Voice of Worlds!

My eyes flickered with flame once again.

After I was swallowed by the pressure and magic from the magic circle, I was terrified. I gambled on criminally limited information and it worked, but I wasn't sure if I'd actually land in another world.

Hell, I wasn't even sure if they existed.

For a few seconds, I had been subjected to an unending canvas of darkness where I couldn't see anything, even the off-white color of my body.

It felt like I was in a dark, stagnant place.

Then, an opening appeared in the void and spat me out.

Now, I laid skull-down on the ground.

I used my bony hands to push off the dirt and stood to my feet.

Raising my skull, I saw with flickering flames the utterly disgusting scenery that flourished before me!

It was life.

Large protrusions stemmed from the ground and rose into the air, at their ends, swaying green monstrosities that screamed of life and moisture.

Where I stood was not the black soil I was used to, but brown dirt that seemed rich - too rich - bearing thin, green children everywhere. 

'Well, flesh me, bro.'

The sky was blue, flying creatures streaking across it.

WHAT WAS THIS MADNESS?

My body jerked and a couple of words appeared in my head.

Trees.

Grass.

Leaves.

Damn it! What the hell did it all mean?!

And why did it seem so bloody familiar?!

'Eeewwww!'

From the blue, the pleasant voice I had heard before spoke again.

[Greetings, young Undead. Please make haste and settle your affairs].

Huh?

'Young?'

[Would you like to check your status before it's too late?]

The voice came again.

'Umm...what? Before what's too late? What is this status?' I questioned.

And as soon as I finished forming those words, a red, half-transparent light screen appeared before my socket flames.

It had details inscribed on it that drew my attention.

~~~~

[ Name : Skullius ]

[ Tier : None ]

[ Level : None ]

[ Race : Moronic Undead (Lesser) ]

[ Inv. Status : Doomed (Adverse) ×2 ]

-------

[ Stats ]

[ Strength : Null ]

[Agility : Null ]

[ Intelligence : Meh ]

[ Endurance : Infinite ]

[ Mana : Poor ]

[ Luck : Atrocious ]

-----

[ Skills ]

[ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve) ]

[ Flesh It Like You Mean | It Lv. 1 ]

[ Lifeless Evolution ]

~~~~

'...'

"What is this?" I voiced my confusion. "And who are you? You're creeping me out."

[I am the Voice of Worlds.

I am a guide to those who have met certain requirements.

I appear before you as this ethereal panel called a Guidance field. This just happens to be its miniaturized version, of course.

And what you see noted on it is your status. It shows your current state in terms of Individual Information, statistics, and skills].

I didn't want to rage out yet. But I noticed some things that I needed answered. My socket flames flickered.

"Can you please kindly tell me why that Inve whatever status says I'm currently Doomed?"

[Please click that thread with your...finger to extract the rest of the information].

I looked at my finger and poked the Status. Strings of information unfolded as the voice had teased.

~~~~

[ Invasive Status ]

---

[Doomed Factor 1: Disowned

Your master, Undead Lich Somanda has cut off his mana supply to you. Under normal circumstances, you would cease to exist. However, the benevolent VOW has granted you time to decide your own fate. If you cannot do that in the time allotted, you will meet your certain end.

Time till DF1: 24hrs

---

Doomed Factor 2: Existential Crisis

Your distinct perception and absorption of mana throughout the years has caused you to start awakening what should have been lost a long time ago. If you fail to recover everything about your previous life in time, you will suffer a crisis of your own existence and descend into madness.

Time till DF2 : 1yr ]

~~~

'.....'

"So let me get this straight. I am basically about to die or go mad from these two.....factors?"

'Flesh this! I completely forgot that Somanda owns me and can just stop supplying me with mana!'

"Arghh! What is it that I am supposed to recover? You know it don't you, voice in my head?!" I yelled.

[Please refrain from calling me that, and call me Voice of Worlds or VOW for short.

Yes. I know everything about you. You have been getting short bursts of memories that confuse you. You're supposed to find out what they are. Even though you keep getting bits of them, this process is happening in an unstable manner. Furthermore, I cannot interfere with your path. My duty is simply to guide].

And there came my motivation. A vague adventure with bigger stakes than a countryside butchery.

Wait! What was a butchery?

I clutched my skull.

'Okay okay. I've kept my cool long enough.'

"HEY, why am I called a Moronic Undead?!" I barked. "What kind of stupid name is that?! Level, None? What's that anyway? Strength Null, Agility Null? Intelligence, Meh?! What are these comments? Explain yourself!"

I heard a scoff in my head.

[Everything on your status will be described with a comment until you have a level.

Your current attributes are so dismal that you lack one. A level is part of a power measurement system used across many Worlds.

As for your race. That is your race. A moron embodied in bone. That is why your kind was only sent to the mines and not given important tasks. You're a closed-ended species that has limited requirements for any form of growth. So...yeah].

That had been discouraging and insulting!

'How am I a moron? Bonet, I could see it, but me?!'

I swore right then to un-undeath Somanda one day just for this!

I looked around and felt something in the air. There was a peculiar sensation tingling around me. It was something I was well accustomed to. I almost laughed when I felt it on my bones.

Mana.

[As you've noticed, there is an abundance of mana here, unlike in... Deadmanland. This is a possible path for you to cure DF1. It's also a path for you to evolve from the Moronic Undead race].

There indeed was so much mana here.

I extended my hand and ran my bones in the air feeling the chill from it. My core was yearning for it desperately.

"Maybe it won't be so bad." I tried to comfort myself.

I could finally explore mana to my core's content!

"If I'm supposed to save myself from the mana problem, I'm going to have to supply my own mana, right?" I said to the voice in my head.

[Indeed. However, you can only do that if you evolve from your current race and gain a level. The DF1 will not be a problem solved in one instance. A continuous supply of mana will be needed at all times. First, you need to increase your mana capacity through evolution. I would recommend that you aim for Tier 1. Please check your skills].

I needed no one to spell it out for me. My existence was about to become an even bigger sockethole than it had been.

I focused on the skills noted on my status.

~~~

[ Skills ]

[ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve). ]

The ability to sense the presence of mana within a certain range.

----

[ Supreme Skill ]

[ Flesh It Like You Mean It | Lv. 1 ]

Tired of looking dead? Are your eyes hollow? Do you need to smile and show off something other than ugly bones? Well, fret not! Call on the power of cosmetic flesh and get yourself a body that's to your liking, free of charge (technically)!

----

[ Supreme Skill ]

[ Lifeless Evolution ]

Tired of the same old Undead evolutions? Is being Undead not trendy anymore? Such is the way of the wider universe, dear friend. We are here to solve the desire for tasteful expressions of power. Get the Lifeless Evolution Package for powerful, unorthodox, and peculiar evolutions that will knock your skull off.

IfyouareseeingthisinyourGuidancefielditmeansthatthisskillisboundtoyouandisnon-refundable.Incaseofdissatisfaction,wewillgladlysue.

~~~~

"...."

WHAT IN THE...