1 Chapter 0 - Prologue
The only thing I could see was the blue light emitted from the holographic text box.
Floating in the air as if magic, it read: "Would you like to reincarnate?"
The only two options, "yes" or "no".
Naturally I clicked yes.
Struggling in a pool of my own blood I'd managed to lift both my pointer and middle fingers to select that option.
The natural option.
…
After I'd heard the locks on my door unlock I was curious so I went to check things out, that's when I saw them, …the intruders, when they each saw me one of them freaked out and lunged at me.
Before I knew it, I was laying in a pool of my own blood feeling the heat leave my body as I bled out.
That's when I saw it, that holographic box floating in the air like you see in a video game, asking me if I wanted to reincarnate or not.
I don't know wether I actually enjoyed my life towards the end or if I just said yes out of pure survival instinct.
Either way it's not like I had the time to stop and think things over.
And then when I tapped on the box it disappeared with a *blip* sound and I could feel a strange wave wash over me.
Before long the vision before me seemed to twist and distort, flashes of blue and streams of light scattered all around me like I was entering FTL in some shitty sci-fi movie.
And soon everything went black…
======================================
For hours it felt like I was drifting in and out of a dream, I couldn't feel my body at all nor my senses, I couldn't see or hear anything, I didn't feel any pressure either.
It was like something had touched my soul and pulled me forward when I…
I could smell something sweet, …an intoxicating scent that pulled me in almost immediately.
It was unlike anything I'd ever sensed before, at first it was overwhelming, but the only thing I could think about was how bad I wanted to get closer to that smell.
The source of it, what is it?
Here it is… I've found it.
I could almost feel a set of oddly unfamiliar teeth and I bit into it without a second thought.
"Now starting: [Assimilation]"
"Process: 1/1103"
"Beginning full scale integration process…"
…
What's that?
"Process: 217/1103"
"…Process: 407/1103"
What's going on?
What is that noise?!?!!
"Process: 903/1103"
A loud ringing noise resounds in my ears, wait…
Where are my ears?!
WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!
…
"[Assimilation] …process complete"
———
I could feel my eyes…
No, not my eyes, but someone else's…
Fluttering open I could see, I could finally see again.
For the first time in hours, maybe even days.
Apparently I wasn't exactly ready for such a sensation as when the light filled my eyes I almost closed them reflexively.
It felt like I was staring at the sun.
But then the stimulation subsided and I could actually see my surroundings…
All around me a scene played out like a movie, two women chatting back and forth with one another, one standing, the other sitting in a chair at the other end of a table from me.
A young man with well-built arms and shoulders standing in the corner conversing with another about various topics.
At first it was all inaudible to me until my focus returned to me.
"XXX-XXX?!?"
Huh? What the fuck…
"[Beginning speech transfer]"
"11%"
"22%"
"43%"
And then the man from earlier looked at me with a worried expression.
"81%"
With that same worried expression on his face, he began walking towards me while saying something unfamiliar…
"XXX-X?"
"99.9%"
"Speech integration completed"
…
"Hmm? Rey? You alright man?"
"Where am I?…"
"Where? you're in our dining room ya goof"
"Who are you?…"
Now the two girls from earlier were looking at me as well.
"Huh? Rey you're kinda freaking me out man…"
"I'm Rey…"
A name lingered on my lips, like in itch in the back of mind it soon rushed to the forefront.
"Cole…"
"Yeah?"
The same well built guy from before was now looking at me with an even more worried face than before.
Cole… that's right his name is Cole, how could I forget that?
"Hey you alright?"
"Fine… yeah, sorry about that"
That's right, I'm Rey.
"I'll be right back, I need to go to the bathroom for a minute."
"Uhh right, it's just down the hall"
Hurrying myself into the bathroom I could feel an ache stretch itself across my cranium.
My ears were ringing and my visions blurred, my entire head was shaking…
"I'm Rey…"
…
"[Memory suppression agent activated]"
What's that?
Argh, the pain is getting worse…
"Completed."
"Suppression of Host's memory and personality has been completed"
Suppression?
I see, so that's what it was…
But wait where am I?
And whose body is this?
…
*knock* , *knock*
"You okay in there?"
"Huh?"
"It's T, you okay Rey?"
"Yeah… I'm fine"
T… as in 'Terisa'
Rey Corban's childhood friend…
Born in the same village, her older brother Cole was always like a brother to him to.
He even harbored hidden feelings for her, though he never did anything about them…
But how do I know all that?
What is even going on?
That's right… I reincarnated.
But how did I get here?
"Notice… Skill: [Parasite]is acting normally"
'Parasite' what's that?
"Inputting system request… retrieving information"
"System data accessed:
* Name: Rey Corban
* Titles: None
* Race: Human(parasite)
* Skills: Parasite
* SP: 1
* Authority: 1"
Parasite…
I see that's me… I died, was reincarnated, and became a parasite who took over this body.
That's the only explanation for it, …though it'd be a far stretch to call it logical.
But what are 'SP' and 'Authority'?
Oh well, not much I can do about it now.
…
Opening the door I return to the main room where everyone is now standing, up from there seats they're all focused on a presence at the door.
"And what does that mean sir?"
Cole is talking with a man at the door, a tall man dressed in armor with a sword hanging at his hip.
"It's a C-class monster but don't underestimate it, they're highly dangerous and are skilled in deception"
"Yes sir."
Closing the door Cole returns to the center of the room with a heavy sigh…
Terisa was the first one to speak up.
"What's going on Cole?"
"That was a Knight from the nearby city, he said that a Parasite monster may have made its way into our village"
"Huh?! How could that happen?"
"Well I he didn't say much except that a large number of them were found in a shipment of food sent out to the further out villages, apparently they got just about all of them but they think one of them may have eluded them."
"No way…" the other girl from earlier stood across the room and said that.
"It may not be a big deal but just in case he said we shouldn't eat anything that was brought in from outside the village… unfortunately that includes our entire feast here tonight."
Grumbles form the few people in the room persisted for a second until…
"I'm sorry, but you should all probably go home… we can get together like this another time."
"Right."
…
"I'm sorry Rey, maybe some other time okay?"
"Yeah, no worries"
Standing outside the house only Terisa sees me off, and with a wave I head towards my house nearby.
Well… Rey Corban's house.
"Get home safe!" Terisa shouted that from her doorstep.
Rey Corban has lived alone after his parents were killed when he was young.
The cold snow parts beneath my feet with each subsequent step I take.
It doesn't take long to get there as it's relatively nearby and the village isn't very big to being with.
Walking in, i light one of the candles, set my coat on the rack next to the door and lay down on the bed in the other room.
*sigh*
"…Everything that's happened, it's kind of crazy."
After a short while I can feel the fatigue washing over me and I soon close my eyes, fading into a dream.
◊ END OF CHAPTER 0 ◊
