I stared at Fate as soon as his words echoed. The last choice still weighed heavily on my mind.There was something about that option that unsettled me. A suffocating feeling, as if I were being... caged.
"What do you mean by carrying this echo forever?" I asked, my brow furrowed. "Are you saying I'll live the same life over and over again, without remembering any of it?"
Fate gave me one of those looks that felt heavier than it should. He didn't answer right away. Just crossed his arms with the patience of someone who had already anticipated my stubbornness.
"I thought I'd made it clear I'd only answer one question per trial. And look, I even let the first one slide, since it was your debut with reincarnations and memory overlaps," he said with a dry smile. "And look at that... this is your third."
I swallowed hard. After thinking for a moment, I realized he was right. Since I'd returned to this place, this was the third question. I'd let myself get carried away by how patiently he had answered everything so far.
"Alright... let me think for a bit," I muttered, sitting on the soft, uncertain ground of that distorted space.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath to calm my mind, and started organizing the storm of thoughts.
'Think, Silver, think... It's obvious there's something wrong with these choices. If he just wanted me to relive the same life, why give me three different options? Why give me time to choose? No... these options lead to different paths. Each one must take me to a different life.'
I opened my eyes and looked around that space again — with its colors that didn't belong to any reality I knew.
'He said it himself: three chances, three lives, three failures. That only makes sense if they're different lives. Or different worlds. There'd be no fun for him if everything repeated on the same stage.'
As the thoughts began falling into place, I slowly stood up, as if each idea pulled me closer to the right answer.
'Then why this heavy feeling when it comes to carrying the echo? It must be because I'd be trapped in an endless cycle. Throwing my existence into the world again and again, without awareness... without understanding anything. Like carrying a shadow that never explains itself. That must be the burden he mentioned.'
'But there's another thing bothering me. He said that if my soul were stronger than the host's, I'd take control. But... if Kenji's soul was my soul, how could I be stronger than myself?'
'Or... does the host refer to someone else? An independent soul? That means I could be born as a new person, with a body and soul that aren't originally mine? So I... possess the body? Like a ghost from legend?'
'And more: he talked about species. That my consciousness would only awaken during adolescence... or at an equivalent stage, depending on the race. So I might not even be born human?'
Everything started to seem absurdly possible — and that made it all the more dangerous to ignore.
'Also... why did the system only awaken after Kenji's death? Why that moment, of all possible moments? The more I think about it, the more I feel I missed a chance to learn something important.'
'And what does he really want with all of this? It can't just be entertainment, like he says. Is it some kind of experiment? Or something even deeper? Haa... damn it, I can't even imagine.'
As I finished rising to my feet, I looked at Fate, searching for any clue in his expression.
But he still had that same look... as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. As if I were an open book to him.
I clenched my fists. I already knew what my choice would be this time. I didn't want to live another life without control. I didn't want to repeat the mistake that led Kenji to his end.
"Fate," I said firmly. "I choose the second option."
Fate stared at me, and the smile returned to his lips. It wasn't evil... but it wasn't friendly either.
"Very well," he said, raising his hands. "May you live a good life... and bring me entertainment as a result."
Darkness swallowed me.
I fell. An endless fall. No wind, no sound, no reference. Panic took hold of me — falling without end, without control. But I couldn't scream, couldn't move.
I have no idea how much time passed. Or if time even existed there.
Until... I stopped.
No impact. No sound. Not even the sensation of ground.
I tried to open my eyes, but nothing happened. I couldn't tell if they were open or closed. I couldn't feel my body. I tried to breathe... nothing. My lungs didn't move. I really... had no body.
Everything around me was darkness. And, strangely, that darkness didn't cause me panic. It was... comforting. Like a mother's embrace.
Then, a light appeared. Bright, but it didn't illuminate anything around it. No warmth. Like one of those computer screens from a sci-fi movie.
/Samsara System initialized.Primary soul is stronger than host's.Beginning replacement./
A pain tore through my being. It wasn't physical. It was deep... as if my soul were being ripped from the inside out.
And then, in the blink of an eye, it was over. As if it had never happened.
With the pain came understanding.I... hadn't been born into this world yet.
I was in my new mother's womb. I had no idea how long she had been pregnant, but considering I didn't feel anything, it was probably the beginning.
'How am I even thinking like this...? How do I have awareness if my body isn't even formed? How long will I have to stay like this, waiting?'
The first doubts arose, and with no one to answer them, I started digging through Kenji's memories, trying to understand my situation.
'Among Kenji's memories, there was a lot about transmigrators and reincarnators from the anime, manga, and stories he used to consume. In them, the protagonist almost always had a power to change the world — and among those powers were the famous systems. Could mine help me like in those stories?'
With that thought, I started calling out to the system mentally, using every keyword I could think of:
'Status. Panel. Attributes...'
Nothing. The void remained.
'I knew these things only work in—'
And then, as if it had been waiting for my frustration, the light shone again.
This time, only the name appeared.
The Samsara System panel looked like a stellar ring inside a pulsating galaxy, beating in cosmic patterns — unlike anything I had ever seen before.
I focused all my attention on it. It was the only thing I could see. The only thing that might be able to help.
And then I realized: it looked a lot like the systems Kenji used to see in anime, novels, games, and manhwas.
'I can't believe I actually have to thank that miserable life just for having this kind of knowledge... I hope it's useful, at least,' I sighed mentally, the weight of Kenji's memories still echoing.
'Well... if this really is a system, there should be a status panel.'
Instantly, the light flickered and transformed into a new screen. On it, my current stats appeared.
And with them, came the confirmation:
At the very least... I was human.
/STATUS
Name: (N/D)
HP: 1
SP: 1
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 0 Week (76 Old)
Soul Rank: 1
Soul Level: 1
ATRIBUTOS
STR: 0 / PER: 0
AGI: 0 / RES: 0
INT: 15 / CHA: 0
CHA: 0 / LCK: 0
DEX: 0
'Hmm, zero weeks?' I thought, mentally raising an eyebrow. 'But why does it say 76 years? Could it be referring to the age of my soul? But Kenji died at 34, and I died at 41. That doesn't add up. Could it be counting even the time I'm being formed in the womb?'The possibility bothered me, but there was no way to confirm it yet. I'd have to wait for this life to play out.
'And apparently, I only have Intelligence… but what exactly does this system consider "Intelligence"? What's the average value for a normal human? And why the hell do I have two Charm stats?'I questioned myself, the confusion growing the more I thought about it.
'Hey, System, can you explain how my age is being calculated? And why do I have two Charm attributes?'I asked, hoping for an answer most systems wouldn't bother giving.
But even after several long minutes of waiting, I received no direct response. Frustrated, I turned my attention back to the system, trying to understand it another way. I analyzed the attributes, hoping to find explanations or at least some clues to the questions I was mentally forming in hopes of a response.
'What does each stat do?What's their real purpose?'
Nothing happened. No answers. No sounds. No changes.Still, with nothing else to do, I kept exploring every possible interaction, searching for a way to get all my questions answered.
And just like that… Time passed, and I got lost in it. After what felt like an endless amount of time, the status screen changed.
/Informações atualizadas
STATUS
Name: (N/D)
HP: 2
SP: 1
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 1 Week (76 Old)
Soul Rank: 1
Soul Level: 1
ATRIBUTOS
STR: 0 / PER: 0
AGI: 0 / RES: 0
INT: 15 /CHA: 0
CHA: 0 / LCK: -1
DEX: 0
'A week? I spent a whole week trying to figure out how to use you, how to communicate with you, and nothing? How is that even possible? And on top of that, my Luck stat dropped into the negative? How did that happen? System, answer me!' I complained mentally, noticing the changes but finding nothing new that could help me interact with this system.
With my focus drifting from the screen and no longer trying to interact with the system, I noticed something in my vision that hadn't been there before. Hoping it was something new I could engage with to pass the time, I focused my sight on it—triggering a new screen, which displayed a list of questions and answers.
/QUESTION: But why does it say 76 years? Could it be referring to the age of my soul? But Kenji died at 34, and I died at 41. That doesn't add up. Could it be counting even the time I'm being formed in the womb?ANSWER: Correct deduction. Your life as Silver lasted 41 years and 10 months, and your life as Kenji was 34 years and 9 months, totaling 76 years and 7 months./
/QUESTION: What exactly does this system consider "Intelligence"?ANSWER: The intelligence considered in this case refers to the host's knowledge and experience that can be used in this world./
'Hmm, so my questions were being heard and answered, but since I was too focused on Kenji's knowledge about system usage, I ended up sabotaging myself and missing that information.
Point for me — now I can see all the questions I've asked and their answers. Maybe this way I'll be able to get through these months without losing myself to boredom… and even find answers to the questions Fate won't give me.'