One moment I was with my family, the next moment, I was elsewhere. The feeling of being teleported is one words can't describe.
I observed my surrounded, I stood in the middle of ruins. It looked like a city, or what remained of one.
Thick tress cover the tiny rays of that that tried to penetrate it. I remember it was noon before teleportation, now, it was night.
Climbing the tallest tress I could find, I observed my surroundings. The night was dark and starless, no moon in sight. The air felt heavy and oppressive; it felt so wrong.
"Some domain this turned out to be."
Some was wrong, I couldn't tell what it was.
A pressure settled in my chest, not fear nor excitement but responsibility.
A translucent symbol flared before my eyes, words I could hardly read, hovering in the air like a page pulled from nowhere.
"That's right," I mused. "This is when I get my system."
"System," I said with excitement.
Some seconds passed, then a minute. Nothing happened.
"Status"
Silence.
"Window?" Still nothing.
I waited for a bit, but nothing happened. Irritation creeping in.
What kind of reincarnation doesn't have a system??
Just then, a book manifested itself from thin air. The book was pure white with golden decorations.
It was classy.
I grabbed it and observed, then opened it. The words were written in the golden runic language.
{Author: Reinhart.}
"... Author?"
Huh? Interesting. I don't remember writing a book such as this, or even reading one.
Slowly, I turned the page.
{Index 1.}
Name: Reinhart.
Ken: Paper and words.
Ken Manifestation: Grimoire of Nirvana: The Living Archive.
Description: A physical and mental manifestation of your ken. That book that never ends.
Abilities:
Paper Manifestation: Can create and control paper. The density, amount, and property depend on the amount of Ren used.
Character card:
1) Avatar:
Can create a living avatar.
Description: Can create a character of the author. The author and avatar share the same consciousness, mind, and soul, but existence differs. The author can summon and store avatars, share Ren/Ken, and grow alongside avatars.
{Summon Avatar?}
Abilities:
The Author chooses them.
Other characters' cards: locked.
Storage: 0 items.
Other abilities will be unlocked after successful trial.}
"Wow, this is crazy."
The words slipped out before I could stop it.
I may not have a system, but this felt close enough to feel unreal.
Too unreal.
I smiled; my mind raced with so many possibilities, so many theories. With this, I can become the strongest.
I slapped myself with both hands.
The sting grounded me.
'No, regardless of ability, Father said understanding is everything. Pride runs ahead of ruins.'
"Summon Avatar"
{Avatar summoning: 3%}
{Nirvana Grimoire is synced to mind.}
Huh?
{Grimoire can now be manifested mentally rather than physically.
Merits: Locked.}
I visualized the Grimoire, and it appeared, a mental version.
"How convenient. Too convenient."
My abilities were looking nice so far, but something felt wrong.
"Guess I'll just have to experiment later." I hopped down from the trees.
"Right now I have a domain to survey. I wonder what the actual trial would be."
Still thinking, I headed for the glowing ruins I saw from the treetop.
On getting close to the glowing ruins, the thing I felt was the pogient smell of decay. It was as if the dead were here to welcome me themselves.
I gaged on reflex.
What a domain.
I paused.
Walking through the dirt road leading into the city, my Ren stirred loudly, not violently. It was my being that was reformed from awakening, my awareness sharpening, screaming at me to flee, and I pressed on. I had to.
Some buildings were lost to time, swallowed by age while others told a tale of recent battles.
Then, I saw someone. A man in his mid-thirties. Lean, with short brown hair and sunken eyes, dry lips, and patches of different skin color.
"Hi there, young one. You must be the new head of this domain." He produced a folded letter, officially sealed. "We have been informed beforehand and have been expecting you."
My stomach tightened.
Expecting me? Isn't this trial supposed to be random?
I wanted to ask questions, but my instincts told me not to.
"Yes, I am. My name is Reinhart Morningst... Just Reinhart."
I had lost the right to that name for now, until I return...if I return, then...
"You seem to be well-mannered for a noble. My name is Oscar. "Come," he gestured. "The others are waiting for us."
I followed his lead as we waved through the ruined city. The situation was much more dire than I had imagined.
We passed a couple of women and children on our way, each adult looking just as sleep-deprived and tired as Oscar, moving like ghosts without hope, the children looking malnourished, their skins tightly hugging their bones.
"As you can see, your domain is doomed to ruins, young one." He didn't look at me.
"There is nothing you can do for these people, and so I'll advise you to fail the trial and return home, for it's too late."
My throat formed a lump.
I didn't say anything. I couldn't.
From wanting to leave a work-free life to being tossed into this morbid sight.
Was this some kind of punishment?? For never taking life seriously??
Whatever it was, I was going to see it through.
We got to an old, run-down house. Ocar stopped and knocked twice, then he pushed open the door.
"He's here, the new lord of this domain."
What I saw was heart-wrenching. Seven men stood at different corners of the room. There were women present too, just eleven of them and about four children around my age. It was all the same. Hunger, sickness, and fatigue.
I straightened out and stood at the center of the room. There was no furniture whatsoever. These people needed saving, and I intend to save them.
"My name is Reinhart, your lord, and the ruler of this domain."
Right now, I had no access to the Morningstar family name, no, not until I had successfully completed this trial.