Merge or swap?
Again?
Did I die? How?
I was an undead...
His vision remained as the blue window floated above him.
[Merge or Swap?]
Merge... That's what I chose last time. Those options affect souls, don't they?
But this time... Are we talking about Po?
Can I merge with his soul? That sounds extreme.
What kind of benefit would that even give me?
I feel light... What's happening? I was shot... Am I dying right now?
If only I could move... Can I just yell it out loud?
…
Oh, damn it—Swap! I want to choose Swap!
[Swap: Target soul: Po]
Is his name really just Po...?
Aiden barely had time to process the thought before his vision blurred once again.
The number of times I've experienced consciousness while unconscious is becoming really problematic. Does that even make sense? Every time I pass out, I still feel like I'm conscious... sort of.
I can't open my eyes, but I can still see—the floating window, or those dreamlike scenes.
Wait... I forgot!
What was it exactly? I'm pretty sure the man pushing the woman's wheelchair was me. I was even called Aiden by the window. So that's the missing first name? Aiden? Why make such a big deal out of hiding it at first?
And the woman... who was she? I can't remember the details.
This only confirms it further: I'm not from here.
This body isn't mine. I don't even know where I am.
But then again... I still speak their language.
Wait... I spoke the same language with the woman too...
His mind once again drifted, pulling him away from where he thought he should be.
Aiden's eyes slowly opened, meeting the ceiling of the light-starved room.
He turned his head, a new sensation flooding his body—he was feeling. Feeling every touch: his skin against his clothes, his hands against the cold floor. His expression twisted uncomfortably.
It was off-putting, but not entirely unfamiliar. He had simply forgotten what it felt like to have a normal body, after being trapped in nothing but bones. As that thought crossed his mind, he turned his head toward what looked like a pile of bones—his former body, lying crumpled near the crystal.
"So this is how I looked from the outside," he said, surprised by the sound of his own voice.
"Why did they even bother traveling with a talking skeleton? It looks creepy... I still haven't figured out how they even heard me. It's not like I had vocal cords."
Aiden studied his previous body, the absurdity of the situation finally sinking in.
He stretched his hands out in front of himself, inspecting them carefully.
"This isn't mine. Just like the skeleton before, this body isn't truly mine. Yet, I still use them."
A strange feeling stirred in his chest, one he couldn't quite name, as a new thought began to form.
I'm a thief—and a murderer? If I follow Ro's logic.
Why did Po die? Did Ro have something to do with it... or was it me?
I shouldn't care this much. Is there even a chance I'll meet him again?
But now I have his brother's body.
Does that make me responsible for finding out the truth... or am I just searching for an excuse not to feel bad about using it?
It's not like he can get it back.
Fine... too much. I'll just get out of here first.
I don't know shit about this place—
other than the fact that it's a prison.
Aiden quickly inspected his clothes and the small bag strapped to his back.
Inside, to his surprise, was a dagger, sheathed in a worn piece of leather.
So they were armed after all.
His gaze shifted to the hole in the forehead of his former body.
Yet still... a firearm?
Firearm. What was that again...?
His mind cluttered with half-formed ideas of the weapon that had killed him.
Touching his own forehead, Aiden turned toward the door.
Could I remember something clearly for once?
Stepping forward, Aiden left the room, his old skeletal body abandoned behind him.
Ro didn't even leave the crystal behind.
Now that I think about it, maybe Po's death had something to do with the crystals.
I'm still foreign to all this.
Po was able to use the crystal by just touching it... Magic, maybe?
Wouldn't even surprise me at this point.
Finally stepping out, Aiden closed the door behind him and continued down the hallway.
Welcome back, hallways. I didn't miss you.
…
The walls started to blur into the floor as Aiden ventured deeper into the darkness.
Ro really needed to take the torch, didn't he?
But... the room was already dark when I woke up, so maybe it was already exhausted.
A foreign feeling stirred inside him.
Why do I feel happy imagining him struggling just like me?
Killing me was a bit excessive... but at least I have a new body.
I should probably stop talking about someone's body like that.
His steps slowed as something ahead caught his attention—hard to miss, even in the dark.
A door? No... a gate.
In front of him, a massive wooden gate towered over the expanding hallway.
Well, that's something worthy of being called an exit. If it was one.
How long have I even been walking to get here?
Whatever. Now I need to open it.
Can I?
He brushed his palm against the wood.
As soon as his skin made contact, the gate creaked and slowly began to open on its own.
Wow... well, that's interesting.
But as the gate parted, something caught him off guard.
His eyes, used to the pitch darkness of the hallways, were suddenly struck by harsh light—not from a torch or a small crystal this time, but from the sun itself.
My eyes!
He squinted and blinked furiously as his vision adjusted.
Slowly, the scene before him came into focus.
It was a vast hall, stretching far into the distance—so far that the end was swallowed by shadows.
The space was held up by massive pillars, but what stood out most wasn't the architecture... it was the left wall—or rather, the gaping hole where the wall should have been.
Part of it had been completely destroyed, letting sunlight flood in through a breach big enough for an entire herd of elephants to walk through.
Aiden moved toward the edge, stepping carefully to the broken brickwork.
Finally, he could see beyond the brick.
Well... that's something.
He looked ahead.
The first thing he noticed was that the building he was in sat directly on the water.
No land was visible anywhere near its base.
If he jumped, he'd plunge straight into the waves—
and he had no idea if he could even swim.
But beyond the endless water, something else caught his eye.
Far on the horizon, a great mass of land was taking shape.
Even at this distance, he could make out the silhouettes of buildings—tall, sturdy, castle-like shapes.
Medieval.
It matched his first guess: a world straight out of a forgotten age.
But then, his eyes were drawn further, to the very edge of the landmass.
And there, towering above everything else, stood something that didn't belong.
A colossal structure, shining white under the sun, as if carved from a material he couldn't even name.
It rose like a needle into the sky, too smooth, too perfect to be anything natural.
Around its base sprawled a city, the outlines faint but unmistakable.
At the structure's heart, a brilliant blue beam shot upward, piercing the clouds.
Aiden stared, almost forgetting to breathe.
What... is that?
It looked less like something from a fantasy world, and more like something that should exist in another universe entirely.
The least fantasy thing a fantasy place could possibly have.
I need to get on land.
Swimming isn't an option.
His head turned left, facing the hall as a gust of wind blew against his face, pushing strands of hair into his eyes.
I'm cutting those off the first chance I get.
He stepped forward, walking along the hall and leaving the broken wall—and the open sky—behind him.
It feels like I'm leaving my freedom behind.
Aiden's pace quickened, a new sense of urgency settling in.
He was tired of the endless brick walls, tired of the suffocating corridors.
But whatever hope he carried was quickly crushed as he approached what seemed like the hall's end.
There, towering in front of him, stood a throne.
Its former glory was long gone—the room around it clearly missing the decorations it once had.
But what truly made his blood run cold was the figure sitting on it.
A rock-like golem slumped against the throne, its deep eye sockets hollow and lifeless.
At its side, two massive swords, each easily as tall as Aiden himself, were driven into the ground.
Is it alive? Please tell me it's not...
Aiden hesitated, then took a cautious step closer.
In front of the throne, a slightly raised platform stretched out, its surface engraved with words and a circular pattern he couldn't decipher.
The moment he placed a foot on the platform, a strange sensation crawled up his lower back—like his skin was burning, slow and steady, but without any pain.
What is that?
Before his hand could reach out to inspect it, a voice invaded his mind.
"Sinner, what is your sin?"
The voice grew louder and louder, echoing inside his head.
It reminded him of the strange memory he had seen earlier—but this time, he knew exactly where the voice was coming from.
Aiden's eyes met the hollow sockets of the golem.
The massive creature stirred, standing up slowly, its frame growing even more imposing—easily three times Aiden's size.
I can hear him, but he's clearly not opening his 'mouth'... I guess that answers how I was able to talk as a skeleton.
The thought barely finished before the situation demanded his full attention.
The golem stepped forward, its heavy movements shaking the ground, and Aiden's options narrowed rapidly.
His mind struggled to catch up, still distracted by the surrealness of it all.
"Sinner, what is your sin?"
The voice echoed again, snapping Aiden back to reality.
He reached behind him, fumbling for the dagger strapped to his back.
"Sinner... is that a title or an accusation?" Aiden quipped, scanning the room for any possible escape route.
"Envy," the voice answered coldly.
"Such a tragic end you will meet."
The golem reached for the twin swords driven into the ground, pulling them free with ease.
"Envy? The only thing I envy right now is your weapon. Can't we talk this out?"
Aiden gripped the dagger tightly, trying to judge the right moment to draw it fully.
"Your presence here is an insult to the gods themselves," the golem intoned, pointing one of the massive swords directly at him.
Well, I didn't exactly ask to be here—
Before Aiden could even finish the thought, the golem swung.
Reacting on instinct, he sidestepped the strike, the dagger finally in his hand.
I'm not a damn fighter! I can't fight that thing!
His eyes darted around wildly—no exits, no cover, nothing but towering pillars and endless walls.
The golem attacked again.
Aiden pushed off the ground with everything he had, dodging a brutal horizontal slash aimed straight at him.
He backed away, desperate to create distance.
Thanks, Po, for working out...
But his relief was short-lived.
The golem's massive foot collided with Aiden's body, sending him flying like a ragdoll.
Crack!
Pain shot through him even before his mind could process what had happened.
Aiden slammed into one of the stone pillars with bone-rattling force, then collapsed onto the cold ground.
A fresh wave of agony surged through his lower back.
It felt like his spine had been shattered.
Teeth clenched, he fought not to cry out as he tried—and failed—to stand.
The pain was too intense.
The golem was still coming, slow but inevitable.
How far did he even send me...?
As if he didn't already have enough problems, the familiar blue window appeared once again in front of him, displaying the three tabs.
Can it help me?
With a shaky hand, Aiden brushed his finger against the tab labeled [Soul Gallery].
The window shifted into a new menu, a grid of little empty squares—except for one.
A single square held a name: Ro.
Is that... his soul? Is he trapped?
Without thinking much about it, Aiden pressed the square.
The name vanished, and the blue window disappeared.
Wait! What was that about?!
Before he could panic, the blue square reappeared, this time showing a single line of text:
"Due to your incompetence, let me assist you."
The message lingered for a few seconds before fading.
What...? Is that..
The golem, seemingly noticing the strange phenomenon, quickened his pace, his hollow gaze fixed on Aiden.
Another message appeared on the blue window:
"Your previous merge grants you access to the soul's abilities."
Then it changed:
"Terry, the owner of your previous body—the first merge—had an affinity for regeneration. It was used to maintain your skeletal frame. It will now be used to heal you."
Aiden tried to process the sudden information dump, but the golem was already dangerously close.
"Fine! Just... what can I even do?!" Aiden shouted, his voice cracking under the pressure as the pain in his back worsened.
Another message flickered:
"Fight. The soul you just selected will assist you. Its will is weak, so it shouldn't pose a problem."
The window vanished, leaving behind a tiny, glowing blue orb floating in the air.
Fight? Fight?! That thing?!
Aiden stared at the orb in disbelief. Behind it, the golem was only a few meters away, swords raised.
At the same time, a strange sensation spread through Aiden's body—
the pain in his back was fading.
I'm... really healing? But at what cost? And this orb... don't tell me it's Po's soul...
The golem swung his massive sword backward, preparing a devastating strike.
Aiden's eyes locked onto the incoming blade as he felt the bones in his back realigning themselves.
He reached out and snatched the glowing orb with his left hand.
Pain still gnawed at him, but at least now he could stand.
The golem's sword sliced through the air, just barely missing Aiden's head as he stumbled back.
The blade tore straight through the pillar where he'd crashed earlier.
Now holding the orb, Aiden realized he still had no idea what to do with it.
I can't dodge forever. I need a weapon.
The dagger... I dropped it somewhere.
As if responding to his desperate will, the orb began to change.
Soft blue light radiated outward as it morphed—
shaping itself into a translucent, ethereal blade.
It looked light, yet he could feel its weight in his hand.
A blade... made from a soul?!
Before he could marvel further, the golem swung its other sword at him, faster this time.
He could probably dodge again—but his body remained stiff, grounded by the sudden weight of the blade in his hand.
Hey, Po... do me a favor—
be strong enough to kill this thing.
Gritting his teeth, Aiden gripped the new blade in his right hand,
stepping forward and swinging it to meet the golem's attack head-on.