Have you had any regrets in your life? Everyone surely has... There shouldn't be anyone that doesn't regret his/her action, be it a decision like choosing what to eat and not getting what they want... I guess I'm the only one that has the most minimal regret while living... There was no regret, not that I know of?

I just work as a coder for a company, I don't excel but I earn enough to live a comfortable life and buy what I want.

My parents moved to their dream home after retirement, they always wanted me to be stable so as soon as I was... they went into retirement without worries for me.

I only had a few friends and I remained single throughout high-school, I occasionally meet up with my high-school friends.

The only thing that gave me excitement were fantasy books that I read as a child, I loved imagining the different scenarios in my head as I kept reading.

I loved the idea of going on an adventure to slay some demon king, it seemed childish to some but I ignored them and continued to read it.

Maybe it was because I led such a boring life that I yearned for a more exciting life like in those fantasies, I would love something exciting to happen in my life for once.

My alarm woke me up at 6 am in the morning as usual which signaled the start of my day, I rarely sleep-in... which is a huge contrast to when I was younger, I'd just sleep through the afternoon since nothing exciting happened

I got up and started to stretch my body, I had to do my exercise routine everyday for my health.

I wouldn't say that I was a very strong person but I was decently fit for my age, I always made it a habit to keep fit so I don't have any physical problems.

After tying my shoes, I went outside for a run. It was another peaceful day for me... boring but it was peaceful

I felt rain wet my clothes as a drizzle came about as I jogged around for a while... I guess I should rush back to a shelter.

I should probably head back home before the rain gets heavier, I need to quickly shower so I won't get a cold.

I stopped at a traffic light while heading home.

While waiting for the green light to appear, I checked my watch which showed it was 6:55 am.

It was at that time I heard rapid footsteps went by me.

A high-school girl paced by me and went to cross the road, maybe she was in a rush to school... reminds me of my days when I was in high-school, I wonder if I can come back as an alumni?

The rain was already getting heavier, from a drizzle to a heavy downpour. The weather here's been getting quite chaotic lately, more rainstorms and small earthquakes frequently happen... I hope my area will be safer than the others.

She should be more careful not to slip and fall. In the corner of my eye, I see lights coming from the right.

A truck! A truck was speeding through the road! Shit-

"Ah! My ball!" Huh!? A boy? Oi! Its dangerous!

A small boy that had dropped his toy ball had ran across the road to grab it back. The truck was approaching fast towards the boy when a girl jumped in to try to get the boy out of harm's way.

Wait it was the girl from before! She probably also saw what happened and acted quickly without hesitation.

Th- The- They're going to die! The girl wasn't able to push the boy completely away from how I saw.

My body moved swiftly and pushed both of them away from the truck.

Eh? Why did I move? I didn't know how but I was now the one that was in front of truck while the high-school girl and young boy was out of the truck's way.

I could see the girl's expression, she was shocked to see me. I was too since I didn't know why my body reacted that fast... I- Why did I save them? I'll die-

Before I knew it, I was facing the sky as the rain poured heavily... I've never felt this cold before... I can't feel my right arm.

I was breathing, I could clearly hear my own heartbeat. A girl appeared before me, it was the high-school girl... I wonder why-

She seemed to be shouting for help, I couldn't hear but I could read her lips.

Thank goodness, I was able to save them. Even if I didn't know why I saved them but If i tried to and they still died, i'd be sad because I wasted my life for nothing.

My whole body felt numb but it didn't feel as painful as i expected to be rammed by a truck.

I should die soon, the hit was pretty hard and I probably lost a lot of blood by now.

My vision started to blur out. I instinctively tried to grab something as if I was clinging to my last breaths.

I grabbed the girl's hand and I coughed the words I wanted to say the most...

I don't want to die! My vision had completely faded to black right there and then.

Am I dead? I feel so cold... Its like death itself is embracing me. I wonder if there is an afterlife? Maybe this is the afterlife...

I had regained consciousness but I couldn't feel my body... I guess this is the afterlife? Not as flashy as I was expecting but I guess this is it.

Suddenly I heard a baby crying, where was it coming from?

My eyes opened and I found myself next to a crying baby.

Was I reincarnated into a baby or something?

I moved my hand and saw only a bone hand.

I jumped from where I was from shock, I looked around and found myself beside three more similar looking skeletons and the baby I woke up to.

I tried to speak but nothing came out. I was a skeleton so it made sense I couldn't talk but wait skeletons aren't able to move by themselves in the first place.

"Ah~ It seems like we have an early riser." A voice came from behind me, it was another skeleton. It resembled more of a human skeleton than this small skeleton body that I had.

Wait, I could hear this other skeleton clearly... it was a woman's voice but the skeleton wasn't opening its mouth so how did it talk?

The skeleton walked towards me and picked me up, it stared at me curiously before putting me down on a bench.

I looked around, I was on a plain of grass which the sun brightly shined upon the place.

I could feel the warmth of the sun and the wind blowing through my ribs.

The skeleton looked at me once more, I looked back and saw a mark on the skeleton's head.

Do I have that too? I touched my head to feel for any marks but it seems like I didn't have any sort of marks like the skeleton in front of me.

"Your not from here are you..." The skeleton spoke to me again, I didn't know how but it seems like its telepathy if it couldn't talk using a voice.

I tried responding back but to no avail, I was unable to speak.

"Ah you should visualize yourself concentrating mana to your head to speak." The skeleton spoke once again.

Mana? Like magic? Can I do that? It didn't hurt to try so I visualized telepathy in a sense by concentrating 'mana' into my head.

"Ca- Can you he- hear me?" I was able to speak, it was an incredible moment as I spoke without a voice.

"Wow! Seems like you have a knack for this kind of thing." The skeleton spoke once more but sounded quite happy that I was able to speak.

"Thank you fo- help- helping me." It was still a bit rough but I was able to speak so its fine that I stuttered a bit.

"Now please... Tell me how did you end up here?" The skeleton had obviously figured out that I was not from here, she explained that I wasn't like the other skeletons that mostly acted from orders and that she had noticed that right away.

Vera which was the skeleton's name was a special kind of skeleton that could act independently.

I explained how I was before I came to this world and how I got to this world, Vera only nodded and said nothing until I was finished.

"And that's how I came to this place." I had finished my brief summary which Vera said...

"I'll help you." It was a short but reassuring sentence that calmed my heart, I could tell that Vera meant no harm. Maybe it was the telepathy but I could feel her sincerity behind her words.

"I'll explain to you the rules of this world first." Vera had brought out a notebook to draw some stuff that couldn't be verbally explained easily.

Vera explained the current affairs of this world to me as time went by...

1. Magic exists in this world, most people could use magic but only few could fully utilize it

2. Races such as Elves, Demons and Dwarves exist in this world, there are a lot of sub species but they are generally put into categories

3. Currently a war is taking place, it has been going on for at least 5 years or so

4. The faction that I am in is the Necromancer Savien alongside the Divine Demon faction which was against another faction the righteous faction of Behtman Angel Faction which consisted of different races even fellow demons

5. I am a special kind of skeleton that was made to protect the heir of the Head Necromancer of the group

6. The Divine Demon Faction was losing the war as some of its supply routes had been cut off recently and it was on its last legs. The remaining groups were the Necromancer Savien and the remnants of the main demon king forces

"I see... I understand the situation that i'm in..." Vera had finished her summary of the situation i'm in.

I'm in quite the predicament, I shouldn't panic... it'll be a few years before the opposite faction comes and ends the war.

I had another question for Vera so I spoke up.

"Ms Vera, may I ask a question?" I should ask for permission to speak as it seems that Vera is my superior in this situation.

"Vera is fine, what would you like to ask?" Vera turned to me and had a cheerful tone.

"The mark on your head... what is it for?" I curiously stared at her mark.

"It is a mark that confirms me as a marked servant of a necromancer, once a necromancer has fully mastered skeleton control, they mark their servants so that they can distinguish and enforce strengthened control over the servants." Vera fluently explained to me about the mark.

"Does that mean Ms Vera will report me to her superiors?" I had just realized that I might be a hindrance or danger to the faction I am in as I am an unexpected situation.

Ms Vera had given me a blank stare before speaking again.

"I do have to speak to my superiors about you..."

A panic had arose in me, its obvious that they'd probably interrogate me.

Should I escape now I thought.

Ms Vera who had obviously seen me quite shaken by her answer placed her hand over my shoulder.

"Do not fret, I will only tell them you are a special skeleton. I will be silent about how you originate from another world."

Huh? She would not report that i'm an otherworlder to her superiors? Wouldn't it be bad if she was caught lying?

"Bu- But Ms Vera if they find out that your lying..." I displayed obvious signs of worry towards Ms Vera.

"They will not be able to find out don't worry, they are unable to see my previous memories or force me to say anything about any suspicious behavior as I am a trusted servant." Vera reassured me once again.

So necromancers don't have that ability to see their servants memories nor force their servants to say anything? This was lucky that necromancers couldn't do that or else something bad might happen to me.

But wait... Why would a trusted servant like Ms Vera, lie to her superiors?

"Why-" Before i finished my sentence, it seems like Ms Vera had sense my suspicions of her and cut in.

"I do not like this place." Ms Vera looked at me seriously even though there were no facial expressions I knew that there was some tension now.

Ms Vera explained that the faction we are in was a bad faction as in they hated all other races except demons and other so-called evil races, they believed that they stood at the apex among the other races.

The other faction Behtman Angel was a faction that accepted all races even the races that had defected from the Divine Demon faction, few had grudges against the opposite faction races as they knew they were manipulated by the Demon King.

Ms Vera was very educated about the affairs of the world so she understood the Behtman Angel faction's way of doing things. But she did not want to be destroyed for betraying her masters so she had stayed hidden and did not trust anyone about her disagreement of the Divine Demon faction's way until I, an otherworlder, arrived and had the intelligence and wisdom to understand and see through the faults of the Divine Demon faction. So to summarize it, I could become Ms Vera's comrade.

Ms Vera had the plan for me and the other three skeletons to escape with the heir of the Head Necromancer, I along with my fellow skeletons were a special rare case of skeletons that had advanced motor skills and thought process which could be developed to one of the strongest soldiers but in exchange, we would not be controlled forcefully nor be marked which would make us seem like normal skeletons that wander this world's surface.

In the meantime, Ms Vera wanted my help to convince and hopefully lead my fellow three skeletons to support the plan and become our comrades. To be honest, i'd stay here if this faction wasn't going to be crushed but it wasn't the time for such thoughts.

"You know you need to name yourself..." Ms Vera had gotten off the bench and walked to the the three other skeletons and baby while i followed.

A name... its another life so what name would fit here? I thought of it deeply and one sprang into my head.

"I thi- I think my name will be Atlas..." Ms Vera looked at me and seemed to have a satisfied look with the name

It was quite the clever choice as I would be guiding my three other skeletons and the baby as a leader like a guide hence the name Atlas.

"May I know of the name of the baby?" I would want to know the baby's name as I would be guarding it in the future.

"Her name is Atelie." Ms Vera had picked up Atelie and gently swayed her.

Atelie huh it sounds close to the word Atelier maybe he'll become an artist of some sorts in the future.

"Atlas expect to be spoken to by the Head Necromancer tomorrow, in the mean time do not show any suspicious behaviors such as snooping around." Ms Vera had a stern tone while saying that and slowly put down Atelie.

"Yes Ms Vera..." I responded with seriousness. I guess i'll be asked some questions or be checked up for any abnormalities

"If we're alone just call me Vera but address me as Ms Vera in front of others." Ms Vera walked towards a door and seemed to be exiting the place.

"Yes... Vera." It didn't seem right to me to address her that way but I shouldn't disobey her.

"Take care until then..." Ms Vera had opened a door which led to a castle hallway which upon closing the door the door had disappeared from sight.

That door must have been a magic door.

Well... I should probably reflect on my situation here until then. I didn't feel tired, has only a short time passed or is it because i'm a skeleton. Well it doesn't matter right now, let's think about other important things for now.

I wonder if my parents are already grieving on seeing my lifeless body in the hospital...

Now I feel nervous being in another world, the boring and peaceful life I had is gone. Should I look for a way to get back? Maybe i'm in a coma and about to wake up soon...

The more I think the more anxious I get, I feel like i'm going to have a panic attack.

I don't want to imagine my parents crying for me at my deathbed.

Suddenly I feel a soft touch grab my pinky, it was Atelie. She had grabbed my pinky, now that I looked closer she was quite the cute baby.

Somehow I became much more composed upon feeling the warmth of the baby Atelie.

"Right.. I should focus on surviving." I always wanted a chance to live in a fantasy world and that chance has presented itself, I am Atlas the Skeleton and my story will start here.

[To be continued...]