"This is fucking ridiculous"
I could only mutter those words in a distorted voice, unheard from the crowd that surrounded my bleeding, lifeless body.
My incorporeal body levitated above the scene that forever marked my departure, from the world known as earth.
5 minutes before the incident...
I was casually walking along the sidewalk of new york, enjoying the scenery of the city I had moved to just a few months ago.
I had a typical routine of waking up early, doing my daily hygiene routine, then taking a short walk before heading into work.
Unfortunately, fate had something else in store for me. While I was aimlessly walking, I noticed from my peripheral vision that a kid had ran into the busy street, chasing after a red ball.
At first, I wasn't prepared to do anything until it came to my attention that I was the only one to notice the kid, a heavy foreboding settled in my soul and a reluctant sigh escaped my mouth.
'Great. I can't just watch a kid die.'
I thought to myself while ditching my bookbag that weighed me down, allowing me to run faster and catch up to the kid.
Though as fate would allow it, this was my doomed tragedy. The blaring sound of honking reached my ears, my body reacting on its own to push the kid away before I could even register what was happening.
Next thing I knew, I was struck by a god damn truck.
My consciousness blurred in and out, though I couldn't feel any pain, just the cold concrete road and the numbness of my entire body.
A faint smile unknowingly graced my face, as if a heavy burden has been lifted off my shoulders.
The hot, crimson liquid, poured from the wounds across my mangled body as my fading vision watched a crowd form around me.
Now....
"I honestly can't believe this shit."
My distorted voice was unclear of what my emotion was but the statement indicated, I was baffled and angry at the situation.
That's when I was engulfed by a beam of light no one else could see, given as I was just a lingering spirit.
After the painstakingly bright light stopped blinding me, I looked around to examine where I was transported to, though everything was unfamiliar to me.
That's when I saw it. An entity that resembled a biblicall accurate angel from my world, staring directly at me, or rather directly into me.
This unnerved me to no end but I refrained from saying anything that would be considered rude, simply basking in the silence between us.
"I'm truly sorry for this, but our meeting must be quick. I go by Michael the archangel which you may be familiar with. Our Lord has deemed you worthy of a new life in another world. I will impart a gift to you, please save this world in do time."
The angelic entity who proclaimed itself as the heavenly host, Saint Michael, had spoken with authority and ancient wisdom that shook the core of my spectral being.
I could feel the immense power from the heavenly host exuding in a suffocating wave, though it was warm and healing, the perfect description of divinity.
"Okay. I'll do my best"
I announced with a bit of hesitation evident in my distorted voice, unable to directly look the heavenly host in his eyes in fear and respect.
"Very good. The gift I will impart unto you is..."
THE KINGDOM OF NETHERZA
After receiving the gift granted to me by the heavenly host, a blinding light filled the depths of darkness that covered my vision, until I felt my eyes flutter open with heavy exhaustion.
Once the light dimmed, a white-tiled ceiling entered my vision, followed with the smell of medicine and muffled voices.
Eventually, I regained my motor functionality and after sitting up to get a better look of my surroundings, I was greeted by the emptiness of a small room.
Though before I could fully inspect everything at a more detailed level, foreign memories bombarded my mind from the body I now occupied.
After what felt like hours, the bombardment had ceased and I recalled the events that led up to this body on the verge of death.
"So my name's Gabriel Netherza, the fifth son of the king and basically the black sheep of the family. Wow, royalty can be so cruel."
I proclaimed with a mockingly sarcastic chuckle, staring mindlessly at the closed wooden door, separating me from the cruel family outside of it.
[System Activation...100%. Biological Synthesis...100%. Activating angelic mutation process...100%.]
A monotone robotic voice spoke within my mind like the ringing of a church bell, making me clutch my head in subtle pain.
Then a holographic menu screen suddenly materialized in front of me, revealing a list of 'skill tree' similar to the ones found in video games.
After some time of reading through the list of skills, I discovered that they were meant to be unlocked after I've met certain conditions, or went through certain events in this world.
I couldn't help but sigh at this while skimming through the description list of each locked skill, eventually coming across three basic skills that were useable.
"Hmm. From what the system said, It seems related to angels. Maybe I'll become one down the line."
I proclaimed with a small hint of satisfaction in my voice, a smile gracing my delicate face.
Then I got out of the bed, sitting at the edge for a bit while contemplating my next course of actions, ultimately deciding to see what this current body was working with.
"Not bad. I'm actually quite handsome"
I proclaimed with oozing self-confidence while staring at myself in the mirror, reflecting the soft pale skin of my face, mischievous calculating golden eyes and raven black hair which was long enough to tie in a ponytail.
My outfit consisted of a black formal tailored suit similar to the ones I've seen businessmen wear along with a red tie befitting of an aristocrat.
"Okay. Let's do this."
I spoke aloud to myself in mental preparation, walking out the door and into the main hall of the gigantic castle which houses the king and his children.
Before I could even bask in the scenery, a young feminine voice screeched out, forcing me to turn my gaze towards that ungodly noise.
"How are you alive?!"
The young girl yelled out in confusion but mainly frustration, her eyes glaring daggers at my healthy body as if I've committed a grave sin.
"Hm. I guess you can say it was divine Intervention"
I replied back in a calm voice, my tone cold as ice that revealed no ounce of warmth or love that the previous host ever had.
This made the young girl recoil back in shock at the icy cold tone of my voice, but she quickly recomposed herself and continued to glare daggers at me.
"Yeah right, not even the heavenly host of angels would give a damn about you. You've should've just died."
The young girl announced with an indifferent expression but her tone clearly revealed that she was seething with rage.
"Aww, I love you to little sister. I'll make sure I give you special treatment"
I replied back in a tone oozing with venom yet my voice remained calm and a small smile kept still in my face, never reaching my golden eyes that stared deep into her own crimson eyes.
The young girl eventually became unnerved by this and turned her back with a huff, walking away with two maids in tow.
"So that's the second princess, Isabella. It seems they truly do dislike me."
I proclaimed with a sigh, bringing my fingers up to my temples to message them, feeling a headache slowly brewing.
[Mission #1: Complete the academy entrance exam. Reward for completion: 'Gravity Magic' & 200 stat points. Penalty for failure: Death]
Upon hearing the mission I was assigned to and the penalty for failure, I sighed heavily and leaned against the wall with a tired expression.
'I literally just got here and I'm already being threatened with death. I mean...gravity magic does seem strong. I guess I really don't have a choice.'
I thought to myself with another sigh, deciding to leave the gigantic castle and study the environment to understand everything a bit better.
A Few Hours Later...
After what felt like two hours of strolling through the city, I realized that no one seemed to acknowledge my presence as the fifth son of the king.
In fact, most of them seemed to sneer at me or whisper curses behind my back.
'So, Gabriel's mother died when she gave birth to him and she was the queen, now they blame him for it.'
I thought to myself while continuing to calmly stroll through the busy city streets, ignoring the constant hate filled gazes aimed towards me.
"Oh look who it is. The forsaken prince"
A young masculine voice proclaimed with obvious disdain and sarcasm.
The familiar voice that suddenly spoke out, had made me turn around to confirm my suspicion, revealing the young boy to be the third prince.
"Amano, I'm starting to think you love the sound of your own voice."
I said with a hint of irritation but rationality, my words a deliberate blow to the third prince's ego.
"Anyway, I don't have time for this. Whatever you have to say, can wait until the entrance exam"
I continued, not giving Amano enough time to retaliate with a snark comment. Then I turned my back to him, walking down the stone path carved for travelling.
Amano stood frozen in place, shocked at the casual dismissal towards him. Then an expression of anger flashed across his face, the last words that I spoke were echoing in his head.
A few hours later...
'So apparently Gabriel was poisoned and died due to his close relationship to the first princess of the neighboring kingdom, which would inevitably make him rise in political power. Now that I've been seen as healthy, I can only assume the assassination attempts will become more consistent.'
I thought to myself with a growing sense of unease. Thinking back to my past life I've never dealt with rich people stuff, making this a new territory for me.
'At least the kid has some fighting experiences and combine that with my past life experiences, I'll be force to be reckoned with without magic.'
I continued to think, lost in my thoughts while I continued my path towards the academy. Then I was broken out of my stupor when a building almost as large as the royal Castle came into view, subtly widening my eyes in shock at the amount of people from across nations coming to take the exam.
As I entered the front entrance of the academy gate, I immediately heard the whispers from the natives of the kingdom, the cruelty sharp in their words as they spoke to the 'outsiders' about my status and positioning within the kingdom.
'I'll aim for at least top five and flip the balance of this world.'
I thought to myself as I ignored the whispers and continued a confident stride towards the building, hiding my excitement to show the world the power of a reincarnator blessed by the heavenly host itself.