
The words drifted through the void like they were coming from very far away and were close at the same time. Desmond wasn't entirely sure. It felt like his awareness was splitting between the dark void and somewhere else.
"Are you certain, my La—"
"Do not disrespect my capabilities, you swine," the first voice interrupted with a sharp tone.
Desmond wondered who was talking.
The pulling sensation became overwhelming to the point Desmond finally felt himself being compressed and forced into something too small. Like he was being shoved into a body that wasn't quite the right size.
"My… my apologies," the weaker voice mumbled.
"The disgusting vermin is gone. Finally," said the sharp voice again.
And then all at once, his physical sensations returned.
Suddenly his body, a body, felt wrong. It was too tall, too heavy, and the air even smelled different too.
It felt different. Everything was different.
"Yes, my Lady, the half-breed filth is finally gone."
Half-breed?
Confusion crashed over him. Where was he, what was happening, and what had he just experienced?
He tried to move, even tried to open his eyes, but his body wouldn't respond. Even without having to move, he felt heavy and sluggish, like he was trapped in someone else's skin.
When he remembered the word 'transmigration' from those texts, a sinking feeling settled in his stomach.
That sharp voice laughed bitterly. "Come, I need to freshen up."
He heard the sound of footsteps walking away from him, and finally the opening and closing of a door.
Complete silence now enveloped him.
Desmond lingered in that silence, and he slowly started to piece things together.
Soul transmigration.
Poison.
Half-breed.
It strangely made sense and didn't at the same time. But the evidence with what he had experienced so far was undeniable. He wasn't in that damn cage anymore.
If he had truly transmigrated, this might not even be his body.
He was somewhere else entirely.
And judging by those voices, whatever body he had landed in had just been murdered using posion.
With tremendous effort, Desmond forced his eyes open.
Darkness greeted him, but it was a different kind. It was the darkness of a room with no light. His vision adjusted slowly, revealing ornate wooden beams above him, a chandelier with unlit candles, and walls draped in rich fabrics.
He tried to sit up even as his body protested, but he still managed to prop himself up on his elbows. The room spun briefly before settling into focus.
It was luxurious, elegant, and completely foreign.
A sharp pain lanced through his head, and suddenly text appeared in his vision, glowing the same soft white like he had seen in that void.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[WELCOME, HOST]
Desmond stared at the words floating in the air before him. His heart, this new heart, hammered against his ribs.
"What the hell...?"
His voice emerged rough and deeper than he remembered. This was someone else's voice and was completely different from his own's.
The system interface flickered, more text appearing:
[NOTICE: You have died and been transferred to a new vessel]
[ERROR: Vessel's memories cannot be retrieved]
[COMPENSATION: All abilities unlocked at maximum capacity]
[Rank: SSS-Class Summoner]
[Current Quest > Survive Your Assassination]
[Quest Completed]
[Reward: Status Screen Access Granted]
[Congratulations on not dying! Here is your character sheet so you at least know what you are working with.]
'Congratulations on not dying?' Desmond thought, staring up at the screen. 'What the fuck?!'
[What would you like to do?]
[- View current stats]
[- View contracted summons list]
[- Check mana pool]
[- Basic information]
Desmond's eyes darted between the options, his mind racing.
'Stats. I need to see my stats. What am I working with here? What can I—'
"How the hell am I supposed to click this thing?" he muttered, trying to tap at the floating text. "Do I touch it, think it, say it out loud?"
His hand just passed through the screen.
"Damn it!"
The interface flickered. Then it glitched.
The text scattered across his vision like broken glass, reforming and fragmenting in rapid succession.
[What would you—]
[—View Current—]
[E̶R̶R̶O̶R̶]
Desmond was stunned by what he was witnessing. "What? No, wait, don't—"
The texts vanished before blazing back to life.
[WARNING: Hostile entities detected in vicinity]
[Recommendation: Assess situation immediately!]