2 First thoughts

An unknown world.

Unknown location.

Unknown time.

…

There was a body lying on the rocky ground of a certain dark cave. The body was completely white and had the outlines of a man, but if you look closely, you could notice some details that instantly raised questions.

Let's start with the most noticeable part, namely the face. He wasn't there. That is, it looked more like the front part of the skull than a full-fledged face. Although it didn't pull much for a full-fledged skull. Rather, it looked like some kind of mask for a performance in the style of ancient Rome. The absence of a nasal opening, eye sockets as dark as the deepest abyss, as well as the smoothness and flatness of the relief were proof of this.

Speaking of eye sockets. From each of them there was a large chip. Up from the left and down from the right. It looked curious and gave the "mask" a certain... A highlight, or what? So, we deviated from the topic.

If we direct our gaze slightly below the place where the nose should have been, or at least a hint of it, then we will notice that there is not even a hint that there should have been jaws there. Instead of them, there was a crooked smile, which seemed to be trying to divide the mask into unequal two halves.

In it, as well as in the eye sockets, it was impossible to see at least something. Just looking at her made it indecently creepy.

If you move away from the head and start studying the torso, then the skin-covered chest immediately catches your eye. In general, the whole torso looked as if it had dried up for several hundred years and turned into something like a mummy. I think you have imagined it and this spectacle does not need a description.

The hands looked somewhat skeletal. It seemed that the humerus was thickened to such an extent until it began to resemble the full-fledged shoulder part of a normal person's arm.

Next comes the forearm part of the arm. If you do not pay attention to the fact that it was divided into the ulna and radius, then it looks quite normal to itself.

The last part of the hand, namely the hand and fingers, looked like a full-fledged hand. Well, this is of course if you do not take into account the through hole in the palm and bone-like fingers.

In general, the whole body looked like it was the product of a cross between flesh and bones.

Suddenly, gray lights began to flicker in the dark eye sockets of this body.

The body, which had been lying quietly before, began to absorb ALL the surrounding particles of compliments. It got to the point that the body began to attract even those elements that are outside the area of the place where it was.

Suddenly it stopped abruptly. The lights in the eye sockets of the body also suddenly went out.

But at one point, a colossal amount of magical energy burst out of the body. This surge was so powerful that some structures of the cave collapsed from the pressure experienced.

After this ejection, everything went quiet. There was only a soulless mechanical voice that no one seemed to be able to hear.:

[Magic Core state- restored]

[Meridian Mana State- Restored]

[Physical body condition is normal]

[The state of the spiritual core is integrated]

[State of consciousness- in suspended animation]

[The awakening process will end in 3... 2... 1...]

The lights in the eye sockets of the body lit up with a bright grayish light.

...

- <Am I... dead?>- That was my first thought.

I felt pretty normal. You can't even say that a few minutes ago I was writhing in pain, evenly smeared on the asphalt.

I wanted to open my eyes. And for good reason.

The first thing that caught my eyes were the stalactites that hung from the high ceiling...

- <Cave? Really, after death, I was thrown into hell. Well, that's probably logical. I haven't done anything good in my life... But I didn't do anything wrong either. So it turns out I was just pushed into hell like that?> I began to think.

But he immediately finished his thoughts. I don't really want to think about the fact that I went to hell.

I stuck it into the stone ceiling of the cave for another 3 minutes, after which I tried to get up.

* Crunch-Crunch*

- Mother of God! It seems my back is not in the best condition. Although, after falling from a height of many meters, I probably got off easy-taking a sitting position, I said.

Sitting on the stone floor, I began to look around.

-<I somehow didn't notice right away, but the cave is just full of dust. Only this dust is kind of strange. I mean, it shouldn't sparkle somehow, right?>

For another few minutes , looking around like this , an unsubstantiated guess appeared in my head:

-<Radiation?>- That's the thought that came to me.

-<But shouldn't I have died from it or something like that then?>- The second one came to me immediately.

Out of habit, I pulled my hands to my temple, but...

- ...what?!- A self-evident question came out of my mouth.

I began to stare intently at "my?" hand.

- <I don't remember having a hole in my palm. And I don't remember that I was drenched in white paint before I died. And fingers...>

My gaze from the palm of my hand began to go along the forearm, and then completely moved to the chest. I tried to feel my face, but...

- I don't feel it... I don't feel the touch-The thought that had just come escaped aloud.

But I realized something else.

-<Excitement... No, I don't feel anything at all!>

I abruptly stood up to my full height. Only now I almost fell back.

- <Something is shaking me...>

[The soul has not yet fully mastered the new body and because of this, its management may become difficult. I recommend trying again in a few minutes]

I froze abruptly.

- <Did it just seem to me? Or am I going crazy? Something tells me that this is the 2nd>

[Your mental state is normal.]

But I didn't pay attention to the meaning of the words I heard.

-<It seems my schizophrenia is progressing. Quite interesting...>

[I am the effect of the "That" skill. Please listen]

I stopped my train of thought and froze completely.

* Silence*

-...Skill effect?- I decided to clarify.

[Exactly.]

Thoughts were in motion again, but now they were focused on processing and restoring the chronology of events.

-<If you think about it... Death, God knows where he found himself, strange sparkling dust and... An unfamiliar body to the eye>

There was only one single thought that could explain everything that was happening at the moment.:

"Am I... reborn?"- I voiced my conclusions.

[Yes]