Chapter 6 - The Alter World

Six years have passed since I was reborn in this world as a baby, and recently, I realized something...this isn't the same world that I was in previously.

Which was a disappointing realization...I'd been hoping to go find the people who killed my aunt and I in my previous life and pay them back for what they did to me, but I guess that's not going to be possible anymore.

The reason I took so long to realize I was in a different world is because this world has a very similar technology level to my old world, maybe about a decade or two below the era I lived in.

Although, my parents in this world didn't let me near any screens until I turned five, which I suppose is good parenting and all, but it kinda sucked since I'm not actually a child on the inside.

My parents seem to be pretty rich and they treat me with a lot of love and care, so I've lived a pretty comfortable life in this world so far. More than comfortable, really, it's honestly pretty lavish and luxurious.

I do often find myself recalling my previous life and my aunt, but I try not to think about it too much since it only ends up depressing me, and worse is the fact that there's nothing I can do about it.

All I can do is hope that my aunt reincarnated too and is living a happy, peaceful life somewhere, like she deserves.

Getting back to this new world, I've been using my father's computer whenever my parents are asleep, browsing the web to learn about the history and present of this world. Turns out, it's completely different from the Earth I was familiar with.

There are five continents in this world, plus four independent islands that aren't a part of any of the continents. My parents are from the continent of Angla, which is basically Europe as it's made up of mostly white people.

They don't live there anymore though, having moved to the continent of Slinpa, which is like a mix of the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East in terms of the majority population.

Then there's the continent of Froa, which is like this world's Africa. After that, there's the continent of Paspen, in which the majority of people are Hispanic. And finally, the continent of Talorin, which is like East Asia.

The history of this world is quite fascinating in comparison to my old world...in the past of this world, each continent has invaded the others and enslaved the people of those continents, unlike my old world where it was mostly white people doing the enslaving.

Sure, there were exceptions like Genghis Khan and the Ottoman Empire, but for the most part, when you think about slavery, you think of white people as the perpetrators.

But in this world, all the continents are more or less equally guilty in that regard. Relative peace was established about four hundred years ago, when people from each continent banded together and preached peace and equality for all.

It was a messy process, of course, but in the end, they prevailed. Slavery was eventually abolished, and racism faded significantly...naturally, it didn't completely disappear, and it still exists today, of course, but in terms of racism based on skin color, it's pretty minimal.

That's because, about two hundred and fifty years ago, a century and a half later, a new form of prejudice was born. And this is what sets this world the most apart from my old world. Three hundred years ago, a human with special powers appeared, capable of destroying an entire army of normal humans with ease.

According to what I read online about it, a meteor crashed onto a small village and he was the only survivor. His injuries healed almost instantly, his body became significantly stronger, his blood turned black, and when angered, he would manifest wings, horns and a tail, making him powerful enough to wipe out an entire city in minutes.

He later discovered that, by letting others drink his black blood, they would develop powers too, and most of their descendants would be born with powers too. For the next fifty years, he proceeded to give powers to hundreds of people.

These people with special powers are known as Alters, and currently, make up about one percent of the world's population.

The first Alter, who's referred to as the Progenitor, was said to be agelessly immortal and infinitely regenerative, but mysteriously disappeared about a century ago, no one's seen him since.

Naturally, the people without powers feared the Alters, marginalizing and discriminating against them. That prejudice remains quite heavy to this day, many countries do have laws protecting the human rights of Alters, but in a lot of places, Alters are treated like shit and no one bats an eye.

And in the continent of Slinpa where I live, it's especially bad. My parents run an organization that supports Alters, they're basically Alter right activists, I guess.

They're normal people themselves, with no superpowers to speak of, and the same goes for me. Initially, I was disappointed that I don't have any cool powers, but it's for the best. I'd rather not have to live at the mercy of people who would discriminate against me.

Oh, and the Progenitor also let animals drink his blood, which evolved them into new species with special powers. Those species are now referred to as Monsters...also, dinosaurs never went extinct in this world, and there are a few Monster species that evolved from them after drinking the Progenitor's blood.

Well, all that probably won't ever concern me...all I want is to live a nice, peaceful life in this world, it doesn't have to be remarkable or anything grand. So long as I can live happily, I don't care.

I do sympathize with the Alters, but I...I can't put myself in danger for the sake of others. I just can't...not again. Call me selfish all you want, but I don't want this life to end up like my previous one.

And if living a selfish life is what it takes, then so be it. I don't want to suffer, not again. Never again...

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