Her throat worked as she swallowed. When she spoke again, her voice was carefully controlled, but he could hear the sharp edge underneath it. "How are you... awake?"
He suddenly wondered if that was what she should be asking after bothering to act like she was grieving mere seconds ago.
"I don't know," Desmond said slowly, watching her reaction. "What happened?"
"What happened?" she repeated in that same low whisper.
Desmond watched as her expression shifted, the shock melting away into something else entirely. Her eyes hardened, and her lip curled slightly in clear disgust.
The change was so immediate, that Desmond felt a chill in his bones.
She looked at him like he was something she'd found stuck to the bottom of her expensive shoe.
"So," she said, her voice dropping into something cold and clipped. "You are still breathing."
Her flat statement made him instinctively look at what he presumed were servants. They did not look surprised in any way by her words, only looked at him with the same shocked expression.
The woman turned to the servants and waved them off. "Apparently, it failed. Get rid of the guests."
The other elves left the doorway and when she returned her attention to him, her hard stare pinned him in place.
The system interface flickered back to life in front of him.
[Notice: Current threat level - High]
[Subject: Vallai Seles Arachi]
[Relationship: Wife (Hostile)]
[Threat Assessment: Assassination risk remains active]
Wife?
This was the body's wife?!
Desmond was stunned. He had never in his entire life seen such naked hostility. Not even from other fighters.
Just how much did this woman despise him?
"I take it that you're disappointed," Desmond said carefully, his muscles tense in preparation for any attack.
She sneered at him, smoothing down the front of her gown with sharp, precise movements.
"Disappointed?" She laughed, but there was no humour in it.
He could see the calculation in her eyes, the gears turning. She was trying to figure out what had gone wrong.
[Recommendation: Do not trust this individual]
Desmond snorted. No shit.
Her eyes widened. She looked insulted. "What is that?"
"Don't worry about it." Desmond raised his hand, then hesitated before dropping it.
Part of him wanted to tell her to get out and leave him. His growing irritation demanded it. But another part, the part that had survived the underbelly of society warned him to be careful.
Along with a separate strange instinct he could feel from this body.
This woman, his wife, was dangerous.
Desmond especially had no idea what she was capable of, the power she held here, or even what this body's relationship with her had been like before.
But he had a vague idea.
And whatever it was, it was definitely not in his favour.
He had literally just woken up in an entirely new body, and she had literally tried to kill him hours ago.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched him, clearly waiting for something.
"I need rest," he said finally, aiming for neutral ground.
He needed to first get his bearing before making any risky decision.
Her face instantly went black.
What the fuck is that reaction?
Finally, she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Of course." Her words dripped with venom. "Rest well."
She turned and walked toward the door, her movements graceful despite the obvious tension in her shoulders. Just before she reached it, she glanced back for a second.
Desmond started to frown and before he could ask her what she wanted she left the room. The doors closed behind her with a soft click that somehow felt more threatening than if she would have slammed it.
Desmond released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
The screen popped up once more and he groaned.
"You piece of shit."
[You are welcome!]
He stared at the screen, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"The fuck? I just insulted you."
[Oh…]
[૮(˶ㅠ︿ㅠ)ა ]
[That makes me sad]
"For gods sake, what is wrong with you?!" Desmond shot his arms up, glaring heatedly at the screen. "I need to know what the hell I am dealing with here!"
[Would you like to view your stats now?]
He was trapped in a murdered person's body and married to an elf who looked like she still wanted to finish the job.
"Yes! Show me everything! Let me see exactly how screwed I am."
[BASIC INFORMATION]
[Name: Vox Arachi]
[Age: 67]
[Race: Half elf, Half orc]
[PHYSICAL STATUS]
[Health: 70% Recovering from fatal poisoning]
[NOTICE: Body has been partially healed by soul transfer process. Full recovery will take 4 hours]
[CORE ELVEN ATTRIBUTES]
[- Extended lifespan]
[- Enhanced flexibility]
[- Superior dexterity]
[- Mana sensitivity]
[- Enhanced hearing]
[CORE ORC ATTRIBUTES]
[- Night vision]
[- High pain tolerance]
[- Enhanced physical strength]
[- Superior durability]
[- Accelerated healing]
[- Medium resistance to extreme temperatures]
[COMBINED ATTRIBUTE]
[- Heightened senses]
[BLOODLINE RESTRICTIONS]
[- Elemental magic casting. Orc bloodline incompatibility]
[- Tribal bond. Elven bloodline incompatibility]
[- Berserker state. Elven bloodline incompatibility]
[- Iron stomach. Elven bloodline incompatibility]
[CLASS INFORMATION]
[Primary Class: Summoner]
[Rank: SSS]
[Mana: 10,000% Massive reserves]
[Subclass: None]
[CONTRACTED SUMMONS]
[Supreme Beings: 12]
[Lesser Beings: 22]
[All active. Available for summoning]
[Maximum simultaneous summons: 3 Supreme Beings + 20 Lesser]
[BASIC SUMMONING ABILITIES]
[- Summon contracted creatures]
[- Dismiss summon]
[- Share senses]
[- Simultaneous summoning]
-()-()-()-()-()-()-
Desmond stood facing the bed, his mind still reeling from the information overload that had nearly made him go numb.
He was an SSS rank summoner, and if memory served him well, that was an insanely high level tier. He could summon 34 beings, along with a massive mana pool that dwarfed normal standards.
And the system had confirmed everything.
It had also noted one important detail. He had all this power at his fingertips thanks to having no access to the original Vox's memories.
He exhaled slowly, trying to process the implications. No memories meant he knew nothing about this world. Nothing about this body's life, his relationships, or even his enemies… beyond the obvious one who had just left the room.
But despite the panic clawing at his chest, Desmond felt something else too. Immense power and energy that flowed through his whole body. It felt strange and familiar at the same time.
All this power was now his.