《Step》


 Death Is Not Funny

    I''m walking back home from the grcoery store, paper bags in hand, when I hear someone shout.


    I turn. A man''s staring at me with wide eyes, horror evident on his face.


    I blink confused, when- something slams into me- and I''m disembodied. My senses are all... gone? It feels like I''m floating.


    Out of body experience! Woo!


    I feel as light as a feather. But can control my movements, unlike a feather.


    Strange, I can feel I''m moving without an frame of referance.


    Am I in a coma? Did... a bus or something slam into me? Was that why that man was shouting at me?


    Well, crap. That''s not really great. If I''m left to my thoughts like this, without any feelings or sensations, I''m bound to go insane. It''s just a matter of time.


    Wait, something''s coming. I can feel it. A presence. Which could be a hallucination, for all I know. Hallucination or not, it''s giving me something to focus on rather than my thoughts. Might slow down the process of turning insane.


    Or not.


    I feel the presence wrap around me, like a warm blanket.


    I feel love, and comfort.


    Huh, interesting. It can affect my emotions. Well, I don''t really have a physical body in this space... so I guess this is a sort of mental realm?


    A memory palace? Maybe I have a split personality that''s trying to comfort me?


    I immediately snort at the thought. When and how did I get a split personality? And why did I ever not notice it?


    Wait, the presence is moving me. I can''t help but mentally shudder at the warm feeling it''s giving off. It feelsreally good.


    Wait, what if I''m dead? Well, that would mean there''s an afterlife, since I''m still thinking. It would also mean... that I would never see my friends again... except that I don''t have any. I doubt my foster family is going to miss me either.


    I really wish I had more information.


    And I''m guessing I''m going to heaven, since I doubt a demon-devil-something would give off comfy vibes. Can I speak to it? Well, If I''m dead, I don''t have a mouth. If I''m not, I don''t have access to it. And I would also be hallucinating.


    So, think at it?


    Eh, why the hell not?


    Hello?, I think as hard as I can. However that is possible, anyway.


    I feel the presence being startled. Then- I feel as if there are couple hundred judges staring at me, trying to figure out what crimes I may or may not have commited.


    Well, shit again. Did I do something wrong?


    Greetings, mortal.


    I mentally shudder again.


    She had the most amazing voice I''ve ever heard, I think.


    Definitely an Angel, I think.


    And, well, apparantly with a love for dramatics.


    The angel feels amused.


    Oh, right, angel-being can hear my thoughts. Heh, does she think I''m crazy?


    Worry not, mortal, I do not believe you to be insane. If you were, you would''ve been sent to Hell a long time ago.


    Well, that''s that. I''m either frothing in a hospital bed somewhere, or turned into bloody gore. Exciting.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    I feel, rather than hear, a chuckle.


    I''m afraid it is the latter, mortal. Worry not, for it is not the end of your journey. Francis was right, are an interesting one.


    Okaaaaay, I''m dead. Or under a serious hallucination, that wants me to believe I''m dead, for some unfathomable reason.


    And what''s that all about, ''not the end of my journey''? Speaking of which, where are we going?


    My patience is gone, just like that. I feel we are moving excruciatingly slow.


    And immediately as I think that, I feel as though someone has put a lasso around me, which is connected to a jet that has broke through the sonic barrier.


    I wish that I had not screamed. Because that made the angel laugh like hell. Damn it.


    The angel stops, and with her, I stop too. Then I feel an immense surge of vertigo.


    My senses slowly come back to me. Actually, just omniscience.


    I am in a room. It is... also black, and without light. And I''m also still a floating entity, except, I can now control my movements.


    The angel is gone, and with her, the comfortable feeling. Feelings of panic and anxiety fill me, and I scream like never before.


    ***


    A old man, with wrinkles all over his face, sits at a table, hunched over. He''s reading a book, holding a pair of glasses in front of him. You could hear him muttering from time to time.


    He was the guardian of the Royal treasury. And, while it might not seem like it, this old man would make dragons cower at the mention of his name.


    He was Archmage, Darrys. And he was the least accomplished in the mage circle. Least. Hence, he was sent here.


    He heard the sound of something moving in the treasury.


    He frowned.


    "Is it those goddamned thieves again? I swear- can''t they leave me to read in peace?" The man muttered grumpily as he got off his chair and went to the door.


    He opened it, and an avalanche of gold, silver, and a variety of gems hit him. Yet, he was not moved in the slightest. If one looked closely, they could see fant blue lines around him.


    He was burried up to the neck in a staggering amount of gold, and other precious resources. Then, one of this hands snapped upwards, catching a necklace.


    The necklace was make out of carved ivory chains, and had a sapphire hanging off it. The sapphire was furiously virating, trying to escape from the old man''s grasp. However, the old man wouldn''t have any of that, and put an immobility spell on it.


    One must take note, that an immobility spell was used in the worst of situations, as they were mentally draining. On the other hand, the old man looked just as fine as he did before, and the necklace turned rigid.


    ***


    "....aaaah!" I said, finishing the last of my screams.


    And since I didn''t have a voicebox, I could have continued screaming. But, however, I was staring to get tired of screaming at walls.


    I''m starting to get tired of not having a body. It''s grating.


    What if I tried imagining it?


    I try recalling my body in full detail. Then recall the sensations I felt. And accomplish absolutely nothing.


    I scream again.


    Halfway through, something appears in the empty space. And I can see it. I zoom forward and see a small gold coin. It has the picture of a very ugly king on it. No offence to you, mister.


    Where the hell did it come from? More importantly, is it useful? I mean, it''s not as if there''s a shop around here that can allow to buy body parts or something.


    Hmm...


    "Status!" I yell out.


    Nothing. Well, I can''t exactly stop there. Ihave read, a quite substantial amount of fantasy and LitRPG novels, so I''m not willing to give up on my hope just like that.


    "Character sheet!"


    Nothing.


    "Menu!"


    Still nothing.


    "Shop!"


    Nope.


    "Stupid freaking blue screen!"


    Okay, now I''m starting to feel like an idiot.


    Well, since that doesn''t work, I can only give up and go back to the coin.


    Can I move it?


    And it flies over to me.


    Cool, at least that works.


    I command it to do flip-flops. It does.


    Huh. That works too. But... what exactly am I supposed to do with a moving coin?


    Hell, where amI?


    I sigh. No use there. Can only continue to experiment with the coin.


    Well, I can move it about. Can I change it''s shape.


    I try flattening off that smug, stupid and ugly face. It works. Only, I''m left with a disk of gold foil. Equally useless.


    I try making it into a needle. Not exactly sure why I would need a needle, but this way, at least I have something to defend myself with in case somebody enters this place.


    Ha Ha Ha! Beware my tiny needle!


    Can I melt it?


    ....And it turns molten.


    Yes, apparently I can. For what purpose, don''t ask me.


    Now, I just have to figure out how I''m supposed to get out of here- with a goddamn golden blob. Turn back into into a needle, stupid floating blob.


    Done.


    And then bunch of clothes appears in my realm. To be precise, they''re the undergarments of a woman. A verybig woman.


    What the...?

 Prisoner

    What the...?


    I could make up an explanation for a coin appearing, but this...?


    What in the world? And who the hell is that big! I''m sure as hell that would be big enought to fit a fucking giant. Or a cow. Or a giant cow.


    Wait a second, are there giant cows? Holy shit- wouldn''t that be funny? Not if I''m in it''s path, though. Gore doesn''t laugh. Or make any noice that isn''t squelching or disgusting.


    Anyway, giant cows aside, why is there a huge...ahem, cloth, in my domain, or whatever the hell this place is? I''m pretty sure I don''t know any women that big. Or giant cows.


    And besides, what the hell am I supposed to do with it? Throw it in a corner somewhere? Does this place even have corners?


    Could I use it? Well, I don''t have a body...


    ...And am not a giant fucking woman, so what the hell am I supposed to do with it? Turn it into yarn? Filthy underwear yarn?


    No thank you. It''s going as far away from me as it can. Which is... a few meters away. Not a very large room.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I put my attention back on to the floating needle.


    Ok... floating golden needle... and underwear. Am I supposed to stich it up or something? Well, the needle was a coin, and the... cloth did not have any tears on it as far as I could see. Plus it was made of silk. Where the hell was I supposed to get silk from, anyway?


    Oh wait, the cloth dissapeared. Interesting. Now I know that it randomly pop in and out. Why? I had no fucking idea.


    What would''ve happened if I changed it? Is there a person who put it in here? Is this some sort or extra dimension? Wait no, a po... pokeball? No, pock- something. Pocker? Pockel?Pocket? Aha! Pocket dimension!


    .... Why would I be stuck in a pocket dimension? Did that angel screw up? I need to call her boss. Who is her boss? God? An archangel? Or something else?


    Hey, angel woman, I think you stuck me in the wrong place!


    I wait for a few seconds. A minute.


    I play around with the needle. Five minutes passes by. Nothing. Stupid angel.


    Is there anything I can do with a couple grams of gold? Make electronics? How do they work? Wait, I need silicon too. And copper. And a bunch of other shit that I don''t know about. So, no, I guess.


    Could I split the atoms into its constituent parts?


    And... something weird is going on. The needle spins, and then... blows up. And some energy fills the room. It did not feel like electrons, protons, or neutrons. Not that I knew how they felt like.


    What was it then?


    And... why am I absorbing it?


    Ugh... why do I feel so dizzy all of a sudden? I need to... sleep.

 Holy Mother Of- Hey!

    When I had woken up, my head felt dizzy. Or it would''ve if I had on.When the dizziness went away, I realised it was mostly due to the sensory input.


    Oh yes, that. I can now see ''outside'' this place. Which, I''m guessing is a pendant, cause I can see the skin around it. To be be more precise, I can see the... uh, bouncy parts of woman, so to speak.


    Anyway, I am in a fantasy world. As a freakin'' necklace. On what I assume to be a princess. That is followed around by a bunch of old men, and strange knights. The old men have more of that strange energy I had felt when I erradicated- I assume- the tiny bit of gold. They didn''t have as much as I did, though.


    Why? You know what nukes have that go explode-y? A couple kilograms of uranium. That''s like, the size of a bowling ball, at max. That''s what blows up. But not all of it. Hell, when the atoms seperate, only a teeny tiny bit of them turn into energy. That teeny tiny bit of mass can blow up... a lot. And leave after effects.


    Hence why I''m so full of energy right now. Looking outside costs a relatvely tiny amount of mana. Oh, and yes, that''s what I decided to call it. I mean, medieval world, storage rings- or pendants, kinda like DnD. Which is why I assume this is mana.


    I sent a bit of it out, earlier. I think it alarmed the princess. She kept her calm, though. Because she was in a meeting. With a fantastically charming dude. He''s like, superman looking. He''s also perceptive. I think he noticed the burst of mana too.


    I think I sent out just a little... but considering I have a shitload of the stuff, I''m guessing I could''ve gone wrong on thatt part. The old men, who I''m assuming to be mages, didn''t seem to pick up on it though, so I guess I hadn''t pulled out too much.


    Anyway, I played around with the mana for a bit, just moving it around, hoping for some effect. Not fireballs. Nor pegasuses. Nope. Definitely not those.


    I was about to give up, when I noticed that when I had thought of a fireball, the mana felt hotter, however that is possible. Wait, no, I did not think about fireballs. Nope, did not. Not at all. Sadly though, the mana didn''t summon a pegasus, or turn into one then.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Though, could it be because of the fact the mana was already... I''m just guessing, but fire-attributed? Hmm...


    Could I make it more fire attributed?


    I try thinking of candle fires. The mana gets an orange tint to it. What''s bigger? Campfires? Forest fires? Nuclear reaction? Oooh, no, a star! Or even better, a super nova!


    Though I''d probably have to wait to test that out now, with a princess, and pseudo superman paying attention to me,


    So, just forest fire then.


    The mana turns red. Still no physical affects. Not unless you can count the princess sweating as one. Though I''m guessing that''s because of her mana sense, if she has one. And also, I doubt mana is visible. I''m only able to see it through ''my'' ''senses''.


    Anyway, I pull the mana back in. It mixes with some of the mist. Mist? Huh? The mana liquefied? Strange, though I doubt it''s as dense as a real liquid. I wonder how tangible it is now? I wish I could check, but it feels to me the same as any other thing that''s been in here. I need an object.


    Could I pull something in? Another thing I have to check out once the princess is done with her meeting.


    The red tinted mana mixed in with the rest of the mana. I now have pink mana mist within me. Me? No, the pendant. Am I the pendant? Wait, no, It''s a part of me. So... yeah, me.


    Which was not to my taste. I liked blue better. I am Blue. Heh.


    What made blue mana? Water? Well, water isn''t really blue, but it''s not like there are thousands of options to choose from.


    So I think of water. How it''s made of three atoms. How it feels to shower in it. To swim in it. I think of rains, oceans, ice, and...


    I have beautiful, dazzling blue crystals within me. It''s a spiral, with eight crystalline arms, and a saphire sphere at the center. The mana mist constantly spins around it. The entire thing feels so calming, that I just want to join the currents and... rest for a little while.


    So I do that. I realize that the mana- I can feel. It''s like real water. I lose myself in the feeling. And soon, I am asleep.


    ***


    Holy mother of- hey! hot- hot- hot- hot -hot- hooooot!


    Yet the Princess of Alverton did not say anything. Or scream. Or beat the living shit out of the Dragon staring at her. Because, she knew, while she could fantasize it, in reality, the dragon could probably defeat with his pinky. No, he would barely move his finger, and she''d be mush.


    And so, externally, she kept quiet, while internally, laid a racket full of curse words that would make a sailor blush. Or run while screaming about demons and witches.


    She almost giggled when she heard some peasants whisper to each other about how elegant, how dignified she was.

 A Little Expansion

    I had woken up dilirious. That little nap had done wonders for me.


    Then I had noticed the extra space.


    The room had only been as big as... a 50-50 feet plot. But then it was about a kilometer big, in estimates. I don''t really have a ruler or anything physical to go by. But, yeah, that''s how big it felt like. Still feels like.


    The past few days had me feeling claustrophobic. I hadn''t realised until now.


    Now I felt like I was a bird released from a cage. Into a bigger cage.


    Anyway, when I wondered about where all this extra space had come from, I eventually came to a conclusion that most of the energy I had gotten from little bit of gold had been consumed to expand this space. Why? Because according to Einstein''s formula, E equals M product C square, then ten grams of mass would have around... 900,000,000,000,000,000,000 Kilo Joules. Or nine hundred billion billion joules. And that is a shitload of energy. That is why I didn''t believe that my little whirlpool was all of the mana I had converted.


    Oh, and there''s a small hill of gifts in the corner. A couple hundred, if I had to estimate. 465 if I didn''t. All of them were for the princess.


    I didn''t touch them. Because I didn''t want her throwing me into a volcano once she discovered that I was more than a petty magical storage device.


    Anyway, she was now in a training field of some sort. She had set me down on a rock. Along with some other generic enchanted crap. I didn''t dare mess with them, for fear of volcanos, and also of accidently blowing myself up.


    Then she pulled out a wand, and began to cast a volley of spells. Most of them were Earth, or Rock magic. A couple were water, and there was the rare fire spells.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Once she was completely engrossed in that, I decided I wanted some stuff. Some physical stuff. And so I adsorbed rock underneath me. And the soil. I think I have a couple tons of dirt in me.


    I ended up creating a small depression of fresh, damp mud. With me sitting at the center, surrounded by enchanted crap. Oh, and a whole lot of worms, and other bugs. I don''t think I can absorb living things.


    The princess hadn''t stopped her magic training.


    But I didn''t absorb more anyway. I didn''t want to over do it. The princess already knew that there was something different about me, but I didn''t want to reach the point where she thought I was a risk.


    Anyway, I extracted water from the soil, turning it into sand. I took the blob of water and put in ther whirlpool, just to see what would happen. It... absorded the mist, and then turned into water mana dense water, which then again turned into mist and started revolving the crystalline structure. Again.


    I stared for a second, completely forgetting about Project Dirt. It was... interesting, to say the least.


    I snapped out of it, then went back to the dry mud. Which was essentially just sand. I turned into rock. I now had a grey cube.


    Woohoo! Giant rock cube project, a success!


    I then mentally shook my head, and then made the cube a cuboid by... sort of flattening it, I could say. And then I hollowed it out, and used the extra mass to increase it''s size.


    After a bit of thinking (Or like, none) I realised that a hollowed out cuboid was useless. And so I made a door, by cutting a rectangle, and then making stone hinges. The lock was nothing more than a bar you slide across. It was on the inside.


    I sent my mind within and saw an empty stone room. It reminded me of minecraft. And then, out of pure childishness, I redid the entire thing, only this time turning the stone into numerous cubes, and then arranging them all into a small house. About trice the size of minivan, I guessed.


    Then I realised it would collapse with the slightest touch, and so I fused the cubes together, but left the outside with the same lines as before.


    And so I was left with a house that looked like it came out of minecraft.


    I laughed like hell.


    ***


    "What the...?" The princess said, staring at the depression in the ground.

 Revealed

    Once I was done laughing, I just... took a moment to think.


    I guess I hadn''t fully processed the thought of myself dying yet. Because I don''t think this was normal. Or however meeting angels, being reincarnated as a fucking necklace no less could be called normal anyway.


    Should I be making minecraft houses, when the situation I was in was so fucked up? I mean, sure, it was fun. But was it really a priority?


    Shouldn''t I be worried about my lack of a physical body? That I''ve lost contact with everyone I knew? That they think I''m dead?


    That magic is fucking real?


    It is kinda cool, but... it''s still kinda messes up with my view of the world. What else exists? Dracula? Fae? Zombies? Dragons?


    Ooh, Dragons. I hadn''t thought about that at all. At least, I think I did. I''m pretty scatterbrained. But yeah. Dragons.


    Would I ever meet one? That... is an exciting, and terrifying prospect. But still, damn cool.


    Ooh, damn cool....


    I bet I''d never get to experience that in my old world. Or anything that I''ve experienced after my death.


    That... was something I''d just realised. Yes, I''d died, and I had no idea how, but after?


    I got to experience an out of body experience. I got to meet an angel. I got to... still be out of body. I got to control stuff in here. I got to build a minecraft house.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Wait, why hadn''t I built a castle instead?


    I was interrupted from spinning images of majestic, awesome, castles in my head by the princess. I sent my perception out.


    "Now, what are you?" The princess asked, her eyes slight narrowed.


    Inside, I felt a little- alright, a lot of excitement. I think I could spin off a lot of amusing pranks. I didn''t even care about the fact that she could destroy me with her pinky- I was after all, just a necklace.


    But I still decided to go forward and do something stupid. Mostly because I doubted she''d actually destroy me. Or because I like having fun with people. Not that fun though. I was not that old yet.


    Heh, Not that it matters, considering I was sans body.


    I broke off a small mana crystal, and tossed it at her face. Her eyes widened. She almost dropped me. She used a small spell to catch the crystal. It stopped right before her face.


    She took a sharp breath. Her eyes focused on the crystal.


    "A pure water attributed mana crystal. Pure. Pure. Oh God. Oh my god." She said.


    Then she squeaeld, and leapt with joy.


    Not exactly what I was expecting, that.


    She even did a small dance.


    I was not amused by the jerking about. It wreaked havoc on my senses.


    When she stopped, it was to look at me with a very bright- and greedy smile.


    I took a cube out of the house and threw it at her. It hit her head, and she exclaimed, more out of surprise than actual pain.


    She narrowed her eyes at me while rubbing her forehead.


    Weren''t princesses supposed to be dignified? All elegant and shit? Wait, no, not shit. Shit Princess does not make sense.


    Instead, she gave me the excited and greedy vibes of a person who''d just hit the jackpot. I now, started to regret my decision.


    And then I felt something enter my dimension. A probe. But I still went full alert, in case.


    In case.


    Outside, the princess let out a gasp, and said something I didn''t hear.


    The probe was pointed towards the minecraft house. I think I guessed what was going on, and that caused all the tension to flow out of me.


    Then the probe turned towards me. I froze.


    The princess froze, outside.


    Well, shit.

 Deal

    The probe continued to stare at me. I''m guessing it''s a magical camera.


    I''m wasn''t sure it could see me.I couldn''t see me.


    But, I''d be stupid to think it couldn''t when the princess was standing slack jawed, outside the necklace.


    Hello? I tried thinking at the probe.


    The princess recoiled in shock. I feel slightly hurt. I''m not a monster.


    "What-what are you?"


    Not a monster, lady, not a monster. That''s not what I tell her, though.


    A person.


    I hear a sharp intake of breath, followed by the princess trying to regain her composure.


    The probe moves backward. I''m not sure why. But it does capture the sight of my water mana structure. If it can be called that, anyway.


    Again, the princess freezes.


    Are you impressed? I ask.


    Wide-eyed, the princess nods, her attention still on the structure. The probe circles it. I stare at it warily.


    "You made this?" she asks.


    I''m not obligated to tell you.


    Which was essentialy yes, but I didn''t want to lie, and I didn''t want to let her know that I did, either. I wasn''t sure that she could make out lies from truth. I didn''t want to find out either. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The princess frowns.


    "Who are you? Did my uncle make you? Are you here to protect me or something?"


    What? I am sure that no one ''made'' me. And certainly not to protect some little princess. I am Blue.


    "I am not some ''little'' princess! I can take care of myself!"


    Then why, oh why, did you ask if I was to protect you?


    "Wha- No I- Shut up!"


    Do I look like I have a mouth?


    Actually, I asn''t sure what I looked like. I think I''m a floating blob, but that''s just because of reading a bunch of web serials that may, or may not be true.


    The princess gapes, trying to figure out what to say, then shuts it when she realises that there''s no proper comeback to that. All while looking like a tomato.


    So, I certainly don''t like a human, unless I do, sans mouth. Which, makes no sense, so I''m guessing that I really might be a floating blob.


    Only one way to find out.


    How do I look?


    "Huh? Oh, um, like a... star."


    I go silent at that.


    It feels important, somehow. But I can''t put my finger on it. I then decide to dwell on it later.


    Meanwhile, the princess looks increasingly awkward as the silence drags on.


    She decides to break the silence.


    "Why is the house made up of cubes?"


    I don''t really know how to respond to that. I mean, it''s not like I can say that I did it on a whim, recalling a game from another world, and then explain how I ended up here.


    Well, I could, but no thank you.


    I was bored.


    Which is the best excuse I can come up with, honestly. And it''s not even a lie.


    The princess looks surprised, for a moment.


    "Oh. Was that why there''s a sinkhole here?"


    Yes.


    The silence drags on...


    Don''t tell anyone about me. For your own sake, and mine. In exchange, I will give you a mana crystal every week. You will provide me with various materials. The more, the better.


    "Per day."


    Per week. Whatever attribute you want.


    "Three per week."


    One.


    "Three"


    Two.


    "Deal. What type of materials do you want?"


    Metals, and various minerals. I am not picky. But the quality of crystals you get will correspond with the price of the materials you give me. Same goes for size.


    She nods.


    What is your name?


    "Adelina Izot."


    Good. Now leave me be.


    She nods. The probe withdraws.


    I start sucking more soil inwards. The princess sits near by, keeping watch.


    I turn the house back into soil, and add it to my rapidly expanding dirt sphere.


    I think I have a goal now.


    I am going to build the most craziest dungeon ever.

 Progress

    It''s been a month since then. There''s been nothin'' but a whole lot of boring stuff.


    But I''ll summarise it nonetheless. After the deal was made, she started just pouring in materials like nobody''s buisness. I got tons of stuff in me now. Anyway, she had used her connections to get all of the stuff she did. Advantage of being a princess I guess.


    Heh. A princess. Still feels crazy.


    So, I''ve been delaying stuff since then. Why? Because I have absolutely no idea how to go about this. I have so much material, but I don''t know what to do with it. I know what I want to build, but honestly... I don''t know where to start.


    And I''m even starting to doubt myself. I wanted to build a dungeon because it felt pretty damn cool to have one, and to let my imagination free. But I''m starting to think it''s just a waste of resources.


    But I don''t want to back out. It would feel like I was letting myself down somehow.


    While I''m stewing with all my self doubt, a voice calls out. And it''s a voice that I recognize. And that startles me. Deeply.


    What are you waiting for?


    The angel. I''d recognize that voice anywhere, I think. I''m surprised she''s back to see me. I thought she''d be too busy vanquishing evil or something to come back for insignificant me.


    You have surprisingly little pride, don''t you?


    Not. Nuh uh. Not surprising at all. But I prefer to look at that as a good thing, as pride cometh before the fall.


    The angel chuckles. Almost melodious.


    True. But having too little can also be a detriment.


    I know. Oh, trust me, I know. But it''s how I am, and I''m going to embrace that.


    Wise words for a young soul, I must admit. However, they ring empty on your tongue.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Hey, what the hell does that mean? And I don''t have a tongue to speak of. Heh. Speak of.


    It means that, child, that as much as you know, you have no belief in it. Or yourself.


    That stopped my thoughts in its tracks. That was... disturbingly true, now that I thought about it. And I did not want to think about it. But I should, because not doing so would be worse.


    You are smart. However, enough of this talk, I have come here with a purpose in mind.


    As you have earlier stated, I do have better buisness than attending to a single mortal soul. But, as much I hate to admit it, I have made a mistake. You were supposed to reborn in a small poor family, and would be stripped of memories upon birth. However, I had been... distracted, and hence you ended up in this little child''s pendant.


    My master was enraged once he had found out about my mistake, and so he had told me to fix this myself, or else be stripped of my divinity, and be thrown into the Void. And so I give you two options. The first would be that I take you to an empty vessel, one of royalty.


    Without my memories?


    Yes, you shall be stripped of your memories. It is more for your own sake than any rules. The other option is that I... make a few changes to the pendant you are attached to, making you not very diffrent from a dungeon core. You may, after centuries, gain a body, but that is in the future. You will have all of the abilities a normal dungeon core will have, along with some special ones, again, as compensation for my failure.


    Would it hurt?


    The reincarnation process would be completely painless, however, I cannot say the same for you turning into a dungeon core. After all, this is the first time such a thing had been attempted. Or, might be attempted.


    Internally, I sigh. Both options left a lot to be lacking, with a lot to be gained.


    But there was never any choice, was there?


    I don''t think I''d ever want my memories to be gone. They are a part of me, and what makes who I am as a whole. There''s no way I''d be the same person afterwards.


    It''d just be the same as death. I''d be completely gone, replaced by a more confident, maybe handsome person with my face. Or in this case, soul. Why handsome? because, well, what royal isn''t handsome?


    I recall the image of the ugly king and mentally face palm.


    Even though I''d outlast a lot of people, and may or may not have murdrous tendencies, I''d still be me. I''m not exactly sure on the tendencies thing, but if it existed, at least I''d have a chance of fighting it.


    Besides, aren''t dungeons meant to have danger?


    The angel, who has been patiently (And amusedly, I can tell) sitting by and listening to my monologue is already ready, and just waiting for my tirade to end. Mostly out of politeness.


    I give a mental nod, and again pretend to take a deep breath.


    Somehow, the world turns into a more deeper dark, and slowly but surely, my thoughts drift off...

 Social Butterfly

    It felt surreal.


    Waking up as a mobile dungeon core. While before I floated round the inner space of the storage pendant, now I am the pendant.


    Being a rock was strange when you''ve spent more than a decade in a human body. It was more strange when you consider whose neck you''re hanging from.


    On the other hand, as she walks, I move up and down, which is... disconcerting. Not much of a problem when I couldn''t feel it, but now...


    Darn it, I really wish I was reincarnated into a golem or something, that way I''d get to keep memories, and get a badass upgrade that does not involve me bouncing helplessly around the princess'' neck.


    But- But- But- But it didn''t take me long to figure out some of my newfound dungeon abilities. And guess what? I can manipulate the surroundings using my mana. And I have a shitload of mana. Getting more of it? Not a problem. Just gotta make sure I don''t blow myself up.


    Though, I have to wait for my mana to saturate the surroundings before I can do anything. And that is very difficult while I''m moving. So I stopped trying. Instead, I wait for the princess t stop.


    And wait. And wait. And internally scream. And wait some more.


    Finally, after what seems like hours (In reality, just twenty minutes), the princess finally stops. At her palace. The one the king made just for her. How do I know that?


    Sometimes I get a little bored. So I then resort to keeping an eye out. Literally. Or as, well, something without eyes can do that anyway.


    Point is, I learnt a lot. The city is one of twelve, and each has a prince or princess governing it. Whoever''s city is best, gets to become the next Queen/King. The king himself only gives advice to his children, and only steps in when needed. Other than that, he is very kind, from what I''ve heard. He spend most of his time going around the cities, and helping in small ways, that amount to a lot.


    The princess- the one I''m stuck to doesn''t like her father. They had some fight about the princess not wanting to live up to her responsibilities (Or so I heard, cause from what I''ve seen, if she ain''t sleeping, eating, or well, shitting, she''s working) and wanting to run off in some fanciful dream of adventure.


    Anyway, I have to say, I admire her determination, but I think she''s just burying herself in her work to not think about something. I don''t have much to go on, so I can''t say for sure what that something is.


    Occasionally, I see a shadow of depression on her face, before she seals it up with that cold look she so often has.


    I can''t say I''m not worried, but I don''t really want to intefere. I might end up making things worse, since I don''t really know what the problem is.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    In the end, I decided that we both needed a friend. Me, because even though I''m anti-social (And a bit of a jerk), I don''t want to die without anybody remembering me. Again, that is.


    Also, because as much I might deny it, I know that I tend to get lonely as well sometimes. And god only knows how many problems I got.


    So yeah, having a friend would be nice.


    "Hey." I say, startling her.


    She was sitting on a (Overly, in my opinion) decorated couch, her head on her hands, and a farway look in her eyes. I recognize that look. It''s one I''ve had many times before.


    She jumps and looks around, searching for the intruder.


    She''d heard me talk before, of course, but that was in the storage space. Also, I had spoke with a thick and obviously fake accent, but it was good enough to make sure she couldn''t recognize my real voice.


    "The necklace." I say.


    She blinks and looks down.


    "Huh?" She says. "How?"


    "It''s complicated. Thing is, I wanted to ask you something."


    She frowns, expecting the worst. Or so I think. I have no real idea about what''s going on in that head of hers.


    Yup, this is my ingenious plan. Not as if I had tons of experience to go off of.


    "Can you be my friend?" I ask.


    Her eyes widen in surprise, not expecting that. Well, if a blue rock named Blue ever asked me if I could be it''s friend, I''d have been surprised too. So, no surprise on that.


    "Oh, um... yes. I mean, yes, I can. I me- I can be your- your friend." She stumbles over her words as she says it. Surprising, considering she''s a princess who handles negotiations with people that could blow her to pieces if they wanted to, on a daily basis.


    "Great!" I say, with fake enthusiasm.


    I wanted to let her guard down, here. It''d make her more trusting of me in the future, and also forms a more steady relationship. I''m guessing. In reality, all I thought was, ''if I acted like a little kid, how likely was she to decline?''.


    And that''s my plan. Or something like it, because I have intentions of acting like a child through out our friendship. So I decided to go for, ''vulnerable lonely boy''. It''s killing me.


    But, well, if I let good ''ol me take over, things will go from nice and cozy, to WWIII in an instant. So, no go on that.


    Her eyebrows raise in pleasant surprise, a small smile tugging at her lips.


    "I know I have a lot to explain, but... I think you''re looking a bit... worse for the wear right now, so maybe tomorrow. And also, take us to a spot that has no people around for miles. Oh, and don''t worry, I''m not going to kill you, in case you were wondering. I just want to show you something... amazing, I guess. So? What do you say?"


    Her mouth was partially open, still reeling from all that I just said, digesting it.


    She clears her throat.


    "Of course. But first, introductions. We may be friends, but we do not even know each other''s names."


    "Oh, right, I didn''t even think of that. I''m Blue, nice to meet you."


    She smiles.


    "Blue? Very well, Blue, I am Princess Avin. It is nice to meet you as well. "


    "Great! Well, you should know that you can sleep safe, with me watching over you now. Not that you wouldn''t be safe, with all the guards and all, just that I''d be watching over you. And it''s not even a problem, since I don''t sleep. Oh, and the person you''ve been talking to before this conversation? That wasn''t me. Well, it was, but not the real me. That was... well, you know what? I''ll explain it tomorrow. You look like you''re going to fall off your feet at any moment, now. So, you should go to sleep, and like I said, I''ll be looking out for you, now that you''re my friend."


    She blinks slowly, smiles, and then stumbles off into her bedroom, and jumps onto the bed, and closes her eyes. A minute later, her breathing has turned more even, and she''s deep asleep.


    Then, two figures enter my perception. They''re cloaked, and are carrying daggers on them.


    Fuck. Cliche'' assassins. What do I do?

 Mess

    What do I do!?


    Shit, for all that talk about ''watching over her'', I couldn''t do shit! Oh, wait, I''m a dungeon core. There has gotto to be something I can do.


    The assassins enter the room.


    They something in an incomprehensible language to each other, as they look at the princess. Then they look at me.


    If I had a heart, it would be thundering right now.


    Then I realise, they aren''t looking at me... but what''s below me! Goddamn perverts!


    One of them says something to other, then the other nods in approval. Then that one says something in a regretful tone.


    I''m utterly pissed off. And my mana... reflects that. It turns chaotic. And the thing is, my mana is saturating the entire room right now.


    One of the assassin''s knees cave in, unable to withstand the pressure, as the princess jots upright, alerted to consiousness by my mana. She''s still a little dilerious, so she doesn''t realise what''s happening at first.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Meanwhile, for some reason, rats, bugs, birds, and other animals are starting to fill the room. I''m just going to attribute that to one of my newly gained dungeon abilities.


    They pounce on the assasins, who are still frozen in place by my mana. I watch as all the little animals tear into them, and lucidly listen to their screams.


    A minute later, all that''s left of them, are bones with some flesh on them, a tattered cloak, and their assortment of daggers.


    I feel a rush as mana and... some other foreign energy enters me. When it fades away, I...


    I felt disgust, and horror at I''d just witnessed. At what I''d just done.


    But... those feelings didn''t last. They were replaced by cold rationality.


    Yes, I caused their deaths. But they came here to kill, themselves. I know what I did was wrong, but they weren''t exactly in the right either. What''s done... was done. I did something bad. Something horrible.


    But... I wasn''t going to let it hinder me. As cold as that would sound...


    I didn''t complete the thought.


    I felt more people approaching. I felt anxious when I realised the animals were still there.


    The animals must''ve felt it too cause they dispersed. The princess was sitting there shell shocked, at she stared at the corpses.


    After what felt like a long time, I said;


    "Sorry."


    She blinked in surprised.


    Then the guards entered.

 Princes and Princesses

    I can''t say I was all that calm. I can''t say anything about my mental state. Because I had no idea what I was feeling. Just confusion over some wierd detached state I had entered.


    I don''t think they suspected that the necklace the princess was wearing was a dungeon core. That was for sure. But the corpses did bring up a lot of questions.


    In the end, the princess somehow managed to explain it off as an intimidation tactic. Ingenious, and would have probaly not worked if she wasn''t a princess. Oh, and I think her cold facade'' might''ve been intimidating the guards a little. And maybe my aura. It was faint, but still there.


    So, they were in a hurry to get out of the room. Then, after they had left, the princess turned to me.


    "What happened?" She asked, her brow furrowed.


    She looked like a particular teacher to me right now. And I did not like associating anyone with that teacher. One of them in existence was more than enough. I didn''t need another one.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Um..."


    And then I exp;ained everthing that happened. I didn''t leave out anything because she might be able to help me figure out my abilities.


    Sadly, though ,turns out she was just as uneducated as me on the subject of dungeon cores. To the cores, their abilities were natural to them, like breathing was to humans. They didn''t question how they did it, and just went ith the flow.


    Which meant, I had to figure out everything by myself. Darn angel. Couldn''t she have given me a Dungeon Core For Dummies, huh? Things would have so much easier.


    Then, a servant rushes over and informs the princess that her family has come over. Turns out that something important came up.


    We''re go over to the greeting hall. A group of elegantly dressed people sat in the hall. I could sense tension in the air. Quite literally.


    I couldn''t actually see it though. It looked like a pleasant family on the outside, and the only thing telling me different was my mana sense. I had no idea emotions could affect the mana like that.


    Then, a man, a King, entered the room. I felt an urge to bow, and then a strange surge of anger at that emotion.


    Everyone went silent.

 The Kings Declaration

    There were twenty three occupants in the room. Twelve of them were maids and butlers. After some examination, I decided that they wouldn''t play a big role in the situation as it plays out. Seven were the princes and princesses. There were five princesses and two princes. Another two were what I assumed to be close friends of some of the princes.


    Then there was the king, and me. Everyone was focusing on the king, but no one knew about me, save for the princess. And she was the most nervous of them all. Actually, the only nervous person in the room. I wasn''t sure why, and it bothered me.


    I''m not sure... amd there''s a big chance I''m wrong, but why does it seem like that the family is acting detached towards her? I can sense their indiffrence and slight condescension via my mana sense. But I might just be imagining things.


    I mean, I know the princess had some sort of problem with her father, but the entire family? There were definitly no such rumors. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The king addresses each of his children, and for a moment, I think I spot his eyes flash towards me.


    "We are here, today, because, children, there is something I wish to tell you." He says.


    I get varied emotions in response, some of curiousity, some of boredom, some of anticipation, and last but not least, nervousness. Most of that came from the princess though.


    One of the princes start to fidget. A princess shifts. In the distance, I think I hear a smash of a window.


    "There is a new dungeon in our kingdom. And it''s location will be found within the next week or so, according to our Archmages. But, there is the problem of who handles the dungeon when it is found. And so, before the next week..." He looks at each and every one of his children. "We shall have a competition. Only, you are not allowed to use your identity as one of my children." The king leaned back and let that sit in the air.


    I myself was amused, but everyone else was surprised. I sense a tinge of excitement and smugness from the princess. A blue haired princess, one that had been bored before, perks up with interest.


    "What do you mean, father?" She asks.


    The king smiles.


    "It means that you must all assume the identity of commoners" He says. ". And create a Noble house from the ground up."