[ Destination Reached ]
[ Time Remaining 12:00:00 ]
Regaining consciousness was a peaceful experience, but trying to open my eyes was quite another.
I felt fine, pain-free, and calm. I knew I was no longer in the void, but I wanted to rest a little longer without opening my eyes.
I don't know how long I spent with my eyes closed, but in the end, I surrendered to the inevitable, so with a mental sigh, I opened my eyes.
As I had expected, it wasn't the void I saw, but two large buildings, one on either side of me not far from each other, perhaps only three meters apart.
"An alley?" I look up at the night sky above the buildings, but it's the small screen of light in front of me that catches my attention.
[ 11:47:37 ]
"Hmm." A moan escapes me as memories slowly return: the glitch in reality, the emptiness, the creature, the pain, and most of all, I remember the stars.
The first two stars, even now, I feel deep beneath my skin, but it was the third—the magenta star—that I felt most clearly and also the one I felt least able to control, moving inside me, very close to my heart but not quite reaching it, as if it hadn't yet fully joined me.
But if I concentrated hard enough, I could hear the rattling of the chains, searching, or perhaps waiting for, something.
"It feels incomplete, as if something's missing," I think distractedly as feeling returns to the rest of my body.
"I don't know the name of the star either. The voice that said the names of the other two didn't say its name when I ate it." I frown reluctantly and close my eyes tightly, remembering that last moment in the void when my light almost went out forever, my hands clutching handfuls of dirt at my sides. I inhale deeply before exhaling slowly as I perceive the strange sensations in my body.
The first thing I notice is that I'm back to flesh and blood, and I feel a sense of completeness, as if I'd just woken up from a very long sleep. No pain or fatigue, in any case. I'd say I feel perfect.
"Where am I?" I ask the air, and this time something answers, to my surprise.
My first star blinks once, and then the message in front of me changes.
[Current Universe: Tokyo Ghoul]
I open my eyes a little wider as I look beyond the screen of light to see the night sky.
"Oh," I sigh one last time, stumbling as I try to stand up and end up sitting on the ground. I didn't choose Tokyo Ghoul when I fainted. Maybe my power didn't know where to send me and ended up searching for similar universes.
I try to stand up again but have to lean against a wall to avoid falling to the ground. With my newfound support, I manage to stand, but with uncertainty, I look at my body and this time I notice three things at once.
First, I think I'm shorter.
Second, I'm wearing simple black pants, a blue shirt, and old sneakers. "The same thing I was wearing before I reached the void," I remind myself.
And third, and most importantly, there are two enormous things on my chest that I grab with both hands and squeeze experimentally.
"Mmm"—only for it to feel so good that a moan escapes my lips, much more feminine than expected.
Panicked, I walk slowly, leaning against the wall, to a window near the end of the alley, but when I look at my reflection, I don't see what I'm supposed to see.
"What?" I exclaim softly, taking in her attractive features: high cheekbones, full lips, and blue eyes that dazzle with beautiful white hair that falls to her waist.
"A woman," I say aloud, before realizing that my voice, unlike my usual deep tone, has been replaced by a softer, almost melodious one.
Blinking, I look back in case the beautiful woman is behind me, but all I see is trash lying across the alley and her reflection following my movements.
"Oh," I exhale slowly and quietly, and the woman's full lips follow my movements, understanding reflected in her sharp eyes—or rather, my eyes.
"I'm a woman," she declared firmly, and if my outlook on life wasn't bad enough, I realized—"I'm in Tokyo Ghoul. It's not just at night when ghouls come out to eat, and I don't even know what district this is or what time of year it is."
"Wait," I blink, then frown. "Am I in Tokyo?"
________________________________________
A while later, I find myself in a nearby park, with a single tree leaning against it while I try to think of a solution to my new situation. (After having unloaded all my confusion and panic by kicking a box in the alley.)
"Well, the good news is, I'm in Tokyo." I look far away, down the street, where a sign says "The bad news is, I don't know which district this is, and of course, I don't speak Japanese."
"Ahhh," I sigh softly again. "Well, it could be worse. I say I'm beautiful, and being beautiful sometimes opens doors."
"Well, I can't complain about my change in appearance because I really like my new look, and I even really like my voice, and I'm man enough." I sigh, using the wrong pronouns again. "I'm woman enough to admit I'm a bit of a narcissist."
"It's like someone put all my tastes in a blender and mixed them together to see if it would work, and the worst part is that it actually did." I say to my only listener, the beautiful sakura I'm leaning against. "Look, I'm not complaining, it's just that I would have liked to have a say in my new body, especially regarding gender, you know?"
Of course, my listener doesn't respond, but that's why he's the best.
"Anyway, I don't think it matters. I'll figure out a way to get my penis back later," I decide, already tired of the surprises of the last few hours, days, or whatever it is that have happened in the void.
"Well, first I know what [Omniverse Possession] does, but then there's the countdown." I frown slightly and see the counter to the right of my field of vision.
[ 11:39:34 ]
"Well, if that's not sinister, I don't know what is." He smiled, strongly suspecting what that countdown was, which I only confirmed by touching it and watching it expand with a brief explanation.
[ Remaining Universe Tolerance Time 11:38:56 ]
[ Choose Possession Target ]
Then a long list of characters available for possession appears in this verse.
I barely glance at the list and grimace because most of the options are much stronger than me and therefore capable of killing me before I could do anything.
"So that's what I thought," my smile fades as I lean further into the tree. "I already knew universes don't like invaders, but to think it would have such a low tolerance? Or maybe this universe is weak and its tolerance is high?"
I ponder this for a moment, knowing that worlds like *DC* and *Marvel* have travelers and invaders in several of their different timelines.
"And the only thing I brought was the clothes on my back and what was in my pockets." A wallet with a few dollars, my now-useless IDs, and a Swiss Army knife I play noughts and crosses with.
"I guess the only thing left for me to do is use [Choice]." I close my eyes and tense up, waiting for a pain that never comes because when I open them, all I see is a screen of light with bold options.
[CHOOSE THREE WORLDS]
I pause for a moment, thinking that, based on the little information I've gotten from their star, it's supposed to combine the powers of several worlds into a list and give me a choice of just one.
"I would have liked to choose the power directly, but maybe this would be better, even if I only get one chance, no pressure," he joked with a small smile as he selected the worlds.
- My Hero Academia
- The Boys
- Heroes
My thoughts were clear: I need some kind of attack power that can also grow with me, and there are plenty of good options in these worlds, but of course the best options would have been *DC* and *Marvel*, but I don't know if I'd catch the attention of the higher-dimensional beings in those worlds.
"But of course, some are better than others. *Homelander's* or *Revision's* powers are simply too good to pass up." With one, I'll basically be a version of Superman, and with the other, a cellular-level matter controller.
"By comparison, *Heroes* was chosen for its absurd powers, whether it's time travel or copying powers by touch." A big smile spread across my lips, thinking of all the powers I could choose.
[Full List]
1- Water Breathing (The Boys)
2- Pop-off (MHA)
3- Acid (MHA)
4- Telekinesis (Heroes)
5- Rewind (MHA)
6- Laser Vision (The Boys)
7- Flight (The Boys)
8- Hardening (MHA)
The list goes on and on until I reach power number 50.
But I frown in confusion as I think about the options. I thought I'd be given the option to choose from the different character templates, but I was only given the option to choose individual powers.
I select "Flight" with hesitation, and a brief explanation appears.
*Capable of flying at hypersonic speeds, reaching Mach 32, exceeding the speed of sound and comparable to Earth's escape velocity into space (high durability required).*
"This must be incorrect," the air escapes from my lungs as I stare at the explanation in disbelief.
I bring my right hand to my mouth and bite my index fingernail as my thoughts race with the implications.
"If I'm not mistaken, this flight ability must belong to *Homelander*, but the reason his skin doesn't peel off his bones when flying is because of his *Superhuman Durability*, but without it." I shudder at the thought. I don't like the image at all. However, I select another power from the list.
I decide to select *Acid* because of its danger to the user, and my fears are confirmed.
*Ability to secrete acid from any part of the body, controlling both its viscosity and acidity (The user is not immune to acid)*
"These powers do not address safety precautions or biological adaptations at all," she concluded, biting my finger hard.
"If they don't have the safety precautions or bodily adaptations of their original owners, using these powers could kill me," and I could easily imagine that.
In my mind, a chibi version of myself flies, accelerating rapidly until my flesh peels off my bones, leaving them behind as they fly into the distance.
Or worse, my chibi version uses acid only to burn through her skin as it oozes out of her pores, and then literally melts into a pool of unknown flesh.
"Ugh, one worse than the other, huh?" I smile mirthlessly as I look at the other options on the list, most if not almost all of which have the same problem. If I choose *laser eyes*, my eyes will most likely melt off, or if I choose *rewind*, it's quite possible I won't have immunity to the power like with *acid*.
"Damn." I look at the countdown suspiciously, wondering which option I should select.
So to start, I catalog the 50 powers separately, the useful ones on one side and the ones that would simply kill me to have on the other.
"Well, at least I've narrowed down the list of powers considerably to just the useful ones." It took me longer than I'd like, but I finally have a list of five useful powers (and I hope they don't kill me as soon as I activate them).
[ 11:03:37 ]
- Cellular Regeneration (The Boys)
(I hope I don't get some kind of super cancer)
- Touch Power Copy (Heroes)
- Superhuman Durability (The Boys)
- Intuitive Aptitude (Heroes)
- Revision (MHA)
"Honestly, I'd prefer a direct attack ability, but they all have the drawback of hurting me when I barely use them, and even basic telekinesis could damage my brain." I grimace slightly at this thought and look at the remaining options.
-"*Cellular Regeneration*"
"It's a nice power, but hey, I'm in Tokyo Ghoul, where I can get a version of this power by becoming a Ghoul, which I'll do anyway. RC cells can be very useful in other worlds." I think before dismissing it. After all, the problem of eating humans is resolved more or less at the end of the manga, and if it isn't, I'll look for alternatives in other worlds.
*Copy Touch Power*
"On the other hand, this power would be very useful in a world with powers, but not so much here where all ghoul powers are biological adaptations and all ghouls have a variation of the same ability." Although it pains me, I end up dismissing this power. "After all, I need some attack power now."
*Superhuman Durability*
"This is definitely one of the best options, but the same goes for *Cellular Regeneration*. I'll get a form of it when I become a ghoul." I consider it some more, but decide to put it on hold, especially since the last two are definitely my favorites.
"*Review*"
"One of the two best options on my list, and its only drawback is probably the medical knowledge required to use it properly." (Or at least a little biology knowledge before I can use it safely.)
"But it's the last option that has me hooked." I analyze it carefully, considering the implications of having it under my control.
"*Intuitive Aptitude*"
"In Heroes, its original owner, Sylar, could use it to learn all worldly knowledge with ease, and he also used it to learn any power that came his way." I consider it carefully, but I'm very tempted to just say screw it and choose it. "After all, by becoming a ghoul, I can use it to train my RC cells to learn the other types of kagunes."
[ 10:45:27 ]
"It all comes down to these two because while *Superhuman Durability* is good, I need something to help me in the short term, and well, I'll also get that Durability by becoming a ghoul." I carefully analyze the two options, wondering which would be more useful in the short and long term. But the truth is, there was only one choice.
"It's very likely that I can learn, or rather, endure more than one Kakuhou of the ghouls with this power, not to mention its potential in other worlds." So, before I regret it, I select *Intuitive Aptitude* without hesitation, and then one last message appears on the blue screen.
[ He's sure of his choice ]
[ Y ] [ X ]
I pause before slowly pressing [Y], and then my head explodes with pain as I feel a fundamental shift in my perception of the world.
The [Choice] star pulses inside me before moving from my chest to my head and concentrating in my eyes and brain.
The star warms up, and I feel a kind of shift within me that ends as abruptly as it began. Without noise or floating screens, I only hear the sounds of the nighttime city around me much more clearly. The distant voices that previously seemed incomprehensible now make a little bit of sense, as if I were learning the language in real time.
Opening my eyes, I see the world, perhaps for the first time. As I go from seeing it through a fogged-up window to seeing it through 4K eyes, there was simply no comparison. I could see the dust motes around me in the air, and as I watch the cars drive by, I can imagine almost exactly how their engines worked.
But the most incredible thing came when the ideas emerged. I already had a basic understanding of how the Ghouls' kagunes (Glowing Liquid Muscles) and RC Cells worked, but with this ability, knowledge and understanding were worlds apart.
The answer to why Ghouls can only eat human flesh became clear, and it was a much more interesting yet very simple answer.
Since Ghouls evolved as hunting predators with no predators of their own, they never needed to eat anything other than humans, so their bodies never adapted to eating anything else.
In a matter of seconds, the theories I had in my head ceased to be theories and became almost precise ideas about how ghouls' bodies worked or why they evolved the way they did.
The reason for the so-called *Kakuhou* (Shining Sheath), the ghouls' unique muscle where they store their RC cells, only appears on one part of their back, not their chest.
My theory is that it was body camouflage to more easily hide among their prey, in this case humans, and it's also a method of intimidation (like animals making themselves bigger to ward off predators or paralyze their prey with fear). And the reason they carry their kagune on their backs is that it would be simply inefficient to have a weapon protruding from their chest, as it would impede their mobility.
Kagunes always have weapons of some kind, limbs, armor, or a minimal shield, and only their mutated evolutions into Kakujas (Kagunes mutated by RC cells from other ghouls) have real armor.
The reason was the same as why they could only eat human flesh; they never had predators and therefore never needed robust armor.
Kakuja always have some kind of armor, because the ghoul's body understands that it's fighting other ghouls, something that in nature is the only thing capable of harming it, and the RC cells try to compensate by mutating into biological armor.
That's also the real reason I decided to become a ghoul, since their RC cells seem to evolve in real time.
"But I wonder, what would happen if I solved the ghouls' food problem and consumed meat from supernatural species?" A smile spread across my lips at the thought, and with determination, I decided to get going.
"Okay, let's try this," I say, getting up from the tree to pat it in thanks. "Thanks for listening, buddy, I needed this."
After thanking the tree, I walk toward the loudest source of noise I could hear.
After all, I need to finish learning Japanese (thank goodness for an overpopulated Japan), I think as I walk to a maze of streets from the alley where I woke up.
Watching people walk by me is—for some reason—an astonishing fact, not only because I occasionally see different colored hair, but because somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I'd never get out of the void.
Walking down the (very crowded) street in what appears to be a nightlife area is a fun experience; after all, I'm in a damn anime, so I expect to see a cliché or two along the way.
But very soon the sounds changed from mumbled Japanese to something much more understandable. Little by little, the words begin to take shape in my mind, and with that, I understand the language better.
"I barely got my power and it's already showing its benefits," I think as I walk past the common people of this world.
"Hi, my name is Oh," I pause, trying to remember my life before the void.
"I don't remember my name, maybe along with the memories of my world, many memories of my personal life are gone too." The more I speak Japanese, the better I understand it and the more my vocabulary expands, but I also feel emptier without memories of my own.
"Pssss, well, I'll find a new name and start a new life, hahaha." My sudden laughter slightly surprises the people passing by, while I ignore how my laughter sounded hollow even to my own ears.
My sudden laughter particularly startles a young man, no more than 17 years old, who looks at me in bewilderment, only for me to return a dry look, which he notices with a start and quickly continues on his way, almost running, his ears red.
"This is going to be very annoying." Because even though I've changed gender, I'm still very heterosexual, but now that I pay more attention to people—(instead of just listening to their conversations)—I see a lot of people looking at me, some out of the corner of their eyes, and others leering at me, especially the men around me, but I also see some women doing the same. "I'm going to have to get used to the leering. Well, now I understand why beautiful women around the world are almost always angry or defensive."
[10:25:20]
"For now, I'll focus on solving this annoying countdown," I say in broken Japanese as I select my [Possession] option. "Okay, let's go."
[Target Selected]
As soon as I close the message, a specific place comes to mind and a sinister smile forms on my lips.
"Since this is my first world, how about we turn it upside down?" I'm going to do a lot of things in this world. "This is going to be so much fun."
----------------------------------------------------------------
[ 06:49:27 ]
Honestly, finding my target was easy thanks to [Omniverse Possession]. Apparently, it gives me a sixth sense that tells me the general direction of my prey, and thanks to that, finding my way wasn't too difficult.
The only problem was that I was almost on the other side of the district, and I didn't have a single yen to call a taxi. I got a bit lost along the way due to a wrong turn, but I finally made it.
The good news is that if my target was on the other side of the district, it means I'm in Nerima City, the so-called 20th district, one of the most peaceful districts thanks to Anteiku's efforts.
Along the way, I discovered that today is September 30th, so Kaneki is still human—because if I remember correctly, he was attacked by Rize Kamishiro in early October.
"He should still be a soft, easy-to-kill human." I carefully examine the apartment building in front of me, one of those that always appears in anime: five apartments on the first floor and another five on the second, accessible only by a side staircase.
"Kaneki-ken is the protagonist of this universe, and to be honest, I like him as a character, but I chose him mainly for that.
"Because he's the main character, this hunt is a test to see if the universe will stop me or let me kill him." I watch as the aforementioned protagonist enters his apartment with a bag of what looks like junk food. "If I manage to kill him, I won't have to go find Dr. Kanou to try to get his support and perform the Ghoul transformation surgery on me."
"Kaneki was literally his first big success, and then he couldn't recreate his surgery for a while, not without major failures at first, and even then, many of his test subjects died before he managed to achieve even moderate success." I watch as Kaneki walks up the stairs to his apartment, so I inhale deeply and exhale slowly before following him.
[ 06:37:47 ]
He doesn't notice me as I follow him to his apartment, nor does he notice the knife in my right hand.
He seems distracted, even tired—(I notice this as he takes out the apartment key and unlocks the lock.) I look ahead, behind me, and even out at the street, but there's no one in sight, just him and me.
He doesn't notice me until he takes a step inside his apartment, and he only does so because I cover his mouth with my left hand, tensing his muscles almost immediately, confused, before trying to escape, but unfortunately for him, it's too late for him to do anything.
An instant passes before the blade of the knife digs into his skin where his liver should be, and he struggles when I feel the "offff" he lets out as the air leaves his lungs. I also feel his tears in my palm as I push him into the apartment so I can close the door.
His struggle was futile, but he fought for what must have been long minutes for him due to hypovolemic shock, but for me it was very fast. One moment he was fighting for his life, the next he was stopped by massive internal bleeding, and the last moment he had stopped breathing completely.
I waited a little longer in case he was still holding on, but he didn't move a single muscle—(I stabbed him a second time just in case, but he didn't react)—and when I let go of his body, he fell with a thud to the ground next to the bag of food.
[06:30:57]
The countdown stopped as soon as his body hit the ground, before the light screen containing the counter turned into a burst of light that surrounded the corpse, slowly turning it into points of light.
I watched everything calmly, as the blood staining the ground, my knife, and my clothes blurred into light and merged with the light forming over the corpse.
When the blood and human remains fade into the light, only a pile of clothing remains on the floor, with no evidence that a body was ever there.
I survey the scene while analyzing how I feel. I'm not afraid or disgusted, just calm, perhaps with a bit of pride for having done it quickly and without fuss.
But that's tone. I'm neither afraid nor happy. Killing him was necessary for my plan, and I only have a small regret at how sudden it all was. So I just watch intently as his body decomposes into light until nothing remains.
The light quickly forms a new screen in front of me, this time with a list of what I can keep from his existence, with his name at the top.
- Ken Kaneki
- Memories
- Academic Knowledge
- Muscle Memory
- Japanese Proficiency
The list continues with everything I can appropriate from Kaneki Ken, and I realize why my ability has *Possession* in its name. I can literally become Kaneki Ken 100%. Of course, that's not part of the plan, after all, I'm not him.
"Well, first, your academic knowledge will be needed, in addition to Japanese, and I'll also take your literary knowledge." I say as I select each corresponding option—(And I feel like a grave robber)—but I continue. "This list is quite detailed, even including nationality, but the incredible thing is that I can also take your place in people's memories—it's truly a complete *possession*.
"Of course, to ensure success, I will almost completely take your place in society, from your knowledge to more physical things like your ID or your place at university." I think, and I do this until only the negative options remain, and those options I didn't know what to do with.
- Memories
- Kaneki Ken
- Muscle Memory
- Repressed Traumas
- Insecurity
- Inferiority Complex
And the most important of all, which I admit I didn't expect to see, but am still grateful to have.
- Ghoul Organ Compatibility
- Main Character
"Of course I'll take whoever you think I am, all the help is needed," he joked, but I couldn't help but see the other option: "Memories." If I take it, I'll be able to hide my presence easily, but on the other hand, I don't know if it has any side effects.
In the end, I decided to recover my memories to fully experience it, leaving aside all the mental issues and the name.
I took almost everything on the list. When I finished, it turned into pure light once again before entering my body, where I felt my first star pulse.
As the light fully penetrated me, the star emitted a single, strong pulse with an audible CLICK before darkness took over my consciousness.
For a moment, I saw my white hair turn black before I closed my eyes and lost consciousness.
So, for the rest of the night, I dreamed of a mother who was accommodating to everyone, but very strict with herself and her son; of an aunt who was a useless ball of grease who just asked and asked without ever saying thank you; and I dreamed of a child who just wanted to live in peace.