The all-consuming white slowly faded out to reveal pure white futuristic-looking skyscrapers, wide and clean walkways decorated with well-groomed greenery, and a cloudless sky the most beautiful shade of baby blue.
Yet this idyllic and beautiful image was ruined by blazing red flames, nearly blinding in their intensity.
Noah was surrounded by a terrified, screaming crowd. People were tripping over each other trying to run away, some were ducking behind whatever they could find, unfortunate ones nearly got trampled to death while crawling on the white stone floor. Yet they weren't the unluckiest of the bunch, for there were quite a number of people rolling on the ground screeching in agony, desperately trying to put out the flames burning away their flesh.
However, instead of running away from whatever was causing the fire like the rest of the crowd, the original owner of Noah's current body ran towards the source.
Noah felt an onset of a headache "(◞‸ლ) Gee, I sure wonder how the unfortunate bloke died..."
"Starting the information transfer" was Blackie's answer.
Before Noah could point out he was being sarcastic, the entire world turned utterly still as if someone had pressed the pause button. Yet before he could even start to appreciate the magnificent phenomena, a massive torrent of information drilled into his brain.
The world he had transmigrated into was technologically advanced, only a step short of achieving interplanetary travel. There were no more wars or world hunger, and the planet had slowly recovered from pollution after its residents transitioned to the usage of renewable energy sources and biodegradable material.
The world had no countries, only several large city-states headed by their respective city lords. Some city lords were chosen by their people, some were selected by the council of politicians, and some city lords weren't representatives but the actual landlords of their cities.
Yet, what stood out about this world the most was none of that.
What was so special about this futuristic world was that every person in it was born with mental power of varying strengths, ranked from F to SS. As a person grew and their personality became more defined, this mental power would change shape to form a special power closely related to the person's most prominent personality traits.
These powers were very useful and thus became an integral part of society. Those who had useful powers had higher-paying jobs and led more prosperous lives. Those who didn't have that luck had to put in extra effort to compete with the power users and achieve the same living standards.
It wasn't discrimination; it was just supply and demand. A doctor whose power could regenerate flesh and bones was naturally more valuable than a doctor who could only use chemically based medicine to heal ailments. Powers were considered a part of one's talents and abilities. It wasn't anyone's fault if some were blessed with talent, and others were not; it was merely fate.
Luckily, the person whose body Noah now occupied was one of those blessed people with a strong and useful power. Not only was his mental power of very rare SS rank, but even his identity was so prestigious it couldn't possibly be any more prestigious.
Noah had become Cordia Aris, the youngest child and the only son of the city lord of the beautiful Concordia city.
And that city lord position... was passed down in their house of Cordia for countless generations.
If put in simplified yet pretty-much-equivalent terms: Noah had become the crown prince of a monarchy.
So how did such a precious little prince end up burned into a crisp at the tender age of 18?
Was he murdered by greedy relatives eyeing his position? Offed by political rivals of his father? Died in a kidnapping gone wrong?
No, of course not. His death, unfortunate as it was, was also a complete fucking accident. ○|￣|_
You see, although this little prince was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, his family actually happened to be virtuous rulers beloved by their people. (Shocking! I know!) And Aris, like a talented and noble young man that he was, didn't just spend his days lazing about in a lounge chair while his servants fed him grapes.
No, this little prince actually had a proper job, and he was even the cream of the crop at it.
Aris was an extremely rare Soother.
Soothers were the only power users that could influence the mental power of others. And that influence could produce a wide variety of different effects, from calming people down and helping them stay clear-headed, to easing their pain and discomfort, to helping them focus or sleep.
In short, a Soother was an existence whose presence everyone in the world would benefit from in some way. Thus, naturally, Aris had been very busy. From attending peace talks and important political meetings, to calming down frightened wild animals, to assisting peacekeepers in settling confrontations with criminals peacefully, to helping ease the pain of those in need, to helping heal depression and various mental disorders.
As the only SS-ranked Soother in the city of Concordia, his schedule was full from top to bottom.
It took a lot of effort for Aris to clear his schedule for the following days in preparation for his sister's upcoming wedding. Yet, just as he finished the last of his work and was finally free to start his leave, on his way to pick up his elder sister, he stumbled into this chaotic situation that ended up taking his life.
What a tragedy!
It couldn't be before he cleared his schedule nor after he was done with his break, noooo, it just had to be right as he was about to enjoy his hard-earned time-out! (╯°Д°）╯︵ ┻━┻
And that's not even half the misery! Just how unlucky is it to be born with everything, yet lose it all before you could take any advantage of it?
The poor soul had barely come of age! Let's not even mention him inheriting the position of the city lord, he had never even had a girlfriend!
It was like downloading a super awesome game hailed as the masterpiece of the century, spending a lot of time reading the manual and passing the tutorial, and then when you are finally about to start playing the actual game, a window pops up saying, "Your trial has expired. If you wish to continue playing the game you have to buy the full version."
(ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻
Noah lit a candle in his heart for this unfortunate teen whose departed soul had now gone to a... probably-not-better place. Noah seriously doubted Aris would be able to get such a perfect dice roll in the next life as he did in this one.
Ah, if only you weren't such a responsible little prince with a strong sense of duty towards your people! You could have just turned back and walked away! Why did you have to get involved in this mess, Aris?? Don't you know that nice guys die first?!
Noah let out a heavy, sorrowful sigh, lamenting the sad fate of the original Aris.
Oh, well! ¯_(ツ)_/¯ What's done is done.
I'll be sure to live a happy and fulfilling life in your place, bro! 👍 Your noble sacrifice won't be in vain! Rest in peace! I shall take good care of your family and your city! (/≧▽≦)/
Blackie: (눈_눈) "How long do you intend to keep talking to yourself?"
"Depends. How long can you keep the time of this world frozen?" 🤔
(ꐦ ◠‿◠) "If you don't start coming up with a plan on how to survive this, I'll unfreeze it right now and watch as you go up in flames."
"Blackie, you've changed! ಢ_ಢ You were so much nicer when you were trying to scam me into becoming your host!"
"Of course I was. Would you have bought it otherwise?" ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌
Noah: QAQ