1 Bad Start
Coast City, January 1, 2006
...
Random Alleyway:
A young soul found itself floating unintentionally, attaching itself to a dying child. The child was ten years old and had been out walking with his family. Suddenly, a mugger attacked them. The father tried to fight off the thief as they struggled, managing to get hold of the gun. However, the thief kept resisting, and in the struggle, accidentally shot the mother. This enraged the father, causing him to lose control and ultimately lose the gun to the robber, who fatally shot him. The robber, shocked by his own actions, noticed the kid who was equally shocked. The robber was about to run but then realized he wasn't wearing a mask. Since this turned into more than a normal mugging, he feared a lifetime in prison if he let the kid go and he recognized him. So, he turned back and shot the kid in the chest, sealing the fate of young Raiden and his family.
However, fate had different plans. The wandering soul attached itself to the boy's body as he lay there unconscious.
...
Coast City, January 3, 2006
...
Central Hospital:
"I'm sorry for your loss, kid. We'll do our best to apprehend the killer, but we need your help. We have a couple of suspects in confinement. Do you think you can recognize the killer?" said the lead detective on the murder case of Satoshi Kagawa and Emily Keith, also known as the Kagawa family murder to the media.
"The boy just woke up! And you useless pricks want to get a kid's help! You should be out there finding the killer of my daughter and her husband, not hassling my grandson after he just lost his parents!" Raiden's grandfather, Jacob, screamed at the officers. There had been no progress in the murder case of the Kagawas, and his frustration with the law force grew more and more.
"It's okay, Grandpa. I want to help... I have to help. I miss them already. I can't live knowing that their killer is out there free," Raiden said as he tried to pacify his grandfather while also assisting the officer.
(Well, my acting was decent, but I have a major conundrum on my hands. Whoever owned this body could probably remember his killer... I don't) he thought to himself.
"I disapprove of this. You can't just take a kid to a place full of criminals and expect him to remember who killed his mother!" said Mr. Jacob, affirming his fears. He really wanted his daughter's killer to be found, but he also wanted to give his grandson time to grieve. Losing one parent is hard, two in the same night is a lot, and Raiden hadn't cried or wept at all since he woke up.
"Once again, Mr. Keith, we are sorry for your loss, but we have to get his testimony. Without it, we have no way of identifying the killer. Please understand," the detective said.
"I feel like if I see him, then I can recognize him. Please, Grandpa."
The old man had a sour face, but he said, "Fine, I'll allow it, but I will be with him there," insisting firmly.
"Of course, we'll arrange for that. An escort will come to take you to the station as soon as the doctor authorizes it. According to the doctors, your injuries aren't severe and should be healed in two or three days. I will leave you now. Have a good rest, kid."
After the detective left, Raiden decided to sleep again. His body was extremely tired and in a lot of pain. His injuries hadn't healed yet, so of course, he needed a lot of time to rest.
...
Waking up, Raiden groaned. His body was very tired, and he felt like he was out of breath. His body wouldn't even respond to him anymore. "What the hell! What is happening to me?"
"Son, are you okay?" the old man who was always by his side said. "Raiden! Raiden, answer me! Nurse, doctor, help!"
...
{System Initiated…
Body Assessment 98%... 99%… 100% Completed
Life Force Check: Done
Magical Force Check: Failed
Using System Gift Pack Class (AAA)
Initiating Magic Implementation… 1%
Magical Power Implementation: Done
Magical Circuit Implementation: Done
Summoning Circle Implementation: Done
Initiating Magic Implementation… 100% Completed
Magical Force Check: Done
Mental Force Check: Failed
Host is too weak mentally.
Using System Gift Pack (A)
Borrowing Mental Fortitude From the Throne of Heroes: Initiated…
Host's Mental Fortitude Increase: Completed
Mental Force Check: Done
Physical Ability Assessment
Creating a Profile…
Name: Raiden Kagawa
AKA: Rai
Gender: Male
Attribute: Man
Alignments: Unknown
Basic Traits: Humanoid, System's Host, Loved by Gaia
Passive Skills: None
Active Skills: None
Noble Phantasms: None
Stats:
Strength: ---E Endurance: ---E
Agility: --E Mana: A+++
Luck: E NP: Null …
Profile Creation Completed.
Due to the host's Weak Body, it's impossible to Activate the Fate system.
Backup Plan Initiated.
Using Gift Pack 3 (SSS)
Host's Permission Needed… Y/N
Host's Permission Needed… Y/N
Host's Permission Needed… Y/N
Host is In a Critical Condition. Bypassing Host's Permission
Initiating the Reconfiguration of Host's Body to be Compatible
1%
2%
3%
4%
.
.
.
.
.
.
98%
99%
100% Host's Body Reconfiguration Is Completed.
Physical Ability Assessment
Name: Raiden Kagawa
AKA: Rai
Gender: Male
Attribute: Man
Alignments: Unknown
Basic Traits: Humanoid, System's Host, Loved by Gaia Passive
Skills: None
Active Skills: None
Noble Phantasms: None
Stats:
Strength: C Endurance: C
Agility: C Mana: A+++
Luck: E NP: Null
Physical Ability Check: Done Host's Body Is Now Ready.
System Is Now Updating. Please Wait}
Raiden's Perspective:
My head is spinning; I don't know what's happening. Everything is so confusing. One day, I'm at work, and then there's some kind of accident. I can't recall exactly what happened. I think there was a fire, and I was trapped. All I remember is extreme pain. At first, it was the fire burning all over my body, but then it focused on my chest. I didn't understand the change until I woke up in a hospital. The nurse was large, which felt strange. Then an old man appeared, telling me he's relieved I'm safe. I was incredibly confused, but as I cleared my head, I started to look around. My body had changed, and I was now a kid. Things began to make sense, especially after the detective showed up. I had been reincarnated into this kid's body. The child was a victim of some sort of robbery, which led to his injuries. The old man and woman were my grandparents. I felt sorry for them. They had not only lost their daughter and her husband but also me, their grandson to some extent. I wished I could express more emotions to ease their pain, but I couldn't. Even if I were to fake it, it would have left a bad taste in my mouth. Faking grief over someone's death wasn't something I wanted to do.
However, things changed again. I don't know what happened, but I fell asleep. Then, a strange mechanical voice started speaking, and I blacked out completely, leaving me in this situation.
I found myself inside some sort of pod, surrounded by water, and shackled to it. It wasn't a bed; the pod was upright with numerous cables connected to me. I tried to move, but nothing happened. It took a long time before someone showed up.
It was an ugly, elderly man with a disfigured face. I immediately sensed that this man was not good, not just from his appearance but also from his aura and unsettling smile. He gave me the creeps, to be honest. This guy seemed insane.
"HO! You are awake. Yes, YES, YES!! GOOD, very good. I'm interested in you. Yes, correct. The formula is successful, but you don't know about that. Excuse me, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Professor Ivo, I'm an incredible scientist, and I like YOU. I LIKE YOU A LOT. NO? I ENVY YOU? I HATE YOU! You are God's way of spiting me!"
What the heck! Oh no, what's going on? This is not ideal for me. It's weird. What did I do to deserve this lunatic?
"So, you won't speak to me? Introduce yourself, perhaps? DO YOU SEE ME AS SUCH AN INSIGNIFICANT BUG THAT YOU WON'T EVEN INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO ME!"
This man is crazy. I'm submerged in water; I can't speak, for crying out loud! You have a tube in my mouth! *Muffled sounds* I tried to signal, and thankfully, he understood.
"OH, my apologies. Ah, yes, of course, you can't speak. You must be wondering about where you are, why you are here. Well, let me explain. Five years ago, you went into a coma. It's somewhat normal, expected even, for someone as young as you who got shot in the chest to go into a coma from the injuries. Those doctors at that pathetic hospital didn't even realize that. Pathetic pests! Seems like anyone can get a degree these days. Such annoyances. Ah, sorry for my tangent. I usually wouldn't care about some random pest going into a coma. However, you were special. Coma patients usually get weaker and weaker, and the hospital can at least keep them alive. But you, you were different. Instead of getting weaker, your body became better, stronger, healthier. In fact, at this moment, I highly doubt there's a 15-year-old more athletic than you are. Something that seemed impossible. So, you were put under the supervision of the Star Labs Institution. They wanted to care for you as you were considered a 'meta human.' FOOLS, I SAY! HAHAHAHA!! You are my life's WORK, yes, yes, yes! You see, my goal is to create a medicine, an immortality elixir, to defeat GOD and DEATH! And to a certain extent, I HAVE. But GOD, that bastard! He cursed me. Look at me! He turned me into a monster! But you! You are the key! What the people at Star Labs didn't get is that you are the evolution of humanity, a human with a body capable of regulating itself to a perfect condition using minimal nutrients! YOU ARE PERFECT!"
This man is messed up. I need to escape from this place. I can't move, damn it. That voice from before, are you there?
{System is Updating. Please wait.}
THIS isn't the time for that. Can you do something about this? I need to leave this place. This man is out of his mind!
{System is Updating. Please wait.}
"However, you are being a nuisance to me! I haven't been able to analyze anything special in your blood. Your brain is nothing special. Nothing about you is special! Or is that what you want me to think? You are hiding immortality from me! You are my last obstacle! Then I will ascend! I will be eternal! Now, let's start experimenting, shall we? With you awake, I will get more input on my research."
