Shapeless Hero

1 - Relief

I have no eyes, ears, skull or limbs... and I feel great for the first time in my life. A lifetime of uneasiness being lifted is pure bliss.

The stranger's hands that I controlled, the stranger's voice which spoke my words, the stranger's face that betrayed my emotions—they're all gone. I always felt like the botched result of an evil geniuses body-swap invention, but now I have no physical form to be out of sync with. 

Did I get hit by something? Maybe my anemic body finally gave in? I don't feel the usual fatigue and whatnot. The last thing I remember, was being on the way home. It was a late evening and... My mind blanks. I can't remember any details of that day, as much as I try.

It has been half an hour. I don't mind being alleviated of my suffering, but is this magical cure worth it, if I just stay suspended in darkness?

I wonder how it feels to experience the world without my curse. With my body, even going to the beach and playing a single game of volleyball was too much for me. My arms would ache, my head would spin and I wouldn't be able to coordinate a single limb correctly. On a bad day, even walking took me conscious effort. Friends would help me, of course. They knew, I had something going on. "I don't mind, we're friends!", they would say, but I saw their strained expressions. Every minute they had to help me stay on my feet was a minute of their lifetime that I wasted.

Before my thoughts could drift off further, the faint humming of singing bowls starts to reverberate in the dark void. Soon, careful steps echo through the darkness, reminiscent of somebody approaching me in an old cathedral with their shoes audibly touching the cold stone floor.

The footsteps stop just a couple of yards in front of me. A voice which I imagine must belong to a nice, old lady reaches my mind. "I apologize for the odd predicament you are in. Welcome to a place inbetwixt realms. I am Hilda, just one of many humble helpers of the pantheon. I am glad to see that you are in a stable condition. There was an anomaly in the system and countless souls were mapped to the wrong bodies. You are one of those souls."

A small sigh escapes the invisible helper. "No matter who is at fault, all systems and their realms are our responsibility. We have to right every wrong that occurs."

That kind of blunder can happen in a divine clockwork of worlds? Well, it could be gods sabotaging each other or something. If that's the case, then I really want to know who messed up my life. I'd like to have a very serious talk with them.

"One part of fixing that mistake is giving the affected souls a better vessel.", the voice continues. "You will be mapped to a new body. A physical self that befits you. One you should feel finally comfortable in."

What I had wasn't some mental illness that made me despise my hands, voice and face but a real mistake in some repairable system? I was offered a fix for something considered unsolvable in my world. If I accept this offer, I could finally join my friends for countless activities and participate with them in their hobbies! I wouldn't be a living baggage! It sounds too good to be true. I'm not just in an ambulance dreaming about my desires, right?

Hilda shakes her head. "With a heavy heart I must tell you, you can not rejoin your friends in your original realm. Your world's system was compromised by the aforementioned anomaly. You will not be able to see your loved ones until the mess is taken care of. It is not even guaranteed to be a reversible mistake in the first place, I fear..."

Shit. I really wish I could at least say goodbye to the very few friends I had. Especially the shop owner, who would allow me to play games for which I was definitely too young. She's the one who distracted me with RPGs from my own predicament. Even if it only helped a little bit, getting myself sucked into all kinds of characters' shoes for countless hours gave me the break I needed from my constant discomfort. I never thanked her properly.

"Due to this complication, we would like to invite you to another realm instead. One, that will allow you to live a fulfilling life, of course. The system will reshape you to a far more powerful being, as to not perish so quickly. How does that sound?"

Assuming that's not a dream, I doubt a chance to change my body like that will ever appear another time. Being relieved from the constant anxiety and pain, that would continue until I die, sounds amazing.

And what's that about realms? Does that mean, fantastical places exist? Could I actually live the fantasies, people in my old world only get to dream about? Can I travel the stars to meet new lifeforms?

I want to accept her offer. Who knows, how long it will take Hilda and her crew to find a fix for my original realm anyway? Their idea of 'long' could be millennia, for all I know! I should make use of that time, right?

Hilda claps her hands together. "I sense a positive response from you! Just a moment then." One after another, hundreds of new singing bowls emerge in the soundscape around me, gradually filling up the ambiance with harmonic tones. "It seems, your destination was found and your new body finished calibration. I shall wish you the best on your new path. But be careful! Just like your own realm, your new destination is not without danger."

Wait, I don't get to choose anything? Can I at least know what kind o—

"Toodles!"

The darkness is suddenly illuminated by myriads of lights—stars. My consciousness gets dragged through time and space.

I wasn't offered much of a choice, however, as long as I'm free of my old self, I'm happy. Freed of my limitations, I want to travel and see what else is out there. I want to try out all sorts of things. As much as I cherish my friends, I want to finally live myself, not just watch others do it. Whether a dragon or a serf—whatever shape I take is sure to be better than my miserable, past pile of flesh and skin.

A/N: A heads-up for you, dear reader: My plan to "just polish some chapters" turned into "a whole rework of the book". It's absolutely my fault for falling into this perfectionist's trap. Sorry about that!

This story will still be completed and receive a chapter or two. However, the reworked version will become its own book—a new edition, one could say. Both will stay up and published. I just think, it wouldn't be right to keep the stars/likes, when the revised story ends up so different that it becomes its own thing. Hell, it might be even worse than this one! (I don't hope it is, but I am an amateur and still eligible for beginner's luck.)

Regardless, I wish you safe travels on this website.