First Firmament (Tensei Slime Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: Complete Reincarnation

It's dark...

It was dark. Way too dark. I can't feel anything. I can't see anything. A literal void. I lost all sense of time and direction. I can only think. I don't know where this is. My memories are hazy. 

I'm dead. Or... I died. That's for sure. Yet where am I?

Me... as well as Kaede and Yuka died back there. There's no way we survived. Well, they died earlier than me but...

(A.N: Salute to those who know the name "Kaede" from somewhere else.)

I hadn't gone over it.

My emotions are still intact, so I must be fine.

.....

....

...

Is this hell? The point of no return? Because this void is literally driving me insane. I mean, think about it. When you throw a guy into a dark, enclosed space, it takes practically no time at all for him to go insane. And that was exactly where I was—and I couldn't even die in peace any longer, it looked like. If insanity was all that waited for me here, that was enough to take the wind out of anybody's sails.

Wait.

I remember some monotonic voice talking shit. I also remember sinking in water that seemed imaginary and didn't seem real.

I remember wanting to live amidst the tempting desire to rest forever. But what is this?

I feel like I'm going insane.

The trauma, this absolute darkness... I'm going nuts

And thus, with nothing but my thoughts to accompany me in this void, I waited for a change.

———————

... I see a light. How long has it been? Days? Weeks? I was conscious this whole time so I'm surprised my mind's not broken yet.

I didn't experience anything the whole time. No hunger, thirst, or drowsiness. Heck, I can even be sure I wasn't breathing.

<<Received. Approximately ninety days, seven hours, thirty-four minutes, and fifty-two seconds have passed since the host began transmigration.>>

Cold, unfeeling words, like a computer-generated voice, echoed in my mind.

Who the fuc—

Wait.

I feel like I heard that voice before. 

That's right!

The voice that talked to me during my dying or whatever!

...Who're you?

I spoke in a demanding tone. I should've been softer in my tone since it's literally the first time in, well, 90 days since I spoke to someone. But I couldn't care less when I'm literally on the verge of insanity.

<<Received. This is the effect of the unique skill "Great Sage." The skill has taken effect, making it more immediately available.>> 

A sage, huh...? And here I thought that voice was just screwing with me. Now it was the best partner I had. Hope that keeps up.

Hell, anything would have been fine at that point. As long as it helped smooth out the endless solitude I was preparing myself for. For all I knew, this "voice" was something my mind had crafted to keep my balls intact. It was fine by me. For the first time in ages, I could feel a burden lifting from my heart.