Year 5000 B.C.
The wind howled like a starving beast across the ancient plains, whispering over jagged rocks and brittle grass. Under the pale eye of the moon, a shadow tore through the dark, sprinting full-tilt across the unforgiving terrain.
"Fuck! Fuck! I can't believe I'm going to die after only one year of transmigration" the shadow thought, lungs burning as he ran with all his might
This running shadow was Lucy, a transmigator who was struck by lightning and suddenly found himself in times where fire was cutting edge technology
Scratch that, not just ancient. Ancestral. If Lucy knocked someone up now, his descendants would probably end up populating half the planet by the time modern history rolled around.
How did he find this out? Because after 1 transmigrating here, he got the memories of the body he took over.
From the memories there was a tribe that he came from which the original body left due to some issues.
This wasn't strange but Lucy found a peculiar detail, the Gods they worshipped were called annunaki.
"Fucking Sumerians?!"
Although reluctant due to the harsh living conditions, he accepted his situation and got relief from the fact that he was still alive.
Sure, the conditions were brutal, but he'd eventually accepted his situation. He figured, hey, at least he was alive. One year of hard living had toughened him up. He'd adapted, hunted, fought, learned to not die, and waited patiently for the fabled transmigrator's cheat code to kick in.
After a year of living in this ancient world, he got used to danger, while also thinking of getting a golden finger that never arrived.
So why was he running now while thinking he was gonna die?
That's because he was getting chased by a monster beyond anything he had ever seen.
Closely behind Lucy was a monstrous alien-like being. It had tentacles coming out of its mouth while also having sharp teeth. It was a myriad of colors that were more in the darker spectrum.
*Roar!
A chittering shriek ripped through the night. His ears rang as the creature burst into view under the moonlight—a writhing mass of nightmare. Tentacles protruded from a mouth lined with glistening fangs, its body shifting through shades of oil-slick black and sickly green.
This monster was something most people would think an alien would look like. Aside from the big head cliche of course
"Fucckk so there were aliens after all!" Lucy said as he ran with all his might.
Lucy felt the wind hitting his face, and looked at the moonlight lighting his path. This should have been nothing but a leisurely stroll, but it turned into a game of cat and mouse.
Lucy could feel the intense aura from behind him, wanting to eat him whole. The body he had transmigrated into was thankfully athletic, allowing him some chance.
Behind him, the alien let out a wet, gurgling roar that made his bones ache.
Lucy pushed himself harder, but he knew. He knew.
"It's not enough," he whispered.
The thing was toying with him, like it knew the thrill of the hunt, like it enjoyed his fear.
Lucy suddenly heard the creature behind him roar, then he felt it, his back being sliced open by the claws of the monster.
"Ahhh!" Lucy screamed due to the pain
The claws pierced Lucy's flesh, making blood gush out. The force of the attack sent Lucy flying away from the monster but also left him incapacitated.
"Ha..ha.." Lucy slightly opened his left eye, he could see the blurry outline of the monster slowly getting closer, as if playing with its food, knowing it can't run anymore.
"Is this it?" Lucy thought. After a year of surviving this harsh place, I'm going to die to an alien?
Thinking of everything he'd done just to stay alive, Lucy felt a bitter, weary anger bubbling beneath the pain.
I had to eat mystery berries on the daily, each one a dice roll between dinner and diarrhea. I still remember that boar thing… thought I could spear it like some tribal badass. Instead, it rammed me so hard I peed blood for a week.
He grit his teeth against the pain.
Had to sleep in trees like a paranoid monkey just to avoid being turned into midnight snacks. Every damn night.
And the most hellish thing of all... The toilet paper...
A full-body shiver passed through him, even as his blood leaked into the dirt.
He remembered the diarrhea. Vividly.
A case of "evil berries." The aftermath was bad enough, burning, gut-wrenching, but it reached a whole new level when he reached for leaves without checking first.
Oregano.
Fresh. Wild. And deeply, tragically minty.
{It probably stung for days}
Just before Lucy could lose consciousness, he heard it. That long awaited sound he had hoped for since he was unfairly sent here.
A sound he had dreamed of. Fantasized about. Begged for during nights of suffering and days of dirt-eating misery.
A voice. Electronic. Calm.
[Ding, Detected the host is in a deadly situation, Awakening Summon System]
[Would you like to Summon once for free?]
Lucy laughed in his mind and quickly mentally said yes with the last of his energy.
[Summoning successful]
Before Lucy could know what or who was summoned he completely lost consciousness.
But not without uttering one final order. A raspy and weak voice escaped his bloody mouth
"Pro…tect… me…"
…
Within the infinite void, where the fabric of reality wove and unwove itself, a cosmic entity watched.
A skeletal hand, delicate yet eternal, tapped against nothingness. Her presence was absolute.
"How strange…"
Death mused as she felt a ripple in the unseen threads of existence.
"A being of death… but not one of mine."
She tilted her head, her hollow eyes narrowing slightly before she let out a soft, dismissive sigh.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter anyway."
And with that, Death turned away, losing interest.
For now.