1 Rebirth- rewrite past tense

This is a rewrite of the first chapter in simple past tense, I didn't like how present tense presented the story. I will be writing in past tense from now on.

I opened my eyes to stare at a stone ceiling and attempted to take the first breath since being forced into the tube, only to be met with the horrible agony of not being able to breathe mixed with phantom pain from my lungs not existing anymore. It was like being lit on fire from the inside out while simultaneously cramping all over due to being shocked with 10,000 volts of electricity. I laid there and writhed in silence. I tried to scream but the agony intensified as my mind registered that I no longer had a mouth. The only thing I could hear above my own agony was a soft soothing voice whispering to me in my ear, " it's alright, you are going to be ok, " the voice attempted to soothe my anguish, " you are gonna make it through this but I need you to do something for me. You need to hold your breath. So the pain will stop. Don't breath in, just hold your breath. " She said over and over again trying to get the message through to my pain-addled mind.

I tried as the voice asked seeking solace from my unbearable anguish, and it was suddenly over. The anguish left my body instantly. She spoke up again as I laid there not doing anything, " alright, now I'm gonna talk you listen. Unfortunately in a few minutes you are going to go through that pain again. There isn't any way around it. " she said in a hurry. " Your brain isn't built to embrace the fact that you no longer need to breathe, or the fact that you no longer have lungs to breathe. It takes a bit to get used to, just bear through it until your brain adjusts." She said again. I turned my head to see who was making the voice but I wasn't able to see anyone in the room with me. Then I was forced to return to my suffering.

It was subtle at first, but the pain lessened. My brain was quickly growing accustomed to not needing to breathe, not that anyone looking at my writhing mass on the floor would think that I was anywhere near freedom from this hell. Eventually, I was able to gather my wits and hold my breath again, " there you go, your learning, " she said from nowhere. " It's only a matter of time before the gods finish adjusting your mind to the idea of not having to breathe. Just stay calm, I am right here, and I'm not going anywhere until you make it through this. " her voice was so soothing.

I remember thinking, " She really seems to care, I hope I live long enough to get to meet her," before I inhaled pins and needles of pain like a fish breathing sulfuric acid.

I don't know how long I was there on the floor listening to the hidden ladies' soothing voice, and writhing in agony, but eventually, I managed to stop breathing altogether. I settled into a subtle sense of acceptance that breathing is not required anymore, something that I would never have done back in the real world. I sat up with ease and looked about to examine my surroundings for the first time, looking for the whispering woman who supported me and never left my side but found an empty decrepit room with a wall engraving of a humanoid but genderless figure that wielded four separate items in their four separate hands. This was virtual reality so it's possible that the voice was the statue or maybe I've been stricken with some sort of alien madness after going through all that.

I was forced out of my thoughts by a hiss that came from the single loan door in this room. It was loud, akin to a boa constrictor, and seemed to be angry. I could tell by the methodically placed creaking that something was ambling its way to the door, " You have company " said the voice of the woman. I turned my head to glimpse a small glowing orb that was floating close to my face, it seemed to flicker with each of her melodic words. " It's just a skeleton, you should be able to take it out, but you need to focus on fighting for your life at this point, Otherwise you will perish. "

I looked at the orb and pleaded mentally at it, " how do I fight, I have no weapons, I have no combat experience, " and the orb seemed to understand me on some basic level.

Again her voice chimed, " You are weak, but you are a puppet master, a casting class, you don't need weapons you just need to cast a spell. Hold out your hand. " she said to me and I followed suit not wanting to be cut down by the angry monster on its way here. " Palm up, there that's good, Now imagine that you are surrounded by hundreds of tiny glowing orbs, floating like stars in the sky," she said like picturing imagery like that would be an easy feat. " Then imagine each of those tiny orbs emitting a much smaller ball of light that drifts toward the open palm of your hand. " I did my best to follow her instruction and was shocked with I felt a tiny electric pulse touch my hand. I opened my eyes to see little balls of light forming into my hand. Then I settled my eyes on the creature that was walking through the doorway in front of me.

It was a skeleton alright, But not like the clean well-preserved skeletons that you see in most games with their bleached bones and clean teeth. This skeleton was a horrible monstrosity. It was covered in a thin layer of a red fur-like substance that writhed like millions of disgusting tentacles, or cilia, and there were bits of putrid meat hanging off it in places giving it a disgusting stench that permeated the room. It hissed at me somehow able to tell that I was here despite my inability to make sound, and raised a gross rusty blade in a threatening posture. I wanted to scream or run, but I forced myself to remain steady because my only hope was to strike this beast down with the spell I was preparing. I just hoped that this was that kind of spell.

" FIRE!" shouted the little ball of light, and I tossed the glob of energy in my had at the creature, causing it to plop on its head like a water balloon. I watched with both excitement and horror as the energy ate into the skeleton's skull like molten iron through butter and began dissolving the skeleton from the inside out. Eventually plopping its way onto the floor where it then spread out like water and evaporated. The body of the skeleton stood there for a moment longer not realizing it was dead before falling to the ground in a pile of filthy bones. " hit it again, it might get back up" she advised, so I went through the entire process again, dissolving the bones using the energy and headed toward the decrepit door hoping to close it before anything else could come through to threaten this space before I was prepared.

Once closed I turned around to address the little ball of light when she took the initiative to start the conversation, " Hello, I'm Lyla, your personal sprite. "