{2/9} - Two of Nine: A Nine Lives Forum adventure

[Lilium Mortem]

First post has been updated to reflect a change in how I handle content warnings for this project. I've removed the content warnings for Drugs and Suicide implications because I no longer plan for them to come up, and have made a statement that future content warnings may be added if we run across them during the adventure. read the full statement for more clarity. Thank you for reading, there's still time to get suggestions in, don't plan on updating until at least tomorrow night.

[Lilium Mortem]

firstly, thank her for the juice-box. it never hurts to be polite.
to begin with, just ask her about what reincarnating and regaining memories is like, without mentioning your own experiences. you can bring those up if she says something that seems relevant to what you're going through.

 

^ Ditto to that.
If she asks why you think you could be reincarnated though, describe the weird dreams. Be sure to bring up some of the stuff that you've been remembering in the dream and throughout the day that just doesn't make sense, like the Shrimp.

Things fell into place. I had a game plan now. First thank her for the juice-box, then ask about her experiences with Reincarnating. Once that breaks the ice I can mention my own stuff. I need to remember to mention stuff that doesn’t seem right.

Ser Silversong opened a mini-fridge and tossed a juice-box my way. I caught it out of the air and set it down on the table so I could open it. Ser Silversong poured herself a cup of rust brown tea and walked over to the table before taking a seat.

“Thanks” I said, taking a sip from the juice box. “It’s been a bit of a weird morning for me. I talked to Stratus, and he told me about his awakening this life. It… It got me thinking. I’ve never really thought about it, you know? Reincarnation. Everyone in town knows you’ve been through a lot in all of your lives. What’s it like, reincarnating?”

“You’re not the first kid to think they’re reincarnated” She replied with a wry smile.

“What? No! I mea-” She raised a hand to interrupt me.

“I’m old, Scud, I’ve received lifetimes of training on many things, and I’ve had this conversation before. It’s ok. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

“Oh, ok. Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” She said, sitting back and closing her eyes for a second. “My first life was during the tail end of the Ashen Era. I was a farmer by trade, but back then the kingdom was still divided. Raiders were becoming a real problem, but there wasn’t enough law enforcement to go around. Reconstruction was taking all we had.

“I couldn’t just do nothing. So I joined the militia. Every day I’d wake up and train with a spear before working. Every night I’d practice with a bow and arrow after dinner. Then we were raided. I froze. I watched as they rained flaming arrows on the village. Then I saw one draw a blade. A villager was blocking the door to one of the storehouses with their body. Before I knew it I was moving.

“I killed the first raider, then the next, until they were all dead. Every movement trained, every beat of my heart I felt the other villagers, the others in the militia, they needed me. I stopped farming after that, and became a guard.

“I trained hard, and became the best fighter in the village. We were raided a few times later, but we could drive them off now. Until a raiding party of a hundred souls appeared at our doorstep. This time I didn’t hesitate. The first arrow from my bow killed their commander before he could give the order to attack.

“The battle was brutal. Every chance I got I’d distract an enemy so a civilian could get to safety, or a guard could get a chance to breathe. It was a losing battle. But I kept going. One by one the other guards fell, or ran. I was the last. I killed about fifty men total. At the end I was missing an arm and half my face. I kept going. I wouldn’t die, I couldn’t die. I still had to live to protect my Village, My family. A raider ran me through with a sword. I pushed my way further into it until I got close enough to strangle him to death before I finally died myself.

“I was born into my next life In the city of Crossroads in Alloy. I grew up with a poor family. Have you ever done something so much that it becomes second nature? Not just muscle memory, something more. Instincts burned into your soul. I went through my spear drills with a mop without knowing what I was doing. I took walks through the neighborhood until I found someone up to no good and beat them senseless. It became obvious I wasn’t in my first life.

“When I Awoke… everything made sense. I knew why I acted strange, why I needed to help people, why I fought. I knew all along, really. It just took some time for my body to grow up enough for me to accept it. I joined the police, but after just a year a Knight from the Kingdom of rose came to me, to tell me I was nominated to be a Knight myself.”

I raised my hand. “Wait, a knight came all that way before airships and high speed rail? Wouldn’t training a knight back home be easier?”

“No, Knights aren’t just really good warriors.” Ser Silversong said, shaking her head. “We are the kind of people who don’t accept death, the kind of people who can’t help but help when we see someone in trouble, the kind of people that do good for the sake of doing good. That’s a hard person to find. Even harder to make them agree to be a knight.

“A Knight’s Training lasts around seventy years, due to the rose knight’s Soul Art.”

“Wait.” I said, “I’m super curious about everything that goes into being a knight, but I think we went off topic.”

“I’m sorry, You’re right. Let me summarize then, let me know if you want to know more. A Soul Art is a technique where you manipulate your soul into affecting the world around you. The Rose Knights Soul art is called Blood Iron Thorn. It lets us control Iron extracted from our blood. That’s what my sword is made of, as well as those crossbow bolts.

“Back on topic, Every life since then, I act to protect others, even as a kid. I Fight, I struggle, even before I Awaken. When you are a Reincarnate, your nature is already determined. Who you are emerges as your body grows to accommodate your soul. People like to think we’re somewhat new people when we reincarnate. That isn’t true. Our core is the same. We might change growing up in different circumstances, but no more than how we all change and grow over the same period of time.

“So let’s entertain the idea you are reincarnated. What habits stem from your soul? What things are burned into the core of who you are? What things make you more than your body?”

We sat in silence after that. If I was a reincarnate, then that means I’m already who I was? Then who am I? I’m a Kid. I like to make art, it feels good to create. I don’t feel like talking to people, but I do it anyway. I want to do more, be more, than I am.

“I make things. Pieces of art that come from a place deep inside. I never felt like having friends, but I try hard to have them anyway. I always want to help out, to do more, to be more. I feel like… Like I have to make up for something.” I said.

“That’s not enough. Those could all be things that could be you just being a kid. What else?” She asked.

“Well...” I closed my eyes. “I have dreams. I don’t remember them much, but it feels like I’ve lost something every time I wake up, like there’s something important I’ve forgotten. I’ve been having weird thoughts lately. Stuff that almost doesn’t seem like my own. I wouldn’t have thanked you for the juice-box normally, I wouldn’t have Called Stratus after I couldn’t get electronic mail to work, I wouldn’t have come here. I would have tried going to The Witch for advice. And I wouldn’t tell you this: I told my brother the acronym for the soul detector, the SRIMP, sounds like Shrimp.”

“Mmmm… They may just be intrusive thoughts. You’re growing up, after all, your brain is still developing.” Silversong said, swirling the remains of her tea. “Wait… SRIMP doesn’t sound like Shrimp. They don’t sound anything alike. ‘Sra’-’im’-’P’ doesn’t sound anything like ‘Al’-’u’-’ta’”

“Aluta? But I said Aluta.” I said. What? “Aluta. Aluta. ALUTA!”

Silversong gets up and puts a hand on my shoulder. I realize I’m shaking. I know SRIMP sounds like aluta. But it doesn’t. But it does.

“Calm down, try to explain it to me, one thought at a time.” Sileversong said, holding my hand.

“Ok. Stratus said it was called the Something Radiation Information Manual Purser. Then he said SRIMP. I remember eating Aluta and imagining a big pink Geiger counter.”

“Ok, it’s ok.” Silversong said, “how are you doing, Scud?”

“I’m confused, and scared, but I feel like there’s something I’ve forgotten, something on the tip of my tongue”

“Do you trust me?”

I did. She was a paragon, someone who went out of her way to do good. She was forced to take a post here because she was overworking herself saving people. No matter how much she scolded me she was always fair. She had my favorite juice in her mini-fridge.

“Yes” I said.

“Aluta are toxic to Kaz, Scud. they don’t even live in this hemisphere. You’ve never eaten one.” She said.

But… I had. I remembered it clearly. A seafood restaurant. It wasn’t very good, but it smelled like saltwater and crab. The place was decorated with nautical knickknacks and you could see the ocean out the window. I ordered popcorn shrimp, thinking there would be actual popcorn. I threw a tantrum.

“<Popcorn shrimp>” I whispered.“... Aluta.”

Two images in my head clashed. A brown shelled crustacean that was the bane of northern fishermen. The other was red and pink, but looked the same. You had to pay more to get them without their tails. They were served grilled or fried. They came with gross sauce. Shrimp. Aluta. They were different, but the same. How could I know both?

[1011686]

Try not to overwhelm yourself with these memories, just calm down and think them through, one at a time. Try to see if you can recall not just experiences, but information. What was your name? What was the name of the place you lived? What did you look like?

[ಠ_ಠ]

You know both because you're an alien, Scud. Obviously.

[King-Clod]

Maybe you're a reincarnate of an undiscovered settlement of people, or something? Who figured out how to eat Aluta safely? Or maybe you aren't a reincarnate at all, I don't know. Maybe...you're something worse.

[Lilium Mortem]

Maybe you're a reincarnate of an undiscovered settlement of people, or something? Who figured out how to eat Aluta safely? Or maybe you aren't a reincarnate at all, I don't know. Maybe...you're something worse.

Maybe I’m from some undiscovered settlem- no. Reincarnation happens instantly between any two points in the world, that wouldn’t make any sense. But nothing makes sense… that was another. Another one of those weird thoughts.

‘Or maybe you aren't a reincarnate at all, I don't know. Maybe...you're something worse.’

SHIT! I flinched and fell back out of my chair. I was vaguely aware of Silversong catching me, but that wasn’t important. I don’t think these weird thoughts are mine. Could I have dissociative identity disorder? No, that wouldn’t give me memories of impossible things, would it?

Try not to overwhelm yourself with these memories, just calm down and think them through, one at a time. Try to see if you can recall not just experiences, but information. What was your name? What was the name of the place you lived? What did you look like?

I took a deep breath. I shouldn’t overwhelm myself with these memories and thoughts. I need to calm down and think things through. See if- see if-

‘you can recall not just experiences, but information. What was your name? What was the name of the place you lived? What did you look like?’

I flinched again as I realized the thought isn’t my own. It’s not bad advice, and I have ignored these thoughts in the past… So I’m probably not being mind controlled? God this is a lot.

Alright. I tried to put things in order. I reviewed my life up until now. I was born here in this village in Ohio. I grew up without any friends. I always loved playing in the sand and mud, making things. My parents didn’t approve of art as a career, so I gave it up. Now we’re struggling to make ends meet, even with Stratus’ help. I dropped out of college, it was too much. I shut myself off from the wo-

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!” I screamed, clutching my head.

It hurt. The memories. I can’t tell them apart. It’s a jumbled mess that crashes into itself and makes more and more pain and I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t be calm, I couldn’t think through this, It just keept happening.

‘You know both because you're an alien, Scud. Obviously.’

I get it now. It finally clicked into place with that last thought. There’s a planet called earth, people called humans. It was my home. I wasted away there not caring, shut off from the world. But I also grew up here, made friends, and did stupid kid stuff. The memories don’t conflict because I am a reincarnate. I’ve been goddamned Isekai’d.

Things started to settle into place. I realized I was drifting off, Falling asleep. Or unconscious. I couldn’t feel anything anymore and that ain’t good. But I felt the arms of a knight carry me, and decided I’m in good hands. Or paws as it were.

[Now that we're past the tutorial, so to speak, I will use all suggestions. Scud can hear you now. fully and completely.]

[King-Clod]

Hey bud! Feeling alright? You kinda passed out there for a moment.

...You should probably tell your parents, Stratus, and Wuther what happened when you get your head about you. I'm sure they're all worried. You were all out of sorts today.

[ಠ_ಠ]

Dream about shrimp

[1011686]

>review what you know about isekai tropes in order to determine what your next appropriate course of action is.

[Lilium Mortem]

In the darkness born of void one light shows. A figure sits back-lit, silhouetted by a rectangular light. They turn to face it, revealing they are sitting on an office chair. The light reveals itself to be from a monitor, a mishmash of early 90’s PCs and a boxy, metal computer that seems too big to just hold what it needs to for being a computer.

The display is in monochrome with bits of bright red sprinkled throughout. On it there is a forum thread displaying. The figure scrolls back, seeing a full account of their day, and all the anonymous forum users that posted comments during that time, starting when they got up.

They open up a window and make a new post.

I guess it’s time we talked huh? Seems like there’s a 4chan in my mind. Weird. Looking back through this it’s all clearly in english, so I doubt y’all are something from Kaz’Rao itself. I’ve never dreamt this lucidly before, I think it’s an effect of whatever weird shit is going down with me besides being reincarnated from earth.

Feels so weird to just type that. Though I guess I’m not really typing, this is all just some kind of metaphor. Perfect for a shut in like me. Or like I was. It’s laughable how bad I was at computers just this morning. But I’m getting off topic.

Y’all seem to be giving me advice, or suggesting things, rather. Most of it is good, some of it is a bit odd. Don’t know why you’d want me to make a giant sandwich or insinuating I had no soul. Who knows, maybe there are trolls in brain 4chan too. Lets take a look.

Hey bud! Feeling alright? You kinda passed out there for a moment.

...You should probably tell your parents, Stratus, and Wuther what happened when you get your head about you. I'm sure they're all worried. You were all out of sorts today.

Still passed out, I think. Thanks for the concern I guess. That seems interesting. I wonder how much information you get? There weren’t any of you chiming up while I was spending the morning with Wuther, so I wonder how much you see.

I’m not going to tell anyone I’m reincarnated. Well at least not my family. Wuther maybe, sharing that kind of secret sounds kinda fun, as weird as that sounds. I mean I doubt that Silversong hasn’t called my parents by this point, so they’ll know about the fainting. Hmm… guess Silversong could tell them I’m reincarnated, but I doubt she would. Seems like something she’d leave up to me, knowing her reputation.
 

Dream about shrimp

...No. yeah I’m doubling down on the theory that brain 4chan has trolls. Fuck you and fuck shrimp.
 

>review what you know about isekai tropes in order to determine what your next appropriate course of action is.

Ok yeah you’re definitely earth adjacent at least if you know about Isekai stories. Also, no. Subaru from Re:zero made that mistake and kept making that mistake. If there’s anything I’ve learned from deconstructions of isekies is that this is a real ass place with real ass people and problems. I’ve lived here for almost thirteen years.

Besides, I don’t want to find a cute girl to white knight and power creep my way into a showdown with the demon king. We don’t even have a demon king.

My plan is to hunker down, pretend I didn’t just remember my life from earth and have a nice birthday with my family and friends. I am not going to let my childhood go to waste… again.

[King-Clod]

I'm not sure that'd be the best plan...keeping your reincarnation secret, that is. Your whole disposition is going to change because of this. Your views on things, your sudden surge in basic computer skills, everything. You're still the same person, sure. They're going to notice the difference though, even if you try to act as you had before. ESPECIALLY if you try to act as you had before, it'd be stilted and uncanny. Trust me, I've known people like that.

Your best bet would be to let them know that you're reincarnated, but ask that they treat you the same as before. I know it's important in Kaz'Rao to be able to choose to start each life anew (barring like, crimes and debt.) I'm sure they'd understand. It is your choice, though. Feel free to ask any questions of us if you'd like.

...Also, we're hardly 4chan. That's almost insulting.

[ಠ_ಠ]

Hmmmm are you sure you're not using them for some kind of selfish feel-good wish fulfillment thing?

What's the point of keeping a secret like this in a world in which these kinds of things explicitly happen? Why lie to people who love you? You *are* still just a kid, it's not like they're going to treat you as something else.

And how long do you think we're gonna let you keep us a secret?

[1011686]

>test giving yourself a command to see what happens
>additionally, consider doing further research into whether anything like this has ever happened in the history of Kaz'Rao. Maybe have been other people like you before.

[Lilium Mortem]

I'm not sure that'd be the best plan...keeping your reincarnation secret, that is. Your whole disposition is going to change because of this. Your views on things, your sudden surge in basic computer skills, everything. You're still the same person, sure. They're going to notice the difference though, even if you try to act as you had before. ESPECIALLY if you try to act as you had before, it'd be stilted and uncanny. Trust me, I've known people like that.

Your best bet would be to let them know that you're reincarnated, but ask that they treat you the same as before. I'm sure they'd understand. It is your choice, though. Feel free to ask any questions of us if you'd like.

...Also, we're hardly 4chan. That's almost insulting.

Maybe I should just call you 9chan then. Get it? Because cats, and nine lives… yeah we can workshop that later.

I get a second chance here. I get to be a kid, do dumb stuff, have friends, grow up. All my life here My parents knew for a fact that I was a new life, a new person they brought into this world. They want to see me grow up and they are so nice, better than my last parents.

I want this life. I want to enjoy it as Scud, the weird kid who makes art and doesn’t care what other people think. The kid who makes friends and has a blast doing stupid stuff like setting off homade fireworks or making swords out of scrap metal.

But… you’re right. I can’t keep the secret forever. But I will, just for one week. Just one last time they can treat me the same. Just one last birthday I can be myself without the baggage of memories from earth.
 

Hmmmm are you sure you're not using them for some kind of selfish feel-good wish fulfillment thing?

What's the point of keeping a secret like this in a world in which these kinds of things explicitly happen? Why lie to people who love you? You *are* still just a kid, it's not like they're going to treat you as something else.

And how long do you think we're gonna let you keep us a secret?

Yeah, I am being selfish. I get a do over. I just wish… I wish my memories would have returned later. I wish I could be ignorant. I know I can’t keep it up, the other guy convinced me of that.

I still want to keep going for a little while. I want to be selfish for just a week. Just a week. Let me have that.
 

>test giving yourself a command to see what happens
>additionally, consider doing further research into whether anything like this has ever happened in the history of Kaz'Rao. Maybe have been other people like you before.

What do you mean ‘giving myself a command’? Do you think you’re controlling me? I’ve ignored or refuted your thoughts before. What would that even accomplish? I’d just give myself a thought I already had?

Also is it just the nature of this weird dream forum or do you start your thoughts with a >? What’s up with that?

Anyway good idea about the research. I’ll google stuff when I wake up. Though I guess since google doesn’t exist here I’ll… I don’t even know if there’s a name for the search engine here. It just has a box that says ‘search’, or rather the Kaz equivalent.

[ಠ_ಠ]

...u kno with all ur earth knowledge of brands u could probably make bank in a place like this. folks seem like theyre dyin for brands in their life. u could be rich.

[King-Clod]

Well, I'll leave you to your week then.

Out of curiosity, what did we sound like? Before you saw us in this forum setting. Did we sound like your own voice, something robotic, or something else? Just curious.

[1011686]

Do you remember everything from your previous life? What was your name?

[Lilium Mortem]

...u kno with all ur earth knowledge of brands u could probably make bank in a place like this. folks seem like theyre dyin for brands in their life. u could be rich.

What do you even mean by that? Nevermind I don’t want to know. I’d rather not end up as cat Jeff Bezos.

Well, I'll leave you to your week then.

Out of curiosity, what did we sound like? Before you saw us in this forum setting. Did we sound like your own voice, something robotic, or something else? Just curious.

Thanks. I realize this whole thing might blow up in my face, but I have to try.

As for what you sounded like… well you didn’t ‘sound’ like anything. You were like intrusive thoughts. Like seeing a guy looking over a cliff and thinking it’d be easy to push them over the edge. You’re thoughts. Ideas. Right at the end as I was… Awakening? I guess? I was able to make a distinction between you guys and my own thoughts. I could make out the message, but you’re still thoughts, just… well it’s not what you sound like, but there’s a feeling I get when you send messages. Like a tugging in the back of my mind. I dunno, it’s still weird and new.

Do you remember everything from your previous life? What was your name?

I mean, yeah. Everything. I never finished watching The Good Place. Doritos locos tacos are great, but it sucked they got rid of the cool ranch variety. Star Trek Discovery was an insult to the series, ect. I’m a bit of a loser so those are some of the hilights.

As for my name… I dunno. I… uh, hmm. I didn’t realize I was non-binary, on earth. Isn’t it like a faux pas to ask what my last name was? I like Scud. it fits me better. I mean I could tell you, I don’t really mind… but I’m not sure it even matters. How would it help to know my name was ‘stephen’ or ‘tifany’ or something?

Anyway I think it’s about time for me to wake up. ttyl.

Scud lifted their hands from the keyboard, sighing. They scratched the back of their head absentmindedly before resting a finger over the power button of the PC. They apeared to hesitate, before pressing down.

What little light there was vanished, and in the darkness, Scud rested.

 

-{ {} }-

I woke up in the hospital. Well… the clinic. You don’t get a hospital in a town this size. And If I wasn’t sent by train to an actual hospital that meant they didn’t think this was that serious. I’d been here before for cuts and bruises and that one time I cut my leg open on a piece of glass.

It was a fairly spartan place. Only a couple of real rooms. I was in a hospital bed in a large room that was divided up by sliding curtains. No one was there waiting for me to wake up, so I took some time to take stock of my situation.

I flexed my claws and moved my arms around, trying to compare this body to the one I had on earth. Spirits I was out of shape. I have got to try climbing a tree again, it’s been too long in both sets of memories.

Eventualy My mom walked in to check up on me. I gave a friendly wave.

“Oh thank the Spirits you’re ok!” she said, rushing over to hug me.

“What happened?” I asked. “I was talking with Silversong when… something happened.”

“You fainted. Ser Silversong, don’t forget her title Scud, carried you over here. She explained you were freaked out about being a reincarnate since your thirteenth birthday is coming up. The Doctor thinks you fainted from stress and a lack of sleep.”

“Dang. Ok, I think I’ve made up for lost sleep now. I’m gonna go climb a tree.”

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and tried to jump off, but my mom stopped me. Damnit. I was afraid of this.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re not going anywhere today without someone to look after you. I don’t want you fainting again.” My mom scolded.

I gave her the stink eye and the silent treatment all the way home. During the walk I wondered where my new friends were at. I remembered the dream perfectly, which was really just par for the course for impossible things happening today. Point is, on 9chan, They seemed to show up at irregular intervals. Maybe this was just a dry spell?

I spent about an hour or two playing Kaz’Rao’s version of og game boy games in my room. I was a bit disappointed at how easy some of them had become, but surprised I was no better at platformers than I was before, seems like I was better at strategy, but overall hand eye coordination and reflexes were the same, even before I Awoke. Weird.

It was time to plan things out. It was Saturday, er, [Saturday], that left Eveday and [sunday] left in summer break. My birthday was on [Friday]. I get off of school at [2PM], which leaves about four [hours] of daylight left, plus three [hours] until my bedtime. I shook my head, it was weird suddenly being bilingual.

I could think in hours and minutes, or [hours] and [minutes]. I know they’re different, even if it’s just the fact that a Kaz’Rao hour is counted as 100 Kaz’Rao minutes, which are shorter than earth minutes. Maybe it all balanced out, but I wouldn’t know without a clock from earth or some universal constant I could time things with.

Focus, Scud. You have a little less than an 8 day Kaz’Rao week left of being thought of as an incarnate. How do you make the most of it?

[King-Clod]

I mean, that's up to you. (Also, hi! We're back.)
Maybe make art projects? Your parents will see your art a lot differently when they think you're 12 and not, you know, a reincarnate.
Or tell Wuther about what happened? Like a little secret between you two? You mentioned that earlier.

[1011686]

Hey, your mother's a struggling writer, isn't she? Maybe you could help her come up with some ideas. There's a whole world's worth of stories in your mind that no one else has ever seen, there must be something there you can easily plagarise use to give her inspiration.