Infinite Lives: Volume 1.

He floated, naked and weightless, in an endless void.

No warmth. No cold. Just nothing, a silence so complete it swallowed even thought.

It felt like touching absence itself.

Is this the afterlife?

Bryan stared into the abyss.

Kinda thought I’d see God. Or a reincarnation screen. Something…

Well, I had a decent life. A job, hobbies, and a good partner. Not a shut-in.

Bit short-lived though, right?

What was I doing again…?

Oh. Right. Ladder. Camera. Security upgrade.

Fell off a ladder, that’s a pretty sad death.

He sighed and rolled his head side to side.

Then a voice echoed, calm, cold, and dispassionate:

“Choose.”

He blinked. “Choose what?”

“Who and where.”

He frowned. “…I’m gonna need a bit more than that.”

“Choose when and where to be reborn.”

His expression softened. “Ah. See, that’s much clearer.”

A pause. “Must it be just once?”

“That is the norm.”

“Well, I want forever,” he said without hesitation. “I don’t want to pick just one.”

A longer pause. Then:

“You will regret that.”

The voice was sharper now, distant and precise.

He smirked. “Doubt it.”

“Fine. Have it your way…”

The void pulsed.

And then the world tilted.

Blinding white light engulfed him.

He gasped.

Air, real, crisp air, filled his lungs like fire. His back hit something soft.

Grass? Dirt? It was hard to tell, with the sunlight stabbing through his eyelids.

He groaned and rolled to the side, squinting against the glare.

Birdsong. A breeze. The distant gurgle of a stream.

Unlikely that it’s England. Can’t see houses.

Bryan sat up slowly, rubbing his temple. “Ok… either I’m reincarnated, or this is one hell of a lucid dream.”

The world around him stretched wide: open hills, clusters of trees, and a faint shimmer in the air that felt… magical.

He looked down.

Still naked.

Typical.

Attempting to stand, he felt a bit shaky.

Hmm, feel hungover.

He raised his hand, palm out to block the light.

A glowing status screen appeared.

The fuck?

Status

Name: Bryan

Level: 1

Job: None

Skill Points: 10

HP: 10 MP: 10

STR: 10  AGI: 10VIT: 10

DEX: 10 INT: 10 CHR: 10

LUCK: 10

Skills:

•Your Regret - Greatly increases XP gain, ???

“Your regret… sounds ominous.”

As he lowered his hand, the screen flickered away.

He looked around: forest to the right, rolling hills to the left. Alone.

Note to self: inner monologue is fine. Narrating out loud in a forest? Weird. Stop that.

Ok, I’m a bit cold, and if I don’t find clothes soon, I might be seen as some pervert.

To the forest, I guess.

Bryan began making his way into the trees, pushing past branches and being careful not to get his bare legs stabbed by anything spiky.

At first, the forest seemed dark, but his eyes adjusted to the light filtering through the leaves.

He walked as straight as he could manage and didn’t see much in the way of wildlife.

Games and anime never mention how cold and unpleasant it is to walk through the forest naked.

Continuing cautiously, feeling moist mud squish between his toes.

Ok, so priorities: clothes, food, and maybe a big stick or something to fight with, just in case.

Stopping for a moment to look around, there was nothing he could identify.

Sighing, he picked up the pace.

Could I make clothes out of leaves?

He awkwardly squeezed through a bush, which left small scratches on his legs and back.

Yeah, hard pass. The itchiness alone.

Stumbling through to the other side, he noticed a lone cabin in the distance.

Some luck at last.

Keeping an eye out around him, he made his way toward the cabin. It looked a little run-down, but maintained enough to suggest it was still in use.

He got closer, checking for signs of people, and approached the front door.

The cabin had stone pillars at each corner and a stone chimney poking out the top. The rest was made from logs and wooden boards.

Well, I should knock first, right?

Yeah, it’s only polite.

He knocked with three solid raps.

“Hello? Anyone there?”

He waited. When no one responded, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

There was a table in the centre of the room, a few assorted wardrobes and cabinets, and a bed set against the wall.

Let’s be honest, theft probably won’t even crack the top ten sins today.

He rummaged through drawers and wardrobes, eventually finding baggy brown trousers with a few holes, a plain white shirt, and some very worn shoes.

He put them on one piece at a time.

Well, that’s better. I’ve upgraded from streaker to hobo. Yay me.

He glanced around, eyeing a cupboard near the fireplace.

Opening the cupboard, he found a piece of stale bread and immediately began munching on it as he left.

He resumed his path in the same direction, now faster thanks to the shoes. As he walked, he noticed a glowing moss-like substance on some of the trees.

Well, this place is kind of pretty, at least.

He stepped between two larger trees and picked up a mid-sized stick.

Better than nothing, I guess.

Continuing on, he spotted some scratches on a nearby tree.

He moved closer, rubbing his fingers along the marks to gauge their roughness and depth.

Hmm. Can’t really tell what made those.

After a few more moments looking around, he shrugged and kept going.

The fact that I haven’t seen any monsters yet really worries me.

I might be in a farming sim.

Please, God, no.

More broken branches appeared, clustered at knee height.

Whatever world this is, I sure hope it at least has elves.

It’s not fantasy without them.

A strange totem appeared up ahead: animal skulls, feathers, scraps of fabric.

Ok, now that I know, that isn’t natural.

He tightened his grip on the stick and held it out in front of him, more alert.

Rustling in the bushes startled him. He prepared to swing.

My first monster. I’m so ready.

Out of the bush hopped… a fluffy grey bunny. It tilted its head at him.

Really? Goddammit.

He crouched, hand outstretched toward the bunny. There was a drop of blood on its fur.

Are you hur-...

Pain bloomed in his skull, hot and pounding.

He raised a hand and stared at the red smear.

A screech echoed.

Wait, how am I bleeding?

A four-foot creature with green skin and distorted humanoid features charged at him, swinging a crude club.

He scrambled to his feet.

Goblin. Yes! Thank God it’s not just a medieval world.

He swung his stick, aiming for its head.

It dodged and slammed the club into his stomach.

He collapsed, coughing and clutching his gut.

“Die, cretin!” he yelled, lunging again with a wild swing.

His stick crashed into the goblin’s club and snapped clean in half.

Oh shi-...

A solid hit slammed into his leg, knocking him down. The goblin leapt on top of him, pressing the club down on his throat.

He tried and failed to push it back.

Death by goblin is pathetic. Come on.

Two more goblins approached.

How is it so strong with tiny arms?

His vision darkened.

Leaves dragged against his back, tiny hands gripping his ankles.

Oh, that hurts... What happened?

Flashes of trees, torchlight, goblins muttering.

Then, darkness again.

When he woke, there was firelight. Three goblins huddled near a campfire, speaking in guttural tones.

Oh shit. They’re going to eat me.

One approached, grinning.

Then, thwack. An arrow thudded into a goblin’s chest.

The other two turned to flee.

Two armoured men burst from the trees, one with a longsword, the other wielding a comically large axe.

Each took down a goblin with a single blow. A leather-clad archer followed after.

The axe-wielder stepped forward. “Hey, boy, are you alive?”

“I... think so,” Bryan groaned.

The men talked among themselves.

“Only three goblins,” said Axe Guy. “Barely worth the hunt.”

“Well, better to be rid of them before they kill any merchants, or weaklings like this guy,” Sword Guy replied.

Well, that was rude.

Bryan tried to stand and collapsed again.

“Whoa, relax, boy,” said Axe Guy smugly. He placed a red-glowing vial next to Bryan.

“Drink that.”

Bryan squinted up at him. “Erm... is this a healing potion?”

“A Health Potion, yes,” the man said in a condescending tone. “Is this your first trip out of your village or something?”

All three adventurers laughed as they collected goblin ears.

“You must be as weak as a slime,” said Sword Guy, still laughing.

“Seriously, why are you wandering out here alone?” the archer added.

These guys are dicks...

“If you want to survive, boy,” Axe Guy said, more serious now, “head east to the nearest town.”

“Yeah,” said Sword Guy. “I don’t think you’d survive another trip into the forest.”

“Let’s head back to the guild,” Axe Guy said. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“Waste of a good potion. Also, we need to hurry if we want to earn enough today,” the Sword Guy said.

“Maybe,” Axe Guy replied. “But if someone finds him here, it could come back on us.”

Even the nice part was self-serving.

“Fine, better than dragging him with us,” Sword Guy replied with a smile.

They left.

Bryan sat up, scowling, and drank the potion.

A warm feeling spread through his body, strongest around his injuries, which knitted themselves closed.

They saved me, but were dicks about it.

I’ll remember that.