As I behold the endless expanse of grey, I have to wonder just how I got here. My memory is a bit fuzzy, to say the least. I feel like everything is coming to me in pieces, little bits slowly circling a drain before forming into an unfinished puzzle. And my puzzle right now is well and truly scrambled. But I do remember running, bleeding. My lungs were on fire. I was almost to the van and then...nothing. Well, I guess not exactly nothing since I'm wherever “here" is, but still. Nothing. And then, grey. Oh crap, am I dead? I'm dead, aren't I? But dead people can't think, from what I remember. Unless you count those last few seconds you get after decapitation. ...Ookay Puzzle, don't love that we know that, but we do and we're going to deal with it later. For now, grey.

  Such a wonderous color, grey. The blandness of white combined with the brooding of black. A lovely drab as far as the eye can see. The perfect setting to ponder my existence in. Alrighty, enough fooling around; Let's take stock. First things first, do I remember my name? I try to rummage through the puzzle for what I need, but only find broken corners and burnt middle pieces. From what I can piece together, though, it likely has an “A" in it, but I can't find much else. Nards. Well, onto the next question: Where am I and how the hell did I get here? Based on mine and Puzzle’s excellent deductions, I am likely dead. How do I know I'm dead you may ask? I don't have a body anymore. It's a bit of a tip-off. As for how I got here, that's still a mystery. All in all, not a great situation to be in. I guess I should—Wait, what's that sound?

  Like a wave swelling on the horizon, the grey shifts, the space fracturing before rushing towards me in a tidal wave of sound and shards. The cacophony rushes past me, drowning out my thoughts for a few seconds before, suddenly, the sounds fade to the background, and I hear a voice.

  [Welcome, Aria.]

  The voice of a gruff, older gentleman echos from the void in greeting, and it takes me a moment to realize that he's talking to me. Aria, huh? I knew it had an “A." Not a bad name, in my totally unbiased opinion.

  [You have died.]

  A bit slow on the uptake there, Mr. Voice; Puzzle and I got that one figured out ages ago. Still, could you tell me how I died? In case it isn't obvious, I'm a little disoriented. I wait for what seems like a few minutes for an answer, staring out into the endless grey, but just as I'm about to repeat my question, the voice speaks again in what I'm beginning to suspect is an automated message.

  [Be calm. You will soon awaken to experience life again in a new world.]

  So, I died and went to tech support. Wonderful. But you know, you sound oddly familiar, Mr. Voice. Gruff, but welcoming. Wizened and old, with a cadence that tells of ages past, and yet still full of adventure and life. Iconic, I think, is the word I'm looking for. I rack my brain for a name, but like almost everything else so far, I come up blank. It's a shame, too, I feel like it would've been a good name. I guess “Voice” will have to do for the time being. Hold on, what was that about a new world?

  [You will be reborn on the world of Pangera. Destiny and luck shall determine your fate.]

  Pangera, eh? Sounds familiar for some reason. Maybe something from my previous life? Damnit, Aria, focus. This is starting to sound important, and you and Puzzle are already at a disadvantage. Still, destiny and luck? Can't you give me something a little more concrete, Mr. Voice? I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I feel very ungrateful.

  [You will be reborn with the following Status.]

  Status. Now that's a word I do remember. Like a key to a locked door, memories flood my mind, sending Puzzle and me reeling as we attempt to organize and file them away. My favorite foods, hobbies, games, books, my life story itself, all pieces to be slotted into place, and we take to it eagerly. It takes me over thirty minutes to process, and by the time I'm finished, my mind feels much clearer. Although there are still a lot of pieces missing and my thoughts remain somewhat muddled, it's fascinating how just one word was able to unlock so much.

  One might wonder why one word was able to dredge anything up at all, and to them I'd say “because I was a total nerd.” That's right, a nerd! A geek, a shut-in, if you will. Video games, LitRPGs, D&D, cosplay; anything nerdy you can think of, I was into it. (Or, well, am into it. Things are still a bit fuzzy.) And thus, we come to the source of it all: the Status. I've always wanted a Status, to be able to see literally everything that makes me, me. It's been a fervent wish since childhood, and I have to assume at this point that it's part of the key to unlocking my full memories. Giddy with excitement, I watch as a long scroll of text unfurls in my vision.

  [Status:]

  [Name:] Aria Drake

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  [Level: 1; Tier 1]

  [Stats:]

  ? Health: 50/50

  ? Mana: 0

  ? Might: 20

  ? Toughness: 24

  ? Cunning: 25

  ? Will: 21

  Oh my goodness, it's so wonderfully game-like and concise! Just what you want to see from a proper Status screen. I tip my metaphorical hat to you, Sir Voice. Now, let's see what we've got here. Might, Toughness, Cunning, and Will seem to be the main stats. Health is likely linked to either Might or Toughness, possibly both. Cunning is...smarts, I guess? Bah, I'll figure it out later. Will is probably something like mental fortitude, but the specifics I'll have to figure out later, too. But hold on a moment, zero mana? I mean, it's cool that there's obviously magic in this new world, but why don't I get any? Maybe babies don't have Mana? My stats seem pretty low, after all. That sounds right, but I guess I won't know until after I've been born. I wonder if my parents will be nice. Oh, look, more text.

  [Skills:]

  ? Rake: Level 2; Rank 1

  ? Bite: Level 1; Rank 1

  ? Hearing: Level 3; Rank 1

  ? Tail Manipulation: Level 1; Rank 1

  Ah, Skills. The bread and butter of any good Status. Such wonderful abilities to help me domina—hold on a moment, something ain't right here. These skills look...weird. Rake? What, am I going to be good at yard work? Bite? Hearing? Tail Manipulation?! Where's my necromancy skill, Mr. Voice? I mean, I probably couldn't use it without mana, but still. And what's with the rest of them? Not only are they mundane, they don't seem suited to a human at all, Tail Manipulation especially.

  [Species:] Drakeling (Kentri)

  ...Wait. Wait, wait, wait, hold on, this has to be a joke. It's a goof, right? A “Drakeling?" What the hell even is that? And why am I not human, Voice? I think I deserve to be human. I was a good egg! At least, from what I remember, I was good. Again, we're going to ignore the decapitation thing.

  [You have one skill point and one Biomass available. Go forth and forge your own path.]

  Oh, I'll forge something alright, you pompous piece of shi—! Before I can continue my tirade of insults and clever curses, the voice fades away and reality shatters. Shards of refracting grey circle around me for a moment before plunging towards my body. Some wrap around me, some stab straight into me, merging with my flesh and forcing it to take on something new.

  My new body takes shape from refracted angles. Large golden eyes and bat-like ears sit proudly atop a sleek draconic head. A thick, sinuous neck extends down to a muscular body covered in pitch-black scales speckled in white like glittering stars. Its arms and legs end in vicious, jagged claws, while a long tail, protected by a retractable sheath, ends in a sinister stinger. Once the process is complete, I'm left within the body of what I can only assume is a Drakeling, my mind and soul now fused to the creature. And I'm not exactly feeling good about it.

  Wait, something's changed. I feel something compressing around me. I try to push against it, but it's like moving a mountain. My vision gradually gets darker as I struggle against my bonds, and I make little headway until—CLATTER! Stone and dirt fall away as I writhe inside the wall, kicking and scratching as I try not to suffocate. Gah, it's in my nose and my ears! My poor orifices! Finally, with one heavy punch, I burst through the wall in a graceless bundle of limbs and tail, plopping to the ground with a thud.

  That was... unpleasant. I mean, really, who reincarnates someone inside a damn wall?! Damnit, Voice! If you had a body, Puzzle and I would have some very choice words for you! Grumbling to myself, I begin untangling my limbs, which is made much harder thanks to being uncoordinated in my new body. My tail is wrapped around my back legs, and one of my arms is almost behind my back, practically hog tying me. Levering myself up on my one good arm, I begin to untangle my legs and tail from one another, the long appendage slithering like a snake as I unloop it. It takes me several seconds, as I've obviously never worked a tail before, but my new body chips in with some instincts, and I eventually get it done and pull myself into a sitting position.

  Well, that was certainly a way to greet my new world. Just where in Pangera am I? Looking about, I seem to be in a small underground cavern. The walls are covered in crisscrossing lines of blue in various sizes that pulsate every so often, reminding me of veins and giving just enough light that I can see. Little patches of glowing moss grow along stalagmites and stalactites, giving the cave an otherworldly feel and off to my right is a tunnel that leads deeper down. My ear flicks. There's the sound of running water coming from that way, too. Maybe a stream or river? It sounds more like a babbling brook than a raging river, so I'm leaning more towards stream.

  To my left is another tunnel, but this one is sloped upwards. There's noise coming from it, but I'm having trouble figuring out what it is. It sounds like...growling? Is it an animal, then? I might have to go check it out. Man, these ears are something else. I feel like I can pinpoint everything in this is cavern down to the centimeter! My ears swivel and twist as they pick up even more sounds. The water drips that feed the moss and lichens, the sounds of the stream pooling in the right cavern. That's interesting, maybe a pond? There's even the sound of footsteps coming from up the left tunnel. Wait, footsteps?