1 The 13th Reincarnation

I open my eyes and let the blurred world come into focus.

I've experienced this feeling enough times to know what's going on. A long time ago, the gods needed a hero and, for whatever reason, they chose me. I did what they asked. But another world needed my help. Then another. And then another.

I've been through too many lives to remember my original name. These days, I go by Shawl. And this is my 13th reincarnation.

I'm in a room with 4 or 5 people. A man bows down to pick me up. Everything about him looks expensive. He seems genuinely happy to see me.

"Oh, he looks just as lovely as you, darling," I hear him tell someone behind me.

I peek over at the woman he's talking to. She's wearing a beautiful gown, like that of a princess or a queen. Are my parents royals this time?

My last 3 parents were middle-class and I haven't been born to a truly poor family since Number 4. We didn't have enough food and I ended up starving to death. I guess the gods learned their lesson after that. I can't kill the Demon Lord if I die, after all. This will be a nice change of pace.

As the people in the room pass me around and cut my cord, I take stock of my mind. I have nearly 1600 years of memories, but it's kind of a mess, and a lot is missing.

I'm guessing the gods have been picking at my memories, because there's a lot of nothing in some places.

I still remember the modern world I used to live in originally. I also remember my strategies for defeating the Demon Lords from Number 2 to 9, with the obvious exception of Number 4. And, of course, I still remember the face of Princess Sofia from when I was Number 2.

There's a bunch of other stuff, too, but Number 10 to 12 is mostly blacked out. I guess that means it's either useless, traumatic, or the gods are hiding something from me.

I've been suspecting that for a while, but I don't have any proof. They're gods, after all.

Well, I think I'll skip over the boring baby parts this time around. It's all just learning how to use my body and learning about the world and its people. I'll catch you up later.

For now, please keep something in mind for me.

Princess Sofia. She is the only person I've ever felt a real connection with, through all my lives. There's only one reason why I'm still doing what the gods say, and it's to see her again. One day.

That was their promise me.