Chapter 2: "The Island"

Divine Calendar Year 5568

The Faceless Realm

Outer World: The Forsaken World

Nova opened her eyes and, there she was, seated on bright and vast yellow sands, facing a blue, sparkling sea that stretched past the watery horizon. The waves advanced and withdrew with every long breath from her lips. The cool waters tickled her toes, sending tingles round her bare feet.

The refreshing breeze coiled round her prim, white shorts that hugged her pale thighs. "Oh my god, Nyx, you weren't kidding at all. I've...I...I'm alive?" she spoke incredulously. Her voice was clear and full of life. She looked around at her unfamiliar clothes—a pair of white shorts and a matching, white blouse.

Nova stood up, with trembling knees, distinctly realizing that her vantage point was lower. She walked closer to the edges of the sea and stared down at her reflection in the blue waters.

Round, beautiful grey eyes. Flawless skin. A button nose. Long, black hair. Supple, rosy lips.

She looked somewhat Asian. Moreover, there was a strange tattoo on her collarbone. Nova lifted the rims of her blouse to inspect the glaring black tattoo. It looked like an inverted hourglass... If her knowledge of fiction novels was true, this tattoo could either be a dreadful curse or proof that she's the 'chosen one'. Not that being the chosen one was good. Not that she even knew who had chosen her and why. Well, it could also be that the original owner of that body, whoever they were, had an astounding adoration for hourglasses.

Nova returned her attention to the island. It was breathtaking. The only sound for miles was the gentle waves lapping the golden sands.

"Nyx, can you hear me?" she asked, her grey eyes wandering round the empty beach.

"Uh, yeah, I'm still in your head, remember?" Nyx's voice resounded in her mind, as though they were right beside her, though she couldn't see them.

"Can you tell where we are?"

"Nope," they replied laconically, "But keep your guard up. This could be the scene where the main antagonist shows up. It could be that you've been reincarnated at the final boss fight in a novel." Nyx sounded excited and nervous all at once. And that made Nova smile in amusement.

"I think you've read too many novels, Nyx," she remarked, as she began to stride towards the towering forest starting at the upper areas of the beach.

"I just read whatever is in your memories," they rebutted drily.

"Well then, what's the first thing to find out when you've been reincarnated on a deserted island?" Nova asked as she paused her steps and squinted her eyes at how dark and dreary-looking the forest seemed on closer inspection. The spine-chillingly dark forest was screaming "I am infested with gigantic monsters that can scare away Titans! Enter at your own risk!"

"Uh...yeah, I'm definitely not going in there," Nova muttered and shambled back to stare at the sea.

"I think the first step would be figuring out if you have cheats or not...something like a 'system'," Nyx said.

Nova nodded in affirmation, never imagining that the novels she would read between breaks at work would come to be helpful. "Uh...system, huh? Um, well then, abracadabra, appear to me, my system!" she exclaimed suddenly with her right arm held up before her, her expression serious.

"Uh...why did you do that?" Nyx asked after a brief silence.

"I was summoning my system," Nova answered, her grey eyes glittering innocently.

Just when Nyx was about to complain about the second-hand embarrassment, a navy-blue panel that seemed to be holographic appeared before Nova's appalled grey eyes. "Huh? It worked?" Nova mumbled, staring disbelievingly at the image before her, boldly shining with the heading 'Status'.

"I think it was awakened by our desperation," Nyx remarked, chuckling, "But it seems to be displaying your skills, stats, and other facts about yourself. Maybe it can give us a hint about the original owner of your body."

"I'm really glad I have you here with me, Nyx," Nova said abruptly as she began assessing her Status, "Too bad you don't have a physical form. I could have had you as my emergency food in case I ever find myself in a desert."

Nyx coughed nervously. "Your dark humor never changes, even when in a different body, I see," they muttered, half-jokingly.

***

Status

Name: Nova Young

Age: 19 years

Species: Dark Witch

[You are the last remaining dark witch, a race enveloped with centuries of resentment from the rest of the world]

***

Level: 1

Title: [None]

Seed: [Apostle of Time's Seed]

[As the last dark witch in this dimension, the <god of space and time> has deemed you worthy of receiving this powerful seed. You can prove yourself worthy of the seed by demystifying the events behind the disappearance of the <goddess of nature> 1000 years ago.]

STATS:

Strength: 4

Agility: 6

Endurance: 8

Stamina: 6

HP: 50/50

MP: 100/100

Stat Points: 0

[HP and MP increase with each level-up]

[Each stat increases by 1 with each level-up.]

***

Blessings:

[god of space and time] (MAIN)

[god of life] (secondary)

[god of death] (secondary)

Abilities:

[Soul Connection](sage-level) - consumes zero MP -> With this immaculate ability, you are capable of sharing abilities and experience with the metamorph <Nyx > as well as communicating telepathically. 

[77 Lives](sage-level) - consumes zero MP -> The gods of life and death have granted you a skill akin to immortality. You are beseeched to use it wisely.

[Telekinesis](average) - consumes 10 MP -> You can repel and attract small objects within a 10-meter radius.

[Spatial Perception](average) - consumes 10 MP -> Your vision and awareness of your surroundings are enhanced.

[Mana Sense](average) - consumes 10 MP -> You can perceive the magical energy with life force within a 100-metre radius. 

***

Nova fell silent after reading everything. She felt like something was missing. That was probably her understanding. For instance, how did a god expect her, a 'dark witch' apparently(whatever that was), to figure out why the 'goddess of nature' disappeared 1000 years ago? Anyways, Nova was good at taking bullshit. Even if it was bullshit about gods, she could take it.

Sincerely speaking though, when she realized that she had been reincarnated, she had hoped it would be something like a Josei manga. Maybe then she would have some hope of getting laid by a hot guy but how was that supposed to even happen when it seemed like she was stuck in some sort of survival game?!

Nevertheless, her growing frustration did not reflect on her serene and pretty face. Nova still looked like a pure, docile maiden as she stood on the golden sands, smiling innocently. C'est la vie...

"So freaking cool! I can't believe there's magic here and we can use it!" Nyx exclaimed loudly. "And is it just me, or are you, like, super-OP? You even have seventy-seven lives..."

"That only means that this world is that much terrifying, Nyx. Otherwise, why would two gods be convinced that I need, not two, but seventy-seven lives to even have a chance of surviving here?" Nova remarked, feeling tears already start to form in her eyelids. She didn't hate Nyx's optimism but she couldn't deny that they were stranded in the middle of nowhere. More importantly, the chances of finding drool-worthy, handsome men were miserably low.

"When you put it that way, I feel like it isn't reassuring after all. So, what's our game plan?" Nyx asked, their tone more solemn and careful than before. It was like Nova had doused them with a bucket of ice-cold water.

Of course, Nyx had no idea that Nova was only discouraged by the scarcity of the opposite sex.

Nova squatted and looked down at the sand, the gears in her head shifting. "We should build a shelter as quickly as possible, I think. The forest gives me very bad vibes," she stated, beginning to draw on the sand what she thought would be a good elementary shelter where she could store food and water. Not to mention that she had no idea where to start when it came to building. Now, she could only think of it as Minecraft, but without any in-game currency.

"That's true. But I'm really curious about the [Mana Sense] ability. I think I can somehow make use of all of your abilities through our [Soul Connection]," Nyx said thoughtfully.

"Okay. Then, how about you figure out how each of those abilities works while I gather supplies to build the shelter?" Nova asked inwardly, as she finished drawing up her idea with her fingers on the moist sand.

"Roger that," Nyx said.

"And don't die," they added after a quiet pause. Concern was laced in their silky voice.

"Mmm, I'll try," Nova responded and straightened her back, getting up from her squatting position.