I dreamt again. I dreamt I stood in a clearing deep within some dark forest under the full moon. The critters and birds and what else dwelled within that swell of canopying trees all around me watched in silence.
Owls, sparrows, eagles and other bigger avian creatures I could not name gathered over thick branches. Wolves and foxes and does sat underneath them. Predator and prey mingled, watching in silence, afraid and worshipful, heads lowered.
I stood across from a man I couldn't see, whose face was as bright as the moon on that clear night. There was no autonomy in this dream. I had no control over my actions. I couldn't even speak. Yet, every fiber of my being knew that what sat there then was no man at all. It was a law of nature, as clear as the rising and setting Sun.
"Ah, make it so they almost kill them... near-death, but don't actually murk them. With the name I've chosen, I doubt they won't be frauds and bums after a while. Besides, the crest that comes with the pathogen can heal them in time. Slow, but they won't die unless something super bizarre happens... Hold on, bizarre... A bizarre adven-"
I did not understand the words that came from my mouth for a good moment. Only when I woke up did it click that 'I' was my ancestor then.
That being let out a sigh, and I felt a smile cross their lips, "We do not... understand why they must face a trial to begin with. We are content. This is a gift to those that will come once you pass, a repayment for your loyalty, all that you have done for us, and ours."
"Cause then they'd really be bums that'll just get hard-carried by my-"
"How many times must we order you to speak properly?"
The world thawed and small birds cried in veneration and agreement.
"Yes...yes. They need to prove themselves worthy of this gift, of my legacy."
"Acceptable. Now, make clear to us the predation, and leave no word unsaid."
"Alright, when it's complete, the pathogen has to appear like these black marks-... and its own mana-... for that, eat away at the circuits of-..."
Though I tried to hear more, the world began to spiral and drag out. My time there was done.
-
The beeping heart monitor was the first thing I saw when I woke up, then the tubes connected to my wrist and my body and the bags of saline hanging from a nearby stand. I realised immediately that I was in a hospital ward. An open window beside me let in warm sunlight, and tasteless white curtains were drawn around my bed so as not to let anyone see... or perhaps vice versa.
I was not a hasty person, and not the type to throw a tantrum when of sane mind, so I did not take the cliche option of ripping all the tubes out, then causing a ruckus before inevitably collapsing. No, for a moment, I only took in my surroundings, not even bothering to move. The realisation that simply lying around was not an option settled in next, after all, I still had no inkling of where I was.
Last night... How long had it even been since then? It didn't matter. They were damning all the same. I had woken up as someone else, immediately gotten into a conflict with some sort of organised scam-... ugh, Mahoraga. I had summoned Mahoraga against a couple of gangoons.
My so-called 'ancestor' was right to call me a fraud.
I couldn't help the chuckle that left my lips at the thoughts, even if I immediately winced and hissed from the pain that came from that slight movement right after.
Like any healthy young man, transmigration or reincarnation was indeed an idea I'd pondered upon, even fancied, when the going got rough and I realised just how lonely I was, so the realisation that that was indeed what had transpired came as a welcome one. With the Ten Shadows on top, there really was nothing to complain about at all.
I even found myself looking forward to this... seemingly normal world, where I could summon the Divine General himself.
That was, until I realised the kind of hardship that awaited if I was in a particularly rough kind of world. The signs pointed towards something else, so there was that saving grace at least.
Or, I was still in some sort of drug-induced episode. That was an unappealing option.
If nothing else, at least a second life gave me the opportunity to take those steps I never had, and not repeat the mistakes I regretted and felt ashamed for even today. With how life was, a real chance at re-doing things was incredibly appealing.
That was as far as I was able to go about calming myself, seeing the good instead of the bad, like abandoning a well-made career and my few friends or that Ducati Monster I'd just bought after gruelling part-time work and corner-cutting.
Hm... I'd really been looking forward to taking that thing on a test run... maybe even impress some ladies with it.
"I need to... move."
Apparently, the slight commotion that came with my little wake-up was noticed. No sooner than I had moved, the front curtain was pulled aside by an older nurse. She adjusted her hat a bit, and regarded me with a smile that looked too comfortable for me to be the same. Her dark eyes passed over me in awe.
"You've woken up, Zen'in-san." She murmured quietly.
'-san'?
Wait, she hadn't even spoken in English. No, I was the weird one, understanding her words felt second nature. I supposed there was no real point in looking a gift horse in the mouth when the situation was as nonsensical as mine to begin with.
The heart monitor beeped incessantly.
I locked eyes with her. Hers wavered.
"I mean, you've woken up-" She finally seemed to register the situation with a start, "Wait, wait just a moment, please!"
Once again, I was left alone. I even entertained the thought of forcing myself to my feet in some attempt to escape... but all I could see outside the window was a clear blue sky. That meant we were too high up for me to get far.
I stared down at my bandaged chest. Oh, my arm was in a cast too. When I tried to move it, I felt no resistance at all.
Hadn't that man said something about healing in that dream? He'd even mentioned some kind of Crest. Thus far, I had noticed nothing of the sort, save for... Hm, there was a crimson mark running underneath my right forearm. Three marks... Long wings that resembled the Divine General's.
"Detective, you can't just-... We don't know-"
I didn't get to think about them for long sadly, as I heard some muffled shouting before a door was roughly thrown open. A moment later, the curtain by my feet was getting roughly shoved aside by a... police officer?
Suddenly, a robust man in a dark leather jacket and blue jeans was staring down at me. His hair was cut extremely short, shaved at the sides, and there was a strange scar underneath his steely, grey eyes, running across his nose.
His gaze was... unexpectedly warm for someone who looked so fierce it felt unreal.
"You're really awake, huh, young man?"
I studied him in silence.
"They told me you'd take at least a few weeks, a month even." He smiled, "But I'm grateful, and trust me, I'll get those damn bastards for what they did to you."
"Sir-" An elderly man in the end stages of male pattern baldness, a doctor I assumed from his white coat, put a hand on his shoulder.
"They went too far against a kid, dammit. What else can we expect from criminal filth?" He made to spit, but stopped himself at the last second, "Hey, if you're not feeling too bad, do you think you could answer a few questions?"
"Detective-" I stared at the golden badge on his breast pocket. "-He's just woken up. His ribs were shattered, and pierced into his lungs. Not to mention his clavicle-"
"For a cup of coffee."
"What?"
I met his gaze again, "I said, for a cup of coffee... and, if you can get me to a balcony... I need some sunlight."
"Son, you can't move as you are." The doctor explained softly, pursing his lips.
Instead of arguing, I forced myself up. My back groaned but I did manage it, somewhat, before the nurse rushed in to support me.
"How is this possible?"
"Look, he's moving. Get him up. Don't you have a wheelchair or something?" The policeman was brash and loud, the sort of person I tended to avoid, but his actions worked to my favour this time, "Come on! You can't say no to a patient, can you?"
Actually, they could.
Yet, they complied all the same. A few minutes later, I found myself in a wheelchair, wheeled out to the balcony just beside my bed. The nurse came back with a cup of black coffee, then retreated to the door, leaving only me and the officer standing... well, he was standing, I sat there on my wheelchair, staring off into a burgeoning city that went as far I could see.
There was even a port in the distance.
"Where are we?" I said absently.
"Tokyo. They roughed you up bad, huh?"
Tokyo... that explained a lot.
"No, I had a swell time, as you can see."
Though that was the truth, the officer let out a chuckle. Then, he waited, quietly.
"How long?"
"A week and a half. I was told I had to wait-... well, you know."
That was not too bad actually. After all, it was Mahoraga himself who kicked me into a wall, hard enough to make a shake of my bones and flesh. No, it was a miracle I was even alive after taking that kick. No, if my dream was true, then that was on purpose. Still, as I retained my sanity, I would rather not experience that again if I could possibly help it.
Sighing to myself, I took a gulp of my coffee and stared out into the city.
"So, Enji Zen'in, twenty years old, second year student at Musashi University, economics major..."
It was Theodore actually-... Nevermind.
I acknowledged his words with a grunt. This man had done his research, and as I was, he knew more about 'me' than I did.
"Father died recently. He went through a divorce when you were born and the estranged mother is in Okinawa, and you have an older sister living with her. We called them, but your mother wasn't interested-... hm, sorry, kid."
"Better that way." I acknowledged calmly.
It was better to not have to deal with those kinds of troubles at all right now. How was I supposed to mingle with people I didn't even know like family? That said, I had expected some kind of Zen'in clan to exist, and for me to be associated with them with how grandstanding my ancestor was.
The officer faltered a moment, though I didn't deign to look at his expression, "We contacted the rest of the family, but they denied any relation-... It doesn't matter. Look, I don't know what you were going through, but those men followed you into the club. The woman was with them. It's a known scam, but I won't blame you for not noticing."
Hm, I had noticed though. At least, subconsciously.
"But not only did those crazy bastards nearly kill you over some money, they had the guts to blame it on some kind of monster. They even claim they're the ones who called rescue services."
...So those guys called an ambulance, did they?
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I pushed it down. That was definitely what had transpired.
"Now, I don't believe them at all, grown men shouting about monsters is a childish excuse. But, I have to ask. Was there anyone else?"
His words gave away that this was not an openly supernatural world, even if it most certainly was one. That was good, it narrowed down the possibilities. But for now, there was a more immediate decision to make.
I could exonerate those gangoons here and now, by blaming someone else. Or... I could avoid the trouble of further questioning.
The decision was an easy one.
My shoulders trembled.
"T... They just wouldn't stop."
"That's it," He placed a hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry I made you re-visit it. That's all I need."
His face screamed bloody murder. As he stomped away, I struggled to push down a satisfied smile. They were scammers, criminal filth, it didn't matter that they'd taken pity on me when who knew how many others they'd beaten and extorted.
In the end, they deserved the punishment headed their way.
When the nurse came to wheel me back to my bed, another woman walked into the ward just as we went inside. A tall girl, not much older than myself, with dark hair done in a ponytail. The moment she noticed me, her eyes glazed over and the purse in her hand fell to the pristine tiled floor.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
Please, do comment what you think of this. I'm still on the fence about whether I should keep going.
As usual, you can find a couple chonky chaps ahead at patre0n.com/Bleap