「 0 」It Is By Fate…

"473 Million… 316 Thousand… 130…"

BEEP.

"473 Million… 316 Thousand… 131…"

BEEP.

"473 Million… 316 Thousand… 132…"

BEEP.

"473 Million…"

In a dark room, a malnourished boy who was about the age of 14 was lying on a bed while staring at the ceiling shrouded by darkness.

The only thing that could be heard besides the incessant beeping of the EKG machine was the soft mutterings of the boy.

"473 Million, 316 Thousand, 144…"

The boy's incoherent muttering was actually counting, he was counting the seconds he had lived, and he's been doing so for about a year or two now.

He started counting upwards like this from the moment he understood a very simple fact, and that fact was that once he got to 473,316,146…

His suffering would come to an end, and he would be freed from this dark room.

"473 Million… 316 Thousand… 100…. And… 40…."

His count could not be finished as his life force began to fade away, his brain stopped sending singles to the rest of his body as well.

His body started to become cold as his eyes closed, all of this happening in mere seconds as if planned by some sick puppeteer.

But before his brain had completely lost functionality and his consciousness faded, he heard a soft voice enter his ears.

[ Pitiful child, it is by fate that I have found you today… ]

"…"

[ I know you cannot respond to me, but I'm going to tell you a bit of a story… ]

[ One day, on a planet much bigger than this one, there was a boy who was also born with an illness similar to yours. ]

[ He could not move, nor could he see, speak or even hear. The only thing he could do was breathe and be fed… ]

"..?"

[ No, he was not abandoned, that boy's family was not like yours. They were not scum who didn't care for their offspring. His family put together their resources and they did what they could to help him. ]

[ Because in this world, magic existed and there were many spells that could cure a vast majority of ailments. ]

"..?"

[ You'll know more later, just allow me to continue for now. ]

"…"

[ The boy's father traveled east to the source of healing magic, while the boy's mother traveled west, to one of the larger empires in hopes to find a healer there. ]

[ Both were indeed successful, but neither healer could treat their son… It was an ailment unlike anything one could imagine. ]

[ The couple started to get desperate, and eventually turned to the south where the legendary 'Dark Mages' resided. ]

"..?"

[ Yes, the dark mages were indeed evil, dark mages are very unscrupulous creatures that do anything for power… Most of which are very sinister things. ]

[ Many would go out of there way to slaughter villages, others would sacrifice children or behead animals… ]

[ Some would even have children simply to use them for resources… ]

[ They were a truly despicable bunch, but at that point the couple felt that they had no other choice… ]

[ Eventually, they found a very powerful dark mage who went by the name of Nezerath The Undying. ]

[ Nezerath was an undead mage who practiced the art of necromancy, they believed that they could finally save their son, albeit at the cost of turning him into an undead… ]

[ So, they went and pleaded to Nezerath for help, and he eventually agreed for a very hefty price… ]

[ A price so great that the couple nearly refused, but when they thought of their precious son who had been in that state for years… they gave in. ]

[ They signed a contract with the necromancer and a year later their son was saved! ]

"..!"

[ Yes, his ailment was cured and he was turned into an undead… A skeleton to be specific, those are a type of undead that are usually used as cannon fodder when summoned, but can be extremely fearsome creatures when given intelligence. ]

[ They do not need to eat nor sleep, they do not age nor weaken as long as they are provided with energy… In short, they are immortal beings of the simplest form. ]

[ The only way to kill one would be to separate its bones and obliterate its soul so that they cannot regenerate nor reconstruct themselves. ]

[ That is what the boy had to become in order to live… but the cost for such a thing? The souls of his parents. ]

[ The boy was stricken with immense grief and anger when he found out. He vowed to become stronger to take revenge, even though he knew it was simply a deal that they made, he still thought it to be unfair. ]

[ He fought for hundreds of thousands of years, within that timeframe he had destroyed Nezerath and his forces, and crushed everyone who got in his way. ]

[ But more and more enemies kept coming, and he had to grow even stronger. ]

[ Eventually, that boy grew up and became an extremely powerful existence, he was so strong that with the flick of his finger he could wipe out entire realities. ]

[ But further down the road of power, he had lost the spirit that had drove him to become this strong. ]

[ All his enemies were dead, and certain rules prevented existences who were at that same level of power from fighting, so there was nobody who could fight him. ]

[ Eventually, he decided to roam the vast realities in search of something, anything to give his existence meaning once again… ]

[ And eventually, he came across a boy who was just like he used to be, except that boy's parents did not try to help him, and they abandoned him without a second thought. ]

[ That skeleton is me, and that boy is you, and thanks to you I now have a reason, a reason to both live and die for. ]

"..?"

[ I'm going to use my origin to construct a new body for you, and I will give you some other gifts to assist you on your own journey. ]

"??!"

[ HAHAHAHAHA! Yes, yes, I'm not joking with you… now then, of the various races, what would you like to be? ]

The voice had explained the pros, cons, strengths, and weaknesses of almost a million different races to the boy, but in the end…

"..?"

[ You… You want to be a skeleton..? But why? ]

"…"

[ What… Because I'm a skeleton..? But that makes no sense! You could be any race you desire, but you choose to be such a detestable- ]

"…"

[ But… ]

"..?"

[ Well theoretically such a thing could be done, but it will require more than 70% of my energy… Are you sure… ]

"…"

[ *sigh* Well, I guess I can't blame you since even in this state its human nature to still make incomprehensible choices… ]

"…"

[ Don't smirk at me! ]

"…"

[ You..! How did you even learn such things?! ]

"…"

[ *sigh* Well, I hope you enjoy and make the most out of your new life. ]

"…"

[ My name…? Well I don't remember the name I once had, but eventually the inhabitants of the universe called me King Osseus. ]

[ Well anyway, it's time for us both to go. Goodbye kid, I hope the second life you lead will be one that's carefree, but don't become evil since that would be a shame. Oh and don't let people push you around either.. ]

As the skeletons' nagging voice which constantly gave him reminders like a parent sending their child off to school gradually faded away, light suddenly bloomed within the boy's sight.

It covered his vision until that was all he could see, and then he felt a warm and comfortable feeling and drifted into a sleep-like state, away from the stress and anxiety of the world.