After the road accident, his world had gone dark but his consciousness gained a sense of clarity in that moment and out of sheer luck the first thing he did was apply the teachings of a prophet. One accused of being a mystic and cult leader in religious circles because he promised his followers transcendent experiences and extra sensory perception- very controversial.
Everything the said prophet said back then sounded like a dumb lie propagated to extract money from followers. The only reason he even listened was because he was tired of being agnostic and without hope. And that prophet answered the questions that had kept him agnostic from the time he was kid.
If God was real, why did he allow pain and suffering, wars, diseases, and death. Why did He take his parent away from him and also let everything he had built be stolen? Wasn't He all-powerful and all merciful?
He was convinced.
On that fateful day, as his consciousness drifted, he saw three lights in an expanse of darkness. They looked like the only stars in the universe. He recognized the white—heaven, the red—hell, but the blue—what was that?
Driven by curiosity, he projected his consciousness towards the blue light, the view expanded. The red and white lights disappeared. Like a camera zooming in, the blue light turned to galaxies, then to a star system then to a planet, then to a continent then to a country, then to a building, then to a room and suddenly the world went dark and a lone figure stood in the darkness. A tall lean body with soulless eyes and glowing chains wrapped around its forearms. Then suddenly a skeletal hand appeared from above, holding a red flame with a blue center. It lowered the flame and began to push it right though the center of the figure's chest.
In that state of consciousness, he knew what exactly was happening without being told and right on que, when the red part of the flame was completely absorbed into the figure, he pulled the blue part away and took its place.
That was how he ended up here, staring at a reflection that wasn't his but now owned.
Everything felt like a dream, and he would have still thought so if he wasn't standing in a body that didn't belong to him.
Alright, let me look at the variables right.
He said I am Ren Vaelthorn, a prince in the 4th kingdom. Hmm… I retained my first name. But most importantly, that means I have a high societal standing and I have to face the power struggles that come with it. That means pressure from the throne, pressure to stand out in society, unnecessary banquets, political scandals and slithering snakes called family. I'm already getting a headache just thinking about it.
I am also a mortal reaper—some kind of undead being. It puts me at an advantage over the vast majority of the population. But, there are others—threats that cannot be ignored.
Which means keeping my mortal reaper identity a secret should be top priority.
The skeleton hand I saw when coming here, was that the soul devouring spirit. Is he the Grim reaper? No, if he was, he wouldn't be antagonizing his creation the mortal reapers. And what's that he said about detesting humanity? Is he some kind of villainous character in this world? Well duh—he devours souls. And I don't think anyone would be happy having his soul eaten.
What does that imply my role is in all of this? He called me his avatar—a representative, a physical entity he can bend according to his will to execute his desires in this world.
That means he is some type of god-like entity. But he remains oblivious to way I really ended up here because I'm not the original soul he meant to inhabit this body. I am an unexpected variable he did not account for. He must be very powerful but I have extra sensory perception and the permission to exist. I still have to cultivate my ESP abilities to a good level of control if I want to level the playing field with this god-like character. What happened the first time could have been a one-time thing, but I need it to be my everyday experience.
I can be meek about my true potential and origin, but that allows him to push me around. I can only imagine the atrocities he'll have me commit. Though we may not be of equal standing right now, I can give him the impression we are, buying time to properly attune my ESP. And if sees through me and maintains his superiority, I should add a bit of mystery to my story, keep him intrigued about my abilities. I know these gods are usually bored and want a play toy for some time till they get bored. I'll use the time to the best of my ability.
If Ren could see his face right now, he could have given himself a scare. It was looked stone cold, like the calm before the storm, promising a hurricane of consequences.
This is how his face turned whenever he fell into deep thought weighing variables, making plans maneuvering situations. But given the softer features of his previous face, no one could notice. He used to look like a man-child gone quiet, upset about dropping his candy.
But now the full might of his plans were reflected in his eyes. The face made it look like he had thought ten steps ahead.
"Soul Devourer right? If I may ask, how are you related to the grim reaper. You look like him but you aren't him…."
Ren didn't know how the soul devourer looked but the image he had of the grim reaper was one of a skeleton draped in a cloak. He was probing the waters based on the skeleton hand he had seen. The real grim reaper might not even look like that but perhaps what he saw was akin to an interactive vision trying to tell him the resemblance between the two figures.
He was unsure at first but when he got no answer, a glint flickered through his eyes. He was spot on. He knew recognized that silence very well—the shocked kind. The kind that came when someone knew something he logically shouldn't be knowing.
Strike the metal while it's still hot…
For added effect, he turned around, picked up a shirt by the chair and began to wear it casually. Multitasking always gave one the illusion dominion. No matter the world, no matter the situation, a bargain was a bargain—have the upper hand and you've won.
"Never mind. We're going to have enough time to get to know each other, don't you think? Anyway Mr. Soul Devourer sir, do you even know how I really got into this body? Did you not notice anything abnormal at all when you were trying to reincarnate your true avatar?" Ren smirked.
Elsewhere in what looked like a high end penthouse, dimly lit by a few rays of sunlight that broke through the fabric of the curtains, a man with white hair sat, one leg crossed over the other while twirling a glass of alcohol in one hand, holding a blue flame in the other. The flame cast a glow on one side of his face revealing an ethereal grey eye.
His expression unreadable but his jaw clenched.
"Who are you?" he uttered three words that sounded less of a question and more of a warning.
Ren had hit the mark on a lot of things but he got one thing wrong.
The Soul Devourer wasn't some spirit. He had a physical presence and an aura that weighed like the sun. And he did not like the way Ren was speaking one bit. Ren knew too much for his comfort and he was determined to extract it all out of him no matter the means.