I stare into empty space while I read through the list which has so concisely tabulated my life and experiences, and for added flair put so new things in!
I get the basics of the abilities at least. Strength is how good I am at hitting stuff, how much I can lift. Dexterity is how good my reflexes are and how quick I am with my hands (ex's all agree, my hands were good). Constitution is my overall health and seems to modify both health and stamina pools and their recovery rates, which does make sense. Intelligence is pretty on the nose. Wisdom I'm not as sure about, I should probably ask Ios what the difference is between it and Intelligence. Charisma is through the fucking roof, and that's where I start having a hard ti.
Sure, I went to parties, had friends and social circles that I flitted between in college. I wasn't so wall flower, but 100?! How? Why?! Does that an if I tell a la ass dad joke, panties are going to drop in a 5 mile radius?? Wait hang on, that might not be too bad..
On top of all of that is the Luck stat. I guess I do consider myself lucky to be in this scenario for a few reasons. From what Ios said, Sandra and I were bound for an endless river that would strip away our previous identities and mories while leaving our connection the sa. We'd have to be reborn, hope that we were in the sa plane, around the sa age, and close enough geographically to et to even have a chance at starting another connection that ca close to the one we had back on Earth.
Regardless, I still want to know why Luck is so damn high?! With a heavy sigh, I ask the resident voice in my head whose good cheer cannot and will not be abated.
"Ios, why the fuck are my rizz and Luck stats so high?" Thankfully my husky, low voice (squee!) is calm and non-confrontational as I ask her.
Her bubbling reply follows directly after the last syllable leaves my lips, 'I knew you would ask that first, and word it just like that hahaha~ Your titles can affect your skills, recovery rates, experience gain, all sorts of things! Getting titles is one of the easiest ways to give yourself a force multiplier. Why don't you use that handy [Inspect] skill to quickly go through your titles pretty lady.~ I'll of course be here to answer any questions if you have them. Naly, Wisdom is more related to knowledge of the soul and intent behind soone's or sothing's actions, while Intelligence is more related to material, historical, or abstract knowledge.'
What the fuck, can she actually read my mind?!
'Of course not!~ teehee~'
"Dont fucking 'teehee~'
after that exchange!!" I yell out with exhaustion at her antics.
If she can read my mind, it would honestly make things a lot easier. Sure, I have so things I'd like to keep private, but honestly just having soone who knows what I'm thinking before I voice it sounds nice.
Hmm.. Not beating that codependent charge right now am I.
I sigh before starting again, "Alright, let's look at the titles you little brat. Seriously though, can you read my mind?? Is there even a reason I'm talking to you verbally or ntally?"
'No, I can't actually read your mind Aims. You are just incredibly easy to read and predict sotis. Which is adorable! But sothing we should probably work on, in the future. We haven't yet gotten to the kind of world my sister and I dropped you in, but it will pay to keep your emotions in check. Trust
on that at least.
Anywho! Titles right? Let's just assu you're going to use Inspect on everything starting from top to bottom, unless you have certain things you want to check out first?'
With that ominous revelation, I'm inclined to let Ios take the wheel here. Yes, she dropped my sorry ass in the middle of a warzone going by the trees, but at least she seems to be actively trying to get
out of it. I'd probably be sward by who knows what if it wasn't for her concealnt... thingy...
"Sure Ios, lets go with the cliff note versions since ti's ticking down though."
A flair of power goes through
each ti Identify is used. With each use, I feel the skill getting stronger and more adept. However, so of the information that cos from the revealed Titles makes
a bit unsettled.
[Intertwined Soul]: You and another soul are connected so deeply, that you transcend the aning of soul mates. While on the sa plane of existence, you and your intertwined soul can communicate telepathically, share emotions, know each other's health, and always know the other soul's location. If you are separated by planes, emotions and health can still be carried across the bond. Additionally, you can share Qi and knowledge with your Intertwined Soul, at only a slightly reduced rate as they would have gained it normally. If your Intertwined Soul were to perish and you yet live, madness would consu you to hunt your mate's killers to the ends of existence. Heed words, Mighty Empires. For you know not what Wrath you have Wrought.
Okay... Okay... I guess that ans Sandy and I are... going to have a deeper relationship than we did previously. I can't help but feel kind of... relieved and giddy about that bit of information. And I don't know quite how to process it yet. It is fantastic that we can share all that info about health and stuff, regardless of the... connotations of it all. And what is with that ending line?? Thats so shit an Elden Ring boss says before they smack half your health bar with one hit!
"Jesus... Okay I'll process that later Ios, on to the next one." I say as calm as I can.
[Reincarnator]: You have been plucked from the river before your ti, with so of your mories and skills still within your soul. Your stats and skills will reflect your past life at the ti of your reincarnation. Your Luck stat will also increase by 125.
Thankfully much less ominous, I'll take it! And it begins to explain my over-the-top stat! "Next please!"
[Favored by Ios]: Ios has touched your soul and found you worthy. You will receive a 25% buff to experience gain and Qi accumulation, as well as a 10% buff to Health and Stamina pools. Your Luck stat also increases by 125.
Without pause for my input, the next title appears.
[Favored by Ilya]: Ilya has touched your soul and found you worthy. You will receive a 25% buff to experience gain and Qi accumulation, as well as a 10% buff to Health and Stamina pools. Your Luck stat also increases by 125. She has also granted you access to the System.
CONDITIONS T: PRERECORDED SYSTEM SSAGE: A deep, sensual, and haughty voice reaches my ears, "Hello Alia! I apologize for the late reveal, but I hope my dear sister has introduced
properly. I am Ilya, and as cliche as it is to say, you and your sister are part of my plans for now. Rest assured, I want you to be happy, healthy, and eager to help
in my pursuits. The sa for Sandra as well of course. But for now, know this. The system is a tool, Ios is a lovely woman and adorable sister, but she rely uses it as I have described it to her. If you are smart, you can use it to solidify not just your strength, but Sandra's as well. Tata!~"
The ssage with the sultry low voice of Ilya ends with
feeling gob smacked.
'Yeah, Ilya can be suuuuper cryptic sotis. Like, I'm not dumb by any stretch of the imagination. But Ilya says so shit sotis that makes
wonder if we aren't just completely different species.' I hear the surprisingly solemn voice of Ios ring through after the ssage plays, but instantly she gets back to her upbeat nature. 'She's still the greatest though!~ Anyway, onto the next one champ? ~'
"Hah! Sure Ios, lets just keep this rolling" I laugh loudly into the air.
[Defier of the Heavens]: You have defied the heavens by rely existing in this reality. Experience gain and Qi accumulation is increased by 25%, and you receive a 10% buff to Health and Stamina pools. Your heavenly trials will be t with the strongest force that the Heavens can manage proportional to the trial. Prepare well and smite the Heaven's themselves! Your Luck stat has increased by 125.
Well double fuck, what does that even an?!
'Don't worry, I'll go over all the cultivation stuff after we get done with this. It'll honestly be a lot easier to explain once you know what you're rockin' sweetie~ NEXT!~ hehe'
[Touched by the Void]: You have briefly seen the void before the river. Its echo still has its hold on you. Attunent to the Void elent increased by 150%. Attunent to Soul elent increased by 50%.
Is it ti for another panic attack yet? I think I have room on my punch card, where did I put it...
'Hehe, NEXT!'
[Hardened Soul]: Your soul has gone through more tribulations than most and survived. Soul damage against you is reduced by 95% and ntal effects such as fear, charm, or hate are less effective on you.
Okay... so that's a general positive finally. I was really beginning to worry I was just in for a full-on prophecy at this point.
"Next! Also, Ios you little shit let
say 'Next' and process things!!"
[Charon's Little Helper]: You have collected and ferried a soul, putting it under your care and jurisdiction. The God of the River salutes you and gives his blessing. You will have an area near your womb in your spiritual body where you can collect souls in any form. Once collected, you can choose to Incubate, Guide, Discard, or Consu the soul. As you grow stronger, the capacity of your storage area will increase.
If you Incubate a soul, you share your energy with it to help it grow and eventually bring it back to life in the mortal realm. If you Guide a soul, you ditate and take ti to guide that soul's journey to the afterlife. You will aid it in its trials and tribulations and offer it a better chance in the future and cleanse it of any negative karma. If you Discard a soul, it will be cast away from you and return to the river to be put back into the cycle and you will never encounter it again. If you Consu the soul, you devour the life, mories, and attachnts that the soul has, feeding your own strength and giving you access to deep, ancient powers. The tradeoff is that your own soul will suffer damage, as the consud soul rges and combines into you.
I'll take panic attack on Isle 3 please. WHAT THE FUCK?!
"What the FUCK Ios?!? Souls? This is beyond insane."
'Look I get it!! I didn't put anything here at all! Except my blessing of course, mwah~! But no, this is why I wanted you to look at your titles, this shit is crazy Aims!!'
I rub my temples as hard as I possibly can as I feel the panic and mania begin to spread in my mind. So Ios has known all this crazy shit since I landed here, and apparently, she is waiting for
to catch up and not have, very understandable, ltdowns with the information given. Alright, I can try my best I suppose.
"You really should have searched for a more ntally stable pairing, Ios I am going insane right now trying to keep up" I jokingly try to deflect, while signaling my desire to continue.
'I know this is alot hun, and you're doing great!~ Honestly, I thought you'd breakdown again by now but you are a very strong woman! Teasing aside, if you truly want to stop, let
know and we can try and find so kind of shelter and figure out your clothes situation with the Shop.'
Oh right. I'm still naked. God damnit Ios.
Well, I've been naked this whole ti so far. Might as well just finish the tedious parts first and then worry about being modest when I'm ready to move out. Besides, it's kind of... comfortable.
Passive Skill Acquired! [Budding Nudist]
"Oh, fuck off" Cos out under my breath as I rub my eyes with one hand.
"Let's just keep going for now Ios. And don't you dare ntion that new skill, I swear to God." I say with a knowing voice. This little troll, while helpful, never misses a chance to needle .
She responds with what I assu is fake exhaustion, 'Fiiiine, but we are for sure still going to use Inspect on it regardless. We need to be thorough you know!~ hehe!'
[Otherworldly Beauty]: Your natural beauty is unparalleled and unmatched in almost any circumstance. Your Charisma is permanently set to a base of 100 and cannot be lowered below 100. You can still raise the stat going forward. In addition, when in calm, intimate environnts you will passively generate small amounts of Arousal and Lust to yourself and anyone you deem attractive.
At least that explains the inflated Charisma stat, but I'm less keen on the effects it describes. So anyti I'm alone with soone I find attractive, we are both going to be slowly but steadily getting more and more horny?! I an... It could be helpful sotis, but if the other person isn't into it then I co off like so kind of assaulter? I'll need to talk with Ios to see if there's a way to disable title effects, hopefully that doesn't an I would lose the 100 Rizz though...
"Alright, I definitely have questions about this one Ios. But for now, I just want to get through this laundry list of titles and shit. We're running out of ti here."
'You got it boss!~ Onto the next one!' her usual peppy voice replies back.
[Pro Athlete]: Due to your past life's rigorous physical activities and involvent in sports, you are a natural athlete. Physical activities such as lifting, running, or throwing have their stamina cost reduced by half, and you experience muscle fatigue less severely than normal.
See now this finally makes sense! I was part of my college's track team, and while I wasn't the star, I was routinely considered the 2nd or 3rd best on the team. That reduction to stamina usage is going to be huge getting out of this blown out forest too I bet. Not like there's a car or sothing for
to use to get the hell out of here.
"Nice! I actually like this one! Throw the next one up Ios!"
[Alumni]: You were part of a group of likeminded individuals during your studies. You will find, and have an easier ti building relationships with, people that share your opinions and viewpoints during your journey. Additionally, the rate at which you learn is moderately increased.
Sigma Cappa Oga for the win it seems. The learning buff is pretty peak too, I'm going to have to basically learn a whole new culture, writing system, language maybe, and who knows what else going forward so I'll be getting a lot of use out of it!
"The good tis just keep coming it seems Ios! Let's see what the last one has for ."
[Survivor]: You have experienced traumatic events and still continued despite it leaving scars on your mind and body. Negative ntal effects, such as fear or panic, will have a slightly reduced effect on you and you recover from them slightly faster than normal. Physical effects such as poison or bleeding similarly have slightly reduced effectiveness on you, and you recover from them faster than normal. Read full story at NoveI-Fire.??et
Well shit. I guess that explains why I haven't broken down as much as I probably would have if this was the
back on Earth. It's kind of... nice actually. Back ho, my panic attacks would be debilitating sotis, and the only ti I ever could co down from the worst ones was when Sandra would have to co console . The last one was when I had just moved into my own apartnt close to college to help take the burden off of mom and dad. The newness of the situation, the reality that I was responsible for my own well-being slowly creeped up my psyche for days until I broke down in my bed and finally called my sister.
She rushed over, the apartnt was only about 10 minutes from her own place at the ti, and she used the key I gave her to fling the door open and then jump into the bed with
and hold my head against her chest as she stroked my hair. She whispered calming thoughts with her velvet soft, sing song voice and talked
through easing my breathing enough that I finally fell asleep against her. I hadn't really been sleeping until then, maybe catching 2 or 3 hours at best or not sleeping at all in the worst case.
I woke up confused after what felt like resting for days but actually turned out to be 10 hours or so, still against Sandra's chest as I did my best impression of a koala by latching onto Sandra's body. She was asleep too, with her arms cradling my head to her chest, fingers still woven through my hair and against my scalp with her own long, golden chestnut hair draped over my face like a protective cover from the woes of the world. I still rember looking up through her hair and seeing the light coming into the room from the window which seed to give her a healthy golden outline of light, and a small halo of golden light that flowed around the curve of her head. At the ti, I thought I had died and was being held by an angel.
God, I miss her already, and it's only been maybe half an hour waking up in this new reality. Just the mory of one of the sweetest monts of my life is nearly enough to finally push
into the overwhelming-ness of this situation yet again.
Active Effect Gained [lancholy (Slight)]
Active Effect Gained [Longing (Severe)]
Fuck a duck, co on system!! I take a deep breath and run my new nimble fingers through my new long red hair as I scratch my scalp, imitating what Sandra did for
back then in an effort to calm myself. It helps slightly, and after a few monts I turn my attention back to the Status sheet and begin looking at the active effects it lists.
"Alright, this day is a fucking downer but at least I have you Ios. Let's keep going and look at the active effects. I need to know what I'm working with." I say with determination.
'You're doing so well hun, I'll keep the teasing down until we get through all of this list and get you comfortable. And after, even if I'm not there physically, you're always free to call out and confide in . I promise, I will always take your ntal health seriously.' Her voice is much more reserved and collected, I wonder if it's because she saw those last two effects pop up, or if she can actually be serious sotis. Either way, we start investigating as her earnest comfort makes my eyes start to sting with tears.
[Soul Storage (Occupied) (Incubating)] You are Incubating the soul previously known as Sandra Dufort. Her soul is in the Incubation stage, estimated rebirth is possible in roughly 2 months at current energy consumption. To speed the process, gather Qi and direct it to the injured soul. The soul is not conscious at the mont and needs further energy to awaken and respond to outside stimuli.
What.
I look down at my stomach, where I can feel so kind of connection now that I'm aware of it. My hands trace along my tummy and rest slightly above where my womb is, and I feel it. A... pressure or heat inside my own body that is not my own. I fall to my knees as I hold myself, tears streaming down my eyes.
[Quest completed! Found your Long Lost Sister! Gained 10 Skill Points and 500 Shop Points!]
A chocked sob escapes my throat, as the tears keep falling onto the ashen, burnt ground. I gather enough voice between sobs to ask,
"Did you know, Ios."
'Yes.' She says, still in a reserved voice without her usual trace of mischief. 'Rember when I said that when I grabbed your soul, Sandra's soul followed? The plan was for Ilya and I to simultaneously grab your souls. I was to grab you; Ilya was to get your sister. We planned to bring both of you to this world in close proximity and then have both you and Sandra reconnect and begin your adventure. The crash that lead to your deaths however was bad enough that her soul was damaged from the trauma. Sandra was on your mom's side of the truck which took the most damage, while you were behind your dad in the driver's seat relatively safe.
When I took hold of you, Sandra's soul... spiraled toward you. It was like she thought that you were being taken from her, and in a panic, her soul drilled into you. To try and beco one with you like the interconnected souls I ntioned previously did. However, due to Ilya's preparations, she couldn't and so her soul burrowed deep into your body as it was forming here in this world before Ilya could reach out to her and calm her down. Neither I nor Ilya have seen anything like it before, and as far as I can tell it will never happen again.
Sandra is still herself, inside of you. You are not gaining Qi passively because anything you gather is being fed to her soul like a hungry child. Once she starts getting enough energy, she should be able to communicate to either Ilya, or you directly due to your Intertwined Soul title, but right now it's as if she is hibernating.'
I take a long shuddering breath before a few more tears slip past my cheeks. With my hands still curled into my hair and on my scalp, I fall down to the cracked and burnt ground and pull my knees to my chest.
"Well," I choke out from my fetal position, "at least it's not fucking malicious withholding of information, but I would very much appreciate you being more forward with things like this in the future. I thought she was a world away! I thought I'd have to climb through so shitty guild or sothing to gain enough power to get to her! But shes... broken? And inside of ? I can help her right?" I almost sob at the end of the question I pose to Ios.
'Yes! Yes, honey you absolutely can. I'm sorry, it's not that I was holding that information on purpose, but I was trying to let you find it organically, so you wouldn't shut down from the shock. We are still on a tir, and I don't think you trust
enough yet to pull you out of a major panic attack. If sothing happened while you were indisposed, I wouldn't be able to help you. I am sorry, for what it's worth. I promise, in the future and if you trust , that I will divulge anything and everything, so you are not blindsided like this again.'
I take in what Ios is saying and keep focusing on my breathing. The hands in my hair and on my scalp dig in, and I can feel blood start to gather against the follicles as my nails dig in deeper due to stress. I wish my title was stronger, so that I didn't have to deal with this. This tiring, paralyzing fear and stress that leads
to indecision and panic about being indecisive. But even for all this magic bull shit, I'm still
and I need to deal with this. My sister is trapped and hurt, but at least she is safe inside , which is its own mind fuck. It was an accident that lead us here, but I can make sure to pick up the pieces and move forward.
[Determination (Filled)] has upgraded to [Resolve (Absolute)]!
Your actions in the face of overwhelming sadness and loss have spoken to the core of your character. Setbacks are rely obstacles to be overco; loss is a painful but helpful teacher. You receive half the effects of negative ntal status effects, such as fear, panic, or hate. Additionally, you recover from said statuses much faster than normal.
My body feels renewed with... purpose. The anxiety and panic and fear recedes into the background, still there and trying to poke at , but quieter and more manageable. I take a deep breath and drop my hands from my head, rubbing them along my face before they stroke my arms a couple tis for comfort, and then drop to my sides on the ground.
"Alright Ios, I think we can move to the skills. I'm not mad or salty about what you held from , it makes sense. I'm still honestly a ss right now and that information would have broken
back when we first started talking through all of this. I understand why you did what you did, and I also hope we build a relationship together where that doesn't happen again." I say after a couple of calming breaths.
'Oh Aims, I hope that with all of my incomputable form too. You are so special, and so is Sandra. I won't say I'm sorry again, but I hope you know that I am always trying to be in your corner during your journey. I will make myself useful, don't you worry your pretty little head!~'
I laugh lightly from my prone position. "Let's finish the introduction then, Ios. Thank you."
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