NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: C1: Tortured Soul (Updated)
C1: Tortured Soul (Updated)
Word count = 1218->1619 on 12/17/2023
Welcome everyone and I hope you all enjoy this book
this danmachi story has various Fate characters here which develop the world more.
The update to this chapter purely happened at the end, so nothing was too changed up
Peace
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White
A vast expanse of blankness.
A single wandering figure seems to walk forward, for what seems like an eternity. Yet this figure is not a living being but a former living soul that has already been drained of all emotions, memories by the river of reincarnation.
The same river that it encounters now…at the edge of this vast region of white is a colorful river. A truly mystical and beautiful sight unseen by any mortal eyes. The soul sits down upon this edge as it knows not where it is meant to go. It sits and watches the river flow from above to whatever is below. The river seems to hold no end nor beginning. At least not what the soul can tell.
The river itself is akin to a tube or shell that has various strings of light which the soul can only assume are other new souls flowing through the river as it seeks its goal to be cleansed. It's not as packed as it appears, but that could be due to the giant size of it. The soul can, after all, only see one side of it. It would take hundreds if not thousands of itself holding onto each other to wrap around the visible side.
The soul is lost in wondering what is meant to happen to it. Will its current experience in witnessing the river follow it when and if it is reborn. It also wonders what it would be like to touch the river in the soul's current state.
(Un)Luckily for it, there is a figure that wonders this very same thing. As it approaches the soul quietly from behind. "Hey there", A malicious voice rings out. The soul turns to look at the new figure but gets a foot to the 'face' as it is knocked off the edge and towards the river. The last thing it had 'heard' was "Das Boot".
The soul tumbles their way into the river. It passes through the soft shell and is originally fine and even sort of trying to 'swim' it's way out of it until a random soul phases through it's chest. The leftover emotions and contaminants from that random soul are passed on this one. Cutting out a part of its own body before a part of that random soul replaced it in equal exchange.
This exchange somehow affects the other souls as they completely changed course from simply falling downward to maneuvering towards this poor soul. Each collision steals and grafts on a new fragment the size of a knuckle onto the poor soul. Yet it has experienced the unlucky fortune of experiencing the pain and various other negative emotions and memories from the other impure souls.
10, 20, 30, 50, 60, 80, 100, 200, 300, 1,000 souls flow into the originally pure soul before it becomes its current state.
Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain, Pain
The soul is no longer pure white, It is now a cracked porcelain vase of gray, black and many other colors but all of darker shades.
"OH, NO NO NO NO NO NO" Suddenly a glowing figure approaches the river and drags the torn soul out while panicking themselves.. The soul's shape is barely held together by the remnant energy from the river itself when this new figure tries to stabilize it with their divine energy.
"Oh dear, you cant be reborn in your current state. If I stick you into the river properly then you will be torn apart forever. Oh I KNOW, hmmm, no, not that piece. Not that one. There's a good soul fragment. Have it set up as the central nexus, absorb the thousands of other shards to enlarge itself, repeat the process on the other major fragments. There, not in shards anymore but fragments. Progress but your gonna need to live a proper life to stabilize all these changes. Ill have to skip the reincarnation process but not before wiping out the memories you obtained, ill leave behind the language pack and purity vessel to counterattack the negativity that you absorbed. Goodness so much perversion in these souls. Was there an airplane crash or something that only perverts were on?" The glowing figure 'speaks' out loud, or more like rants as it explains the process of how it tries to fix up the poor soul.
The glowing figure brings out a blank canvas that appears to be a humanoid body before sticking the soul into it where it starts to gain features and some basic clothing. It creates an orb of light which is the purity vessel that then seeps into the chest of the body. Yet the next moment, cuts appear all over the body, coating it in blood which the glowing figure heals while saying.
"Oh no, the fragments are incompatible with the body somehow. They need a stabilizing element to promote the growth of each major fragment. They need a world specifically tailored to this." They bring up a world interface and strangely enough, they are in the fantasy section.
"Percy Jackson, no, he cant be born naturally and i cant just grant it a blessing from those gods. Champione, no, have to be mortal and kill a false god to gain it's power, he will break apart before he can even get this far or obtain the methods to accomplish this even with me setting the environment and destination. Ah, this one is almost perfect. Wait, dang it, stupid gods are greedy and crazy here. Wait a minute, mod world options? Hmmm, ah this will work. More options without outright breaking the original integrity of the world. Ill just drop him outside the main city of the story itself.'' The 'god' sets up the destination quickly while the souls body rapidly breaks and heals.
"Hear me little soul. Acquire a Falna if you wish to live. Try not to be too picky and good luck to you" The god waves the body of the soul into this modified world. Tumbling down like a meteor before simply vanishing into dust and then reforming at the designated location.
All this while, a creepy black figure, the opposite of the glowing godly figure, has been watching this situation from a distance with a mock interest as they pin the world the soul was just sent into before observing what factors make it so special before truly turning interested in how it's little 'experiment' will turn out. If it gets bored, i'll screw around with the settings for the world.
Yet further unknown, observing the black figure are 2 'people'. One is standing tall at 7 ft tall in dark red and back robes with a hood over their head and a ominous black trident in hand. A dark aura encompasses this person. Yet strangely enough, a small part of the colorful river of souls flows through this black aura and seemingly becomes more grand and pure.
Next to this ominous figure is a one handed person wearing a golden/bronze prosthesis and similarly golden/bronze armor. He stands at a high 6' 6" though his appearance seems more lean and agile than buff like the black robed one beside him. A similar but slightly different black aura covers this person, yet the intense scent of blood originates from this black aura unlike the other persons which appears more deadly but still.
The duo observe the black cloaked figure and how he had just pushed an innocent soul into the unfiltered river of souls.
"pay up old man. You messed up back then with that gamble. The rabbit has gone loose." The golden figure says to the black robed figure next to him. Only to receive his own kick to the ass and he is sent tumbling down while the God of Death states,
"Take a hike"
While the golden figure is falling leisurely, he is soon scooped up by the goddess that had gone to save the soul. The recently crowned Goddess of Life rescues her father, the God of Decay and brings him back to the area that the duo where standing at before.
"Mouuuu, must you two always fight" She questions the two who are precious to her.
"No" says the god of decay.
"Yes" says the god of death.
The goddess sighs as she understood what she was getting into when she agreed to be their assistant in whatever plans they had cooped up for the divine realm.
"At least no fighting right now, otherwise im telling Mom on you two" The goddess can only relent and call upon the 'higher power'
"Which one?" the golden god asks which only earns him a slap to the head from the goddess and the god of death stabs his trident into the air.
"Nihil" He calls out and the golden god explodes into a burst of blood, only to reform a moment later, the god of decay waves his right arm, extending a long but slender bronze blade that is attached to the arm. The two are about to clash when a third aura bursts against them both.
"Dad, Grandpa, none of your games right now. Its serious. So many souls have become mutated because of that filth you two let run around." The goddess addresses her golden father and the deathly grandfather.
The two can only relent to soothe the daughters/granddaughters nerves. Meanwhile the lost soul finally arrives at his destination and a new chapter in events to come.