In an unending void—a place where light didn't exist—a calm, almost amused voice rang out.
"Again? Seriously?"
This was Noah, and this was his second time in this godforsaken darkness; the space one visits after death.
He had experienced two deaths now.
The first happened on his way home from work. Driving his new sports car, he was plowed by a truck, killing him instantly.
Boring.
The second death, however, occurred two months into his second life. He had been reborn in a world where fantasy came to life. At first, he'd loved it—a fantasy world for him to explore. But after a month, he quickly realized he hadn't been given a "golden finger," a cheat, or literally anything at all.
He was a regular human in a world full of irregulars. And that, my friends, never ends well-especially when that damn world has a "Fated One."
"A damn protagonist," Noah spat.
A greedy, vindictive protagonist. He was hardly the heroic character Noah had expected.
Now, what correlation did this have to Noah's death? Well, it was that same damn protagonist who had killed him.
Why?
Well... let's just say that despite Noah being weak, he was gifted with divine handsomeness—a handsomeness our dear Fated One's mother liked very much. After the fated one found this out, he went absolutely crazy.
"Well, I'm not surprised. He did walk in on us," Noah said mockingly.
That he did. The "Fated One's" mother had practically become obsessed with him, and he died for it.
Did he regret it?
"Hell no! I'd do it again!" Noah shouted.
He held no regrets. In fact, he was beginning to miss that beautiful, white-haired yandere.
"Hmm... aside from that, how long am I supposed to stay here?" he asked himself, placing a finger on his chin. "Well, time doesn't work here, so it's pointless asking," he mused, finding the irony in his situation.
"Tch. How bor—"
Noah's voice was cut off by the sound of a mechanical ding. It was a sound that made Earth-Noah's heart jump with joy.
Noah sighed in relief. "Finally! My golden finger!!"
"…"
"Haha... you think?" Noah laughed dryly.
"Eh?"
"No..."
"Bloody hell."
"Wai—!!"
******
In a dark and damp throne room, multiple pillars stood in ceremony down a large hall, carved with ancient battles dating back countless eras. Scattered across the floors and walls were splatters of dried blood and the shriveled remains of corpses, their bodies looking as if every drop of blood had been sucked out.
Which it had.
In this horrendous hall, seated upon a throne atop a flight of stairs, sat a man. The throne itself was made of no physical material; it was composed of congealed, dark crimson blood. Within this sanguine seat, the severed body parts of countless victims could be seen floating and writhing.
The man sitting there had skin that was pale, almost ethereal. He had long, jet-black hair that cascaded past his shoulders, framing a slender face. His body was lean, almost frail, and he wore a black suit stained with crimson patches. His eyes were closed, and his body was slightly slumped.
He was dead.
A true death. He had already passed into the cycle of samsara. This man was nothing but a corpse—an empty husk. He had been for quite some time.
Now, if one had special eyes—eyes that could see beyond the physical world and peer into the spiritual realm—they would see a bright golden ball appear out of nowhere. This was a soul. Noah's soul.
Slowly, his soul floated toward the man's body before making contact with the chest and entering. Within the body, the soul began merging, becoming one with the vessel.
It wasn't a literal fusion; rather, the body and soul were molding to each other, becoming compatible. The body is the shell of a soul, and if the two are not compatible, the body simply dies. During this process, a cocoon made of white, ethereal thread's formed around the body, acting as both a defense and an incubator.
This process continued for an hour until, finally, the cocoon began to crack and splinter. Glass-like fissures spread across the surface before it finally smashed open. Yet, the broken threads did not hit the floor; instead, they glowed and transformed into white energy, being absorbed by the body and providing unknown benefits.
"Ugh," he groaned, his voice sounding more mature than it had in his previous life.
Slowly, his eyes opened, revealing two crimson orbs that glowed slightly in the darkness of the throne room. Noah's eyes scanned the gloomy hall before returning to look at his own hands.
They were larger, paler, had claw like nail's and were paler than they ever had been. In his first life he was only twenty-five and a regular human. In his second life he was six-teen and despite being a 'regular' human by the worlds standards he was far more 'super' than earthling's.
"Third life, here I come," he muttered, grinning slightly, before moving his eyes to the panel that had been flashing in front of him since he woke up. Getting comfortable in his new throne, he finally paid attention to it.
"Thanks."
"That would help," Noah said, nodding.
Nod.
"…Okay."
"Could you explain more?"
"Hmmm." Noah made a thoughtful face, putting a finger on his chin. "Alright, let me get this straight. I just need a domain, right?"
"Are there any conditions?"
Sigh~
Noah let out a deep sigh, slumping in his throne. "Alright. I'll decide soon," he whispered, closing his eyes.
He didn't want to do anything straight away. He needed to first go over everything he knew, both from his own memories and the Baron's.
"I'm back on Earth," he mumbled, slightly uncomfortable with the thought. What could have happened while he was gone? And why was there a dungeon on Earth? The vampire Baron knew nothing of the outside world and had died without meeting anyone. He had died from starvation.
"System, can you tell me about Earth?" Noah asked.
"Oh?" That surprised Noah. Weren't systems supposed to be some all-knowing constructs that just refused to answer for the sake of being mysterious?
Sigh~
"So… you're just as lost as I am?" he said dryly.
<…>
"Then why Earth? Did you choose that?" he asked, posing the question that had been bugging him.
"Fate, huh," he murmured, standing up and noticing his new height. He stood at a proud six-foot-three—a far cry from his short stature in both previous lives.
Whistle~
"Damn. A tall king," he said jokingly. "So, dear System, can I make this dungeon my starting domain?" he asked, walking down the stairs.
"How do I do it?" he asked as he walked towards a back room.
"Yes," he said, firm in his decision as he entered a room that was empty except for a large, dull crystal floating in the middle.
Noah paused, now standing in front of the dull crystal. What did he want to call his budding domain? Honestly, he didn't know. Hell, his naming sense was trash.
But now that he thought about naming... he didn't have a last name. He was just Noah. Not Noah the rich earthling. Not Noah the regular surrounded by irregulars. He wasn't a random Baron, despite his body.
He was just Noah. Noah the vampire.
"Hm? If my system revolves around ruling and dominion, I need a house name," he said, contemplating his future. Shaking his head, Noah thought back to the topic.
He was a vampire now—a being of blood. He was a supreme ruler—a budding ruler. Mixing them together...
"My budding domain shall be named… the Hemarch's Paradise."
"And my new name will be… Noah Hemarch."
The budding supreme ruler.
++++++++++++++
ENJOY :)
Any criticism is welcome, thank you :^).