'Is this what death feels like?'
'Strange... almost comfortable.'
"Did I finally stop falling?" he rasped, yet his voice was swallowed whole.
The pain he'd known. The rage, the agony, the gnawing envy.
All of it slipped away.
All that remained was a gentle pull, drawing him forward. Endless. Directionless.
If he had ever felt his mother's embrace,
Perhaps it would feel like this.
Warm and endless, yet cruelly late.
His body, or what remained of it, felt as if it had dissolved into a vast ocean, moving with the flow.
Yet an uneasy sensation lingered, a cold certainty that peace was something he didn't deserve.
Then a face resurfaced.
Something felt amiss, and he didn't know why it frightened him.
'What... no, who are you?'
The warmth pressed closer, heavier now as if it was strangling him.
Then the urgency collapsed and the face slipped away.
Not forgotten.
Taken.
"Dost thou have any regrets?"
The voice was gentle and unknown to him. It was neither male nor female.
The question echoed throughout his mind. He could not give an answer. He couldn't remember what regrets he had.
"Who's there?" He tried to speak, but his voice scattered like dust in the vastness around him.
"Thou who hast forgotten it." The presence stirred again, closer this time. Its tone was soft, making him want to answer.
Vergil couldn't tell what the voice wanted from him. Yet everything was slipping away.
"Remember."
And then–realisation hit him.
A longing–something he desperately begged for.
"I... wanted another chance," he whispered, the need in his voice startled even him.
"Another is granted unto thee. Wouldst thou make the most of it?"
The word tasted bittersweet, yet his pulse quickened. He had wasted his previous life.
Struggling to only die miserable, yet his desire to live overtook him.
"Yes… Give it to me," he whispered.
The void around him shuddered as it spoke once more. Light and darkness collided, and his senses fractured into chaos.
"As thou wishest." The voice grew vast–almost tender.
And everything shattered.
-----------
"Your awareness has returned, I see." A voice spoke.
Vergil squinted and saw a figure standing before him. Tall and still–too still. As if the space around him paused in awe of every word.
The man's short white hair stuck out in a way that made his face look almost too perfect.
His skin glowed faintly. The smile he wore felt like a mirror, and Vergil's gut tightened. He felt the man knew more about him than he knew himself.
"Where am I–no, the better question is, who are you?" Vergil's head throbbed as he spoke.
Each step the man took sent a ripple through the clear white beneath him.
"Weaver," he said with a smile as his voice echoed throughout the space.
The sky stretched endlessly around them. There was no wind, just stillness.
A hoarse, hollow laugh slipped out, before he had even realised. "What a dream this is," Vergil whispered, pressing his forehead to the cold ground–hard.
Thud.
Pain shot through him, reminding him that this was real, and that he was still… here. Alive.
"Are you some kind of god?" Vergil rasped but his voice didn't echo.
"Something along those lines." His grin slanted. "But don't mistake me for a friend," Weaver stated.
"To your first question, this is the land beyond heaven and earth," he said, waving vaguely upward. "But that's none of your concern just yet."
He stepped forward, arms spread. The space around him bent to his will, acknowledging him.
"You asked, and we answered. I would like you to have an ability of your choosing."
"You have one chance. The world you will enter knows no mercy."
Vergil's knees wobbled as he stood. Was he calm or just too empty to care at this point? It felt like exhaling the last of his humanity, but he had to make a choice.
He moved closer. Yet he realised the space beneath him didn't ripple.
The idea of another chance still felt like a dream to him.
'What ability would be most useful to me?' Vergil questioned himself.
Something began to whisper inside his soul as he began thinking.
Predation.
The word surfaced unbidden, and he felt it smile back at him.
Yet doubt crept in. 'Was this truly the right choice?' Vergil had a feeling that it was an incredible ability. 'I'll trust in my gut.'
But before he spoke, a voice behind him whispered. "Are you sure you won't regret it?"
A blurry face. Vergil hesitated before he spoke. 'I won't. Even if it costs me everything.'
"Very well." The face dissipated. "You've grown."
Meeting Weaver's eyes once more, he spoke before his fear gripped him.
"I've decided. Predation."
Once more, he widened his smile in delight.
"Can you make it grow?" Vergil asked, curious.
"It can," he said, eyes unreadable. "But not without a cost. One day, you'll understand."
He chuckled pleasantly, but it felt off.
He lifted a hand. "When you arrive, you will see it."
Light surged, swallowing Vergil's body.
Vergil glanced back, hesitant as to whether this was true–was he really getting a second chance? Yet Weaver only smiled.
Then there was nothing but blinding white.
Weaver's lips moved as the light consumed him. Vergil couldn't hear what he said. Maybe he was never meant to.
Then Weaver turned away, already done with him.
The pull dragged him from darkness, as lightning filled his eyes.
The world was revealed. Crooked houses came into view. The air smelled strange yet clean as he took a deep, unsteady breath.
He stared at his hands, feeling the wind. He was alive, and that was all that mattered to him as he glanced at the sky.
Then a panel appeared into existence.
Name: Vergil
Spouses: None
Race: Human
Tier: 0
Level: 1
Title: Commoner
Lifespan: 65 years
Equipment: Basic Clothing (+2 Defence)
Active Skill: Authority of Predation (???)
Confidants: None
[Welcome, user. I am the system designated to guide you.]
Vergil blinked in disbelief at the surprise that Weaver had given him. 'I never thought I'd see the day I'd get a system.'
His stats blinked in: Strength 6, Constitution 8, Dexterity 7, Intuition 6, Magic Power 3.
'So Weaver really wasn't lying when he said I'd see it.' Vergil laughed inwardly.
'But it seems the world hasn't changed at all... Measuring people by their worth.'
[Other energy types exist–Yuan Qi, Demonic Energy, Divine Energy. Obtain them yourself.]
The information from the system kept pouring in.
"Slow down," Vergil muttered, trying to keep up with all the information as he rubbed his head.
[You have one active skill. No passives. Confidants unlock effects, skills, and more. False relationships give nothing.]
The system showed that his lifespan was 65 years. 'Could I increase it?'
[Yes. Cultivation extends life via Yuan Qi or rare treasures.]
"Then how do I get those things?" Vergil asked.
[Two ways: diligent cultivation, or consuming Yuan Qi via Predation–the latter is painful. With progression, your lifespan can reach hundreds or even thousands of years.]
Vergil swallowed. He could even live for centuries if he cultivated enough.
[Skills are ranked from F to EX. Your Authority exceeds normal standards. It can evolve under special conditions.]
"And what are these conditions?" he asked.
[Unknown. You will be notified when eligible.]
'There's so much to remember.' Vergil thought to himself.
[Arts define technique, and your mastery determines effectiveness.]
[When you consume another lifeform using Predation, absorbed stats depend on the target.]
"Makes sense… no weaklings," Vergil muttered. He would never feel powerless again.
[To analyse others, say "Analysis."]
[Good luck. May the blessing of Eternia, the most loved world, be with you.]
"The most loved world, huh? I wonder what that really means."