Prologue

Hey! Thanks for choosing to read this. Just know that the transmigration stuff happens in the next chapter and this leads up to it. If you like this story, please vote, comment, and add to your library!

=

"It's a beautiful morning in Seattle, with a temperature of 79 degrees. However, there are chances of rain showers this afternoon, which isn't unusual. Make sure to drive safe on the roads..." the radio host's voice crackles, waking a young girl from a peaceful slumber. Wavering fingers fumble for a plastic button, shifting over to a different XM station. Classical music floods her apartment, and she begins her morning routine.

Toothbrush, clothes, ponytail, apple, before pressing the off button.

She ends her morning routine by sliding on tennis shoes at the door and taking her lanyard, stringing it around her neck. She grabs the phone from the charging dock, earbuds already plugged in. With the click of her earbud, the music continues playing through her right earbud, the left unused and dangling..

At the door, she reaches to her right and picks up the thin cane, then exits her apartment.

After locking up, the girl heads down the stairs, pausing at the sound of feet from behind her

"Hello, Mrs. Jorgenson," she greets as the woman rasps out a laugh, crackled voice now directly behind the girl's ear.

"Good morning, dearie, how are you?" She asks as the girl continues walking. "Same old, same old. How're the grandkids?" the girl responds, eager to leave before she holds me up from making it to the bus.

"Just amazing...where are you going?" She asks, as the girl instinctively pat my uniform. "Going to school now, Mrs. Jorgenson."

"Oh! I thought it was a Saturday..." she trails off as their footsteps suddenly sound denser, now longer clanging on the metal of the stairs. Turning in her direction, the high schooler gives her a tight smile. "I must be off now, Mrs. Jorgenson. I'll see you later."

"Of course, of course," she chuckles. "Have a good day!"

The student waves her off, before proceeding down the block to the bus station. She sits on the cold, metallic bench until she hears the bus pull up with a familiar screech on slick pavement, wet from the night before. The bus doors crank open, emitting the smell of old tuna fish and bleach wipes.

"Hey, it's you. Thought you'd be drivin' by now 'and got a car during break," the bus driver laughs, and the girl chuckles. "Tom, please, if I purchased a car I wouldn't get to ride with you anymore. How was your trip to Cancun?" she asks, stepping onto the bus and pressing her lanyard into the machine, even though it did nothing. Sometimes, humoring the bus driver allows him to let you ride for free, even if it was mostly due to pity.

"Great," he lies. The girl's brows furrow at his lie but didn't say anything as she walks to the back of the bus, sitting down. She scrolls through her music list, pressing the start of her next playlist.

Old music from the 60's began, and she relaxed in my seat, preparing for the day ahead. When the playlist ended, she stood up, walking to the front of the bus.

"I don't know how ya' do it, even when I don't announce it," Tom chuckles, and she shrugs. "I've always been psychic."

"Ha!" Tom cranks the door open, and she steps out. Inhaling the fresher, yet denser air, she felt relieved. It was certainly better than smelling Tom's lunch-special from yesterday...

Rain season was beginning in Seattle, meaning that in a month's time, she'll be graduating from school and going to UP.

Falling into pace, the girl soon heard the other students milling about. They always gave her at least three feet of space, afraid to damage her like some fragile egg.

It wasn't all bad, but it felt a bit lonely.

Walking to her locker, she punched in the code, unlocking it with a click! Lumbering steps approached her, and the girl instinctively turned her head in their direction.

"Hey babe," he greets, kissing the girl on the lips. He tasted like peppermint, and were semi-soft; albeit, a bit chapped. Smiling softly to herself, she kissed him back softly, before pulling away. "Hey, Lance."

"Want to go get some Fro-yo after school today?" He asks, and the girl nods. "That'd be great, sure."

"I'll meet you 20 minutes after school ends, at our usual spot. I have to give back some notes back to a friend from baseball," he states, and she shrugs. "Alright, see you there, then."

"Cool, I'll see you later," he lumbers off, and the girl closes her locker after grabbing their books. Lance wasn't in any of her classes this quarter, but the two still hung out when they had the chance. She heads off to class, and the day proceeds like normal.

At the end of the day, the bell rings, and everyone quickly leaves the classroom, footsteps overlapping with the rain as they charge towards the door.

"Ms. Eman," the teacher calls out, and the girl looks up in her teacher's direction. "Yes?"

"Can you please give this folder to Mr. Gingler on the third floor? I have to go to a parent-teacher conference right away, and this folder has the test copies he needs for his AP Euro class that he left behind earlier."

"Of course, I'll go right away." The girl takes the folder and tucks it under her arm. The pathway to the third floor was the one she used to get from AP World to Calculus, so she was fairly used to it. Mr. Gingler's room was just the one right across from AP World.

Not bothering to use her cane, since the second-floor hallways were empty after school, she began up the stairwell to the third floor. Quickly walking to his room, she placed the folders on his desk, walking to the stairwell again.

"Shh...someone will hear us..." a voice mutters, and the girl turns her head. How peculiar, all teenagers bolted for the door at the sound of the bell.

"Everyone's left, don't worry," a giggle responds, and the girl quietly pads towards their voices. It sounded like it was coming from a classroom at the end of the hall...

"Still..."

"If you're so concerned about doing this while you have a girlfriend, why not break up with her?" her voice grows louder as the girl draws closer, careful to not make any sound.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Rain was softly pouring outside, but it did not dilute his voice when he responded. "It's guilt. We all feel guilty."

"If you felt guilty, you wouldn't be doing this," her voice quips.

The girl's breath caught in her throat as she stood by the doorframe, heart pounding as trickles of Victoria's Secret perfume flooded her nose.

"I'm gonna break up with her after graduation," his voice rings out. "I'll make something up about... going to different colleges. She'll understand, and she'll never have to find out about this."

The girl had enough, fully knowing who it was.

"Too late," she laughs dryly, now standing in front of the doorway as lightning crackles outside the window. The two cheaters faintly gasp, caught in the act.

"Babe! We're just...studying. It's not what it looks like-"

"I know what it looks like, idiot, I'm not deaf," the girl laughs dryly, feeling tears prick her eyes. "God, you're such a douche." She turns to leave, bursting into a sprint down the corridor.

"Wait, babe!"

"Don't go after her-"

"God, I'm such an idiot!" His voice bellows through the halls, chasing after the very girl he just betrayed. She goes faster, finally making it to the first floor. Breathing heavily, her heartbeat pounds in her ears as she bursts through the doors, torrents of rain pouring down.

"Come back, let's talk it out!"

"Stay away!" she shouts back. "Let this be done with!"

"Come on, babe! Please!" He catches up, grabbing her by the left wrist. His large hands tightened like a viper, and without thinking, she raises her stick in her right hand and thwacks him in the neck. He stumbles back, grabbing the cane and wrenching it out of her hands since she didn't loop the rope around her wrist.

"You have to come back now...please, we can talk this out..." his footsteps splashed as he drew nearer, but the girl kept stepping back.

"Please! You're-"

"Shut up and leave me alone!" she yells, backing up further. Her feet slipped on the wet pavement, and she tripped off the curb, stumbling into traffic.

"Babe, no!" his other words were washed out with the rain, and the sound of the car impacting her body.

Pain crushed through her bones as she felt her head slam into the car glass, then the hood. Thick droplets of blood and rain mixed and diluted when she finally landed on the concrete, life fading.

There was no bright light that appeared, just the same blackness she had felt for three years. She supposed it was peaceful since she no longer would have to deal with any of the pain in this world...

"Call 911!" A voice screams, before fading.

There was nothing at first, other than the sense of floating above.

'Greetings, I am System 00008. Welcome to the Afterlife V.I Program.'

Huh?

'You have been lucky enough to be selected to participate this. Upon collecting 10,000,000 points, you shall be reincarnated to your design, or simply move on to Nirvana.'

What?

'So, I'm not going to heaven or hell?' she responds, somehow, without moving her lips. Did I even have lips right now? Everything was just so...numb.

'Depends on how you acted as a human, but you're not going to either. Would you like me to explain the rules?'

'I guess...'

'You will be transmigrated into different bodies in different universes. You shall be given a mission objective. Depending on the world level, you can gain anywhere from 1,000 points to 1,000,000 points.'

She quickly does the math in her head, an angry feeling bubbling in their chest. 'That means I'll go through 1,000 worlds!'

'That's just the flat rate. Side quests can add up generally add up to 50,000 points if completed decently. You'll also get conquest points added on for benefiting the world you're in, but these tasks are hidden from view. However, your first world has no side quests available, only titles.'

She huffs. 'Fine. How do I know what to do in a different body? Am I reborn as a child?'

'Not usually, the being tends to be reborn at least a little before the main plot.'

'I see...any important rules I should know?'

'Do your best and you shall accumulate points quickly. Also...do not let anyone know you're in a system. To these people, this universe is the only reality.'

'Are there other systems then?'

'Yes.'

'Will they be in game with me?'

The voice pauses. 'You should be the only V.I system in your route. Are you ready to go?'

She pauses. 'Do I have a choice?'

'Not really.'

'Then, let's go.'

The system pauses and leaves her to assume it was booting up. Suddenly, a pain spreads from her heart across her body, making her eyes feel like they're melting. Clenching her eyes shut, she let out a guttural scream of pain as she transmigrated to another world.