The echoing cng of dislodged rock still reverberated through the cavern as Bathilda, her bat form bristling with a mixture of adrenaline and confusion, grappled with the unwelcome presence in her mind.
Out. Now! she hissed, the sound a strange, sibint rasp in the echoing darkness. The demand felt flimsy, a desperate attempt to assert control over her own thoughts, which now felt like a crowded, chaotic room.
"How do you expect me to leave?" the voice, resonant and male, replied, its tone ced with a disconcerting calmness. "You're sort of... stuck with me, Bat."
"Don't call me Bat! Childish insults and name calling from her past still stung. It was only a nickname, but she hated it. And what do you mean, stuck? Bathilda's heart, small as it was in her transformed state, hammered against her ribs. The intrusion was a viotion, a chilling reminder of her vulnerability.
"To cut a long story short," the voice, now identified as Hiro, began, "I was one of the first men to join God's Utopia. Paradise. It's a bit of a misnomer, really. You see, it's a lot harder for men to find their pce there than it is for women."
Harder? Why? Bathilda asked, her skepticism palpable. She remembered the shimmering, idealized vision of Paradise, the almost overwhelming sense of blissful perfection.
"Because," Hiro expined, a hint of weariness in his tone, "God is... God. Omnipotent, omnipresent, the very essence of creation. And he's... well, he's undeniably captivating. Imagine an eternity spent in his presence, with every woman in existence vying for his attention. It wasn't a competition I could win, or wanted to be part of."
Bathilda felt a flicker of understanding, a strange empathy for this disembodied voice. So you left?
"Left? I escaped," Hiro corrected. "Paradise, for all its beauty, was a gilded cage. Every day, every moment, was the same. The same ethereal clouds, the same cascading waterfalls, the same endless stream of adoring women. It was... monotonous. An eternity of unchanging perfection is, ironically, a prison."
A sigh, not quite Bathilda's own, echoed in her mind. "You were lucky to choose reincarnation. I saw you, making that decision without hesitation. I envied you. And in that moment, I... attached myself. I thought, perhaps, I could be of use. Especially if we nded on my world. But fate, it seems, had other pns."
Are you serious? Bathilda's voice was sharp, ced with anger. You just... attached yourself? Without asking? Without considering the consequences? You could have asked God to reincarnate you separately!
"I... considered it," Hiro admitted, his voice faltering slightly. "But it didn't feel like the right time. I had to sharpen my sword, prepare for my training..."
Oh my word, Bathilda groaned, her wings fluttering in frustration. You're full of it! You're worse than Gemma at the hospital. She had a never-ending supply of excuses. 'My car broke down,' 'My back hurts,' 'My grandma died'—and then she'd take a vacation to mourn! How many grandmothers did she have, anyway? You're just like her!
"I assure you, Bathilda," Hiro began, his tone attempting to soothe, "my intentions were..."
Out! Now! Bathilda interrupted, her voice rising in a desperate plea.
"I can't," Hiro replied, his voice ft. "I no longer have a physical form. I am, for now, a part of you."
That's not happening, Bathilda decred, her voice filled with a steely resolve. There are skills, magic, who knows what else in this world. The first chance I get, you're gone. She pressed the cwed tip of her wing against her temple, as if trying to physically force him out.
"Very well," Hiro said, a hint of resignation in his voice. "I will not begrudge you that. I would very much like to possess my own body again."
Good, Bathilda said, her anger slowly subsiding, repced by a cold determination. Now, about the XP. You said I could have earned more?
"Yes," Hiro confirmed. "As you rolled those rge stones from the entrance, several nded on the Barts below. The added force of gravity crushed a dozen or so."
Bathilda summoned her status screen, her eyes widening in surprise.
Name: Bathilda
Race: Poisonous Bat
Css: None
Title: Rodent Syer
Level: 15 (MAX)
XP needed: MAX
HP: 94/94
MP: 94/94
"Skill Points Avaible"
"Evolution Avaible"
Holy shit! she thought. When did that happen?
"As I said, when you were dropping the stones," Hiro replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Right, right, Bathilda muttered, her mind racing. I didn't get any notifications about the extra XP.
"It's because you are already at max level," Hiro expined. "Any XP earned beyond that point is wasted."
Bathilda facepalmed with her wing. Of course. I knew that. So, how do you know all this?
"I acquired a great deal of knowledge during my time in Paradise," Hiro said. "And this world, while different, shares simirities with my own. My knowledge of skills, csses, and rank ups will be invaluable to you, until you help me find a body. This world is remarkably simir to my own."
You're not from Earth, are you? Bathilda asked, curiosity piqued.
"Earth?" Hiro echoed.
"Yes, Earth. That's my original pnet," Bathilda crified. "What was yours called?"
"My pnet was called Tiar," Hiro said, his voice tinged with a distant mencholy. "I cannot tell you how long it has been since I left. I am familiar with skills, csses, and rank ups. Your evolution and rank up system are quite simir. Think of it as a tree. Its branches are the various paths you can take to grow stronger. Each path leads to different outcomes."
Hiro unched into a detailed expnation of the systems, his voice weaving a tapestry of information that Bathilda absorbed eagerly. After he finished, she paused, her mind buzzing with questions.
Why, she asked, her voice soft, did you wait so long to speak to me?
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the faint dripping of water in the cavern below. Finally, Hiro spoke.
"I...I was observing. Learning. Trying to understand this new reality. And perhaps," he admitted, a hint of vulnerability in his voice, "I was afraid. Afraid of being rejected, of being alone again."
