"I was the strongest. 50s across all stats," I stated, a touch of pride in my voice, a ghost of my former confidence clinging to my disembodied self.
"Yes host, you were strong for a human. A newly hatched dragon is leagues above you. The lowest stats a hatchling can have is 500 in each, depending on its bloodline," Eevee responded, her voice echoing in the absolute darkness of the void, a calm counterpoint to my fading arrogance. The number 100 hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my non existent lungs and shattering my carefully constructed pride. Silence, cold and empty, enveloped me.
"See, I told you. You were a weakling. But lucky for you, you now have me to help make you powerful. But not for free. You will need to do missions to gain strength. I could just give you the strength, but that would be too easy and wouldn't be rewarding for you."
I looked at the ethereal glow of the ring on my hand, a silent promise in the oppressive black. I balled my ghostly fist. "Fine with me," I muttered, the words tasting like ash in a mouth I no longer possessed. "But I have a few questions about this stat panel. First, what is this thing called Draconic Essence and why is it dormant? And what is Draconic Rage?"
Eevee responded, "Oh, that's easy to answer. Draconic Essence is what helps you transform into a stronger form. For example, right now you're a human. The next form/race you will be is a hybrid, as you will be half dragon, half human." As she spoke, a strange, simmering heat I hadn't even noticed, deep within me, flickered and vanished. "And Draconic Rage is something that activates when you get mad, but you won't unlock that for a while, so for now, I'll remove it."
My new stats panel shimmered into existence before me, a transparent overlay in the crushing void:
Michael's Status
System Rank: 1
Level: 10
EXP: 0/100
Name: Michael
Race: Human
Age: 28
Title: None
Bloodline: None
Health: 50,000/50,000
Mana: 50,000/50,000
Mana Regeneration: 222/minute
Draconic Essence: 0/100 (Locked)
Magical Affinity: Fire, Lightning, Ice, Gravity
Fighter Rank: S
Mage Rank: Archmage
Strength: 50 Agility: 50
Endurance: 50 Intelligence: 50
Charisma: 50 Perception: 50
Defense: 50 Stamina: 50
Fighter Skills:
* Grandcrest Cross * Grand Defense
* Guard Counter * Phantom Blade
Mage Skills:
* Gravity Fall * Gravity Well
* Light Weaponry Arsenal * Light Orb
* Flame Spear * Fire Ball
* Ice Lance * Ice Shard
* Ice Armor * Mana Slash
I stared at my status panel, then at my surroundings. The black wasn't just an absence of light; it was a smothering weight, a silence that pressed against my non-existent eardrums. "Okay, so where am I now, though? It's completely black here?"
Eevee sighed, a sound that seemed to ripple through the nothingness. "After you died, I pulled your soul into a place I know as the Void. Right now, you're not alive, but you're also technically speaking, not dead either. Usually, you would end up in Heaven or Hell."
I processed her words, a strange, hollow calm settling over me despite the absurdity of it all. "Okay, so what happens now then?"
Eevee responded, a slight edge of surprise in her voice, "You seem surprisingly okay with death?"
A cold, burning wave of rage filled my incorporeal form "Okay? Of course I'm not okay with it! But it happened. And all I can do now is gain strength with your help and execute my revenge. They cannot have the last laugh," I snarled, picturing the faces of those who had betrayed me.
Eevee contemplated my outburst. "Well, I guess we should find you a new body then, host, as there is nothing you can do while here in the Void. Lucky for you, I found you a body."
The rage receded, replaced by a grim pragmatism. "A new body? Will it be like my old one?"
Eevee responded, "No, host, unfortunately. The body I found was killed by bandits on the side of a road. He didn't seem to have any ties with any kingdom, he seemed to wander around."
I closed my non-existent eyes, a flicker of disappointment, then acceptance. "Well, I guess it will do. It's not like I have a choice. Let's get this started, Eevee."
Eevee responded, "Soul transfer beginning, host." A deep, crimson light slowly pulsed, then rapidly intensified, wrapping around my very essence. It hummed with a strange energy, warm and yet pulling, as my soul stretched, distorted, and slowly vanished from the crushing blackness of the Void.
The moment Michael's soul dissolved, a mysterious woman materialized where he had stood. Long, raven hair cascaded around a face framed by subtle, almost iridescent draconic scales on her cheekbones. Her bright blue eyes glowed with an ancient knowing, and a palpable aura of immense, almost suffocating power radiated from her, pressing down on the void itself. "Well," she murmured, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across her lips. "I think things are about to get interesting." She shimmered, then dissolved into the omnipresent darkness as if she had never been there