24 New Beginning

*Rena!*

Gerard reached out his arm and, in the slight darkness, put his hand through a solid object. Chunks of some substance fell onto his body. The sensation felt oddly familiar.

*Huh? Was all of that a dream? Where am I?*

He tried calling out for help, but no words left his lips.

*I can't speak?*

*Sprite?*

Sprite didn't respond.

*What's happening?*

Whether due to fear, confusion, or something else, Gerard struck upwards with all his might. The afternoon sky opened up, and soil rained down from his blow.

*I was buried? Someone buried me after I was killed? Maybe Rena did it.*

Gerard climbed his way out of the grave and stood before a cemetery.

He tried to ignore the possibility, but he ran his hands over his skull. His luscious hair was gone.

*It was nice knowing you, my hair.*

A crow cawed in the distance as Gerard sat on a nearby tombstone.

*I wonder what my level is after killing all of those people. Status Screen!*

Gerard dropped his arms in disbelief.

[Gerard Blythe - Level 20 Skeleton]

[HP: 3,250]

[MP: 0]

[Strength: 27]

[Dexterity: 33]

[Defence: 19]

[Resistance: 76]

[Mana Conductivity: 1,000]

[Resistances: Pain]

[Weaknesses: Fire, Holy Magic, Bludgeoning]

[Immunities: Sleep, Poison, Exhaustion, Starvation, Dehydration, Disease, Fear, Paralysis, Decay, Confusion, Blindness]

[Skills: System Access, Evolutionary Tree, Mind's Eye, Acquisition, Blitz]

[Spells: Bind, Divine Ray, Hellfire, Water Shot, Tornade Strike, Stone Spike, Fireball, Link, Transference, Cleanse]

*I'm still level 20... My stats are still pretty high, but lower than before. I've lost a few skills, but I've also kept some pretty handy ones. I've reverted into a skeleton, though.*

Gerard looked around. A cemetery. A zombie approached from behind.

Startled, he spun around and punched it, propelling it into the forest behind the cemetery.

[You have gained 100 experience. You may not level up any further. You may also choose one of the four evolutions.]

*Sprite?*

[Answer: I am your system, provided by Amathea, Goddess of Chance and Fate. I had considered what name I would give myself, but how did you know I liked that name in particular?]

*Luck, I suppose? Why are you mentioning the name of your creator to me? You didn't do that before.*

[Answer: It does seem like I shouldn't have that information at my disposal, but I received a package of information shortly after you were reincarnated.]

*I forgot how annoying that was. Don't respond to my questions with 'answer' anymore.*

[As you wish.]

*So you're smarter, now? What did you mean by after my reincarnation? Was I reincarnated again?*

[I do not have the answers to your questions.]

*Of course you don't. You're not you.*

Internally, Gerard scrambled for an explanation. He wandered the cemetery and felt another wave of familiarity.

*This is the same cemetery I started at in this world. Why would they choose to bury me here? How long was I buried?*

Beside a grave lay a shovel, and further on, the headstone of a fallen soldier.

'Herein lies Redford, our commander who gave his life in pursuit of peace.'

*The shovel. This untarnished grave. Not only have I gone back to being a skeleton, but I'm somehow back to the time I first arrived in this world...*

[You're a strange one. It seems the goddess left me to guide someone with a few screws loose.]

*I suppose it would seem that way for you.*

[I don't understand what you're trying to say.]

*Oh, Sprite. All of that time together and... Wait. Transference!*

Gerard looked back over his skills section. [Transference - Allows the user to capture the information of objects and transfer them from one place to another.]

*Surely, when I transferred Sprite into the body I made for her, her information, memories and everything else would still be available. Right?*

[What are you talking about?]

*System, your new name is Sprite.*

*Okay, but what are you blabbering on about?*

*Once I gain a large enough pool of mana, I'll use the Transference skill to implant memories into you of a life you once lived. To do that and live a long life, I'll move through the evolutionary path, become something that can surpass my previous self, find allies, and gain enough strength to protect myself and those I love.*

[You've lost me. A life I once lived? You really are crazy. Are you going to choose an evolutionary path or not?]

Gerard tried to clear his throat but realised he had no throat to do so and raised his hand for no reason.

*I have four options, you said? Skeleton Warrior, Skeleton Mage, Ghoul, and Zombie, if I'm not mistaken.*

[Yes. Strangely, you meet the requirements already. You may choose any of those options.]

*Hmm... Magic is powerful; it's the only thing that kept me alive for so long in my last life. Maybe there's a chance to gain the form of a human through magic as well; even a realistic illusion would be okay.*

Gerard curled his skeletal hands into fists.

*I don't think melee combat will be necessary, but that blood mace I used in my last battle was perfect. Maybe there will be a path in the future that opens melee combat up for me. For now, I choose Skeleton Mage.*

[You are now a skeleton mage. You have gained access to magic... Huh? That's strange; you already know several spells, and even a spell of the holy element.]

*I just carried them over from the past. Or is it the future? I don't even know anymore. What's more, I don't feel any different.*

[The only difference between a skeleton and a skeleton mage is the ability to use magic.]

*What's my MP?*

[MP: 710/710]

*Lower than the amount I had as a dhampir, but I guess that's just the limit of a skeleton.*

[Dhampir? You've only been a skeleton and a skeleton mage.]

Gerard sighed mentally.

*This will be a pain. Sprite, if I were to overwrite your memories, how much MP would that consume?*

[Provided you have such memories, and based on your Mana Conductivity, 925 MP.]

*Always with those precise numbers; at least that hasn't changed. Then I need to evolve again. Evolutionary Tree!*

The path led to two options.

[Elder Skeleton Mage - Cast over 10,000 spells. (5)]

[Lesser Lich - Experiment on five human beings. (5)]

Gerard contemplated while he approached the edge of the cemetery and looked towards the ruined city where he first encountered humanity in this world.

*Well, I think we've already established that skeletons have a limit on their growth, and Addis was obsessed enough with undead and liches in particular to experiment on me for years, so I think I'll go down the lich route. Screw casting that many spells as well. I guess letting myself get hit by all of those goblin spells came in handy in the end.*

[How are you max level already?]

*Can't you read my memories or anything?*

[I cannot access your memories, only information about your world to assist you as effortlessly as possible.]

*Well, you're doing a great job. I'm level twenty because I gained enough experience to be level twenty. That's all.*

[I feel like I'm missing something here. How do you know so much about the system already? Do you even require a guide?]

*I don't need the current version of you, no.*

[Okay. Let me know when I'm needed.]

*I should probably head out. It took a lot less time to get out of the grave this time, so Jerrick and those other adventurers shouldn't have arrived yet. I'll go looking for some bad humans to experiment on, and then hopefully I can have a better first meeting with the adventurers this time around.*