Is This Transmigration?

<p>When 'He' became conscious again, 'He' could see nothing.<br/>Faced with this result, even though 'He' knew it was inevitable, 'He' still wanted to sigh.<br/>Could it be that this is really the end? When thinking of how prestigious 'He' used to be, it's almost laughable to see how far 'He' has fallen.<br/>Dammit! Did 'He' really need to spend the rest of 'His' existence as the personification of "I think therefore I am"?<br/>If that really happened, 'He' would rather try to find a way to get the people outside to unplug 'Him' and end 'His' misery!<br/>While 'He' was caught up in 'His' depressing thoughts, 'He' inadvertently moved 'His' body and caused the chains that bound 'Him' to clink together.<br/>When these sounds reached 'His' ears and 'He' realized 'He' could hear them, 'He' was stunned.<br/>'…What?'<br/>Thinking that it was just 'His' imagination, 'He' tried to move 'His' body again.<br/>Clink.<br/>"..."<br/>'What in the world?'<br/>And more importantly, 'He', no, he? She? Right now, the gender of this body was still undetermined, so they?<br/>Anyways, they now had a body.<br/>Being reintroduced to this sense after many years, they couldn't help but repeat their actions again and again just to listen to that sound.<br/>Using mechanical motions that were more like large twitches, signals jumped through their rusty nerves and muscles. Their body started moving purposefully for the first time in a long time.<br/>Clink. Clink. Clink.<br/>Finally, after overcoming their disbelief and ignoring the wetness that appeared at the corners of their eyes, they stopped and belatedly paid attention to their surroundings.<br/>Now that they were focused, as more of their senses returned to them, they realized that they could feel coarse rags covering their body and tight chains restricting their movements. An almost sauna-like heat filled the space and the putrid smell of iron and burnt flesh permeated through the air.<br/>At this time, a terrified scream of agony echoed from the distance, giving it an haunting quality. Compared to the absolute quiet that sat in the air prior, the scream was extremely piercing.<br/>All of these thing made them alarmed and confused.<br/>Why can they use their senses again?<br/>Did they die?<br/>Just what the hell is going on?!<br/>While their thoughts were running wild, before they could do anything else, their head throbbed and a scene suddenly popped into their mind.<br/>[On a strange mountain where the foot is covered in ice and the peak is a lush green, a young man wearing many layers of elegant Chinese robes quietly admired the swaying branches of the World Tree overhead.<br/>The vision's perspective didn't allow for the man's face to be seen, however, his state of calm was apparent as he relaxed in the calming wind and basked in the light of the World Tree.<br/>It was obvious that the young man was unwinding from the stresses caused by daily life. However, at this moment, someone suddenly called for him in the distance.<br/>"Yue Jingxui!"]<br/>Just as suddenly as the vision started, the vision abruptly cut off and they returned to the present.<br/>They could barely keep up with all this new information smashing them in the face at the same time.<br/>With the sudden return of their senses, their potentially dangerous situation, and the vision just they saw, their mind was working overtime to piece everything together.<br/>Taking a deep breath, and silently marveling at the feeling of their chest expanding, they finally took some time to process what had happened to them.<br/>First of all, what was that? Who was the man in the vision? Was he the owner of the body that they currently inhabited?<br/>If that's true then why did they, no, he possess this specific body? Was it just random chance or was there some other reason?<br/>Additionally, as the creator of a certain world, he was intimately familiar with the location shown within the vision since it came straight from their imagination.<br/>[Summer and Winter Mountain]<br/>Located in the mountainous [Eastern Continent], [Summer and Winter Mountain] was home to the local overlords of that region - the White Tiger Clan.<br/>But what does that place and vision have to do with him?<br/>Could it be that the vision showed the origin of his current body? Was he currently in the world that he had created?<br/>But he shouldn't jump to conclusions. As he couldn't see the appearance of this body, he did not even know if this body is actually the one featured in the vision. He also couldn't be sure of where he was.<br/>However, even as he thought that, he was an avid reader. Perhaps it was inevitable that his first thoughts slid towards the legendary "transmigrating into my creation after death".<br/>The next second, he realized how ridiculous he was being and promptly gave himself a mental slap to straighten out his thoughts.<br/>At least, that shouldn't be his first thought. In this day and age, there are many possible explanations for this situation. Yet, even if it wasn't transmigration, there still had to be a reason why he suddenly found himself here.<br/>Perhaps this is just a new treatment method? After all, he did regain all his senses except for sight. But he quickly realized that it was impossible. No one told him about it or was here to explain after they began the treatment.<br/>He huffed.<br/>He had so many questions and no answers for any of them. He didn't even have enough information to try to make an educated guess. <br/>He really hated to do this, but for now, he could only base his actions off of assumptions. Assumptions are usually false, and could cause him to make a major mistake. Nevertheless, this was the best that he could do in this situation.<br/>With that thought in mind, pushed by the unsettling environment, screams of terror, and unknown within the darkness, he decided that waiting around was not going to help him in any way. He had to figure out a way to get out of his bindings and escape before whatever is causing those screams decides to pay him a visit.<br/>Just as this thought came to his mind, he suddenly felt a strange feeling pass through his body. A tingling sensation encompassed him, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.<br/>Before he could react, the chains that were originally binding him fell through him and he started to fall.<br/>"!!!"<br/>Using jerky movements, he desperately tried to position himself in a way that would reduce some of the damage from the fall. As a person who had not possessed a body for more than half a decade, it was a miracle that he could even manipulate his body to brace for impact.<br/>Bang! Splat! Clink!<br/>His body slammed onto the floor with force and a loud slam, bouncing a bit and rolling a small length away. Immediately after he landed, a stinging pain radiated from the places that made contact with the ground.<br/>"Kuk!"<br/>He coughed and took some time to get back his breathing. When his breathing stabilized a little, he couldn't help but let out a groan of pain and curse in his mind.<br/>'Damn, what the hell was that? Couldn't you give a guy a warning?'<br/>However, complaining aside, he seriously considered what just happened and remembered the sensation of those chains passing through him.<br/>Based on the assumption that he was in the world he created, then the body he occupied must be someone from that world. This means, this body must be from a race that allows physical objects to pass through them.<br/>He ran through all the races that might have a racial skill or passive ability that would allow him to do that.<br/>'Slime? No, even if I can't see, I can confidently say that I'm not an indistinct pile of goo on the floor.'<br/>'Then, a Wind Spirit?'<br/>It was certainly a possibility. Anyways, it can be easily confirmed as long as he can use wind powers.<br/>Determined to test his hypothesis, his arm twitched and, while trembling, slowly propped himself off the ground. However, instead of touching the ground, his hand touched something entirely different.<br/>Squelch!<br/>"...?"<br/>The object in his hand was warm while the surface was hard and inside firm. Maybe because he hasn't touched anything in years, he couldn't help giving the object in his hand a squeeze and found that it was slightly squishy.<br/>'What…?'<br/>Suddenly, he remembered the strong scent of iron and flesh that permeated the air.<br/>"!!!"<br/>Trying to stumble onto his feet, the moment his feet exerted force, he fell back onto the ground. The sounds of chains clinking against each other and scrapping the floor sounded but he was too preoccupied to care. With much effort, he managed to distance himself from whatever was on the floor, almost tumbling straight into the unknown substance on the floor. <br/>Once he deemed that he was a suitable distance away, he wiped his hand onto his rags. However, just as he did this, he realized something.<br/>He seemed to recall a similar splatting sound when he fell. If the object on the floor was what he thought it was, doesn't that mean that his body, which rolled on the floor…<br/>And, just now, when he dragged his body across the floor…<br/>"..."<br/>Fuck!<br/>A thousand curses ran through his mind. He couldn't control his violent twitch caused by disgust.<br/>At this time, he finally clearly heard the sound of chains caused by his movement.<br/>The sounds were crisp and almost melodious. Instead of a constant, disruptive noise that was typical of chains, the clinks sounded more like chimes. He daresay that it sounded a little beautiful.<br/>Listening to these sounds, he became puzzled.<br/>Could it be that not all the chains fell through him? However, that wouldn't make any sense. Why would some chains pass through him while others didn't? Is there some kind of criteria to fulfil?<br/>Suddenly, he froze as he thought of another possibility.<br/>Could it be?<br/>Tentatively, he lifted his arm and gave it a rough shake. Or, to be more precise, his arm violently twitched.<br/>Clink!<br/>"..."<br/>Out of all the races that could possibly phase through objects, only Ghouls are bound by manacles on their wrists and ankles.<br/>As the creator, if he had to describe the Ghoul race, he would say that they're a race which sacrifices the unlimited future of all reincarnations for every second stolen from the present.<br/>He automatically recalled the settings he made for this race.<br/>[Within the [Spirit World] is the [Wheel of Reincarnation], which every living thing is attached to via their [Chains of Reincarnation].]<br/>[As the [Wheel of Reincarnation] spins, the chains that are attached to it become shorter and shorter. When a living being's [Chains of Reincarnation] become completely taunt, their mortal body dies and their spirit is taken to the [Spirit World] by the chains.]<br/>[There, they go to the [Wheel of Reincarnation] and enter the reincarnation cycle. Reincarnating into another body with no memories and new, loose [Chains of Reincarnation].]<br/>Ghouls are powerful beings who died with an immense resentment. Through their powers, they forcefully break their [Chains of Reincarnation] and sever their connection to the [Wheel of Reincarnation] - effectively forfeiting their chance of life after death to stay in their current life until they solve the source of their resentment.<br/>At the birth of a Ghoul, their broken [Chains of Reincarnation] will manifest in the material world around their ankles and wrists. These are the traits that others can use to identify a Ghoul and also a Ghoul's weapons.<br/>The stronger the Ghoul, the longer, stronger, and thicker their chains. It is said that after reaching an unknown level, a Ghoul's chains will grow so much that it would once again reach the [Wheel of Reincarnation] and grant the Ghoul a chance to move on.<br/>'The good thing is, against weaker opponents, Ghouls are virtually un-killable due to their ability to phase through physical objects. Ghouls also have a lot of room to grow and can be said to be a high potential race.'<br/>'However, Ghouls also automatically carry a complicated backstory and are treated as the pariahs of society. Even the creatures living in the [Dark Abyss], the place where all the world's darkest and most disgusting creatures gather, barely tolerate Ghouls.'<br/>To him, who had just woken up and had no clue what was going on, a complicated backstory was the last thing he wanted. He could imagine all the potentially troublesome things that would throw themselves at him once he leaves this place.<br/>Speaking of leaving, now that he had recovered enough from his fall, it was time to go. He should not be dawdling here.<br/>'At least, if I can even move.'<br/>Slowly moving his body, his leg buckled under him and when he tried to stand. His hands slapped against the floor, helping him stabilize himself and keep from face planting onto the ground. <br/>Noticing something he had missed, he furrowed his brows when he felt his palms sting.<br/>Now that he thought about it, every part of his body that was in contact with the floor while he was still lying on the ground had stung. He attributed it to the damage from his fall, but it appears that there was obviously something strange with the environment since his back and legs stopped stinging as soon as he propped himself up. Consequently, now, his hands and lower legs, which are the only areas touching a surface, sting instead.<br/>Unfortunately, he couldn't exactly pinpoint what the problem was since all he could see was darkness.<br/>He couldn't help but click his tongue.<br/>'Being blind is so inconvenient.'<br/>Just then, he thought back to his time without any senses except for sight and amended his statement.<br/>'Actually, being handicapped in any way is inconvenient.'<br/>On his hands and knees, he thought of his predicament with embarrassment.<br/>'Do I really… have to crawl?'<br/>'It's ok. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, does it really make a sound? In the same logic, if no one is here to see me crawl, then will I have really crawled?'<br/>'No!'<br/>He promptly answered himself and instantly felt better.<br/>After a successful self-hypnosis, he resolved himself and started crawling, slowly making his way further into the caverns. <br/>However, he had just started moving when he suddenly felt something familiar.<br/>Squelch!<br/>"..."<br/>Grimacing, he slowly lifted up his hand and maneuvered around it. At this point, he realized that keeping himself clean was a hopeless endeavor.</p>