Somewhere in the abyss, our protagonist waits. Not long after his death, he's forced to witness it on repeat.
Cassian's POV
"So that's it… Huh. I always figured dying would be more dramatic."
I watch as my own brains get blasted out the back of my skull for what has to be the hundredth time. It's like a broken record, looping my death over and over again.
And let me tell you—this? This is some bullshit.
"Of all the ways I could've died, it had to be like that?! By getting my head turned into a bowl of chunky salsa by Rose of all people?"
I groan, rubbing my nonexistent temples. "A lever-action pipe rifle, though? Where the hell did she even get one? What is this, a post-apocalyptic roleplay? Who just has that lying around?"
I sigh, watching my past self collapse in a heap once again. "Unbelievable."
I don't know how long I sit in this void, watching my own murder like some janky home video. There's no furniture here, no sense of time, no body to even feel tired. Just me, my increasingly irritated brain, and a never-ending killcam of my final moments.
"Well, at least I died with a smile on my face. Oh, wait—no, that was shock. My bad."
With a groan, I stand—at least, I think I stand. Hard to tell when there's no ground beneath me.
"Alright, great cosmic whatever—you can bring out the afterlife paperwork now. If you're gonna ship me off to heaven or hell, let's just get it over with. Or—and hear me out—I get reincarnated with some crazy overpowered ability. That'd be neat."
As if responding to my sarcasm, the void shifts.
A soft, melodic voice echoes from all around me.
"You have arrived."
My eyes narrow. "Oh? Is that my reincarnation package I hear?"
The abyss around me ripples, shifting from black to gray, then from gray to pure white.
Then—gold.
Not just any gold. A sea of it.
Molten, thick, and shining like a treasure hoard. Above me, the sky is a cloudy swirl of pale yellow. And where I expect the sun to be…
A massive, unblinking eye looms.
Its sclera is white, its iris… indescribable. Colors that don't exist flicker through it. It's like my brain is struggling to process what the hell I'm even looking at.
I immediately look away. "Alright, yeah. Definitely not heaven."
The golden sea ripples. Then, the voice from before speaks again—gentle, warm, and… oddly uncertain?
"U-um… Chosen one?"
Oh, great. She sounds like a nervous intern.
"Yeah? That me? The big important chosen one?" I say, crossing my arms—at least, I think I cross my arms. Hard to tell without a physical body.
A soft eep escapes from the void. "Ah, y-yes! You have been… um… selected! To, uh…"
She hesitates. I wait.
The pause stretches.
"Spit it out, lady."
"You… um… y-you have been chosen… to relive life!" she finally blurts.
I blink. "…Excuse me? Relive? As in, go through that mess again? Yeah, no thanks, I'll take my eternal void torment, please."
"N-no! Not reliving your life! U-um… a new one! In… me!"
I pause. "What?"
The golden sea ripples like she's fidgeting. "I-I mean! In my world! Um… sorry, I'm not very good at this yet."
"Clearly."
A frustrated hum comes from the sea. "I… I am a newly born sub-universe," she explains, voice still unsure. "A world created from the remnants of existence… I-I am still growing, but I can support life now! So I… I want to bring people in!"
Oh great. I got isekai'd by a baby universe.
"So lemme get this straight," I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. "You—you, a literal newborn cosmic entity—yanked me out of the void so you could… what? Adopt me?"
Lonovia (as she nervously introduces herself) lets out a tiny squeak.
"W-well… I thought you might be a good fit! You seemed very… um… capable?"
"Capable of what? Sarcasm? Annoying commentary? Being violently murdered?"
Lonovia shrinks. Or at least, the golden sea ripples awkwardly.
"O-oh dear… M-maybe I miscalculated?"
I sigh, dragging a hand down my face. "Alright, fine. Let's say I am interested. Where exactly am I being thrown into?"
"Um! A new world! It's… um… not very stable yet. Some parts have AIs! And some parts are medieval! And magic! And swords! And—oh! Oh, and demons!"
"…So it's a clusterfuck."
"A… a what?"
"Never mind."
A long pause. Then—
"Y-you are not happy?" she asks, voice small.
"No, Lonovia. I love being dropped into unstable, barely functioning worlds run by a baby universe who doesn't even know what she's doing."
A nervous giggle escapes her. "Y-you are very funny, Chosen One!"
"I wasn't joking."
Lonovia shifts again. "U-um! Maybe a gift will make you feel better?"
Now that gets my attention. "Oh? What kinda gift are we talking about? Superpowers? A cheat skill? Maybe a magic sword that lets me cut through time and space?"
"U-um…" She hesitates. "I—I do not know if I can give you something like that… I am not strong enough yet…"
"Then why'd you even bring it up?"
"B-but!" she quickly adds, "I can give you… a piece of me!"
I stare. "What."
Lonovia hums, proud of herself. "Yes! A very tiny, teeny-tiny fragment! I do not know what you will do with it, but… um… my memories say that 'main characters' like getting gifts like this?"
I cannot believe I got reincarnated by a goddamn novice.
"Okay, sure, yeah. Gimme the cosmic tissue sample." I wave a hand. "I'll figure out what to do with it later. But more importantly—you mentioned character creation, yeah?"
Lonovia makes a delighted noise. "Y-yes! From your memories, I saw you enjoy 'creating'! So I will allow you to build your new form!"
She pauses. "U-um… w-was that the correct thing to say? Are you happy now?"
I grin.
"Oh, sweet, naïve, innocent baby universe." I crack my nonexistent knuckles. "I'm ecstatic."
Terminal Engaged.
Welcome, Chosen. Please Select Parameters to Customize Your New Form.
The system interface shimmers before me, glowing a faint gold. Categories flash past my eyes. Race. Attributes. Skills. Titles. The works.
I roll my nonexistent shoulders, eyes shining with anticipation.
"Alright. Let's break this game wide open."
[Character Creation: System Initializing...]
"Oh hell yeah. Let's do this."
A translucent screen appears before me, shimmering with golden light. Rows of menus flash across it, offering endless possibilities. Race, stats, skills, appearance — the works.
"Finally. My isekai glow-up arc. Time to craft the ultimate badass—"
[Warning: Racial Form Locked.]
"Wait, what?"
The screen glitches, lines of corrupted code flickering. My excitement nose-dives faster than my GPA in high school.
"What the hell do you mean 'locked'? Is this a joke?"
The screen responds in the most infuriatingly monotone voice possible.
[Due to Experimental Status: Form Pre-Selected. Subject X-3119 confirmed as Parasite Type.]
"...Parasite? You mean like a creepy little worm thing? With no limbs? No face? No charisma stat?"
[Correct.]
"Screw you, System."
Of course. Of course, I don't get to be some handsome half-elf with a tragic past. No glowing sword of destiny. No overpowered magical lineage. Nope. I'm the tutorial mob.
A worm.
"Fan-freaking-tastic."
As the golden world fades, I brace myself for the next horror show. And just like that, my glorious new life begins.
I wake up. Cold. Slimy. Trapped. The walls are smooth, reflective, like glass.
"Oh great. I'm in a lab. Of course I'm in a lab. Classic parasite experience."
I wriggle. It's about the only thing I can do. No arms. No legs. Not even a mouth to scream profanities.
And then, just to add salt to the wound—
[Welcome to Lonovia.]
[Subject X-3119: Cognitive Activity Detected.]
[Good luck.]
"Oh, bite me."