It's dark.

Not the soft cozy dark of a familiar bedroom, or the intimidating dark of a street at night.

This isn't normal darkness.

It's oppressive darkness.

Absolute.

I can't see. I can't even tell if my eyes are open!

I can't hear. Rather than the faint whispering wind of blocked ears or the faint ringing of tinnitus, there is only a dead and awful silence. Not even the sound of a heartbeat-

Heartbeat?

No.

Where?

No!

Where is my heartbeat?

Panic!

I'm panicking now and my heart should be hammering but

still

no

heartbeat!

Where is my heart?

I can't see. I can't hear. Can I breathe? Am I breathing?

No.

There's no wind entering my lungs to expand my chest.

There's no feeling of a chest at all.

There's no feeling of air around me, hot or cold or humid or dry.

I can't move. I can't feel my limbs. I can't open my mouth to scream.

Nothing.

There is only nothing.

Scary.

Scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary!

I don't like it!

No, no, don't panic. Don't panic! Calm down.

Deep breaths.

No wait, not that.

Trying to breathe will just remind me I can't and then I'll panic again and that's the opposite of what I want!

Calm down.

Calm down and think!

Okay. Okay. I can do this.

I'm calm.

This is strange. It's really strange!

I don't understand what's happening. I'm not panicked anymore but I'm still really confused.

Where am I? What's going on?

None of my senses are working. I've never been in a sensory deprivation chamber but I imagine it feels something like this.

Why?

Why me?

Hell? Is this Hell?

Purgatory?

Tartarus?

Some other horrible afterlife from a life of sin and darkness?

Calm. Calm down. Think harder.

I admit I'm not a good person.

Not really anyway. I try when I can, but it doesn't come naturally. Rather, a feeling of 'I will survive at all costs' is what seems to be my base driving instinct.

Survival takes precedence. Always.

Above my family, above my friends, above my lover, there is me.

The only one who's important to me is me. After all, other people come and go, but I'm stuck with myself forever. Even if someone I love with all my heart dies in front of me, it would hurt but I'd keep living. Double suicide? Languishing in depression until I die of a broken heart?

Stupid.

What good is love if both people are dead? Where is their love then?

Dead, just like them.

Why wouldn't I place myself first? Why is it heartless to want to make sure I always come out of every situation on top?

To make sure I can keep going, keep living, keep moving forward?

I recognize I'm not a caring or compassionate individual by most people's standards. I love, I trust, I care. I have emotions, and I do become attached to people or pets. When my first cat died of old age, I cried terribly for hours. He was dead, and I would miss him.

And then I moved on.

Sometimes I think of him fondly, and miss him again, but it's not the end of the world or anything. There'll be more cats in the future. Just like if I lose a friend, it's not the end of the world. I still have our happy memories together, and in the future, as long as I'm alive I'll make more happy memories with new people and pets.

As long as I exist, so exists infinite potential for future happiness.

Of course, if I make a friend and our relationship progresses in a way that seems detrimental to my survival or future happiness, no matter how many past happy memories we may have together I won't hesitate to cut them out of my life and never look back. Burning bridges is my specialty.

So I'm not a good person. Since good people are caring and compassionate and linger on things like sentiment and attachments.

I'm selfish. Self-centered. Maybe a little conceited. Someone as talented and clever as me is bound to be a little conceited sometimes.

But I certainly try very hard not to be a bad person. I control my terrible temper as much as possible, I don't seek to hurt anyone just for the sake of hurting them, I recycle my trash for the good of the environment.

Maybe my sense of morality is weird as far as common society is concerned, since I don't mind stealing from people who won't miss it, and justice through violence is absolutely acceptable.

If a man is beating his child to death, who wouldn't step in and hit the man in the back of the skull with a crowbar they found lying on the ground nearby?

Right?

I haven't lived a comfortable and sheltered life. I've done things even I consider bad as a means to keep my existence moving forward, but I didn't do them because I enjoyed doing them. The fact that I did them doesn't change, but the intent behind the action is vastly different.

Still, I don't think I've done anything worth the punishment of losing my senses entirely. This really is too cruel.

No, no, first of all, thinking of it as a punishment is wrong. That implies someone made a judgement that I deserved this, and I certainly don't. I'm really not a very bad person! I just sometimes do bad things, but who doesn't? At the very least, I've never killed anyone or anything. Personally. Except insects.

I eat meat, but someone else does the killing for that. Indirect murder. But that implies killing livestock is murder! Is it murder of they don't have self-awareness? Do they have a self-awareness that we're not aware of? What constitutes murder in the first place?

Ah, no, I'm getting off track.

Not that there's really a track to get off. I mean, I still have no idea what's going on. And despite the frantic wandering of my thoughts, nothing seems to be clearing up any time soon. Is this a new permanent state for me? Am I just gonna live like this? Forever? Alone with my thoughts? There's worse company to keep, for sure, but...

It's really not making any sense.

I wonder if I can sleep...

...

...

...

Nope.

No sense of sleepiness or fatigue or anything, and I can't seem to become unconscious in any way. And my senses don't start to come back either, even after I count to a thousand and wait for a long pause between each number.

Maybe I'm a vegetable in a hospital bed. Is this what happens when someone's in a coma? Instead of dreaming they're just trapped in their own head?

Hm. I don't like that.

My most recent memories before The Darkness just involve normal everyday life. I was taking a cooking class at the local community college to try and improve my diet and monthly spending by not going out as much. Honestly, the idea of making fancy dinners for myself was immensely appealing. I really wanted to do it! Like the pretty plates of ornate food on the high-end cooking shows! Since affording a personal chef was out of the question, I'd just become my own personal chef!

Nothing out of the ordinary happened there. Cooking class, the handsome teacher was demonstrating how to knead bread dough while also showing off the powerful muscles in his arms. Half the class was drooling over the teacher, the other half was drooling over the bread samples he'd handed out before class began.

And then...

Mm. And then The Darkness.

What happened between then and now?

If I can't remember it I can't remember it, but that's annoying.

Before the class I'd been at work, where nothing weird happened. A manager at a book store doesn't usually have to deal with too many outrageous situations, just stocking shelves and checking inventory mostly. The owner does most of the hard work so I get to slack off and just be the store's friendly greeting face.

I'm very charismatic. Probably thanks to my natural humble demeanor. Thanks to that I never get troublesome customers, so it's an easy job. Almost a free paycheck, really! My favorite kind of money: the effortless kind.

Not that I particularly mind working hard, but it's best if I don't have to in the first place, right?

Breakfast was a parfait at the cafe across the street from my apartment, and after I went for a brisk morning jog around the nearest park. A long, hot bath with lots of bubbles and aromatherapy candles. Then to work until evening, after which I attended the cooking class.

A very normal day. Absolutely no hints or clues toward my current situation.

Mm. Mm-hm. This is bad.

There's nothing I can do about it, but it's still bad.

【 Testing, 1, 2, 3. Testing. Can you hear me, Miss Li Mei? 】

Who's calling me?

【 Good, good! You can hear me, excellent! So you haven't lost your consciousness. 】

Why am I hearing a voice? I can't hear anything else, and I still can't see anything or move around, so why this one voice?

【 Well, you don't have any senses right now because you don't have a body. 】

Oh, I see.

What?

【 You're dead. You're a soul, specifically. A lump of consciousness just free-drifting! There was a problem with processing you, see. 】

Processing? Problem? And what do you mean I'm dead?!

【 Dead means dead, right? You probably don't remember it, it wasn't a traumatic or violent death or anything. Don't worry about it. 】

How can I not worry about that?! And how are you reading my mind?!

【 That's easy for someone like me. It's magic, you know? Magic! 】

Bullshit.

【 Do you really think you have the luxury to be skeptical right now? 】

Mm, that's a fair point. Besides, I'm clever and excellent. I wouldn't just suddenly descend into madness, so this being a hallucination is unlikely. It being a prank of some sort is even more unlikely.

Being dead would explain why I can't even feel my own heartbeat.

【 Bingo! Your original world's magic was called 'science' wasn't it? Science is a very subtle magic so it makes sense you wouldn't be used to telepathy or anything. 】

Science isn't magic.

【 Puh-lease, science is completely magic. Using formulas and rules to manipulate existing natural laws to get desired and occasionally unusual results, thus achieving understanding of the universe around you! 】

Well when you put it like that.

Anyway, who are you?

【 Top secret. 】

That's annoying. Are you going to claim to be God? Or Death itself?

【 You're not qualified to speak to someone that high on the food chain. I'm at a more... Accessible level for mortals. 】

Oh. So you're an intern.

【 Look, I can only tell you some things to brace you for what's about to happen. See, you slipped through the cracks a little. An accident happened. It's not unforseen or unheard of or anything, but it's unusual. 】

You're not explaining much so far. Please be more concise.

【 You died and your soul wiggled its way into another universe instead of entering your origin universe's cycle of rebirth. It's happened before, but it's a big problem every time. 】

Ah, reincarnation. So will I just enter the new universe's cycle?

【 It's not that simple. There's not a queue for you to cut in. Each soul carries a signature, a code that the universe reads when you die so it knows what to do with your soul during the rebirth process. It basically determines what your next life will be. Since you're from a different universe your code is a different format, so to speak. So you have to be reconfigured a little so the universe understands you. 】

Will it hurt?

【 Ah? Oh, I have no idea. I don't actually feel or understand pain. It might be painless, or it could be the worst thing you've ever experienced. I haven't the faintest clue. 】

I see.

【 We'll find you an empty vessel, someone who just died. The instant their soul leaves their body you'll take over, and their physical form will help reconfigure your soul code. Think of it like molding you into the right shape. Just a forewarning, you might not be human. Or even human-shaped. Or even the same physical sex. Be prepared for that. 】

Oh? Rather than being a problem, that sounds interesting.

【 And any wounds or what have you that resulted in the original soul's death will be reversed once you take over so you won't just immediately die again. 】

Thanks for that.

【 We're just about done here, I think... Ah, yes! In your memories, I saw something I'd like to implement. Just to try it out and see how I like it for future transmigrators, you see. 】

My memories? Were you just sifting around in my head in addition to overhearing my thoughts? How rude.

【 You're just a soul right now, you don't have a head. 】

You know what I meant, don't be facetious!

【 You're just a soul with a cloud of memories floating around like a messy little atmosphere. It's hard not to read them! There's stories of people going to other worlds or being reincarnated in your world's fantasy fiction, yes? 】

Oh. Stories like that have gotten really popular lately, haven't they? Even I've enjoyed a few.

【 Yes, so I'd like to try that. It might make transitioning between lives a little easier if you can use a game interface to keep track of data. 】

Yes, yes, that would make things a lot easier and at least two times more interesting. Isn't the game interface like a cheat in itself? That would be a huge advantage for me! I'll take it! How will I use the interface? I doubt there'll be a button to press somewhere.

【 Thinking the words 'Open Interface' will open up the screen, and 'Close Interface' will close it again. From there you'll be able to figure things out on your own. Aren't you exceptionally clever? 】

This is true. As long as I have a place to start from, I'll get the hang of it.

【 As a special service you'll also always have access to the Archive and Scan skills, as well as Storage magic. You'll have to figure those out too, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Since you're clever. 】

Hm, I feel like you're repeating your praise a bit suspiciously.

【 So there you have it. Good luck, Miss Li Mei! 】

Wait what do y-

Memories played like a movie in fast-forward, absorbed into the mind before the contents were even fully comprehended. Language, experiences, faces and names swam in a haze. Twelve years worth of a stranger's life condensed into a few dizzying moments.

The original occupant of Li Mei's new body didn't have a proper name. She was called 44, one of many slaves serving in a rustic valley estate belonging to a merchant who owned a fleet of trading vessels. The number 44 was branded on her upper left arm surrounded by a circular design of several aesthetically pleasing spirals and whorls, spelling out a phrase in a foreign language. 44 was only taught the most commonly spoken vernacular, so she had no idea what language the phrase was in or what it even meant.

Considered by others to be a bit dim, 44 kept her head down and quietly did her job day after day, never doing anything about the vicious bullying perpetrated by proper servants and even other slaves. Unlike other slaves who were assigned to dormitories, the girl gave up her bed to sleep in a different closet every night, changing location to avoid late night beatings and harassment.

The overall technology level on the planet, called Elysium by the inhabitants, seemed reminiscent of Earth's at the start of the digital information era. Cameras, cell phones, television and radio, even flying ships were various types of magitech powered by mana running through spell circle formulas, or Circuits.

Magitech were forbidden for slaves to use so they did everything by hand with primitive tools like brushes and brooms. Cleaning up after their owner's many animals and fertilizing vast gardens was messy and filthy work pushed onto the young and frail 44. She did the worst jobs around the estate without complaint and never talked back no matter how ridiculous the demands made of her.

44 had a hidden backbone others failed to notice. Regardless of the harsh treatment she received, the girl never once pleaded for mercy. She memorized faces and temperaments, silently adjusting her behaviors to avoid people who were the most cruel. Dealing with indifference and disdain was easier than open hostility, so she kept near those who pretended she didn't exist.

The rustic estate didn't employ security cameras on the premises, just personal guards and patrolling beasts. 44's owner had a great fondness for antiques and his entire estate was built with that in mind, using old blueprints and techniques from past eras. The layout of the entire property, including countless secret corridors and passageways, was as familiar to 44 as the backs of her calloused little hands.

She could get from one end of the main house to the other faster than anyone without being seen or heard, and used that to pilfer rations when the hunger was too much to bear. Just enough to survive, not enough to be noticed by kitchen staff.

Li Mei found herself admiring the clever girl, feeling a spark of anger at the thought that someone killed her for no reason after forcing her to live a life of hardship and mediocrity. For as long as the girl could remember she'd been treated the worst of all the slaves, and none of the memories Li Mei sifted through gave any reason as to why. It'd simply always been that way.

And then while 44 was sick with one of her many fevers, probably caused by all the malnourishment and abuse, someone came in and stabbed her to death. The poor thing never even saw the face of her killer.

When Li Mei finally reoriented herself, she swore colorfully and clenched her stomach. The dress covering her scrawny body, a horrible thing little more than a burlap sack, was torn across the middle to reveal a gaping abdominal wound knitting itself shut at a speed visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately the grievously injured sack dress was immune to her new body's temporary regeneration.

She lay on a thin moldy bed roll in a narrow closet mostly occupied by a metal shelf holding cleaning supplies with strong chemical scents. A single buzzing lightbulb illuminated the closet with a flickering yellow glow. Sticky warm blood clung to her waist, legs, and pooled on the bed roll. The dagger used to stab the body's previous occupant lay on the ground nearby. A crude, cheap thing with a frail chipped blade and no handguard.

Li Mei, who was not actually a twelve year old uneducated slave girl and was in fact only inhabiting the body of one, felt suspicious about the whole situation. Since she was stuck to the bed waiting for her wound to heal, she decided to grit through the pain and check out her new life cheat.

"Open Interface," she muttered.

Cyan blue light filled her vision before arranging itself into something resembling a video game interface display. In one corner was a circular minimap showing just the closet, a tiny arrow in the center representing Li Mei's position and directional facing. Focusing on the minimap brought up a holographic screen showing the map enlarged and with more detail.

Under the minimap were three icons aligned in a row: a cute little smiley face, a backpack, and a book. Li Mei glanced at the smiley face first.

-----

NAME: Li Mei

HEALTH: 43% (Malnourished)

AGE: 12

SPECIES: Human (? ? ?)

JOB: Slave

MANA: 0/0

M. QUALITY: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

EXP: 0

STR: 1

CON: 1

DEX: 1

INT: 3

WIS: 8

TITLES: [Experiment 44] [Illegitimate Child]

TRAITS: [Enslavement Bind] [Sickly]

SKILLS: [Archive] [Scan Lv.1] [Storage Lv.1]

SPELLS:

-----

"There's a lot to unpack here," Li Mei grumbled to herself. "Am I not human after all?"

When she glanced at each of the stats it brought up brief tooltip explanations in smaller screens. Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom - all normal stats for a video game. Experience could be gained in a myriad of ways and used to purchase stat points, or upgrade skills and spells. Stats could also be raised through old-fashioned training or study. The average for a human child her age was apparently three, so they were incredibly low aside from Intelligence and Wisdom.

"Mana is used to cast spells. M. Quality is mana quality, which determines how powerful my spells are and how much mana they cost to cast. But I don't know any spells or mana so not having any quality isn't important right now. And I don't know what to do with all that anyway. What worries me the most are those titles and traits... And the skills..." Li Mei pushed herself into a sitting position, pressing her back to the wall. Her stomach ached but the wound was almost entirely healed on the surface. She took a few deep breaths before examining the titles thoroughly.

-----

[Experiment 44]

???

(You don't have enough information to view details about this title.)

-----

-----

[Illegitimate Child]

???

(You don't have enough information to view details about this title.)

-----

-----

[Enslavement Bind]

A magic spell binds you. You are confined to a designated property and are compelled to follow direct orders from your Owner or individuals authorized by your Owner. You cannot harm your Owner, or any authorized individuals. You cannot leave your designated property.

Disobedience will be punished. Higher amounts of infractions facilitate more severe punishments.

Infractions: 0

Owner: Adalrich Agilo

Authorized: -

Current Orders: -

Current Restrictions: -

-----

-----

[Sickly]

A life of malnourishment and abuse have left your body frail and prone to disease. A proper diet and exercise regimen can nullify this effect with time.

-60% resistance to disease, poison, pain

-50% to STR, CON, DEX stat gains

-70% to EXP gained through physical activity

-50% health regeneration

+200% cost to purchase STR, CON, DEX stat points

-----

-----

[Archive]

Stores all data you come across, as well as recording memories in video format. Information, notes, and more will be stored and sorted. There's also a convenient search function, and custom sorting for organization.

Archive can translate documents in foreign languages through the use of EXP. It also allows for editing memory videos to save important moments or peruse them later. Interacts with Scan to keep data displayed relevant.

Can be easily accessed via the book icon on the minimap.

-----

-----

[Scan Lv.1]

Passive effect. Focusing on people or things brings up a screen that displays information. At higher levels, information previously unknown to you may be displayed and recorded in the Archive.

Scan keeps the Interface minimap updated. As the level is upgraded, more functionality will be unlocked.

At Lv.1, only the name of items or people are shown if you don't know anything about them already.

-----

-----

[Storage Lv.1]

Active effect. Allows storing of items in an extradimensional space. Items stored exist in stasis, allowing the preservation of perishables. Multiple items placed in storage will not interact or mix with each other.

Opening the Storage window and intentionally focusing on an object within arm's reach will store it if there's enough space to do so. Likewise, focusing on an item displayed in the Storage window will queue it for removal. You will have to designate an appropriate area, also within arm's reach, for the item's removal.

At Lv.1, the space available for storage is 1 cubic meter.

Can be easily accessed via the bag icon under the minimap.

----

In 44's memories she never actually saw her Owner. Whenever he visited the estate - which was infrequently - she was assigned to work the fields, muck the stables, or scrub the cellars. He never gave her any orders or restrictions. And there were no authorized individuals listed under the enslavement title. Which meant no one actually had the authority to treat 44 the way they did, or even order her around, despite her official status as a slave!

Li Mei's eyes flashed with a sinister light.