"Let's get one thing straight, lad."
Kacian cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as his bare feet navigated the charred, ash-laden ground.
Oil and soot clung to his already cracked skin, the remnants of countless battles and scavenging missions. His face, weathered from years of conflict and a tumultuous life as a prostitute's son in the district's underbelly, tilted mockingly as he grinned like an interstellar pirate high on fava.
"I allow you to exist," he declared, settling into his signature fighter's stance.
He gestured at the man before him.
Come at me.
"The thing is, Kacy," the tall man spat back, reaching into the depths of his black trench coat.
He unveiled an antique pistol-sleek, seemingly untouched by time. Probably crafted with air craft parts by those tinkers enslaved by the Bloody Heaven Gang. In the vastness of space, such relics were the tools and creation of the desperate, favored by those entrenched in the fringes of the interstellar society.
Kacian's eyes narrowed, unphased.
His lifelong adversary, Ivan, chuckled, a blue luminescence emanating from his mouth, eyes, and hair.
"I don't have time for games anymore, Kacy," Ivan spoke, leveling the pistol at Kacian's head. His voice dripped with disdain as the blue jei energy pulsated around him, from his eyes and hair. "We can't remain children forever. It's time to grow up or be put down."
Kacian's heart pounded. Ivan had evolved.
"I'm here to put you down. It's just business, Kacy."
Bang.
The shot echoed, a jei-infused bullet piercing Kacian's core. Energy exploded within, overwhelming his internal systems.
Staggering, Kacian's gaze drifted to the smog-obscured sky.
His body collapsed, indistinguishable from the other fallen dregs.
To the underbelly gangs, he was just another low life they could slay at any time.
As he fell, he whispered his final words:
"Fuck you, Ivy."
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!"
A cheery voice, reminiscent of the high-pitched tones of middle-aged market women haggling with scavengers and the underclass, rang in his ears as his vision cleared.
Kacian blinked.
Had he not fallen? Damn, was Ivan using his body for those tinker experiments? Had he come back as a mechanical?
He mentally tried to will an image in front of him.
Nothing appeared-
"Hello!"
A small creature with a fluffy pink appearance, cute rounded eyes, and a bright smile appeared on his chest, waving at him happily with its chubby arms. It resembled those ugly toy dolls his mothers had made for the orphanage.
"Welcome," it sang, spinning around in a circle.
Kacian blinked. Was he hallucinating? Was this how mechanicals saw the world?
"Hello, PLAYER ID NO.CHANLD267929," the small being chattered, sitting on his chest. "Your soul has been selected by the Ghovas Kingdom as a participant in their exploration of lower worlds! What a great responsibility!"
Damn his life! Had Ivan possessed a high-tier jei artifact to collect his soul and sold it off?!
"We here, in the Exploration Department, have chosen your soul out of thousands after much consideration to explore the lower world Arciana!"
Damn, slavery…
"But worry not! For completing your mission successfully, under interstellar law and Heavenly oath, the Ghovas Kingdom has promised multiple benefits! Such as a high-level residential status, identity, and benefits in their kingdom."
The small fluff ball clapped its hands. "Are you not excited?"
"Tch," Kacian muttered, closing his eyes. How could such a small being sound so condescending?
"If not accepting of this, you can choose to deny this arrangement, and instead, your soul will serve on the interstellar battlefield for the next 10,000 years in the body of an artifact before being allowed to reincarnate," the small being spoke, opening his eye with its hands.
Kacian's eyes blurred before focusing, twitching as they welled up.
The small being stepped back, clapping its hands. "Be excited, yippee!"
"Fuck you," Kacian spat, swatting with his hands. "I don't ac-"
"-That's not nice," The small being interrupted quickly, floating into the air, dodging. "Cheer up, Player! We can do this together!"
[ MISSION ACCEPTED ]
[ CUPID LOVE 101 SYSTEM INITIATING… ]