How would you like your first death to be?
Well for most people, they would like to go out peacefully and as safely, and harmlessly as possible right?
I mean, it's death! Most wouldn't even want to die, if given the chance they would wish to die happy at their deathbed in old age.
There might be some or maybe quite a few exceptions, but they're still exponentially low than compared to the "Happy, safe and painless" kind.
But what if I said you could repeat your choice of death? Would you still choose your original choice, or be bolder and risk a more 'cooler' death?
How about more a painful one? Or a more 'popular' death that impacts several other lives from around the world. A never seen before way to die?!
What kind of death do you prefer?
I would surely prefer an explosive one, faster than I could perceive, leaving almost no trace of my existence.
Yeah... but still wouldn't it be completely off putting to not even notice or expect it before it arrives, atleast notify me first!
"I am going to blow up this town."
Hah honestly I didn't really come here to court death. No, I am serious. It's not like I have more than one life. You could argue since I got transmigrated, I did get more than one.
But transmigration only happens once in your life! Someone like me who had no system and no Divine will or Fate to back me up will die completely this time.
Why do you think most of those transmigration novels have MCs try their best not to die and the entire world supporting them so they don't meet an untimely death? Became they'll Die!
"Okay... so what are we doing here then? Do you have a bunker hidden in somewhere? If so I hope there's room for-"
Panic filled my bones first as I felt weak enough to wobble while getting up.
"It needs me. The explosion needs me to act as a fuse. It's complicated but in layman terms, I will 'detonate' it when the branch spreads far and wide enough."
What kind of bomb is it that demands human sacrifice? Well I guess the Demon Temple might have something like that...
"Sadly there's no bunker, not any I bothered to find, and it's far too late to look for cover. And most bunkers are made by inscriptions around the outer and inner walls, what I am going to do has its focal point deep underground."
Uh huh
"So, the ground will be the first to collapse and shoot to the sky, it has enough supernatural force to vaporize this entire area, with this as it's core, it will fire a concentrated beam of Light elemental energy straight towards the rest of the branch's body."
Those are funny words, magic lady.
"Preparations are already done, I made sure of it everytime I came here before, the energy is sufficient. So, it'd be best if you hadn't come."
F*ck
I thought I would still have enough time to get my answers, beg for my life, escape through the prepared route while leaving the rest to the disaster expert.
But there isn't even any time left to leave this doomed town!
Why is she choosing mutual destruction over survival on just one branch out of a dozen! Did I meet her in her final moments?
Would that be considered a mission accomplished but then getting a forced death event?
And then
"But there's a way."
Immediately stopping my legs that were slipping towards the door, I sat knee flat posing as a dignified delegate.
"What do I need to do?"
No time for questions! I will sell my soul to leave with my body, and then sell my sweat, tears, blood and organs to buy it back!
"It concerns matters regarding the soul, so have to ask, are you really sure-"
Without hesitation
"YES!"
I took off my shirt, and presented my chest forward.
At that, Artemis stays silent for a while, her ever calm eyes trembling for the first time.
That bad, what kind of soul shenanigan is it this time?
In this world, souls are real intangible entities that reside in each individual of an orthodox race. I don't know about mine but it seems I only have one soul.
You get checked once before entering St. Silvia and again when the Soul games hit the capital like a truck. Goddess Feli herself saved more than all of Empire's experts combined.
Anyway, so far no mixed souls, nor any synchronisation panel messages appeared even once in these 5 years.
Since they are intangible, only those specialised and trained in dealing with specific branches of soul manipulation, or some rare artifacts can affect them. These are tightly controlled by the Empire and similar superpowers of each continent.
The fact that Artemis can do so, is nothing surprising, if you think about it, as she is wanted by the Demon Temple according to her, which is the bane of the all Orthodox races. To put it bluntly, 'soul sacrifices'.
I honestly know very little in this regard, even my Theology studies had almost nothing going on in except some vague annotations, and hyms and verses from Saints of the past.
I still enjoyed them for the wacky lore though.
While idling away in these thoughts, before I knew it, the preparations were almost complete, I even felt a faint pull from inside my chest.
Gradually I could sort of make out a shape in the air, bulging out from inside me.
"That should be enough, now I will perform the rites on your soul, so be prepared it's gonna be the most painful experience you'll ever bear. Completely unlike physical or mental torture, a one of a kind, but if you manage to remain sane, then it will develop a unique compound resistance in turn."
While slowly caressing that transparent form, she adds one last warning.
"If and after you arrive there, I want you to always remember. Every single life you go through is as precious as the ones past."
My head feels dizzy all of a sudden.
"Yo... as eternal as.. look like.. are you strong.. endure it alo.. reality, eventually... existing will hurt."
With that I entered my soul.
---
I felt the numbness that comes from being pressed for a long time. As I felt my focus shifting to it, I could tell that it was my forearm.
At that instant, my eyes opened, with a severe migraine, I presume, scraping my forehead. Lifting my head to free my now number arms, I slowly leaned back on the chair, taking deep slow breaths.
The ceiling is familiar as in it gradually blurs as my vision hits it's limit for detailed observation. Only during my final year did I get to open the door to the terrace floor beyond it. For many reasons, including class, laziness, and low blood pressure.
"Ha... HAAAAAAA!"
Clack
"Ow!"
Got too excited and slipped on my chair.
So I guess I survived huh, a teleport spell? In this day and age? So the legendary 'Ark' isn't the only one thats said to be able to traverse now? Well it's Artemis, I guess that's how she travels from one place to another without leaving a trail.
Pat pat
Rubbing the non-existent dust off my clothes, I turn my head almost routinely to the upper-left corner of the towering walls surrounding me.
The time is 12:34 PM(simplified for readers as I have no clue to how to incorporate new time dials for this story) I guess I could tell by the faint hint of afterglow falling from high up.
This place is called the Tower. Technically it's the Tower of Wisdom, and it's not only one, but I never really frequented the others during my term, so this is THE Tower as far as I am concerned.
It's not the others were not impressive, a guy like me couldn't even date to rate them, they were designed to provide all and more that even professors or even vocational trainees from even bigger institutes would find extraordinary.
Though, you are putting me on the spot here...9, 6, 5, 7 and 1 respectively.
Still why is it so quiet here? By now there should be a stream of researchers, and students flowing around. These are busy times afterall-
I felt my vision narrowing, if I were looking at a mirror, I wonder how large my pupils would be dilating.
"Huh?"
From this seat here, you can bask on the sunlight that falls softly due to the filtering inscriptions, there's naturally a window a few dozen steps behind me.
Step
I remember often falling asleep because of choosing such a comfortable spot to read.
Step
Step
Though I never changed to another. It was because-
"Hah hah-" Thump
Thump
Thump
It has the best view.
All five towers spaced equally far apart, and visible to one another from any given direction.
Why is the Ivory Tower intact?
After so long, looking back on this breathtaking view again, my first thought was to destroy the first thing that came to sight.