Chapter 284 - Rebirth

[Erasure of unnecessary memories complete… Man, this really is a pain]

**** opened his eyes, it was dark around him

"Where… is this?"

**** felt lost, as a lamb separated from its pack, or like a newly hatched bioengineered soldier not yet given glorious purpose by its masters

"Wait… What's a bioengineered soldier..? More importantly, who am I?"

[Are you awake yet sunshine?]

**** paused before he mumbled

"Doctor always told me to ignore the voices… But I take it you're real?"

[I am the realest shit around dawg]

"..."

[Okaaay… Let's just ignore that, sorry I am a little jittery… This is the first time I have successfully managed to, well… Bring a soul through the fabric of time and space and all that]

"So is that what I am..? A soul?"

[Nope~ you have a body alright so you're… Wait… What are you?]

"That's what I am asking you, dude"

[Wait a moment… I'll contact my senior, one moment]

**** felt the presence of the strange voice leave him, by now his eyes hand managed to adjust to the light or rather the lack of light, he was in a small enclosed space bound by some sort of white fabric

"...A land of strange rituals and savage cruelty… Was it? Why can I remember that and not my name..? These are not necessary memories at all..."

As **** mumbled he tried to move his body but found that the white bindings despite their apparent age were quite hard to break out of but after struggling for a few hours he eventually managed to free his hand and bring it up to his face and take a look at it

'Five fingers… Nails on each finger… And I don't have blue skin… I can work with this'

**** studied his hand, the sight felt vaguely familiar, using his newly freed hand **** worked on freeing the rest of his body from the white bindings, as he did the strange voice returned

[See, this one right here]

***** was about to speak up when he suddenly heard another strange voice

[This… is quite the surprise… Is this why you assigned so much of yourself to this?]

[Nah, I only noticed after I successfully managed to bring a soul over the threshold]

[What kind of idiot doesn't check what kind of vessel it is before he… Nevermind, Don't answer that question, I already know]

[Ehehe~]

[That was not a compliment]

"Erm…" 

A few seconds passed before the second strange voice spoke up again

[Oh right, you are still here… What to do about you..?]

[You are not going to destroy it right?]

[I don't see why not?]

[Noooo~ Please senior! I have spent the past 5.643 years trying to find a somewhat compatible soul for this dang thing and now you want to destroy it!? Over my dead body!]

**** felt the temperature of the small enclosed space lower a few degrees before he suddenly realized that they were talking about destroying him

"Erm… Can I ask something?"

[What?]

The second voice asked, clearly annoyed

"I have no idea what to call you two… Do you have names?"

The second voice answered now even more annoyed

[Of course, we have names, I am Light]

[I am Party~]

"I see… Well If I had a name I would give it to you now… But I simply can't seem to remember"

[That's normal, after all, I deleted your unnecessary memories~]

"That you did…"

**** put his focus back on attempting to break free from the bindings, after struggling a bit more he managed to free his other arm

'Now then… Let's see if I am strong enough'

**** pushed against the top of the enclosed space with all his might and then ever so slowly the roof lifted up before he pushed it to the side finally freeing himself from the sarcophagus as the lid fell heavily on the floor **** rose from the sarcophagus and looked around

"Yep… This is a burial chamber alright…'

**** looked around for a bit before he removed the rest of the mummy wrappings from his body then he stepped out of the sarcophagus and fumbled around in the dark for a bit before he reached a wall and followed it, after a while, he realized that he was in a totally enclosed room with no door in sight

"Well, shit…"

[Erhem]

"Oh, Light what is it?"

[We have deceived to let you live, you may rejoice]

"...Thank you"

[Don't thank us yet, you still have much pain to go through]

"I see, well then let's get the unpleasant stuff out of the way as quickly as possible?"

[That was my idea, Party if you would, please begging the soul recalibration]

[Yes right away~ Now this is going to hurt, don't bite your tongue]

**** sat down on the cold sandstone floor and took a deep breath

"I am ready"

[Then here we go~]

**** felt his mind go blank before suddenly it came, pain like no other. He felt like he was being skinned alive while his organs were boiled and frozen at the same time, yet he didn't scream he just sat there only letting out a long groan as he breathed out.

After 2 hours it was finally done, **** breathed out, at this point, his body was covered in a cold sweat

"Well that fucking hurt"

[Amazing, to think that a newly reborn one could handle this without screaming and rolling on the floor in pain]

**** felt respect from Light's voice for the first time, he gave a smile and breathed out deeply once more before he asked

"So what was that about?"

[Well I simply adjusted your soul to its new vessel~]

"My soul?"

[Yes~ if we had left you as you were your soul would eventually become chipped or damaged and killed you~]

"I see, thanks Party"

[Ehehe~]

"This might be rude to ask… But do any of you happen to know my name?"

[Nope~ I didn't look when I transferred your soul~]

[Come on now Party, that's just lazy]

"Then… could you name me?"

**** waited for a bit before [Light] asked him, she sounded slightly annoyed as usual

[What's with the sudden fixation on a name?]

"Well… A name is the binding of a person, of a soul… So since Party have fixed my soul I want a name to call myself" 

[Hmm… A name…]

Party sounded way more serious than she had been so far, clearly, she took this task seriously, after a while her voice appeared in **** head again

[What about Mercury?]

**** gave a nod but before he could speak up Light interrupted and asked Party

[What do you base this on Party? I mean surely there must be a reason for your pick… There is a reason right?]

[Well I like the name, that's why… Plus it fits his mana attunement quite well]

[I see… In that case, I have no objections, congratulations Mercury on your name]

"Thanks, Light and Party for naming me"

[You're welcome Mercury~]

"Now… what to do about this… Predicament"

Mercury had a clear mental picture of the burial chamber he found himself in, the room was 5 by 5 meters wide with an elevated platform in the middle where the sarcophagus was, from what he could feel about 1 and a half meter up the walls curved inwards towards the center, as for what was in on the ceiling he didn't know for sure as it was too dark to see

[Well… there's something I need to fill you in on first Mercury, first of all, we are not just voices in your head, we are archangels]

"Archangels?"

Party spoke up sounding very proud

[That's right, we are 2 of the 33 Archangels of Alfan~]

"I see… I had sensed a certain divine feeling when I spoke to you two before but now it makes sense"

[Oh… Party this guy is really good with his words, no doubt he's going to be a lady killer in the future]

"Well, that is going to depend on if I manage to escape this burial chamber…"

Just as Mercury was getting depressed Light spoke up with reassurance

[Of course, you are going to escape, you are a living god after all]

"A living god..?"

Just as Mercury was getting even more confused Party also spoke up

[That's right, I have fulfilled my task in bringing the 5th living god into the world of Alfan, that is you Mercury, no doubt about it, you are a living god and thus you are almost immortal, that said until you chose your class your powers are limited~]

"I am… Immortal?"

Images flashed in Mercury's mind, he was unable to make sense of any of them but it was clear that the word 'Immortal' meant something to him, he felt like he was just about to remember but just as he was---

[Mercury? Are you okay?]

Light snapped him out of his train of thought, he felt like he had just woken up from a dream he could not remember. Even though it was right beyond his grasp.

Mercury sat down leaning against the wall of the burial chamber before he spoke

"....I am fine… Please tell me about the whole living god thing"