[ Destination Reached ]
[ Time Remaining 12:00:00 ]
Regaining consciousness was a peaceful matter; trying to open my eyes was quite another. I felt fine, pain-free, and calm. I knew I was no longer in the void, but I wanted to rest a little longer without opening my eyes.
I don't know how long I spent with my eyes closed, but in the end, I surrendered to the inevitable. So with a mental sigh, I opened my eyes. It's not the void I see, but two large buildings, one on either side of my vision, not that far from each other, perhaps only three meters apart.
"An alley?" I stare up at the night sky above the buildings, but it's the small screen of light in front of me that catches my attention.
[ 11:47:37 ]
"Mmmm." A moan escapes me as memories slowly return to me: the glitch in reality, the emptiness, the creature, the pain, and most of all, I remember the stars.
The first two stars, even now, I can feel them deep inside me, beneath my skin, but it was the third—the magenta star—that I felt most clearly, but also felt most out of reach, moving inside me, very close to where my heart is, but not quite reaching it, as if it hadn't fully sunk in yet. But if I focused hard enough, I could hear the rattling of the chains, searching, or perhaps waiting for something.
"It feels like I'm incomplete," I think distractedly as I regain more feeling in the rest of my body.
"I don't know the name of the star either. I don't remember the voice speaking, so I can't remember its name either." I frown unwillingly and close my eyes tightly, remembering that final moment in the void when my light almost went out forever, my hands clutching fistfuls of earth at my sides, and I inhale deeply.
I exhale slowly as I detect strange sensations in my body. The first thing I notice is that I'm once again flesh and blood. I feel a sense of fullness as if I've just woken up from a very long sleep. No pain or fatigue. In any case, I feel perfect.
"Where am I?" I ask the air, and this time something answers, to my surprise.
My first star pulses once, and then the message in front of me changes.
[Current Universe Tokyo Ghoul]
My eyes open a little wider as I look beyond the screen of light to see the night sky.
"Oh," I sigh one last time, wobbly as I try to stand and end up sitting on the floor. "I didn't choose Tokyo Ghoul when I fainted. Maybe my power didn't know where to send me and it's looking for similar universes."
I try to stand again, but I stumble once more before leaning against a wall to avoid falling to the ground. With my newfound support, I manage to stand, but with uncertainty, I check my body and this time I notice three things at once.
First, I think I'm shorter.
Second, I'm dressed in simple black pants, a blue shirt, and old sneakers. "The same thing I wore before I arrived in the void," I remember.
And third, and most importantly, there are two very large things on my chest that I grab with both hands and squeeze experimentally.
"Mmm," just so it feels really good and a moan escapes my lips, much more feminine than expected.
Now panicking, I walk slowly with the help of the wall to a window almost at the end of the alley, but when I look at the reflection, I don't see what I'm supposed to see.
"What?" I exclaim softly as I take in the attractive features: high cheekbones, full lips, and soul-snapping blue eyes with beautiful white hair that reaches her waistline.
"A woman," I say aloud, before realizing that my voice, unlike my usual deep tone, has been replaced by a softer, almost melodious tone. With a blink, I turn my gaze behind me in case the beautiful woman is behind me, only to see nothing but trash thrown on the opposite side of the alley and the reflection following my movements.
"Oh," I exhale slowly in a soft voice, and the woman's full lips follow my movements. Understanding is reflected in the woman's piercing eyes, or rather, in my eyes.
"I'm a woman," she declared with finality, and if my outlook on life wasn't bad enough, I realized it. "And I'm in Tokyo Ghoul. It's nighttime when ghouls go out to eat, and I don't even know what district this is."
"Wait," I blink, then frown. "Am I in Tokyo anyway?"
________________________________________
A while later, I find myself in a nearby park, with a single tree I'm currently leaning against while trying to think of a solution to my new situation. (After kicking out all my confusion and panic in a poor box in the alley.)
"Well, the good news is, I am in Tokyo." I look far away at the end of the street where a sign reads in both Japanese and English for some reason I couldn't be bothered to research. "The bad news is, I don't know what district this is, and of course, I don't speak Japanese."
"Ahhh," I sigh softly again. "Well, it could be worse. I say I'm beautiful, and being beautiful sometimes opens doors. If things get worse, I'll find a way out of this."
"Well, I can't complain about my change in appearance because I really like my new look. I even like my voice a lot, and I'm man enough." I sigh as I use the wrong pronouns again. "I'm woman enough to admit I'm a little narcissistic."
"I mean, it's like someone put all my tastes in a blender and mixed everything together to see if it would work, and the worst part is, it actually did." I say to my only listener, the beautiful Sakura tree I'm leaning against. "Look, I'm not complaining. It's just that I would have liked to have my say on my new body, especially on the gender issue, you know?"
Of course, my listener doesn't answer, but that's why he's the best.
"Anyway, I don't think it matters anymore. I'll just find a way to get my penis back later." I decide, already tired of the surprises of the last few hours, days, or however long I've spent in the void.
"Well, first I know what [Omniverse Possession] does, but then there's this countdown." I frown gently and see the counter on the right side of my vision.
[ 11:39:34 ]
"Well, if that's not ominous, I don't know what is." He smiled, strongly suspecting what that countdown is, which I only confirmed by touching it and having it expand with a brief explanation.
[ Universe Tolerance Time Remaining 11:38:56 ]
[ Choose Possession Target ]
Then a long list of characters available for possession in this verse appears.
I barely glance at the list and grimace. Most of the options are much stronger than me and would therefore kill me before I could make a move.
"So it's what I thought," my smile falters as I lean deeper into the tree. "I already knew universes don't like invaders, but to think it would have such a low tolerance, or maybe this universe is weak and its tolerance is high?"
I ponder this for a moment, knowing that worlds like *DC* and *Marvel* have travelers and invaders in several of their different timelines.
"And the only thing I arrived with was the clothes I had on my back and what I had in my pockets." A wallet with a few dollars, my now-useless IDs, and a Swiss Army knife that I play with for a while.
"Guess the only thing left to do is use [Choice]." I close my eyes and tense up, waiting for a pain that never comes. When I open my eyes, all I see is a screen of light with options in bold.
[CHOOSE THREE WORLDS]
I pause for a moment, thinking, according to the little information I got from his star, he's supposed to combine the powers of various worlds into a list of 50 and give me a choice of just one power.
"I would have liked to choose the power directly, but this might be better, even if I only get one chance, really no pressure," he joked with a small smile as I selected the worlds.
- My Hero Academia
- The Boys
- Heroes
My thoughts were clear: I need some kind of attack power, but one that can grow with me, and in these worlds, there are many good options. Of course, the best choices were *DC* and *Marvel*, but I don't know if I'd catch the attention of the higher-dimensional beings in those worlds.
"But of course, some are better than others. *Homelander's* powers or *Chisaki Kai Revision's* power are simply too good to pass up." With one, I'll basically be a version of Superman, and with the other, I'll be a cellular-level matter controller.
"In comparison, *Heroes* was chosen for its absurd powers, whether it be time travel or touch-power copying." A big smile grew on my lips, thinking about all the powers I could choose from.
[ Full List ]
1- Water Breathing ( The Boys )
2- Pop-off ( MHA )
3- Acid ( MHA )
4- Telekinesis ( Heroes )
5- Rewind ( MHA )
6- Laser Vision ( The Boys )
7- Flight ( The Boys )
8- Hardening ( MHA )
And the list goes on and on until I reach power number 50, but something's weird. I frown in confusion as I think about the options. I thought I'd be given the option to choose from the various character templates, but I was only given the option to choose individual powers.
I hesitantly select "Flight," and it opens with a brief explanation.
*Ability to fly at hypersonic speeds, reaching Mach 32, exceeding the speed of sound and comparable to Earth's escape velocity into space (high Durability required).*
"This must be incorrect," the air escapes from my lungs as I stare at the explanation in disbelief.
I bring my right hand to my mouth and bite my index fingernail as my thoughts race with the implications.
"If I'm not mistaken, this flight ability must be *Homelander's*, but the reason his skin doesn't tear off his bones when he flies is because of his *Superhuman Durability*, but without it." I shudder, not liking the image, and without giving up, I select another of the powers from the list.
I decide to select *Acid* because of its danger to the user, and my fears are confirmed.
*Ability to secrete acid from any part of the body, controlling both its viscosity and acidity (The user is not immune to acid)*
"These powers in no way address safety precautions or biological adaptations," she concluded, biting down hard on my finger.
"If they don't have safety precautions or the bodily adaptations of their original owners, using these powers could kill me," and I could easily imagine it.
In my mind, a chibi version of myself flies by, accelerating rapidly until my flesh peels off my bones, leaving them behind as my bones fly into the distance.
Or worse, my chibi version uses acid only for it to burn her skin as it comes out of her pores, and then she literally melts into a puddle of unknown flesh.
"Ugh, one worse than the other, isn't it?" I smile without mirth as I look at the other options in the catalog. The vast majority, if not almost all, have the same problem. If I choose *laser eyes*, my eyes will most likely melt off. Or if I choose *rewind*, it's very possible I won't have any immunity to the power at all, like with *acid*.
"Well, damn." I look at the countdown suspiciously, wondering which target I should select.
Before I start cataloging the 50 powers, separating the useful and usable ones from those that would simply kill me to have them, and the useless powers.
"Well, at least I narrowed down the list of powers considerably to just the useful ones." It took me longer than I'd like, but I finally have a list of five useful powers (and I hope they won't kill me as soon as I activate them).
[ 11:03:37 ]
- Cellular Regeneration ( The Boys )
(I hope it doesn't give me super cancer)
- Touch Power Copy ( Heroes )
- Superhuman Durability ( The Boys )
- Intuitive Aptitude ( Heroes )
- Revision ( MHA )
"Honestly, I'd prefer a direct attack ability, but they all have the drawback of hurting me when I barely use them, and even basic telekinesis could damage my brain." I feel a small grimace cross my lips at the thought and look at the remaining options.
-"*Cell Regeneration*"
"It's a good power, but, well, I'm in Tokyo Ghoul, where I can get a version of it by becoming a Ghoul, which I'm going to do anyway. RC cells can be very useful in other worlds." I think before discarding it. "After all, the problem of eating humans is solved more or less at the end of the manga, and if it isn't, I'll find alternatives in other worlds."
"*Touch Power Copy*"
"On the other hand, this power would be very useful in a world with powers, but not so much here. After all, Ghoul powers are biological adaptations, and all Ghouls have a variation of the same ability." Although it pains me, I also end up discarding this power. "After all, I need some attack power now."
"*Superhuman Durability*"
"Now this is definitely one of the best options, but I've never really cared about damage in a fight." I look at the option a bit more, but I decide to leave it on hold, mostly because the last two They're by far my favorites.
"*Revision*"
"One of the two best options on my list, and its only drawback is probably the medical knowledge required to use it properly." (Or at least a little knowledge of biology before I can use it safely.)
"But it's the last option that has me hooked." I look at said option carefully, considering the implications of having it under my control.
"*Intuitive Aptitude*"
"In Heroes, its original owner, Sylar, was able to use it to learn all the worldly knowledge he wanted with ease, and he also used it to learn any power that came his way." I consider this carefully, but I'm very tempted to just say fuck it and choose it. "After all, by becoming a ghoul, I can use it to learn the other types of kagunes."
[ 10:45:27 ]
"It all comes down to these two. Because while *Superhuman Durability* is good, I need something that It'll help in the short term, and well, that Durability aspect I'll also gain by becoming a Ghoul, and I need to be opened up to insert the ghoul organs." I carefully look at the two options, wondering which would be more useful in the short and then long term. But the truth is, there was only one option.
"It's very likely that I can learn, or rather, endure more than one Kakuhou of the Ghouls with this power, not to mention its potential in other worlds." So, before I regret it, I select *Intuitive Aptitude* without hesitation, and then a final message appears on the blue screen.
[ He's sure of his choice ]
[ Y ] [ X ]
I pause for a moment before slowly pressing [ Y ] then my head explodes in pain as I feel something fundamental shift in my perception of the world.
The [ Choice ] star throbs inside me before moving from my chest to my head and focusing on my eyes and brain.
The star heats up, and I feel some kind of A change within me that ends as abruptly as it began. Without noise or floating screens, I only hear the sounds of the nighttime city around me much more clearly. The distant voices that once seemed incomprehensible now make a mote of sense, as if I were learning the language in real time.
When I open my eyes, I see the world, perhaps for the first time, as if I were going from seeing the world through a fogged-up window to seeing it through 4K eyes. There was simply no comparison. I could see the dust motes around me, see the cars passing in front of me, and imagine almost exactly how their engines worked.
But the most incredible thing came when the ideas began. I already had a basic idea of how *Kagunes* (Glowing Liquid Muscle) and the Ghouls' RC Cells worked, but with this ability, knowing and understanding were worlds apart.
The answer to why ghouls can only eat human flesh became obvious, and it was a much more interesting and yet very simple answer.
Since the ghouls evolved As hunting predators with no predators of their own, they never needed to eat anything other than humans, so their bodies never adapted to eating anything else.
In just a few moments, the theories in my head stopped being theories and became almost accurate ideas about how the Ghoul body worked or why they evolved the way they did.
The reason for the so-called *Kakuhou* - (Shiny Envelope) The Ghoul's unique muscle where they store their RC cells - only appears on some part of the back and not the chest.
My theory is that it was a matter of body camouflage to more easily blend in with their prey, in this case humans, and a method of intimidation - (Like animals that make themselves bigger to ward off predators or paralyze their prey with fear). And the reason they have their Kagunes on their backs was that it would simply be inefficient to have a weapon sticking out of the chest as it would take away mobility.
*Kagunes* always have weapons of some kind, limbs, armor, or minimal shield, and only their mutated evolutions into *Kakujas* (Kagunes mutated by strange RC cells) have real armor. The reason was also the same as why they could only eat human flesh; they never had predators and therefore never needed robust armor.
*Kakuja* always wear some form of armor because the ghoul's body understands that it's fighting other ghouls, something that in nature is the only thing capable of harming it, and the RC cells try to compensate by mutating into biological armor.
That's also the real reason why I decided to become a ghoul; their RC cells seem to evolve into real-life ones.
"But I wonder, what would happen if I solved the food problem and consumed meat from supernatural species?" A smile spread across my lips at the thought, and with purpose, I decided to get moving.
"Okay, let's try this." I get up from the tree and pat the tree in gratitude. "Thanks for listening, friend. I needed that."
After thanking the tree, I walk toward the loudest noise I could hear.
I need to finish learning Japanese after all—(Thank God for an overpopulated Japan)—I think a few blocks from where I woke up.
Watching people walk by me is, for some reason, an astonishing fact, not just because I see colorful hair every now and then, but because somewhere in my head I thought I'd never get out of the void.
Walking down the (busy) street in what appears to be a nightlife district is a fun experience; after all, I'm in a damn anime.
Very soon, the sounds went from babbled Japanese to something much more understandable. Little by little, the words begin to take shape in my mind, and with that, I understand the language more.
"I barely got my power, and already it's showing its advantages," I think as I mingle with the common people.
"Hello, my name is Oh," I pause and stop as I try to remember my life before the void.
"I don't remember my name. Maybe along with the memories of my world, many memories of my personal life are gone." The more I speak Japanese, the better I understand it, and the more my vocabulary expands, but I also feel emptier without memories of my own.
"Pssss, well, I'll find a new name and start a new life, hahaha." My sudden laughter slightly surprises the people passing by me, and I ignore how my laughter sounded hollow, even to my own ears.
My sudden laughter especially startles a young man, no older than 17, who stares at me, dumbfounded, only for me to return a dry look that he grasps, as I continue on my way, almost running, my ears red.
"This is going to be really annoying." I wonder why, even though I've changed genders, I'm still very heterosexual. Now that I pay more attention to people, instead of just listening to their conversations, I can see a lot of people staring at me, some out of the corner of my eye, and others staring at all the men, but also a few women. "I'm going to have to get used to the leering. Well, now I understand why beautiful women everywhere are almost always angry or defensive."
[ 10:25:20 ]
"For now, I'll just focus on solving this annoying countdown," I say in broken Japanese as I select my [Possession] option. "Okay, let's go."
[ Target Selected ]
As soon as I close the message, a certain location pops into my mind, and a sinister smile spreads across my lips.
"Since this is my first world, how about we turn it upside down?" I'm going to do a lot of things in this world. "This is going to be really fun."
----------------------------------------------------------------
[ 06:49:27 ]
Honestly, finding my target was easy thanks to [ Omniverse Possession ]. Apparently, it gives me a sixth sense that tells me the general direction of my prey, and thanks to that, finding it wasn't difficult.
The only problem was that it was almost on the other side of the district, and I got a little lost along the way due to a wrong turn, but I finally made it.
The good news is that if my target was on the other side of the district, that means I'm in Nerima, the so-called 20th district, one of the most peaceful districts.
Along the way, I managed to discover that today is September 30th, so Kaneki is still human—(because if I remember correctly, he was attacked by Rize Kamishiro in early October)—
"He should still be a soft, easy-to-kill human." I carefully examine the apartment building in front of me, the kind that always appears in anime: five apartments on the first floor and another five on the second, which can only be accessed via a staircase on one side.
"Kaneki-ken is the main character of this verse, and to be honest, I like him as a character, but I chose him mainly because he's the main character. It'll be a test to the universe whether it will stop me or let me kill him." I watch as the aforementioned main character enters his apartment with a bag of what looks like instant food. "If I manage to kill him, I won't have to go find Dr. Kanou to try to get him on my side to perform the surgery."
"Kaneki was literally his first big success, and then he couldn't recreate his surgery for a while without major failures at first. Even then, many test subjects died before he achieved success." He inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly before walking after him.
[ 06:37:47 ]
He doesn't notice me as I follow him to his apartment, nor does he notice the knife in my right hand. He seems distracted, even tired. (I notice as he takes out the apartment key and unlocks the lock.) I look ahead, behind me, and even toward the street, but there's no one in sight, just him and me.
He doesn't notice me until he takes a step inside his apartment, when I cover his mouth with my left hand, tensing his muscles almost immediately before trying to escape. Unfortunately, it's too late for him to do anything.
It was a quick moment before the blade of the knife entered his skin where his liver should be. He struggles. I feel the "offff" he releases as the air leaves his lungs and his tears in my palm as I push him into the apartment so I can close the door.
His struggle was futile, but he fought for what must have been long minutes for him due to hypovolemic shock, but for me it was very fast. One moment he was struggling for his life, the next he was stopping due to internal bleeding, and the last moment he stopped breathing completely.
I waited a little longer in case there was still struggle in his body, but not a single movement came, and when I let go of his body, it fell with a dull thud to the ground next to the bag of food.
[ 06:30:57 ]
The countdown stopped as soon as his body hit the ground, before the screen of light containing the countdown turned into light that surrounded the corpse, slowly turning it into points of light.
I watch it all pass with a calm gaze, as the blood staining the ground, my knife, and my clothes fade into light and merge with the light forming over the corpse.
When all the blood and body parts fade into light, all that's left on the floor is a pile of clothing with no evidence that a body was ever there.
I stare at the place while analyzing how I feel. I'm not scared, nor disgusted, I just feel calm, maybe with a little pride for having done it quickly and without problems.
The light quickly forms a new screen in front of me, this time with a list of what I can keep from his existence, with his name at the top of the list.
- Name: Ken Kaneki
- Memories
- Academic Knowledge
- Muscle Memory
- Japanese Proficiency
The list goes on with everything I can appropriate from Kaneki Ken, and I realize why my Ability has *Possession* in his name. I can literally become Kaneki Ken 100%. Of course, that's not part of the plan, after all, I'm not him.
"Okay, first, academic knowledge is necessary, along with Japanese proficiency, and I'll also take your literary knowledge." As I select the options, I feel like a grave robber, but I continue anyway. "This list is quite detailed, also including nationality, but the incredible thing is that I can also take your place in people's memories. It really is *possession*.
Of course, to ensure success, I take your place almost entirely in society, from your knowledge to more physical things like your documents or your place at university, until only the negative options remain, and the ones I didn't know what to do with.
- Memories
- Name Kaneki Ken
- Muscle Memory
- Repressed Traumas
- Insecurity
- Inferiority Complex
And the most important of all, which I admit I didn't expect to see but am still grateful to have.
- Ghoul organ compatibility
"Of course I'll take it. Whoever you think I am, all the help is needed," he joked, but I couldn't stop seeing the other option: "Memories. If I take it, I'll be able to hide my presence easily, but on the other hand, I don't know if there are any side effects."
In the end, I decided to recover the memories to have the full experience, leaving aside all the mental issues and the name I didn't select.
I took almost everything from the list. When I finished, it turned into pure light once again before entering my body, where I felt my first star beating.
When the light fully entered me, the star gave a single strong pulse with an audible CLICK before darkness claimed my consciousness.
For a moment, I saw my white hair turn black before I closed my eyes and lost consciousness.
So that for the rest of the night, I dreamed of a mother who was accommodating to everyone but very strict with herself and her son, with an aunt who was a worthless ball of fat who just drank and drank. without ever giving thanks and I dreamed of a Child who only wanted to live in peace.