_ _ _ _ _Rimuru Pov_ _ _ _ _
"So she's a Phoenix then..."
"Possibly even a variant of some kind, from what I could tell." I sighed and gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
"I see..."
I was standing in the middle of my newly developing town. About an hour ago, Ranga and I had found a girl outside of town in the middle of the forest, a girl who just so happened to have wings growing out of her back. I was currently talking to one of the many hobgoblins in town; this one was a little different from the others, though.
Before me stood the buffest hobgoblin you've ever seen. He was just over six feet tall and looked like a green bodybuilder with a chiseled face and grey hair. He wore a grey T‑shirt, a black animal‑fur top, light brown pants, and dark brown shoes. Additionally, he had leather straps wrapped around his arms and a brown belt around his waist.
This guy was called Rigurd, and he used to be super old and frail-looking. You can probably imagine my shock when he became like this after I gave him a name. At the time I didn't know naming monsters made them evolve; if I had, I might have thought more carefully about naming the entire village like I did.
As for what we were talking about: well, I had found an unconscious girl lying under a tree close to town. Now, normally this would be alarming enough, considering this forest is filled with dangerous magical beasts like knight spiders and king crawlers. However, what mattered more was what Great Sage, my unique skill, had told me.
Apparently this girl was abnormal, to say the least. According to Great Sage, she was a Phoenix, a creature long thought extinct in this world. Additionally, there was something else: she apparently wasn't a normal phoenix to say the least, as Great Sage was able to detect large amounts of abyssal energy coming from her.
(Can you go over it again for me one more time?) I thought to myself. (What the heck is the abyss, and what exactly happened to the phoenixes to make them go extinct?)
For a second there was no response, but a moment later I got one. [Answer. The abyss is a separate plane of existence that is parallel and connected to this one. Unfortunately, information on its true nature and origin is incredibly scarce or speculative at best.] A robotic female voice echoed in my head, a voice I knew all too well by now.
This is Great Sage, a unique skill of mine. She's basically a super‑smart AI in my head that can not only answer my questions but can also analyse whatever I want her to. Simply put, she is super useful, and honestly I probably wouldn't have gotten this far after I died and reincarnated if not for her help.
[Continuing. The phoenixes were an ancient and extraordinarily powerful race of giant avians like creatures who were thought to be immortal. However, several centuries ago an event happened that led to their extinction. Similarly, information on this event, known simply as the Fall of Eternities, is rather limited. From what is known, it had something to do with several human nations believing that the consumption of phoenix blood would grant them immortality.] Great Sage explained.
(I was hoping for a bit more than that, to be honest, but I guess you can't know everything.) I shrugged and tilted my head.
Deciding there was no point in complaining, I quickly moved on to my next inquiry. (So anyway, what exactly is she?)
[Answer. From the limited information available, she appears to be an Abyssal variant of the now‑extinct phoenix species that once existed within this plane of reality.] was the response I got in return.
(Got it.)
"My lord?" The somewhat gruff voice of Rigurd pulled me back to reality.
"Sorry." I coughed awkwardly. "Anyway, Rigurd, do you know anything? Is she from around here?"
"Unfortunately, no, my lord. I've only ever heard stories of phoenixes and have never actually seen or heard of one existing here in the Great Forest of Jura in recent years," Rigurd said truthfully. "Honestly... I always assumed they were simply myths or fairy tales told to children."
(Damn... I was really hoping he would have known something.) I thought, rubbing the back of my head in frustration.
Seeing my disappointment, the buff hobgoblin could only look down, seemingly ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry I could not be of more help..."
"Nah, it's cool, Rigurd." I sighed reassuringly; it wasn't his fault after all.
"Still, perhaps Kaijin would know more. His former service to the dwarf king might have granted him access to a much wider range of information than anything I could provide," Rigurd suggested, causing me to let out an "ah" of realisation before nodding.
"That's actually a good point..." I said, smiling up at him. "Thanks for the suggestion, Rigurd."
"No problem, my lor—" He was about to say more but was suddenly and abruptly cut off when a loud female voice echoed from somewhere off in the distance.
Turning, we saw a familiar figure heading our way; however, the terrified look on their face quickly filled me with alarm. "Lord Rimuru! Lord Rimuru!"
This was the Goblina I had put in charge of monitoring our new, unexpected guest's condition. Her name was Haruna, and she was quite a nice person, so I thought she'd be perfect for the job. I had actually told her to come find me when the mysterious girl woke up; however, I hadn't expected her to come back looking like this.
"Haruna, are you all right? What happened?" Rigurd walked quickly over, catching her before she could stumble and trip to the ground in her panic.
"Calm down and breathe," I said reassuringly. She attempted to speak, to explain herself, but I placed my hand on her shoulder to steady her and let her collect herself first. "It's okay. Take your time."
It took Haruna a minute or two to calm herself enough to speak somewhat coherently; she was obviously struggling. Once she had settled, however, she quickly began to explain what had happened.
"I was... I was going to check on the girl... like you told me to..." she breathed as Rigurd and I nodded along. "She... she was awake... sitting up in her bed when I walked in... I... I thought... thought that I had startled her, so I tried to put her at ease... but... but then..."
"Then what?" Rigurd asked as he helped steady her.
"She turned... she turned and I saw her eyes... they were black... black like a void with glowing white pupils that... that seemed to look right through me..." she muttered, shaking ever so slightly. "It... it felt like I was going to die... I couldn't breathe... I... couldn't even think properly..."
(Is it some kind of skill?) I asked.
[Answer. The possibility of it being the result of a skill or an innate species ability is high.] Great Sage's mechanical voice echoed in response.
"Rigurd."
"Yes, my lord?"
"Take Haruna somewhere and get her something to drink so she can calm down," I said seriously, patting Haruna on the back as I started walking toward the place she had come from. "I'll go check on our guest and see just what exactly is going on."
"Understood. However, please be careful."
With a nod, I headed over. It didn't take long to get there, as it was relatively close by, and eventually I stood just outside the place our new arrival was staying. Without much hesitation I stepped inside and immediately understood why Haruna had been so alarmed and shaken.
There, sitting up on the bed, was a young girl who I suspected to be either fourteen or fifteen years of age, although I was leaning more toward the latter. She had stark white hair that trailed in waves down her shoulders, reaching halfway down her back, and skin that was smooth and rather pale, like porcelain in a way. She was relatively slender, with more curves down below than up top if you understood my meaning, not that I had been paying any attention to that particular fact mind you. Moving on, she was rather short from what I could tell, although she was slightly taller than me all things considered.
As for what she was wearing: starting from the top, she had a jet‑black scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. Moving down, she wore a dark blue hoodie that ended just above her waist, and just below that she wore black pants that were held in place by a strip of greyish‑white fabric that had been tightly wound around her sides like a belt. Where exactly she had gotten these clothes I don't know; however, that wasn't the issue right now.
In fact, what had truly gotten my attention was the exact thing Haruna had told me about: her eyes. They were almost completely black with shimmering white pupils that glowed an eerie light; they were almost hypnotic in a strange, ominous way. The moment she turned her head toward me and we made eye contact, that's when I felt it. I felt it settle over me like a veil. It didn't hit me all at once; no, it wasn't loud or obvious at all, it was far more insidious than that. It was like a whisper, a darkness that smothered you, seeped into you, all before you even noticed it was there.
How to put it into words...? It felt exactly like what I had experienced just after my death: a feeling of complete emptiness, as if the whole world had suddenly lost all sensation and I could no longer tell if I still existed or not. Simply put, it felt like, well, death. I don't know how else to put it; it was suffocating, cold, and numbing, like I was hovering in a void, barely able to anchor myself to reality.
(Well... that's freaky...) I thought, letting out a long, slow breath while attempting to block it out the best that I could. (I'm even shaking...)
[Analysing...] The voice of Great Sage echoed in my head. [Confirmed. You are currently under the effect of a Unique Skill. The effect you are feeling seems to be triggered only through direct eye contact.]
(So all I have to do to break the effect is look away?) I thought, but for now I decided not to avert my eyes.
As I stood there I couldn't help but think to myself, (You know, despite how this feels, I had honestly expected it to feel worse.)
[Possibility. You have already died once before; as such, it appears you are somewhat more resistant to its effects compared to those who have not experienced death.] Great Sage was quick to explain.
(I guess that makes sense...)
_ _ _ _ _Pov Change_ _ _ _ _
It had been a few minutes since the green lady had run off when I noticed something. Now that I was actually paying attention I could hear a lot of voices outside, dozens of them, maybe more. I could have gotten up to check, to see where I was and exactly what was going on outside, but I couldn't.
Not that I didn't want to see what was happening, quite the opposite in fact, however... the last time I had gone outside without permission it hadn't ended well at all. So yeah, I'd rather not repeat that little incident if I'm being completely honest with myself. And I didn't know what the people were like; for all I knew, they could be good people who just wanted to help me, but I learned long ago that getting my hopes up is pointless since they'll just be crushed by reality anyway.
Despite my misgivings, the thought still crossed my mind, a fact that definitely wasn't like me. (Should I... should I leave?)
(Hummm?) Before I could come to a decision something caught my attention: footsteps. (Someone else is coming.)
A moment later a figure stepped into the tent, and the moment my eyes fell upon them I felt confused. They had blue hair and amber eyes, but what truly confused me was their gender; I couldn't tell if they were male or female, they looked somewhere in the middle, so to speak.
(How should I refer to them?) I thought, not wanting to make them mad by guessing wrong.
Before I could make up my mind they opened their mouth and spoke. "Hey there."
"Oh... errm... hello there," I mumbled awkwardly.
"Can you, you know, turn off your skill?" They asked, their expression somewhat strained from what I could tell. "I don't mean any harm, so there's no need to try to scare me off like that."
(Skill? What do they mean by that? I suppose that they're not referring to the normal meaning of "skill," at least I don't think they are.) I thought, clearly confused.
"I... I don't understand."
"Your eyes, you're using a skill, right?" they said, seemingly puzzled by my lack of understanding. "Don't you know how to turn it off?"
(My eyes?) I mused to myself, still very much confused. (I mean, they do kind of feel weird, kind of tense, I guess.)
For a moment I just sat there trying to figure out what to do until a simple idea came to me. (Maybe if I just, I don't know, relax them maybe...) Closing my eyes, I did just that.
After a moment I opened them once again and they honestly felt different somehow. "Is that better?" I asked, not knowing if what I had done had actually fixed anything; however, from the way they visibly relaxed I guessed I had done one thing right.
"Much better, thanks." They breathed, their body language far less rigid.
(I have no idea what's going on, but at least they aren't yelling at me... or worse...) I muttered to myself.
"Can I ask you a question or two?" I asked hesitantly as they walked over and sat down on a nearby stool.
"Sure, hit me," they mused while gesturing for me to continue.
"Where am I? How did I get here? And who are you?"
"First, you're in The Great Forest Of Jura, within a newly developing town, my town, to be exact," they answered as they leaned forward slightly in their seat.
(So they're like a mayor or something?) I thought, suddenly feeling far more anxious than I had been a moment ago. (I've never talked to anyone important like that before...)
Unaware of my thoughts, they continued answering my questions. "As for how you got here, well, I brought you here after I found you unconscious in the forest nearby."
"Honestly, I was kind of hoping you'd have an answer as to how you got there."
"I'm sorry... I don't really have an answer to that..." I admitted, although they didn't seem all that surprised.
"It's fine, I had a feeling you might not remember."
"Anyway, as for who I am, well, my name is Rimuru, Rimuru Tempest to be exact. May I know who you are?" they finally introduced themself; unfortunately I couldn't reciprocate the gesture.
"I don't have..." I mumbled.
"Can you repeat that, please?" Rimuru asked, tilting their head somewhat to the side in confusion.
"I don't have a name..." I admitted with a sad sigh.
"Oh right, monsters don't have names." A part of me was surprised by that, but another part was already numb to it.
(Monster? Well... I guess it's not the worst thing I've been called before...) I thought with a bitter smile.
"Crap! Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Rimuru suddenly yelped, apparently realizing their words had upset me. "It's just that you're a phoenix, right? Phoenixes are a type of monster, or am I wrong about that?"
(They apologized... that's... new...) I thought, genuinely taken a back, but I quickly paused when I registered what else they had said. (Did they just say phoenix? What are they talking about?) I thought before my eyes drifted back to the wings protruding from my back.
(Is that what I am now? I did make a joke about being a phoenix or something, but I didn't expect it to come true.) I breathed slowly as another question surfaced in my mind. (Did I really get reborn? If I really am in a different world, that might explain why the lady from before had green skin, maybe that's normal here?)
"Are you all right? You look confused," Rimuru asked, puzzled.
(Should I tell them or just keep it to myself?) I thought. On one hand, you probably shouldn't reveal such information to someone you just met, but on the other hand... (For some reason I feel like I can trust him. When was the last time I felt like this? I don't think there ever was one, to be honest.)
After a moment of complete silence, I finally spoke up. "I don't really know if a phoenix is a monster or not."
"I... I ermm... I wasn't a phoenix before; I just woke up as one, apparently," I admitted after another moment of hesitation.
"You weren't always a... wait, then what were you before?" Rimuru asked, a look of realization slowly dawning on his face.
"A human."
"Okay, hold up," he said with an expression of genuine surprise. "You were reincarnated as well?"
I immediately picked up on the possibly unintentional meaning behind those words. "You... you too?"
"Yeah, I died and got reborn as a slime," he chuckled, a smile growing across his face.
"A slime?" I repeated, bewildered.
"That's right. Look."
I watched in amazement as Rimuru's body began to rapidly melt, his humanoid form flowing and breaking apart like dripping wax. At first I was about to panic; however, that panic quickly turned to something else when I watched as Rimuru's now-melted body twisted and compressed into a small, gelatinous blob of blue slime.
(Cute...) Was the first thing that came to mind when I looked at his new squishy appearance.
"Honestly, I hadn't expected to meet another person from Earth so soon." The fact that he said "another" caught my attention, as it meant he'd met people like us before. "In my old world I was from Japan and my name was Satoru Mikami. I was your average general contractor until I was killed protecting a friend of mine."
(So he's male? And he died protecting a friend. I guess that's a better way to go compared to what I went through... at least he achieved something...) I thought, feeling almost jealous for a moment, but I was quick to shake the unpleasant feeling away.
"What was your name before, you know before you were reborn I mean?" he asked, seemingly far more invested in the conversation now that he knew of our apparent common origin.
"I already told you, I don't have one... a name, that is," I sighed, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
"Do you not remember it?"
"No, it's not that I have amnesia or anything... it's errm... my parents never gave me one..." I explained, not meeting his gaze.
"Oh, I'm sorr—" He went to say, but I immediately cut him off before he could finish.
"Please, just don't."
"Huh?"
"I hate it when people say sorry... they never mean it..." The tent went quiet; those words seemed to hit him far harder than I expected.
And with that the tent was plunged into silence once again, neither of us speaking for a long moment. (I... I should just keep quiet, keep my head down and hope people don't notice I exist. I tried speaking out before... I tried so hard... asking... begging... pleading... it never helped... it always just made things worse... so much worse...)
It was true: life had never been all that fair to me. In fact saying that my life had been cruel would be a rather massive understatement to put it lightly, and yet something had definitely shifted. Since I woke up here I knew I had changed on some deep fundamental level. The old me barely ever spoke at all, not out of fear mind you; I was far too emotionally numb to feel much of anything let alone fear. No, the reason I didn't speak much was simple, pain, speaking without permission brought only pain, so kept I quiet. I was rather broken, to put it simply. But now? Now I don't really know. I was different in a way I couldn't understand, yet simultaneously I was the exact same person I had been before.
(Why am I... why am I opening up so much? This isn't like me at all.) I mumbled to myself internally; I genuinely couldn't understand why I was acting like this. (I feel like he's different, like he's a good person, but... but why? For all I know he's just pretending. However, I don't think that's the case.)
"Do you want a name?" Rimuru suddenly asked, startling me.
"W-what?"
"I can give you a name. If it doesn't make you uncomfortable, I don't mind giving you one," he repeated, his amber eyes steady and reassuring.
I opened and closed my mouth several times as I hesitated. The old part of me screamed to say no, to not get involved with other people, to just disappear. The new part of me, however, begged me to take a chance, to believe that things could be better, to hope again.
Slowly, very slowly, I made my decision. "I... okay..."
"You sure? I know how weird it must be for a random stranger to offer you a name, but I feel like I should for some reason," Rimuru mused with an awkward chuckle.
I nodded timidly, causing his expression to soften. "Alright then, let me think."
"Hmm... how about Suu?" he said after a second or two of thought.
"Suu?"
"Yeah, Suu. I'll even give you my last name, Tempest, if you like."
(I get the feeling he's not the best at naming things.) I thought, but that didn't stop the small, genuine smile that appeared on my face. (Well, I kind of like the sound of it.)
"O-okay..."
"Cool, from now on you're Suu Tempes-huh?" he went to say but suddenly stopped.
"Are... errm... are you okay?" I asked nervously, only to become alarmed when his round, goo-like body began to dissolve into a literal puddle.
"Oh... oh crap..."
"Rimuru?!"