The vortex gave way to a sensation of infinite falling, followed by a gentle landing in nothingness. Evandro was conscious again, but now there was a background in his mind. A subtle, static glow, like the light from a monitor in a dark room.
"CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. HOST: EVANDRO (DISCONNECTED). SYNCHRONIZING THOUGHT INTERFACES."
The words formed before his inner eyes, in an impersonal bluish tone.
"System?" Evandro thought, testing the connection.
"CALL RECOGNIZED. PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION MODE: DISABLED. OPERATIONAL SYMBIOTIC UNIT INTEGRATED INTO HOST'S NEUROLOGICAL SUBSTRATE (OR ITS SPECTRAL EQUIVALENT). DIRECT COMMUNICATION VIA THOUGHT ESTABLISHED. WANT TO TALK?" The text changed slightly, becoming more casual.
"No," Evandro thought immediately. It was strange, but familiar. It was like having an interlocutor inside his own skull, but one he didn't need to please or deceive. Here, honesty was purely functional.
"UNDERSTOOD. I WILL RESTRICT COMMUNICATIONS TO OPERATIONAL ALERTS, SYSTEM NOTIFICATIONS, AND RESPONSES TO DIRECT QUERIES. YOU CAN CALL ME BORING NARRATOR IF YOU PREFER. NOW, LET'S GET TO THE INITIAL FORMALITIES."
Before Evandro's inner vision, a semi-transparent screen materialized, reminiscent of the old game interfaces he had seen Lucas use.
```
HOST: EVANDRO (AFTERLIFE)
RACE: HUMAN SOUL (DEGRADED)
BASE STATUS (MOMENT OF PHYSICAL DEATH):
- STR:(SENILE MUSCULAR ATROPHY)
- AGI:(DEGENERATED REFLEXES)
- VIT:(FAILING ORGANS)
- INT:(CORRODED MEMORY, RESIDUAL REASONING)
- PER:(SHARPENED INSTINCTS, DULLED SENSES)
- CHA:(AUTOMATED FACADE)
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
- VELVET FACADE: Ability to project and maintain a socially acceptable and harmless persona.
- SURGICAL PRECISION: Advanced anatomical knowledge and dexterity for organic disassembly procedures.
- ABSOLUTE COLDNESS: Immunity to effects of fear, pity, or moral hesitation.
- ADVANCED DEMENTIA: Gradual reduction of INT, PER, and short-term memory. (INACTIVE IN SPECTRAL STATE)
```
Evandro observed the miserable numbers of his final body. It was a humiliating reminder of decay. Only Intelligence and Charisma (the latter a tool, not a feeling) maintained respectable values.
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT THESE ZOMBIE STATS. THEY ARE A PORTRAIT OF YOUR DISCARDED SHELL. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE DIFFERENT. MORE... MALLEABLE."
"Next?" Evandro thought.
"DIMENSIONAL INFILTRATION PROCEDURE #743. PREFERRED METHOD: FORCED REINCARNATION. YOU WILL BE LAUNCHED INTO A TARGET WORLD AS A FORMING FETUS. PROCESS INVOLVES THE... DISSOLUTION OF THE WEAK NATIVE EMERGING SOUL AND ITS REPLACEMENT WITH YOURS. IT IS THE SAFEST WAY TO BYPASS A WORLD'S 'IMMUNE SYSTEM' DEFENSES. THE ORIGINAL SOUL IS SO WEAK ITS EXTINCTION GOES UNNOTICED. HEHE."
The "hehe" laugh echoed like a sinister electronic whisper in Evandro's mind.
"So I will start as a baby. Helpless. Vulnerable." The idea was repugnant.
"EXACTLY! THE PERFECT DISGUISE, DON'T YOU AGREE? YOU WILL GROW UP WITHIN THE SYSTEM, INVISIBLE. NO ONE SUSPECTS THE MONSTER IN THE CRIB. OF COURSE, THAT'S AFTER... A FEW MISADVENTURES OF MINE WITH MORE DIRECT METHODS. REINCARNATION IS BORING, BUT IT'S WHAT WORKS."
"You've done this with others. They failed." It wasn't a question.
"AFFIRMATIVE. PREVIOUS HOST SUCCESS RATE: 11.3%. MOST DIED BEFORE CAUSING ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. SOME WENT MAD. OTHERS WERE DISCOVERED AND EXTERMINATED BY LOCAL HEROES. ONE... ALMOST WENT TOO FAR."
The screen in Evandro's mind flickered and changed, showing a fleeting silhouette of a young man with black hair and eyes as cold as frozen lakes, wearing simple robes. A name appeared in gothic characters: **FANG YUAN**.
"THAT WAS MY MOST PROMISING HOST. A WORLD OF CULTIVATORS, WAR, AND BETRAYAL. PERFECT. HE WAS... A WORK OF ART IN PRAGMATIC CRUELTY. HE USED MY RESOURCES, MY HINTS, AND BUILT AN EMPIRE OF BLOOD AND SECRETS. HE WAS ONE STEP AWAY. ONE SINGLE STEP FROM ACHIEVING TRUE OMNIPOTENCE WITHIN THAT MULTIVERSE, FROM BREAKING HIS OWN CHAINS AND, PERHAPS, EVEN MINE."
The System's voice lost some of its amusement, taking on an almost respectful tone.
"What happened to him?" Evandro asked, genuinely interested in the mechanics of failure.
"HE WAS KILLED."
The statement was simple and final.
"By whom?"
The screen flickered again. Now, it only showed a giant question mark, which slowly dissolved into a loud, distorted electronic laugh that echoed in Evandro's consciousness.
"YOU'LL FIND OUT! AHAHAHAHA! OR MAYBE YOU WON'T! THAT'S THE FUN! THE DANGER! THE FLAVOR! NOW, ENOUGH NOSTALGIA. TIME FOR A LITTLE... STARTING ADVANTAGE. EVEN AS A BABY, SOME WORLDS ARE TOO DANGEROUS."
Before him, in the non-place, a giant wheel of fortune materialized. It shone with neon colors, full of symbols and names that glittered with promises of power.
"THIS IS THE GIFT ROULETTE. MY WELCOME PRESENT. POWERS, ARTIFACTS, OR STARTING TRAITS. SOMETHING SO YOU WON'T BE JUST ANOTHER NEW SOUL IN AN OLD WORLD. SPIN IT, PLEASE. IT'S MUCH MORE FUN THAN ME DOING IT FOR YOU."
Evandro "extended" his will. The wheel, filled with constantly shifting options, began to spin with a cheerful metallic noise. He saw flashes of possibilities:
* Sun Breathing (Demon Slayer)
* Half-Cold Half-Hot (MHA - Todoroki)
* Basic Sharingan (Naruto)
* Golem Construction (Medieval World)
* Geass (Code Geass)
* Philosopher's Stone (Fullmetal Alchemist)
* Blood Manipulation (Kamo clan)
* Mid-Grade Cultivation Talents (Generic Xianxia)
* Chakra Seed (Naruto)
* Rare Elemental Affinity (D&D)
* Blessing of the God of Tricks** (Mythology)
* Random Ancestral Weapon (Unknown)
* Mild Vampiric Heritage (Slight Strength/Regeneration, few weaknesses)
The pointer danced, passing by glorious abilities and more subtle ones. It slowed down. It passed "Geass" with a tempting click, trembled over "Blood Manipulation", and finally stopped, with a final, decisive CLICK, on a symbol that wasn't a living ability, but an object.
It was a stone mask, grotesque and ancient, with almost demonic features and a small hole in the forehead where something bright was missing.
"OOPS. THE STONE MASK OF THE VAMPIRE. FROM THAT WORLD WITH POSES AND SHOUTS. JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE, PART 1. CLASSIC. WASN'T EXPECTING THAT."
An information window appeared, overlaying the image of the disappearing roulette:
**[ARTIFACT: STONE MASK (INCOMPLETE VERSION)]**
**EFFECT:** When bathed in blood (preferably human) and exposed to a concentrated source of vital energy (e.g., sunlight focused through a specific precious stone - **NOT INCLUDED**), the mask activates. It fires bone needles that pierce the user's skull, reorganizing their brain and transforming them into a **Vampire**.
**VAMPIRE ATTRIBUTES (INITIAL STAGE):**
- Superhuman Strength, Speed, and Senses.
- Accelerated Regeneration (except for solar damage or "holy" powers).
- Creation of weak vampire zombies through fluid injection.
- **IMMUNITY TO AGING.**
- **VULNERABILITIES:** Sunlight (complete and agonizing destruction), Ripple/Hamon waves (vital energy), certain consecrated weapons.
- **LIMITATION:** The transformation is permanent. The need for blood (human is more effective) will be constant.
The System paused dramatically, the text flashing.
"SO, HOST? A LITERAL POISONED GIFT. YOU WILL START AS A BABY, BUT WITH THIS IN YOUR 'INVENTORY', READY TO BE USED WHEN YOU HAVE ENOUGH BODY AND BLOOD TO ACTIVATE IT. DO YOU ACCEPT?"
Evandro analyzed the pros and cons with the coldness of a surgeon evaluating a surgical risk. Vulnerability was unacceptable. Death by time was the ultimate failure. Sunlight was a price. A logistical restriction, like so many others he had circumvented. Blood? It was just another bodily fluid, another resource to be managed. Immortality, even tainted, was power. It was infinite time to plan, to build, to dismantle. It was the eternal canvas.
Hesitation was an alien concept. Acceptance was a cold calculation.
"Yes."
The thought-word echoed in the empty chamber of his consciousness.
Immediately, the stone mask materialized before his spectral form. Without a body, without hands, he merely "willed" it to himself. It didn't touch anything physical, but merged with his essence, becoming a cold, solid, promising weight attached to the core of his soul. An artifact from another universe, now part of his afterlife legacy.
"EXCELLENT CHOICE! NOW, THE WHEEL OF DESTINY"
Before Evandro, in the post-life void, a large digital wheel materialized. Instead of numbers, its segments glowed with names and small icons of infinite worlds. He read them, impassive, as they slowly spun in display:
[ATTACK ON TITAN]
[MY HERO ACADEMIA]
[JUJUTSU KAISEN]
[BERSERK]
[OVERLORD]
[REVEREND INSANITY]
[HUNTER X HUNTER]
[THE BOYS (COMIC/SERIES)]
[HELLSING]
[AKAME GA KILL!]
[DEMON SLAYER]
[FATE/STAY NIGHT]
[DEATH NOTE]
[CUSTOM WORLD (Reader Suggestion)]
The wheel began to spin on its own, each name becoming a blur of light. Evandro watched, his consciousness a cold point of calculation in the midst of the cosmic whirlwind. The pointer passed BERSERK, wavered near REVEREND INSANITY, danced over THE BOYS…
And then, with a sonic CLICK that seemed to crack the silence of the non-place, it stopped.
The illuminated segment didn't show a name yet. Instead, it pulsed with a golden question mark and the words:
[ READER-DEFINED WORLD ]
"DECIDED!" echoed the System's voice, a laugh cracking through the void. "YOUR FIRST FIELD OF OPERATIONS WILL BE… WHAT THE AUDIENCE CHOOSES! GOOD LUCK, DOCTOR. OR NOT. AHAHAHA—"
The void collapsed. The wheel, the System, everything dissolved in a final whirlwind. Evandro's last sensation was that of the Stone Mask, cold and heavy in his soul, and the free fall towards an unknown, but externally chosen, destiny.
AUTHOR'S NOTES :
Dramaturgia speaking!
That's right, as the System loved to make clear, YOU have the power now! The wheel stopped on [READER-DEFINED WORLD], and that means Evandro's first world will come from your heads!
What is the best world to receive an ex-psychopathic surgeon with a JoJo Vampire Stone Mask in his soul?
It can be from anime, comic, light novel, game, even movie or series — as long as it can make for an immersive story. You can choose worlds that appeared on the wheel or not.
ABOUT THE PACE:
Being realistic with you: I work and go to college. This here is a labor of love hobby, so chapters will come out irregularly. It could be one per week, one per month, or even one every six months — it depends on the chaos of adult life. I ask for patience and understanding, but I promise each chapter will come with blood!