Chapter Text
[Low Energy Mode Activated!]
…Right.
That.
Its artificial, mechanical voice was unmistakable, but no digital screen accompanied it. It either existed as a figment of her imagination or as a placebo for her transmigration.
Hm.
A lot to think about, indeed.
She shrugged.
Maybe later.
…
Remi beat around the bush, staring at the ceiling. She wished it gave her the answers she needed, but… what even was she looking for?
Like, why was she even here? What world was this?
…Can she change anything if she knew?
She sprang out of bed, renewed in vigour. The aches in her limbs were minimal, but she was able to move around without complaint. Sure, she stumbled a bit when she took her first steps, but it was manageable at best. Remi paused. Was the System responsible for countering the pain?
Remi glared at the dresser in front of her. No, there wasn’t any point in thinking about it. Staying here wouldn’t answer any of her questions and would probably burn the entire place without her realizing it.
She needed to find out where she was before anything else.
Hands pried open the dresser. Remi hummed. A decent amount of clothes; not ones she’d personally wear, but she could work with them. This body wasn’t hers, anyway. So she couldn’t blame the original for the outfit choices, after all. Remi took out the first thing that caught her eye and put it on. It was a long white robe with blue and gold accents. Definitely not for casual wear, but Ananta wouldn’t mind, would she?
She paused.
He? She?
…They?
Her eyebrows furrowed. She contemplated checking, but there was an imaginary clock in her brain that was ticking, yelling at her to hurry up. Her hind brain couldn't care less about the gender someone identified as, but Remi, being Remi, was more concerned about the bathroom situation than anyone else.
She knew about everything a woman went through. Men, though? …To be honest, what was the man equivalent, anyway? Too many possibilities to think about, and ones she didn’t think she wanted to find out.
Would I be a pervert if I checked? This isn’t even my body.
Remi scratched her head, at a loss.
There was a slight pause. A shuffle, here and there. Remi took the risk and left, getting her answer.
Ananta better appreciate everything Remi’s doing for her when she comes back.
Ding!
[??? has offset your worry!]
“...Is there a mute button?”
A sudden stillness clogged the air. Not the right thing to say, it seemed. It clung to her, perhaps watching what else would come out of her mouth. Great. Remi closed her eyes and sighed, backtracking.
“Nevermind.”
It was for the best.
This System wasn’t very expressive, was it? Remi expected a kaomoji or three right in her face, a mechanical voice damning her to the pits of hell for suggesting a mute option. Maybe deducting some imaginary points that would decide her fate, life or death. That was usually how those Systems would respond, right? Although so far, it was just the voice in her ears. No screen, no… anything. Perhaps the atmosphere change was really part of her imagination.
She surmised it’d be similar to Scum Villain’s System, but maybe this was more of a blessing than Scum Villain’s penalty-heavy System. While Shen Yuan experienced many hurdles, the world he was in was practically made of it. The System he had, notwithstanding.
Regardless, she hoped wherever she was wasn’t like that at all. She really wouldn’t know what to do at that point.
Hopefully it stays that way.
Remi cleaned herself, dusting away at imaginary specks. She pulled at the collar of her robes, grimacing.
Collars were… itchy.
She turned towards the stairs and took the first step down. Immediately, she fell forward. Hot, stabbing needles prickled her knees, and she gasped, hands flailing around until she wound her fingers around the bannister. Her heart hammered in her chest. She dragged herself to sit on a step.
Remi inhaled, then exhaled. Blood rushed to her head, warmth rising through her veins. Inhale. Breathe. Exhale. Breathe.
Suddenly waking up in a body not her own and immediately having it break its neck wasn’t ideal—and she didn’t think Ananta needed that, either. Not at all.
An annoyingly familiar Ding! silently rang twice through her ears.
[??? has partially offset your pain!]
[??? has partially offset your worry!]
“...” Thanks?
Unsure of how to proceed, Remi moved her butt down a step before shakily standing on her feet. Slowly, this time, her hand slid along the handrail for support.
She nearly kissed the floor when she touched ground level, both figuratively and literally.
Ananta’s mother was already there, waiting.
“And here I thought you went back to sleep, sleepy head. Come, eat your food before it gets cold!”
A hand closed around her wrist, and Remi blinked, finding herself sitting down at a table. The table was lower than what she was used to, but she declined to say anything else, both in thought and aloud. Not with Ananta’s mother scrutinizing her.
The wheat-haired woman crossed her arms. “You’re not planning on going out, are you?”
It was a genuine question. An everyday question. Nothing too serious, but nothing too good either in Remi’s honest opinion. It could be answered in a million ways. As far as she knew, Ananta was sick before she took over. She had been stuck in bed for several days, unable to move. Remi figured Ananta’s mother’s worry stemmed from that, and it was understandable. A caring parent like this woman wouldn’t want their kid running around after being stuck in bed, sick, and unable to move. It was only a miracle that Ananta was able to move around.
Remi tossed the question around, thinking of possible ways to answer without sounding too ignorant of where she was.
“...I wanted to walk around.”
“In your cleric robes?”
Is that what these robes were? She looked down at herself. They didn’t feel too holy.
“They are comfortable,” she said petulantly.
Ananta’s mother didn’t look like she was convinced. “Right.” She shook her head, face softening. “Try to eat your food before it gets cold, okay?”
A bowl of mush was set in front of Remi, steam seeping against her face.
“There were still leftovers from your brother. I’m afraid he managed to eat almost everything, including your father. But I managed to save something for you!”
If you woke up, went unsaid.
How sweet. Remi appreciated the sentiment. Although she supposed that if Ananta was ill, she was likely put on a no-solid diet to swallow everything easily. Going out of her way to save a portion of food each day for a child you didn’t know would wake up was very… Nice, so to speak. But Remi still liked the sentiment behind it.
But, yes. The no-solid diet. This was the only logical explanation.
“—Now go on, just eat! It’s your and your brother’s favorite.”
Remi took a spoonful of the mush. It tasted like water and herbs.
Seriously? This was Ananta’s favorite food?
What kind of psychopath was she?
Regardless, she ate the whole bowl. It wouldn’t be right to waste the labor on making it. Saving it, too.
“...”
“Going out, Ananta?”
Remi nodded. “Hm.”
The wheat-haired woman cradled her face, smiling. “Just… remember, don’t push yourself. When you get tired, just stay under a tree. In fact, I think you should check in with Laurana at the church. I think she and her grandmother will enjoy having some company during the preparations."
Ananta’s mother laughed.
“Go have fun! Be sure to see your brother and father first.”
The motherly woman padded away to the kitchen, humming away as she worked. Remi stared at her for a few moments before spinning on her heel. She stopped at the door, hand on the knob.
…
She pushed it aside.
It was… bright.
Green fields stretched across the land, flowers of various colors dotting each crevice. People milled about, dressed in rustic styled clothes, entering and leaving their equally rustic housing. Children laughed, running and chasing their older counterparts. Birdsong twinkled in her ears.
Along a stone path, she spied a giant water wheel in the distance. A line of clothing, hung on a rope and held by sticks, gently flowed in the breeze.
“It’s… warm.”
Peaceful.
[Recalibrating…]
Remi stiffened, holding back a flinch.
Instead of being a noise easily tuned out, it reverberated everywhere, unable to be deafened.
[Recalibrating… SUCCESS!]
A blue, translucent box greeted her eyes. It was brighter than the warm sun shining above her, like putting on full brightness mode on a white background. Remi averted her eyes, but even as she did, it followed her line of sight.
[Main Quest Available!]
[Prologue - Your New Identity]
Objective(s): Explore Wishvale
Collect information from townsfolk (0/?)
Discover the truth about ████████
Time: -
Penalty for failure: -
[Rewards: 500 Leaves, ???]
“‘Leaves?’” She had a feeling it wasn’t referring to the leaves on a tree. Her eyes flitted over the glaring words alluding to a time limit and a penalty function, not wanting to go in depth for that. Somehow, ‘leaves’ tickled her brain.
It wasn’t the only thing that brushed her with familiarity.
Wishvale. That sounds so… familiar… Where have I heard that name before?
“...I accept?”
A ring. Then, the screen blinked out like an old television monitor.
…
Right. That happened.
Again.
Remi sighed.