End of Damien West
I never imagined my death would come through betrayal. A taste of my own medicine. Yet, here I was, staring death in the face, the world slipping away, and the last thing I heard was a familiar voice—the one who had been paid to eliminate me.
"I'm sorry… Damien."
It was my best friend. The one person I had trusted more than anyone. To think that someone I considered my brother would betray me so cruelly. My trust turned into my downfall—pathetic, really.
As the world around me darkened, I felt death's grip closing on me with every second. I had always heard about a light at the end of life, though I thought it was just a way for people to cope. But now, as I stood at the doorstep of my own death, I couldn't help but be drawn towards that light.
Before I could think further, a strange, robotic voice echoed in my mind.
[Player Connected]
[System transferring player to new vessel.]
What was that? My body was too weak to move, too exhausted to even speak. I could only think the words, just hoping someone—or something—would hear me.
As darkness closed in on me, I suddenly jolted awake. My eyes wide open, and I sat up, with my heart racing. I was no longer in the forest where I had died. Instead, I found myself in a completely different place—a new forest, with sunlight beaming onto me.
Feeling disoriented, I walked to a nearby pond. As I looked into the water, I saw a reflection that wasn't my own. I was a young boy—frail, weak, and with long, messy black hair. This wasn't the reflection of the world's top assassin.
As I continued to stare at my new face, a strange blue screen materialized in front of me, like I was inside a game.
[You have received a message.]
[Accept: Y/N]
Was this some sort of joke? Maybe I had sustained serious head trauma. With curiosity, I said "Yes."
[Player has accepted the message]
[Warning: System updating player status. Player may feel pain.]
Pain? I didn't feel anything. As soon as said that, an excruciating pain gripped me. My muscles tightened, my body compressed in on itself. I screamed loudly—a pain like this was something I had never experienced.
[System updated to player status]
[Player: Takeda Hanzo Connected]
Takeda Hanzo? Is that my name in this world? A screen of information popped up.
[Player Card]
[Name: Takeda Hanzo]
[Level: 1 (XP: 0/150)]
[Age: 11]
[Title: None]
[Player Stats]
[HP: 150/150]
[Stamina: 50/50]
[Ki: 40/40]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 15]
[Endurance: 10]
[Intuition: 5]
[Intelligence: 15]
[Dexterity: 8]
I laughed. My stats were pathetically low. To think my skills had been put to this level. Was this some kind of game? Was I being messed with by some god?
Before I could process it further, another screen appeared with "Daily objectives".
[Daily Objective Received.]
[0/100 Push-Ups]
[0/100 Crunches]
[0/100 Pull-Ups]
[0/15 Miles Ran]
[Player must complete daily objectives or a penalty will be set.]
[Time remaining: 8 hours]
So it wants me to train? Well, training has always been essential, no matter how many life's. But first, I need to figure out where I am—and what's really going on.
My thoughts were interrupted by a voice—a young girl's voice.
"Takeda, are you okay? Why were you screaming?" she asked, panting heavily, her face full of concern.
She looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old and seemed to know me.
"Yes, nothing happened. " I replied, letting out a nervous chuckle and rubbing the back of my head. Her confusion deepened—she clearly knew something was off.
"You need to be careful." she scolded. "I can tell you're lying. Let's head back to the manor. Mother made us breakfast."
A manor? So is this family wealthy?
As we walked through a large Torii gate, I saw a building—large enough to house a family but modest, not the building of the ultra-rich.
"Takeda, Tomoe, where have you two been? Why were you two out so long?" A woman who's most likely my mother asked, curiosity in her voice.
"Don't worry, Mother. We were just out training our environment blending" Tomoe answered, nonchalantly.
Environment blending? I had a lot to learn about this life. For now, breakfast seemed like a good start.
Later, I found myself wandering through the manor, exploring every corner. My room was small but comfortable, I couldn't escape the constant thought popping up in my head—this wasn't my world.
As I wondered more into the manor, I found a room tucked away from the others rooms. Inside, I saw walls lined with glass cases, black masks, shelves full of swords, kunai, and shurikens. Scrolls and books filled the rooms.
At the end of the room was a stand with a glass case on top. Inside was a golden circular object, stamped with the symbol "Hanzo." Beside it was an ancient scroll, the paper worn and faded. The text was in a language I couldn't read. What was this? An origin? A will? Then I heard a familiar ding again.
[Language: Ancient Japanese]
[Would you like to translate?]
[Y/N]
This game… it could translate languages? I couldn't help but smile. "Yes" I said, out loud this time.
[Player has accepted translation.]
As my eyes adjusted, I felt a slight tingling sensation in my head. When I looked back at the scroll, I could understand every word.
"If your eyes have found this scroll, then fate has led you to this legacy. The one who reads this will unlock the true ancient shinobi art—"Yamigan". This is the true shinobi power, the "Eyes of Eternal Darkness", a rare and forbidden technique. Only those worthy can inherit its power. It was the ability I, Hiroshi Hanzo, The Shadow Emperor, created."
This scroll… no way. Am I the only one who can understand this? Thanks to this game, I had unlocked something far beyond what I expected. As I finished reading, a surge of black, shadowy energy surrounded me. It felt comforting, a nice warming sensation.
[Warning: An unidentified power has entered the player's body.]
[Attempting to remove…]
[Attempt incomplete.]
[Power merging with player's body…]
[Merging complete.]
[New skill unlocked: Yamigan (Eyes of Eternal Darkness)]
[New Reward unlocked: All stats increased +10]
I opened my player card again, wanting to see the changes.
[Player Card]
[Name: Takeda Hanzo]
[Level: 1 (XP: 0/150)]
[Age: 11]
[Title: None]
[Player Stats]
[HP: 150/150]
[Stamina: 50/50]
[Ki: 50/50]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 25]
[Endurance: 20]
[Intuition: 15]
[Intelligence: 25]
[Dexterity: 18]
[Skills: Yamigan]
The change in my body was real—my stats had dramatically increased. A blessing in disguise. This is the start of my new life.