- Chapter 5 - Incarnation -

◇ ◇ ◇

"Ugh… my head…"

Ares groaned and struggled to regain control of his numbed limbs. Throbbing soreness radiated from his head, most intense at his temples. He couldn't open his eyes due to the excruciating pain. Besides, he felt that his torso was on fire, especially where he kept the seatbelts fastened.

He was well aware that he reaped what he sowed. G-forces caused considerable damage to his body, worsened by the side effects of <Mental Link>.

The inertia dampeners weren't strong enough to offset the effects of rapid acceleration and deceleration, which the ship had gone through. The pilot had forcefully rerouted the energy distribution to the shields, neglecting the importance of environmental control.

The metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth. The sense of dried blood sticking to his body was uncomfortable. On top of that, he felt that something warm was pinning him down, adding weight to his chest.

Ares noticed a peculiar smell described as a blend of mint and citrus. The fragrance alleviated his sufferings with every breath he took.

He slowly opened his eyes after he managed to resist the weight on his eyelids. What appeared in his sight nearly caused his heart to skip a beat.

A petite girl was lying on top of him, sleeping soundly.

It was a cat-eared girl whose skin was as pale as snow. She had silver hair that had its tip of the strands dyed with a gradient of purple. That was the same for her drooping cat ears.

At first, he had the urge to ask, "Who are you?" However, the pair of cat ears made him muse about the meaning behind the prominent feature. He recalled the appearance of the woman that he just met in his "dream" and the cat-eared overlord involved in the creation of <Synthesis>.

"Mmmph…"

The girl's cat ears were not decorations. They twitched a little when she slightly moved her body, seemingly awakened from her slumber.

Ares realized a detail that he had overlooked. He instinctively nudged his upper body in an attempt to break physical contact. In his "past life," being close to a girl of such physique would warrant interrogation or even persecution. Intentions did not matter to the authorities.

The catgirl opened her eyes. They were like a pair of golden topazes, shining in the dark. Then, she propped herself up against the uneasy young man.

The change in the girl's posture made Ares see something unprepared. It dispelled his misgivings and gave him an idea of the girl's identity, and also caused his cheeks to flush.

— Huge.

Two round mounds hanged down from her chest, with a cherry blossom each as a topping. The catgirl was exceptionally gorgeous but not as exaggeratedly well-endowed as a certain someone who had a similar appearance.

"Syntia…are you Syntia?"

Holding his embarrassment in, Ares called out nervously. He did not expect the girl to be stark naked, and he hoped that she did not notice his body's honest reactions.

"Cap… tain…"

Tears flooded the girl's eyes and flowed down her delicate cheeks. She hugged the young man tight again and buried her head in his chest.

"Captain… Finally, you're finally awake… I thought you had died…"

Ares recognized that voice. It was undoubtedly Syntia's, minus the robotic voice effect. He wondered if he was still dreaming, just like how he met the remnant of the decommissioned living core.

"Sorry… I'm useless. I…"

"It's okay. In the end, we won. It's over. Everything is fine now."

"But I… nearly caused…"

"It's not your fault. That trial will happen sooner or later, and I passed it."

"Captain… Thank you…"

Ares placed both of his hands on Syntia's head and gently caressed her soft silky hair in an attempt to calm her down. The ears flicked when his fingers brushed through the protruding white fur, adding to the cuteness.

— If this is just a dream, how I wish that I could stay in it forever.

With the girl in his embrace, Ares felt that he was in bliss. That didn't last long as intense fatigue struck him like a blow. The surroundings were distorted and turned into bizarre, nightmarish patterns as if someone was pulling him down into an inferno.

— Wait, no. I don't want to wake up! Please, no!

"Syntia!"

"Captain, you're finally awake."

Ares came to his senses in the same seat, sweating profusely. While staring at the familiar virtual canopy, he took deep and slow breaths like a person that had just recovered from suffocation.

"Syntia, you…nevermind. Please tell me. How long has it been?"

"Captain, you've been unconscious for 49 hours and 17 minutes. We've managed to restore your body to optimal conditions. Fortunately, no lasting effects were observed."

"Ah, it's been so long… How about you? Feeling well?"

"I’m perfectly fine, captain. Thank you for your concern. The damage received in battle and the list of modules to be repaired are still under assessment. Calibrations for modules are also in progress. The preliminary reports have been forwarded to your monitor screen."

A window appeared at the center of the monitor in front of Ares. Before he proceeded to check on the status of the ship, a sudden thought hit his mind.

— Was that just an empty dream?

Ares found that the seatbelts have already been unbuckled and retracted back into the seat. The inclination of the backrest was reset. The blood smeared around mysteriously disappeared as if someone had cleaned the mess up. His outfit was still of the same as before but had been cleaned or replaced. The pain had already subsided, and he was devoid of wounds as if the injuries did not exist in the first place.

He has seen a food-delivering drone in action, and thus assumed that they were the work of cleaning drones that the ship has employed. Yet, something felt off.

Instead of being announced to the entire room via multiple speakers, the living core's voice came from behind. It sounded just like what he heard in his "dream."

Ares turned his body towards the direction of the voice — and was astonished to find the catgirl sitting on the FCS operator seat southeast of him. This time, she was clothed.

"You're… Syntia?"

"Affirmative, Captain. Let me re-introduce myself."

The catgirl stood up from her seat and turned towards her Captain. Her long bushy tail that had a similar color scheme to her hair swung side to side. Ares tried hard to resist the thought of fondling that thick, fluffy feather duster.

Despite being short, she had the curves of a mature woman, resembling her supposed creator. The lukewarm expression accentuated her beauty. If Remi is a god, then Syntia is an angel, Ares praised silently.

Her outfit was a black-and-white themed strapless dress with detached sleeves. The skirt was short enough to remain appropriate while showing a considerable amount of "absolute territory." A vertical eye-like accessory covered her cleavage, which opened up to imaginations.

Combined with white thigh-high stockings and black high-heeled shoes, it resembled a maid costume. Ares thought that if she wore a lace headband, then it would be perfection.

"I am Syntia, living core of <Synthesis>. This form of mine is a vessel created to house my core's main personality."

The catgirl held her skirt and bent her knees down to execute a simple curtsy. Ares did not know if there was an intention, or Syntia had forgotten that she was wearing a short skirt. He briefly saw the "holy artifact" beneath. Black and embellished with white laces.

"A physical avatar, huh. Then, what about the ship?"

"Don't worry, Captain. I am passively linked to <Synthesis> via a permanent <Mental Link> session. You can treat it as this body being possessed or remotely controlled."

That reminded Ares of an anime where mysterious AI-controlled warships possess "mental models," which are anthropomorphic avatars that represent the vessel's core.

"Let me guess… You're an android made out of nanomachines?"

"Negative. I am constructed from flesh and bones just like a normal human being, with a slight variation of characteristics."

"I see… That certainly sounds like what Remi would create."

Remi the <Goddess of Life> was well known back in the era Ares lived in for her horrendous genetic engineering experiments, including the modification of human physiology.

"Did you mean Lord Remi? Although I have never met her in person, I have heard of the tales and legends from Senior <Core 701>. She's like a mother to me. Eighty percent of my genetic sequence was derived from Lord Remi, while the rest came from Lord Niru and Lord Shinna."

"No wonder you looked familiar. Wait, I know that Remi is the <Goddess of Life>. Then who are the rest that you've mentioned?"

"Captain, please take a look at your monitor. I have forwarded the relevant infographics to that screen."

Ares learned that there were a total of four "pillar goddesses." Other than Remi, there were three other cat-eared deities, each governing their domain of the world.

"So, your ears looked like Niru, the <Goddess of Matter>. Your tail resembled Shinna, the <Goddess of Space>. As for the <Goddess of Time>, I remember Lu… <Core 701> mentioning that Airin is in deep slumber."

"Affirmative, Captain. Indeed, <Synthesis> was blessed by all three 'pillars' except <Time>."

"Hmm… wait, Syntia, what happened to <Core 701>? Ah, you can sit down. It's fine."

"About Senior <Core 701>, the retired living core had been dismantled 25 hours ago. Materials salvaged were re-assimilated into the systems as resources."

"I see. Well, I dreamt about her. She sent her final regards."

That confirmed that Luna Luciel had indeed passed on to the afterlife. If the afterlife existed, that is. Ares silently mourned for the deceased living core again.

"Besides, I dreamt about you too. Or maybe…was it not a dream?"

"Huh? Th… that…"

Syntia was flustered and fidgeted uneasily. Her ears twitched while her wagging tail repeatedly struck the side of the seat and produced tapping sounds.

"Y-yes, Captain. Actually, I-I obtained my physical form… for treatment purposes."

"Treatment?"

The catgirl took a deep breath and continued after she had calmed down.

"I was really, really worried, and then, I consulted the system. I learned that in physical form, I could manifest the inherited healing abilities. But then, it was too late, and…"

"You mean I was dead, but was somehow brought back alive?"

Syntia nodded, then repositioned herself and hugged her tail tight. She buried her head in her puffed-up tail to hide her embarrassment.

"That was truly a miracle. Thank you, Syntia. You're wonderful."

Ares did not feel the need to enquire about the process further. He believed that the catgirl had remained in "that" posture for hours, at least until he regained consciousness after being ejected from the "dream." Then, it was either drones or the girl that cleaned the bloody mess up. No matter who did it, he appreciated the contribution.

What kind of healing ability was that? What was its working principle? Ares did not understand and did not have the will to further probe into the matter. His eyes were fixated at a specific magnificent, poofy "bottle brush."

"Syntia, come, sit on my lap."

"Huh? Um… As you wish, Captain."

When the catgirl sat on Ares's lap, the fluffy tail brushed across his face. Including the tip of the fur, it had a length of nearly half of the girl's height.

"Can I touch your tail?"

"Mmm… I guess. You can do whatever you want. My entire body belongs to Captain."

"That sounds a bit wrong, but… Let's see. <Core 701> mentioned that she was instructed to activate your core, but then you said that you'd met her before… When was it? Your birthdate, I mean."

"According to the records, the date I was brought into this world was on 26th March 2269 N.L. That is exactly two thousand… Hyuu!"

"Thanks for the information. I have no more doubts, then."

"Wh-what? Fuaaah!"

Ares stroked the catgirl's tail and enjoyed its fluffiness to his heart's content. With utmost care, he ran his fingers through the long velvety fur. It was warm and emitted a familiar, soothing fragrance. Deep within the strands was the base of the flesh whip. He made sure not to harm the delicate appendage as it probably contained part of its owner's spine.

With his face buried in the fluffy paradise, Ares thought that being reincarnated was not a bad thing after all.

◇ ◇ ◇

RaidenInfinity

From now on, the release schedule will be fixed at one chapter every 2 to 3 days. Next chapter is scheduled for 6th June 2020 (Saturday). The time will be decided based on the poll results.

Feel free to join my discord (Arclight Observatory): https://discord.gg/wQrkkvC

If you like the chapter, please give a Favorite (click the heart icon)! Your support is my motivation! If you have suggestions or questions, please leave a comment and I will try my best to answer!