"Bleeerghhh…"
Falling to his knees, Nuriel let out a horrific substance from his mouth before covering it with his hands. Without thinking, he rushed toward the bathroom, leaving a trail of mysterious liquid leaking through his fingers.
"Hmmp…"
The sound of streaming water reverberated throughout the room, accompanied by a symphony of grunts and induced vomiting.
For a moment, he felt like the world had flipped upside down as his vision turned blurry and dizzy. Soon after, the toilet water was being painted with streaks of blood and snot from his nose.
Thud.
Collapsing on the bathroom floor, his mind began to race. The sense of being and individuality he once had was being ripped apart and stitched back together again and again.
Whatever was currently happening to him in the physical world no longer mattered. He was engaged in a brutal battle inside his mind. One moment, it was pitch black, the next, he returned to the waking world, only to be dragged back into darkness.
. . .
. . .
. . .
"Haaah…"
A weak sigh escaped his lips. Aside from the splitting migraine that could kill anyone, the battle inside his head had quieted into a strange stillness.
'What was that… Where is this…?'
He looked up at the strange ceiling. It felt unfamiliar, yet oddly right to him.
Pushing himself up for a better view of his surroundings, a strange duality of memory flooded his vision and nerves.
Pristine wooden furniture. No sign of digital tech. A small apartment, just enough for one person.
Walking through the room, he made his way to the balcony. Just a moment ago, he had dropped to his knees exactly where he now stood. Beside his feet, he noticed a newspaper on the floor, something he must have overlooked during his episode.
/Civil unrest and protests plague the Capital!
/Anti-war shipwrights strike at the Bose Northern Harbor. New Dreadnought-class warship delayed another year?
/New semester at Owhen University starts in just 1 week!
A minor ache struck his mind again as he read the headlines. It was enough to fully jolt him out of his dazed state. His pupils widened, his breathing steadied.
'Right. Damnit, this is so weird.'
He slumped into a chair on the balcony, staring out across the city.
Nuriel stared into the distance, slowly gathering what remained of his thoughts. It was like waking from a nightmare, the memory fading in a heartbeat then clawing to reassemble the fragments into a coherent story.
'Looks like my escape plan worked. We were testing the Scepter system in front of the Executive Committee. After that… she tried to take all the power that came with patenting my creation by assassinating me.'
His eyes began to boil. A visible frown formed as his fist trembled with restraint.
'Parasite bitch.'
He shook his head before succumbing to rage. One thing came to his mind first and foremost, 'Where the hell am I?'
The escape plan involved his entire consciousness being transferred to the cloud via the Scepter system. Although the lack of wire to aid the transfer and reduce latency was a gamble on his life, it was a miracle that he was able to secure his mind and also find an unfortunate victim to harbor his identity.
'Then that must've been my soul battling the soul of this person. Tough luck for him, I guess.'
Leaning back, he closed his eyes and meticulously checked his new memories without regard to the host.
Putting his head forward, he rubbed his glabella out of habit. Whether it was the host's habit or Nuriel's didn't bother him that much.
We share the same name, but his last name is Malachi. His... my sister was married off to a more powerful noble family, and now my position as head of the family has been taken away overnight. I've left the house, and the allowance they gave me is...
"They think I'm some peasant!"
Slapping his face, he dropped his head to the floor. Perhaps looking at the memories of the other Nuriel was affecting him too much on a mental level.
"Eight... allied silvers... monthly."
Although he wasn't exactly familiar yet with the foreign currency, his body screamed that it was mere penny change to a noble. But his own mind told him it was a reasonable amount for a single person who did absolutely no work.
'Not exactly, at least this body found a suitable job. As a... librarian?'
Nuriel dropped his head down again and chuckled. This body was educated early as a child, he could've easily gone through and risen within the government. But this one chose a librarian, a job that, albeit respected, didn't lead higher into the ranks of life.
But this wasn't so bad for the new Nuriel.
His eyes flicked to the newspaper.
/New semester at Owhen University starts in just 1 week!
Owhen was a relatively large city within the Kingdom of Bose. Its city-sponsored university was prestigious among both aristocrats and the lower class, and its massive library was nothing to scoff at.
'Perhaps I treated you too harshly,' Nuriel applauded himself.
He stared at the cityscape, which stretched beyond the horizon, a single massive cathedral was present in the distance. The vibe reminded him of 19th-century France. In his previous body, he had visited it in virtual reality to escape the dystopian city he lived in. Earth wasn't the beautiful green and blue orb it once was. But seeing the city before him stirred something.
Cough.
The smell was terrible. Nuriel looked over his balcony, the streets congested with a mix of cars and horse carriages. The disorganized view made his eyes turn back to the much more pleasing cityscape above.
'My general knowledge of this place tells me a lot. One thing's for sure, this isn't Earth. And another'
Just in front of his balcony, he saw what seemed like a witch flying through the air on some sort of scooter. But no one other than the people stuck in traffic batted an eye as she zipped along at running speed, skipping the long line of vehicles.
It seems a primitive form of magic exists here. On Earth, you'd have been labeled a backward fool for not relying on magic for everyday life. But this is good to know.
Nuriel rubbed his chin in thought. This is a completely different planet, part of a group of others connected by ancient gates.
'Ancient gates? With that level of technology, it doesn't make sense for this world to be stuck in this era. How long has it been between transferring my consciousness and arriving here?'
Standing up, he leaned his body against the guardrails of his balcony. He eased his body and mind, ignoring the honking and distracting noise of the city below him.
Nuriel tried getting in touch with the Scepter system, calling for its presence.
. . .
. . .
Nothing answered, only the distant sound of honking and street noise greeted his ears.
A smile crept onto his face.
The Scepter system was supposed to elevate humanity into the next evolution, something that would make the internet feel like a group chat among bored friends.
'Despite her greed, she cared a lot about technology. She would do everything in her power to monopolize and improve on my work.'
But the silence meant the Scepter system had failed to bloom into what he expected. Though saddened by the failure of what felt like his own child, he was pleased that it didn't benefit her.
'I need to move on. I won't even bother remembering her name anymore.'
In the bathroom, Nuriel washed himself, taking this chance to observe his new body in the mirror.
A sharp face, wavy brown hair that flowed to his neck, vibrant eyes like a perfect cut of topaz.
"You're quite the looker, Nuriel." He admired his face, trying different angles which satisfied his taste.
Then he looked below.
. . .
. . .
. . .
Leaving the bathroom, he dressed himself and looked at the clock. It was almost evening, yet his body urged him to go out and visit the church.
'I guess visiting the church would be nice to experience the culture in person, but I'm not much of a religious man compared to this body.'
Suiting up, he made his way to the cathedral on foot.
***
In front of the cathedral was a massive plaza for parking and vendors. In the center was a magnificent sculpture, its white marble glowing an orange hue as it met the setting sun. Looking closer, Nuriel observed the fine and intricate artwork.
It depicted a woman with a witch's hat. Her dress was loose, yet it hugged her body, and you could faintly make out the curve hidden beneath the fabric. Only an artwork fueled with blood and passion could mimic such realism in a piece of carved rock.
'The Steel Witch. It is an odd name for a deity.'
Nuriel gazed at her feet, making his way up while avoiding certain parts that could distract him, then towards her face.
It was entrancing. Her face was filled with youth, yet it looked so mature. Her long flowing hair resembled that of a river, and her eyes were sharp, yet emitted a sense of calm and ease.
Nuriel was speechless for a moment. Seeing this in person, instead of through the memories of his body, was a different experience altogether.
'So that's the face of a god? How pretty... she looks so... like...'
He raised his eyebrows. His breathing became erratic as his pupils quaked in fear.
'That parasite!'