Chapter 1

"Ugh…" My stomach groaned, a deep, hollow sound. For the first time, I experienced the gnawing pangs of hungerâ€"a sensation alien to my former existence.

I opened my eyes and looked down at my belly and thought. "So, this is how humans feel when they are hungry."

As an absolute being of overwhelming power, nourishment was an abstract concept, unnecessary and inexperienced. But now, in human form, the urgency of biological needs took me by surprise. "So this is hunger," I mused aloud, a touch of wonder in my voice, rubbing my newly mortal abdomen. "Fascinating"

"Where am I?" I commented, Looking away from my belly.

As I scanned the room a disbelieving expression came over my face, because it wasn't what I had expected. I found myself inside a shabby-looking room where the wallpapers were peeling, and the air smelled of dampened and decayed. The wind whistled through the broken windows, carrying the chill of outside into what was my shabby refuge. Mold crept along the corners of the walls.

"The fuck!" I cursed under my breath, the words feeling foreign on my human tongue. I may have left my reincarnation up to randomness but I wasn't expecting this. 

But as I was thinking over my situation, memories started to flood my mind causing me to instinctively clutch my head.

"Argh…" I yelled out in pain for the first time in my everlasting existence.

———————

"Getting the body's memories was more painful than I expected. Also, that was the first time I had felt pain, it felt…extremely exhilarating," I thought while rubbing my chin.

Pain had been an alien concept, irrelevant to a being of absolute power. Yet now, confined within human limitations, it is a vivid and intense reality.

"Shivena Bright," I declared, testing the name. It rolled off my tongue with a satisfying resonance, and I nodded in approval. It suited the identity of the new form I inhabitedâ€"a 15-year-old girl of mixed Japanese and American heritage. Her long white hair flowed like a cascading of light down her back, framing a face with pale, almost luminescent eyes. Her demeanor was serene, yet her stubbornness was like a shield, keeping others at a distance.

As I shifted through the new memories, I learned that her parents had fallen in the line of duty. "Shit! The parents of this body were great people," Shivena commented.

The mother, Chris Bright, was a vision of maturity and beauty, with golden blonde hair that made her a head-turner, admired by all who met her. Her calm presence drew people to her, a testament to her hard work. Tragically, her life had been cut short by a villain known as Muscular.

"And So, this is a world that plays at heroes and villains?" I  mused, a hint of incredulity in my tone as l shook my head dismissively. "I'll delve into that anomaly later."

The father, Jacob Bright, presented a striking contrast with his pale hair and dark eyes. A tall, muscular figure, he had an intimidating air about him, yet with his family, he was nothing but a gentle giant.

Even though I could access the memories, and experience the love they harbored for me, I felt detached. "Cruel as it may seem, I cannot forge a bond with them." Shivena mused quietly to herself. "Their love, intense and unwavering, is but a drop in an ocean to me, memories without the weight of true emotion."

"Ugh…," A visceral growl from her stomach interrupted her thoughts, a harsh reminder of her new, more vulnerable state.

Sliding out of her bed, Shiven took a moment to acquaint herself with her new physical form. It felt delicate, devoid of any muscular strength, a stark contrast to the omnipotence she once wielded. "Well, damn! To think that I, who once stood atop the food chain, now occupy such a fragile vessel," she thought, a manic grin spreading across her face.

Shivena stretched tentatively, tuning into the sensation of her blood coursing through her fragile body. A curious sensation pricked at her awareness, something foreign mingling within her bloodstream. Is this that quirk thing? She wondered, storing the thought away for later consideration.

As she wandered through the apartment, her expression shifted between curiosity and dismay. "The hell!  Is this how humans treat their children?" The space was modest at best, a stark contrast to her previous grandeur, now government-allocated following the tragedy that claimed her parents. Though her parent's home wasn't a mansion, it was a haven far better than the dismal surroundings she found herself in.

At the time she didn't understand why she couldn't stay at her parents' home, and still, she couldn't figure it out.

She shook her head. "All will come to light in time; all in time," she thought. 

After checking her bleak apartment, Shivena only found little more than a bowl of stale rice, some expired vegetables, and a few potentially usable items in the fridge; milk and eggs. The cabinets yielded only a modest collection of seasonings, syrup, oil, and bread.

"Well, It's not as bad as it looks, but it is still unexpectable," she muttered, her voice tinged with frustration.

"Ungh!, Ungh!" 

"Oh, fuck!"

As hunger gnawed at her, she rummaged through her memories for any culinary skills they might hold. Finding only a vague recollection of a simple recipe, she decided to attempt it, despite her lack of practical experience.

Opening the fridge, she retrieved the milk and eggs, setting them on the table. She grabbed a bowl from near the pristine sink and placed it alongside her ingredients. Cracking the egg proved more challenging than anticipated. "Damn it, the shells are contaminating the yolk," she grumbled, her face scrunching in irritation as she tried to fish out the shell fragments with a spoon. Each attempt only pushed the pesky shell further away.

"Oh myself!" She exclaimed, her voice thick with annoyance, the third time she had felt such frustration in her everlasting existence. "Kudos to the mortals who know how to cook," she muttered sarcastically, struggling with the task.

Finally, after several frustrating attempts, she managed to clear the yolk of shells. "Fucking finally!" she breathed out, a mix of relief and exasperation. Though the process was anything but enjoyable, her growing hunger pushed her to continue.

She poured a cup of milk into the bowl and reached for the cinnamon sugar, sprinkling it generously before stirring the mixture thoroughly. She covered the bowl and moved to select a pan from the limited options. Three pans; two small and one large. She chose a small one, drizzled some oil into it, and set it on the stove, adjusting the heat to medium-low.

Returning to her mixture, Shivena soaked a slice of bread, ensuring it was evenly coated. She then carefully laid it in the hot, oiled pan. The sizzle as it hit the surface was satisfying, a small victory in her new, humbling human existence.

——————

[Word Count]: 1,156