Chapter 1: Prologue

'I never thought I'd die like that.' Was what John Cortez thought to himself as he looked down, his ghostly body now floating on air, upon his mortal dead body that he was just seconds ago was still in it and living his mortal life normally.

Only for him to die from a freaking stray bullet to the head, sent down by the heavens! And yes he meant that, technically, literally.

As it turns out, and quite obviously, bullets do come back into the earth when they're shot towards the sky. Because some asshole in their neighborhood started shooting bullets with his glock towards the sky in a drunken stupor.

And guess where those bullets landed? At John Cortez's body, who was just appreciating the town scenery from his apartment balcony. Then the first bullet struck his right shoulder, then his left thigh, then his left face cheek, and so on, feeling every bullet penetrating his body and his flesh ripped apart until the seventh bullet struck him between his eyes–ending his life.

Just what did he do to deserve such a death? His parents died when he was 15, most of his money was stolen by his greedy relatives and fake friends and girlfriends, the only reason he managed to rent an apartment was because he saved up what he earned for the last 9 years with several part-time jobs he simultaneously did almost everyday.

He worked so hard, yet what did it surmount? Bullets piercing through his body.

'I wonder...will I go to heaven and get my eternal paradise?' With that thought as he closed ghostly eyes, John Cortez, 24 years old, passed on from this life.

And so entered his next life. In a world of spirit beasts and superhumans called, Spirit Masters.

Unbeknownst to John, just as his soul slowly disperses and enters his next life, there was a sudden change in the sky. All the white clouds dispersed and converged into a single gigantic ring of light over the world.

....

'Ugh. Is it me, or does the afterlife kinda

John inwardly groaned, his eyes remained close, out of nervousness or plain fear, his brows furrowed as he unexpectedly heard some...voices?

'Are angels or demons finally coming to greet me in whatever this place is?'

"–an Yang. I repeat, is Dan Yang here?" A bland voice rang out as John groggily opened his eyes, bright light met his vision. He winced and he took a moment to adapt to the light, as soon as he did his eyes went wide as he saw himself in some kind of futuristic room.

The room was big, with three doors, it was mostly grey metallic with blue lines streamlined across that acted as wires to connect all kinds of things in or outside the room. John looked down to find himself in a grey chair and looked around to find a dozen or so kids that looked about five or six years old sitting with looks of excitement or nervousness, with an adult or two accompanying them each.

'What's going on?' John asked to himself as he saw this scene. Wasn't he dead? Was this some kind of afterlife lobby or something?

Also, why does it feel like he was shorter or something? Because he had to look up to see the adults' faces!

'Seriously, what the hell's going on?!' Just as John was panicking, he felt a hand grabbed his left shoulder and flinched.

"Hey kid, pay attention. You're being called for the last five minutes!" A gruff and impatient voice scolded him, snapping John out of his panic.

He saw a tall man with broad shoulders, spiky short black hair and green eyes, dressed in black and red robes with a stern expression on his face, looking down at him.

"Uh, sorry uncle Cheng. What do you mean I'm being called?" John replied subconsciously, confused and still trying to make sense of everything. His eyes went wide in shock.

'Uncle Cheng? Why did I call him that? I don't even know him!'

Uncle Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Dan Yang, did you hit ya head or somethin'? This is your Spirit Awakening Ceremony kid! Every kid that turns six gets the chance to awaken their martial soul and innate spirit power, the latter only available for a spirit master."

'Spirit Awakening Ceremony? Why does that sound familiar? And, Dan Yang? Why does he call me that?' Still bewildered, John started to ask. "Um, I think–"

Suddenly, his head started to hurt and memories started flooding in. Memories of a different life, the life of this 'body'; of Dang Yang.

He froze on the spot, silently digesting the memories of a child that had his body hijacked by him.

Orphaned, the Douluo Planet, Sun and Moon Federation, Soul Power, Soul Master, Spirit Pagoda, Soul Beasts are on the brink of extinction, etc..

Basic knowledge of the world and of Dan Yang flooded John's head and he quickly paled in realization of two things.

'Holy shit, did I get reincarnated into Soul Land and take over some poor boy's body?! What the heck happened to Dan Yang!!' This was no joke, he just involuntarily killed a child!

John quickly tried to recall the last memory of Dan Yang and found out that he wasn't feeling good and decided to take a rest, then felt an intense pain coming from the back of his head.

'It can't be...can it?'

"Kid, you okay?" Uncle Cheng asked with a worried expression as he saw the paled and sickly looking expression of his ward.

He might have looked indifferent towards the kid but that was far from the truth, in fact, he had a soft spot for every kid in the orphanage as they looked up to him as an uncle figure and he didn't deny them that. As he lost his wife and child in an unfortunate accident, his parents having died long ago when he was a child, and every relative not wanting to deal with him, the orphanage where he lived for a while and its occupants are the only home and family he has left.

With an incredulous look, John reached his left hand over the back of his head and felt a sticky feeling. He took his hand back and saw red.

'....He died from some kind of impact to the back of his head while he slept?! Just how unlucky is this kid!?' John greatly pitied and sympathized with Dan Yang, having died with a similar terrible death.

He clenched his bloodied palm and internally swore to himself. '...Dan Yang, I'm sorry that you died this way and I apologize for taking this body of yours without asking, but I don't want to waste this second chance some kind of higher being gave me, most likely a God or ROB. Life is unfair and so does fate or destiny that caused your death and guided my soul to your body.'

'But, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find yourself in a happy afterlife or a second life. If there's any remnant consciousness of yourself still here, I swear that I'll live my life to the fullest with your name and live a happy, successful life.'

John, no, Dan Yang softly smiled as he suddenly felt...at peace with himself. And a sense of completeness wash over him.

From now on, the name John Cortez is dead. Now he's Dan Yang, a young orphan boy in Heaven Dou City that was going to awaken his spirit.

"Hey kid, you okay?" Uncle Cheng asked, concerned as he saw the blood on his palm and that he got it from touching his head. He would've gone bolting towards the infirmary or get any kind of emergency service if it wasn't for Dan Yang looking unsettling calm.

Dan Yang was always the kind, quiet and logical kid, he wasn't antisocial or anything that most young teens becomes, it was just that he liked his personal space and was straightforward towards people. But even then, he wouldn't act so calmly with such an injury to his head.

Dan Yang grinned and turned towards Uncle Cheng and said, "Never better, Uncle Cheng. Never better. How about we head on over towards where I'm undergoing my Spirit Awakening Ceremony? And my injury? Don't worry, it's already healed."

Uncle Cheng was stunned speechless.

'What is with this kid?'

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