Merge or swap?
Again?
Did I die? How?
I was an undead...
His vision remained as the blue window floated above him.
[Merge or Swap?]
Merge. That's what I chose last time. These options affect souls, don't they?But this time... are we talking about Po?
Can I merge with his soul? That sounds extreme.What kind of benefit would that even give me?
I feel light. What's happening? I was shot... am I dying right now?
If only I could move... can I just yell it out loud?
...
Oh, damn it — Swap! I want to choose Swap!
[Swap: Target soul: Po]
Is his name really just Po?
Aiden barely had time to process the thought before his vision blurred once again.
The number of times I've experienced consciousness while unconscious is becoming really problematic. Does that even make sense? Every time I pass out, I still feel aware... sort of.
I can't open my eyes, but I can still see — the floating window, or those dreamlike scenes.Wait... I forgot!
What was it exactly? I'm pretty sure the man pushing the woman's wheelchair was me. I was even called Aiden by the window. So that's the missing first name? Aiden? Why hide it in the first place?
And the woman... who was she? I can't remember the details.
This only confirms it further.I'm not from here.
This body isn't mine. I don't even know where I am.
But then again... I still speak their language.
Wait. I spoke the same language with the woman too...
His mind drifted again, pulling him away from where he thought he should be.
Aiden's eyes slowly opened, meeting the ceiling of a light-starved room.
He turned his head, a new sensation flooding his body — he was feeling.Feeling every touch: his skin against his clothes, his hands against the cold floor. His expression twisted uncomfortably.
It was off-putting, but not entirely unfamiliar. He had simply forgotten what it felt like to have a normal body after being trapped in bones. As that thought crossed his mind, he turned his head toward what looked like a pile of bones — his former body, crumpled near the crystal.
"So this is how I looked from the outside," he said, surprised by the sound of his own voice.
"Why did they even bother traveling with a talking skeleton? It looks creepy... I still haven't figured out how they even heard me. It's not like I had vocal cords."
Aiden studied his previous body, the absurdity of the situation sinking in.
He stretched his hands in front of himself, inspecting them carefully.
"This isn't mine. Just like before, this body isn't truly mine. Yet, I still use them."
A strange feeling stirred in his chest — one he couldn't quite name — as a new thought formed.
I'm a thief. And a murderer? If I follow Ro's logic.Why did Po die? Did Ro have something to do with it... or was it me?
I shouldn't care this much. Is there even a chance I'll meet him again?But now I have his brother's body.Does that make me responsible for finding out the truth... or am I just searching for an excuse not to feel bad about using it?It's not like he can get it back.
Fine. Too much. I'll just get out of here first.
I don't know anything about this place —
other than the fact that it's a prison.
Aiden inspected his clothes and the small bag strapped to his back.Inside, to his surprise, was a dagger sheathed in worn leather.
So they were armed after all.His gaze shifted to the hole in the forehead of his former body.
Yet still... a firearm?Firearm. What was that again?
His mind cluttered with half-formed ideas of the weapon that killed him.Touching his forehead, Aiden turned toward the door.
Could I remember something clearly for once?
Stepping forward, Aiden left the room, abandoning his skeletal body behind him.
Ro didn't even leave the crystal behind.Now that I think about it, maybe Po's death had something to do with the crystals.I'm still foreign to all this.Po could use the crystal just by touching it... magic, maybe?Wouldn't even surprise me now.
Finally stepping out, Aiden closed the door and continued down the hallway.
Welcome back, hallways. I didn't miss you.
...
The walls blurred into the floor as Aiden ventured deeper into the darkness.
Ro really needed to take the torch, didn't he?But the room was already dark when I woke up, so maybe it was already spent.
A foreign feeling stirred.
Why do I feel happy imagining him struggling like I did?Killing me was excessive... but at least I have a new body.I should probably stop thinking about someone's body like that.
His steps slowed. Something ahead caught his attention.
A door? No. A gate.
Before him stood a massive wooden gate towering over the hallway.
Well, that's something worthy of being called an exit. If it is one.
How long have I even been walking to get here?
Whatever. I need to open it.Can I?
He brushed his palm against the wood.At his touch, the gate creaked and slowly opened on its own.
Wow. That's interesting.
But as the gate parted, something caught him off guard.His eyes, used to the pitch dark, were suddenly struck by harsh light — not from a torch or crystal, but the sun itself.
My eyes!
He squinted, blinking furiously as his vision adjusted.Slowly, the scene came into focus.
A vast hall stretched before him, supported by massive pillars.What stood out most wasn't the architecture but the left wall — or rather, the gaping hole where it should have been.
Part of it had been destroyed, letting sunlight flood through a breach large enough for entire herds of elephants.
Aiden approached the broken wall.
Finally, he could see beyond.
Well... that's something.
He looked ahead.
The building stood directly on water.No land in sight near its base.
If he jumped, he'd fall straight into the waves.And he had no idea if he could swim.
But far on the horizon, something took shape.
A landmass.Silhouettes of buildings rose — tall, sturdy, castle-like shapes.
Medieval. It matched his first guess: a world pulled from forgotten ages.
But then his eyes caught something stranger.
At the edge of the land stood a colossal structure, gleaming white, carved from some unknown material.It rose like a needle, impossibly perfect.Around its base sprawled a city.
At the heart of the structure, a brilliant blue beam shot skyward, piercing clouds.
Aiden stared, breath caught.
What... is that?
It looked nothing like the rest.It belonged to another universe entirely.
The least fantasy thing a fantasy world could have.
I need to get on land.Swimming is out.
He turned left, following the hall as wind blew against his face, pushing hair into his eyes.
I'm cutting those off the first chance I get.
He left the broken wall — and open sky — behind.
It feels like I'm leaving freedom behind.
His pace quickened. He was tired of endless walls and suffocating corridors.
But hope faded fast.
At the hall's end stood a throne.
Ruined.The decorations were gone, but what made his blood run cold was the figure on it.
A rock-like golem slumped against the throne, eye sockets hollow.
Beside it stood two massive swords, each as tall as Aiden.
Is it alive? Please don't be.
Aiden stepped closer.A slightly raised platform stretched in front of the throne, engraved with unknown words.
As he stepped on it, a strange sensation crawled up his back — slow, steady, yet painless.
What is that?
Before he could inspect it, a voice filled his mind.
"Sinner, what is your sin?"
The voice grew louder, echoing.
It reminded him of the strange memory he had seen before.But this time, he knew where it came from.
Aiden's eyes met the golem's hollow sockets.
The creature stirred, rising slowly — towering over him.
I can hear him, but he's not opening his mouth... so that's how I could talk as a skeleton.
No time to think.The golem stepped forward, each move shaking the ground.
"Sinner, what is your sin?"The voice echoed again.
Aiden reached behind for the dagger.
"Sinner... is that a title or accusation?" he quipped, glancing for escape routes.
"Envy," the voice said coldly."Such a tragic end you will meet."
The golem pulled free the massive swords.
"Envy? I only envy your weapon. Can't we talk this out?"
"Your presence here insults the gods," the golem intoned, pointing a sword at him.
Well, I didn't exactly ask to be here...
Before he could finish the thought, the golem swung.
Aiden dodged instinctively, dagger in hand.
I'm not a fighter! I can't beat this!
The golem attacked again.Aiden leapt aside, the blade slashing through air.
Thanks, Po, for working out...
But relief was short-lived.
The golem's foot slammed into him.Aiden flew like a ragdoll.
Crack.
Pain exploded as he slammed into a pillar.
Agony tore through his back.
Teeth clenched, he couldn't stand.The golem advanced.
How far did he send me?
Then, the familiar blue window appeared.
Can it help me?
Aiden tapped [Soul Gallery].
A grid of empty squares — except one.
Ro.
His soul?
Without much thought, Aiden pressed it.The name vanished. The window faded.
Wait, what?!
It reappeared with a message:
"Due to your incompetence, let me assist you."
Before he could process, the golem neared.
Another message blinked.
"Your previous merge grants access to soul abilities."
Then:
"Terry — your first merge — had regeneration. It maintained your skeletal frame. It will now heal you."
Aiden reeled, but the golem kept coming.
"Fine! Just... what do I do?!"
"Fight. The soul you selected will assist. Its will is weak."
A blue orb appeared.
Fight? That thing?
Aiden grabbed the orb as pain faded.He stood.
The golem swung.Aiden dodged again — barely.
He needed a weapon.The dagger... gone.
The orb shifted in his hand.It formed into an ethereal blade.
A blade from a soul?
The golem swung again, faster.No time to dodge.
Aiden gripped the blade tight.
Hey, Po... be strong enough to kill this thing.
Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward, raising the blade to meet the golem's strike head-on.