REBORN AS A WHAT?!

I hate snakes!

Shai detested most reptiles, however, her repulsion towards those legless slithering creatures with scaly skin was on a completely different level.

Snakes were natural predators. Even the venomless ones could evoke the feeling of dread and unease merely through their undulating motion. Then there were the beady slit eyes, forked tongue, and sharp fangs—that could inject deadly venom into its victim—all bore disconcerting features of the creature.

Regardless of what most serpent enthusiasts claim, you see a snake; you run. Shai intended to do exactly that when she encountered the snake. Sadly for her, she wasn't nearly fast enough.

Damn. It killed me!

That was the reason behind all her conspicuous hatred of snakes.

Even in death, the memory of the little white snake biting remained fresh in her mind. It hadn't been a swift death either. The prolonged, excruciating pain added another misery to her end.

In her mind’s eye, she witnessed her entire life in reverse, from the agony and injustice of her death. None of it mattered any more.

Slowly, even that memory faded as Shai moved closer to the unknown. Towards the immense, endless. . . void.

No words could describe where she was drifting, her mind muddled to maintain coherent thoughts. Eventually, she descended into the void for her eternal slumber. . .

Abruptly, a blinding light crashed into her, ripping the most indignant scream out of her throat. It rekindled all the regret and resentment she had experienced with the weird and incongruous event of her death. The excruciating agony of losing her life flooded back, accompanied by a growing sense of restlessness.

The light dissipated, leaving Shai to lament in complete darkness.

Am I not dead? Is this the afterlife?

There was no one to clear her confusion. Only her and the endless darkness.

Shai couldn't feel her body any more. Darkness claimed it. Yet her mind seemed to work. Well, not too perfectly, as she couldn't fathom how deranged the darkness was making her. Shai fell into a slumber.

An eternity later, Shai awoke again. Well, it probably wasn't an eternity, but she sure felt like it. Unlike before, the darkness didn’t frighten her. Something strange had enveloped her protectively in its embrace, fending off the strangling darkness.

Am I dead or not? She questioned, infuriated. Can't you get it over with?

Shai didn’t really expect an answer, but she actually got one, though it only confused her more about her predicament.

[Congratulations, you have transcended Death. . . and are being reborn.]
[Initiating emergency system protocol.]

Um, what? Shai was stupefied. Who are you? How are you talking to me?

The voice was of someone elderly, like an old and wise grandpa. Unfortunately, the grandpa didn’t seem to hear her plea any more.

Shai spent an unimaginable amount of time with only darkness as her company. There was a growing sense of coldness along with the peculiar, fuzzy sensation spreading throughout her being, nourishing her.

She was always slumbering and waking up to find herself in the darkness. After waking for the ninth time in the darkness, Shai discovered she had been looking elsewhere when salvation was within her. Despite the darkness singing the melody of doom, Shai found a strong sense of life within her. It listened to her call, soothing her growing restlessness as she spent an unimaginable amount of time fostering the life force.

[Congratulations! You have learned the skill Basic Meditation (F)]

Her mind jerked at the sudden elderly voice. Hey, invisible Grandpa, you’re really making me uncomfortable now. Can’t you just show yourself without giving these weird messages?

Receiving no answer, Shai went back to slumber again.

The force grew as she continued playing with it. But even a child would get bored out of their favourite toy, provided enough time. While Shai wasn't a child, she had a limit to her composure as well.

Eventually, she called upon the power, as sparkles of light coalesced in her mind's eye. Within a moment, Shai’s heart warmed up, the power building within her. But only after a couple more seconds, she felt uneasy holding onto the power. Intuitively, she was aware she had done something wrong that could harm her dearly. The force wouldn’t dissipate within her even if she released her hold.

What to do? Whattodo? Whattodo?

Her choices were limited. It was either releasing the built-up power of frustration within her, which would harm her in ways she wasn't aware of, or trying to attack the all-encompassing darkness. Shai would be a fool if she chose the former.

With the decision made, Shai tried to jerk away, lobbing the power into the darkness.

Take this! She winced. Please!

A sharp twinge of pain assaulted her, but her attention was elsewhere. A shimmering light flickered through the cracks the force created in the veil of darkness. Bars of sunlight streamed through the small gap. She attempted to move her arms, only to discover no response.

Shai tried to scream out in indignation, but only a faint hissing sound escaped her mouth. Her body convulsed, uncomfortably trapped in a confined space. Shai wriggled, desperate to break free from her predicament.

Flashes of a golden shimmer clouded her vision, twisting into something Shai barely recognised. Alongside these visuals, the undeniably impressive elderly voice spoke directly into her mind. Again!

[Warning! You have initiated awakening...]
[Scanning for potential damage and soul trauma…]

[No latest damage or trauma found… Determining the hatching to be left undisturbed]

[Terminating emergency system protocol.]

[Preparing for early awakening…]

The voice was ancient, like expressing a divine decree, yet completely indifferent. Wait, shouldn't my focus be on what he is saying?

Umm, Grandpa, would you mind reiterating all of that?

[Congratulations, you have successfully hatched.]

[Kismet is intrigued with your birth. You have received the lesser blessing of Kismet. +5 All attributes]

Wait, what!?

[Welcome to Shattered Twilight, Hatchling.]

I died after that venomous snake bit me, and then. . . Wait, hatchling? A grim premonition washed over her. No, please don't tell me.

No, no, no, she tried to shout, but all that came out was the hissing noise. What happened to me?

The surrounding space trembled as she lurched uneasily. Eventually, the tiny space cracked open, flooding her sight with blinding sunlight. Shai finally discovered what had transpired.

I'm a snake! She screamed. Once again, no words escaped her mouth, only an eerie hiss. She shot out through the crack and found it to be an egg planted in the earth. Freed, now it was time to assess her situation better. Yet nothing changed.

No matter how many times she glanced at herself, the sight of a little white snake coiling on the grass didn't change.

The sheer incredulity of the situation overwhelmed her, disabling her to comprehend the predicament she was in. The shimmering transparent texts and the elderly voice only added to the confusion.

People don't reincarnate after death. Or do they? Even if they did, they didn't retain their memory.

The abnormality of her situation was unlike anything Shai had ever experienced. It challenged her understanding of the familiar world she knew. Then again, the familiar world changed before she died, no?

[As a creature of chaos, you have lost your privilege to gain a Class.]

[However, the system has considered your circumstances. Many options of the Path are still open to you.]

[Achievement unlocked! Bizarre circumstances might create unexpected and unique results. But the path you walk is not without any reward. You have gained the Mark: Fatemarked.]

The voice interrupted her contemplation. Shai tried to scream again, this time more out of exasperation. Gah!

She wasn’t sure if she understood it right, but it felt like she lost something important. Was it something greater than her humanity? After venting a little, she collected her thoughts and assessed her situation.

So, I'm a snake. Am I experiencing any cognitive difficulties? Most reptiles were intellectually limited. Shai was certain they were incapable of processing coherent thoughts like she was doing now.

Was she somehow different?

Well, I don't feel foolish, she thought, aside from my usual foolishness. Perhaps I retained my intelligence in this rebirth. Or could it be that I am incapable of recognising my diminished mental capacity?

That would be a cruel joke—cheating death only to become a witless snake.

Perhaps she was simply insane, and all of this was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. But a snake? Seriously, brain? Couldn't you have chosen something better?

Something majestic, like a dragon.

[Preparing status page . . .]

What now?

____________

[Shai]

Rank: Foundation (F)

Path: Favoured Hatchling Lvl 1

Laws: None.

 

Mark: Fatemarked. Blessed by Kismet (Lesser)

 

Attributes:

Primary Attribute: Total (Base)

- Physique: 6 (1)

- Mind: 8 (3)

- Soul: 14 (9)

- Recovery: 7 (2)

 

Special Attributes:

- Insight: 6

- Evolution: 11

- Fortune: 12

Unallocated points: 1

Aspect:

Golden Eyes (Dormant) | Poison Affinity (D)

Skills[2/8]:

Basic Meditation (F) | Bestial Instinct (E)

Boon:

Inventory | Lingual Comprehension

Remark:

I'm only a Level 1 Hatchling.

[System Log] [Active Quest]

_____________

[You can summon and surf around the status page simply by Willing it strongly.]

So I'm in some weird video game? She questioned. Or I'm insane.

None of the two options seemed appealing to her. So she shouted inwardly. Log out! Exit! Sign off! Godmann it, send me back to my life!

Only a silence answered her call.

Shai could not deny her death. Honestly, she didn't remember much as she had been in a panic, but she was sure something had seriously gone wrong with the world.

Yes, she never heard of or encountered anything like this, but that didn't make it impossible. It happened. It killed her. And now she was reborn as something less desirable than a human.

But why a snake? Shai was torn between celebrating her new life and lamenting that she had transformed into the creature she despised the most. Well, it's better than dying, I suppose.

She recalled the agony of her death. It was an experience she found unpleasant to relive or even contemplate. To avoid dwelling on the agonising memory, she shifted her focus to the status page before her.

Shai sucked a deep breath through her tiny nostrils and mouth, unsure of how to interpret the system. This expanded her horizons in a whole new way.

It felt peculiar to see shimmering texts running across her vision. The system provided a comprehensive breakdown of her being. While she recognised most of the terms, she wouldn't mind having a better explanation.

First came the primary attributes, encompassing the four fundamental aspects of her being. All described in familiar terms and accompanied by numerical values.

Unfortunately, Shai lacked a frame of reference to determine whether her stats were impressive or mediocre. In fact, they seemed rather lacklustre to her. She was a little taken aback by the fact that her [Strength] was merely 6; 1 if she excluded the blessing by the Kismet person.

It's probably because I’m a newborn, tiny snake? Shai wondered. Yet unlike she imagined, her sight was clear, in contrast to the bleary view a newborn creature should have. Wait, with all this reincarnation and things, won’t magic be something real too?

The image of how she shot a small beam of translucent light out of her mouth did inspire confidence in the notion of magic being real.

With a thought, she felt the familiar energy within her, the same energy that accompanied her in the darkness. She called upon the power, mimicking how she broke the egg. It surged within her tiny form, and like before, an uneasy expression developed on her features. She had to get the power out of her system again, or she might injure her baby form.

Shai jerked her head as the power gushed out of her mouth in a swift motion to strike the lush grass, digging a small hole in the ground.

Whoa! What did I do?

[Would you like to learn, Qi Dart (E)?]

Yes...? Shai thought hesitantly.

[Qi Dart will cost 1 Insight Point.]
[Accept | Decline]

Shai looked at the prompt suspiciously for some time and accepted it with a thought.

A raw surge of intangible pressure overwhelmed her mind instantly, rendering her to squirm on the ground. A flood of information and insight on how to manipulate energy came to her, branding her body, mind, and soul somehow that she would never forget. The sheer feeling was overwhelming like she could do nothing to reject it once she accepted. Thankfully, it didn’t press on her longer, leaving a surreal feeling of nausea.

[Congratulations! You have learned Qi Dart (E).]

[Qi Dart (E): Mastery – 1%

Attacks with a sharp semi-corporeal projectile of energy.]

The elderly voice spoke as Shai thanked him after getting a hold of herself. Now, it was time to check out her skills.

 

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This is a rewrite... all the chapters will be uploaded eventually...