Prologue
Prologue
Prologue
As everything around me fades to black I hear laughter coming from the people who should have been my teammates. In all my life I never would have thought that I would die in another world, especially by the hands of people who should know that Im the reason they were having such an easy time in the dungeon we were currently in. Once my consciousness cut out my last thought was about the people who helped me when we were first summoned to this world and what their reactions will be when they learn what happened. After a while I felt myself waking up and the first this I saw when I opened my eyes was a vast starless sky and a beautiful full moon shining its silver light and illuminating the world. After getting lost just staring at the moon for a while I voiced my thoughts to the sky,
So am I dead or is this a dream?
{Unfortunately for you, your human life has come to an end.}
When I got an unexpected answer to my question I jumped up and turned around to see the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She had long silver hair that seemed to shine like the moon above our heads. She wore a stunning dark blue kimono that accentuated her beauty and made her light color hair stand out even more. After recovering from my surprise, I noticed that the woman who spoke to me wasnt human. Instead of ears on the side of her head she had a pair of fox ears and at her back were 9 long, silver tails. Looking into her eyes I noticed that they shone with a faint golden light. While I was trapped in my thoughts, she spoke to me again.
{It seems like you were purposely pushed into a trap by your companions and killed almost immediately.}
So that really was the case, huh. Well, its not like I didnt expect something like this to happen eventually I said shrugging my shoulders.
{You are taking this surprisingly well for someone who just died} the woman said with a hint of surprise in her voice.
Not really, I just dont think my mind has had the time to really comprehend this whole situation. If we wait a while, I think I will start freaking out.
{Fair enough, so while you are relatively calm, I will introduce myself, my name is Tamamo, and I am the Goddess of the Moon of this world.}
After introducing herself, she gave me a welcoming smile that instantly made my heart race faster that I ever thought it could. Shaking my head to get my thoughts in order I returned her greeting, My name is Jason Strider, summoned person and former member of the heros party.
{Its an honor to meet you, Jason. Now that the introductions are over let me ask you, do you want to start a new life in this world or move on to the afterlife?}
While her question surprised me a little, I was kind of expecting it. Back on Earth I loved novels like this and always secretly wished to find myself in a situation like this. Before I answer, is there any demerit to either option? I asked even though we both already knew what I would choose.
{Refusing would mean that your soul would be sent to the afterlife for a few thousand years after which your memories and experiences would be erased, and your now fresh soul would be placed into a new body as a different person. Accepting would allow you to keep your memories as well as any skills you earned while alive. The downside to this option is that your levels would be lost, you would need to start life again as a baby and in this particular case you would no longer be male.}
All of this sounds fine enough but why the last thing? I asked confused.
{All souls have an affinity for a body and the only body that has a good affinity with your soul is a female.}
Is there a way to wait for a male body that has an affinity with my soul?
{There is, but I dont recommend it because you will be waiting for about 45,000 years and by the time that happens you would have gone mad.}
Mulling it over again in my head, I came to the conclusion that Id rather keep my sanity and just accept the offer. If the option to have a new life with my memories and skills is there Ill accept.
{Perfect!}
She said this with such a cheerful smile that it caused my heart to start racing again.
{Now that you have agreed I will go over the more specific details such as where and when you will be reincarnated.}
I nodded my head in understanding and waited for her to continue.
{You will be born in a hidden demi-human village in a forest on the borders of the Celestia kingdom where you were summoned. It has been two years since you were killed in the dungeon.}
Two years! But weve only been talking for a few minutes. I said shocked.
{This is my home in the divine domain, time flows slower here that it does there. Now hold still for a moment.}
As she said this, she placed her hand on my head and I felt a massive amount of power condense around us.
{Congratulations, the process was successful. You will now be reincarnated as a denizen of our world. As a small bonus I granted you my divine protection as well.}
What kind of effects does that have? I asked while feeling a warm sensation in my body.
{Ill let you find that out on your own but let me warn you now, since you have received my divine protection that means you will be my partner for eternity.}
After she said those words I was left completely stunned. What do you mean by partner. Didnt we only meet just now?
{Thats the rule the gods of this world follow. If we find a soul that we feel a strong connection to we grant them our divine protection and claim them for ourselves.}
While I dont particularly mind, I wish you would have at least warned me before hand. As I realized what I was saying I felt my body start to heat up to an unbearable level and I started to feel extremely sleepy. Before my consciousness cut out, I could hear Tamamo saying something.
{Good luck in your next life, I hope you can make it an amusing one.}
After hearing this I completely blacked out.