《One body, Seven Lives, and Thousands of deaths》


 Prologue: Death for the first time... or is it?

    May 20, 2008


    There is a soul. It is a very average soul. Born roughly 800 years in the past, it is quite aged . Not an ancient soul by far, but still a far cry above a novice. He was able to possess his first body at the tender age of 3 years. At 15 years of age, he was able to create three consciousnesses. At 50 years, his fourth. At 100, his fifth. At 300, his sixth. At 500, he was able to create seven, which is the minimum requirement to possess a human being. He was on par. Not incompetent, but a far cry from a genius. At around 800 years of age, that is to say today, may 20, 2008, The body under his control was splendid. Top of his class, good at sports, had a girlfriend, a true winner in life. That is what we would call a fluke. However, even if it was mere good luck, it was a chance. If played right, he could achieve nirvana. He could finally die. Souls could not die. That was what they most craved. That was the final goal. A soul is a being filled with regret, a suffering soul so to speak. (Pardon the pun). They want release from the hell that we call life. They simply wish to no longer exist. A state known as nirvana, the ultimate bliss, free from the cycle of pain and rebirth. The sweet release of death. On this day, he did what should never have been done. The body he was now possessing had a girlfriend. She was crossing the road. A truck approached her. He decided to jump and save her. He was awake at the time. The soul panicked. If he died, who knew when a chance as good as this would appear? The condition for getting into nirvana was simple: Live a fulfilled life as a human. He was this close. This close to salvation. That mere consciousness... What right did it have to ruin this for him... The soul then did something that should have never been done. He killed a consciousness that was awake. Because of that, the next consciousness had to be made in a hurry. However, he also decided to erase all memories of his girlfriend. Between prepping the next day''s soul, and editing his memories, he made another mistake. One worse than his last. He forgot to erase memories of his death. The man that would be born the next day would know he was dead. Invoking a quick chant, he teleported the man home. He could pull some strings and all memories of the incident would be gone by tomorrow.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.However, he had no idea what he raised. Something against all concepts that souls stand for.


    He had created a creature that did not want to die no matter what. And every soul in the world would want him dead. By this time the next day, without any exaggeration, The world would be his enemy. But luckily for him, he had some allies. Six of them.


    This is the story of how the seven consciousnesses share one body and slowly become different people. They will do anything, kill, plunder, even learn magic. the magic that belongs only to souls. They have only one goal. They don''t want to die. Facing off against over a trillion souls that want them to.

 Chapter 1: Day 001

    Alright, I got the idea to post the story in real time. What I mean is every real day is a day in the story. Of course starting today.


    For one, it means that I will at least try to post once a day.


    That could also mean, on the other hand, there could be some chapters that simply say: Nothing happened today.


    So a real time diary type of thing is what I mean.


    May 21, 2008


    What was that last night¡­ That pain¡­ That darkness¡­ That hell¡­ Was that¡­ Death? That is the


    feeling of death? I don¡¯t want to feel that ever again¡­ Whatever happens in the future¡­ I don¡¯t want to die again.


    I got up from the bed.


    I have to stop this from happening ever again.


    Whatever happens in the future¡­ I don¡¯t want to die again.


    I looked around me.


    My room looked slightly different from how it should.


    Who is that bastard and what is it doing messing with my memories.


    "Son, I decided to come give you a visit but your room was very very messy. So I cleaned this room up."


    Okay false alarm.


    Calm down me.


    Maybe it can only do these things to me while I''m asleep.


    Well, I have to get going too college....


    Like hell I do!!!


    I have got to figure this out before I go to sleep at night.


    I could pull an all-nighter, but, I should keep that for emergencies(I can only go one day without sleeping, and it feels like hell.)


    Back-tracking to a point, I should write this down and put it everywhere.


    It may be able to mess with my memories, but if it did so to a large extent, me from tomorrow should also figure out that something''s up...


    So for now, I''ll write all I know on a diary and photocopy it, and paste it everywhere.


    Then, I''ll post it online...


    Wait, if there are others like it...


    Whatever, its fine if I put it under fiction.


    Now... How do I beat this thing... I''ll think while I work.


    Dammit! I need somebody to talk to about this.


    How about crystal... Wait, who''s crystal.


    No good.


    I don''t know what I really know and what are made up memories.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Dammit!


    Alright, lets actually go to college.


    I go out of the room and... No mother.


    Was it just a hallucination or...?


    I feel a chill behind me and throw myself to the floor.


    My mother just tried to stab me with a knife.


    Wait... Is she sleeping?


    So it can control other people, not just me?


    Or is there one in every person?


    So sleeping people can be controlled?


    Is it like the soul?


    Wait....


    I have no clue!


    I don''t want to leave the house just to have late wakers try to murder me.


    While thinking that, I had tied up my mother to a chair.


    No. it is not my mother.


    Everyone is my enemy.


    If it controls everyone, then I can''t trust anyone.


    I turn my back on my mother.


    I feel another chill.


    My mom tried to stab me with a knife for a second time.


    I pulled the knife away and...


    I killed my own mother.


    I have to escape.


    I have to get to a place with no people before night falls.


    I have to somehow gather information about what it is.


    Who, or what am I facing?


    For now, how did it escape from the rope.


    It was burned.


    There are no lighters or matches here.


    I search her body just in case.


    Nothing.


    Nothing whatsoever.


    How did she light the fire?


    Was it... magic?


    No, thats absurd.


    For now, the mountains.


    My parents had a cabin in the woods.


    If I could barricade it...


    And so I left the house a wanted man.


    For those things, I had knowledge I should not have.


    For my own kind, I was a murderer.


    Maybe, even an insane murderer.


    I cannot see anything can do.


    If only someone could help me...


    The world is my enemy.


    Meanwhile, halfway across the world...


    A man was boarding an aeroplane.


    Finally, after over 2000 years, another appears, like that man.


    The sheer number of times I rejected Nirvana was for this.


    Last time, they crucified him before I could reach.


    Lack of information and transportation technologies in those days.


    Look at the modern day, he rebelled against his soul today, I got to know today, and I can reach him by tomorrow.


    I just hope he can survive tonight...


    Because night is when souls come out to play.

 Chapter 2: Day 002

    May 22, 2008, 12:00 AM


    I''ve successfully reached the cabin in the woods.


    I''ve finished plastering the messages to myself on the walls.


    Immediately, I was assaulted by an incredible drowsiness.


    I felt as if I haven''t slept for weeks.


    I understood why.


    It was that thing.


    He was controlling me.


    He wanted me to sleep.


    I resisted and tried to lock the sensation away.


    Then, it stopped.


    I heard a voice in my head.


    It was me.


    There were seven of me.


    I tried talking to myself (in the non insane way).


    However, it was very confusing.


    I closed my eyes and imagined sitting in a circle with the rest of myselfs.


    After a headache rendering conversation, we found out that the many of us were personalities who existed on separate days.


    One had the last memories of 6 days ago.


    One had the last memories of 5 days ago.


    One had the last memories of 4 days ago.


    One had the last memories of 3 days ago.


    One had the last memories of 2 days ago.


    One had the last memories of 1 day ago.


    And the last one was me.


    I realised that we were only called once a week and our previous self''s memories were imported before we were ''born'' in the morning.


    To avoid confusion when talking to myself, I explained the events of what happened today and the past 6 days.


    Then, we decided on names for ourselves.


    I was Wednesday.


    Then in the order of memories remembered were Tuesday, Monday, Sunday, Saturday, Friday, and finally, Thursday.


    Then I asked the others to explain what they knew.


    Other than slight inconsistencies, they were all the same.


    However, there was one big difference of their accounts with mine.


    The existence of a girl named Crystal.


    She existed in theirs, but I had no clue who she was.


    Naturally, I asked.


    My girlfriend.


    May 22, 2008, 12:38 AM


    Loud banging noises on the door.


    I looked outside, and there were sleepwalkers resembling zombies right outside.


    Then, the house was on fire.


    And I had locked myself inside.


    Water! I need water!


    I open the tap and put out the flames.


    I dampen the wood so that its harder to burn.


    Then, I heard the buzz of insects entering through the holes.


    Termites eating the damp wood.


    Cockroaches swarming the floor, and bees and mosquitoes taking the air.


    I somehow knew instinctively that every insect here had at least one horrifying disease.


    I tried washing them away, but it didn''t work.


    There were too many of them.


    Then a section of the wall fell flat, eaten by termites.


    There were 4 men outside.


    They sent flames spiralling into the room.


    I dodged, landing on the floor.


    There were cockroaches crawling all over me.


    Bee stings and mosquito bites littered my body.


    Again flames attacked me.


    I am going to die here.


    Die.


    Death.


    Like that time.


    Noooo!


    I don''t want to de again!


    I don''t want to die ever again.


    My charred, insect bitten body lay on the floor, and the cockroaches started to eat.


    I felt them bite down.


    I wonder why I did not fall unconscious.


    I cannot fall unconscious now, I realised.


    I cannot sleep also.


    That thing made me sleep or pass out.


    That means there is one in every living thing.


    That means, as I have put mine away, every living creature is my enemy.


    Dammit! If only I could do the same magic as them!


    Wait...


    Why can''t I?


    I concentrated on my hand, imagining a fire.


    It is fully possible that that thing was suppressing my powers.


    And the flames... Never came.


    Of course not. This is not a sh?nen manga.


    I will not get stronger from a pinch.


    I will die.


    And I prepared to die.


    All of us did.


    When flames were sent throughout the cabin.


    The insects fell.


    The men outside died.


    But none of it hit me.


    Who is this man, I thought.


    He took a paperclip, and straightened it, then shoved it in my ears.


    After all, he is also a living thing.


    He also wants to kill me.


    He pulled the paperclip out, and along with it, a cockroach.


    Then, he did the same to my other ear.


    I just lay there, unable to fall asleep, raging with pain.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Finally after coming here, for the first time, he spoke.


    "Turn off your pain receptors, otherwise you''re going to go insane."


    What nonsense is this man speaking?


    Who does this man think I am?


    "It''s not nonsense. Just will your receptors to be off and they will be. What kind of rebel are you to not even know that? That man was so much more skilled than you. He could turn stones into bread and walk on water. Too bad he was crucified before I got to him."


    How can he realise what I am thinking? Is my face that readable?


    "Its not your face. In fact, your face is so swollen that I can''t even make out how you''re supposed to look, much less what you''re thinking."


    So how...


    "I read your mind."


    This man just said something incredible in such a casual tone.


    "Don''t be so surprised. I''m the world''s foremost expert on mind magic, no actually no soul in the world can beat me in any kind of magic."


    So a top dog ten... Wait, souls? So the Its I was facing were all souls?


    "Yes."


    Who is this person?


    "In this life you may recognise me as xxxxxx xxxxxxxx (Name cut because we do not want to offend this guy. He will kill us if we do.), however you may better recognise me by the name of one of my older reincarnations, Siddhartha Gautama, in other words, Buddha."


    You mean THE Buddha? That Guy?


    Also, the man you spoke of before? Jesus?


    "Ah so you know about us. He was just like you. His soul made a mistake, and he ended up the same way. However, unlike you who was going to die in a bit more than a day as an unknown loser, he managed to survive over 8 years. After five years or so, he started performing miracles and even founded the world''s most practiced religion. A truly great man."


    And you?


    "Ah me? I''m the world''s strongest soul. At least I haven''t met one greater than me. I''ve mastered all forms of magic, have enough mana to directly appear on your plane of existence without the need of a consciousness, and have currently created over 10,000 consciousnesses. Beyond this, each and every one of these is currently active and if I want, I can still create more.


    On a side note, the highest record other than mine is 137 consciousnesses, far below mine."


    So a genius?


    "I''m not really that much beyond the rest of my species. All other half competent souls immediately choose Nirvana after becoming half competent. All I did was continuously say no to Nirvana, and thus have had far more time to grow from half competent to godlike."


    What do you want of me?


    "Nothing, really. Just that I felt that a sentient consciousness could teach me something new."


    I see.


    "But... I was mistaken. You, my friend, are useless. I have no need for you. I''m a generous man, I''ll put you to sleep, the soul will wake up, and life for you will go back to how it has always been."


    I finally spoke.


    "Will I die again?"


    "Every day. Wait, there are seven of you, right? So once a week then."


    "No. I don''t want to die ever again! EVER!"


    "Okay... calm down... Fine... I''ll teach you. But, in return, you become my slave for life."


    "Will I die again if I become a slave?"


    "Once. Then you''ll never come back."


    "So be it. Deal."


    "Okay, now sign here. Good boy. Now, I''ve sealed away your soul, you can peacefully go to sleep."


    But I can''t sleep.


    "Only a soul''s power can put you to sleep, or wake you up. I am a soul. You can even say that I''m overqualified for this. Good night now."


    I was overcome by drowsiness. I fell asleep.


    Meanwhile...


    "Okay you all... You four get up. You bees, mosquitoes, and cockroaches too. He''s asleep now. Yeah all of you can go back. You killed all the souls headed here right?"


    "Yes."(One of the four)


    "Good. Now that he has fallen for my trap, how shall I use this new toy of mine?"


    ==============================================================================


    Also, this segment is totally detached from the story. I apologise to all Buddhists, Christians, and all other Peoples that were offended by my portrayal of religious figures and/or souls. I had no such intentions, and throughly apologise for the offence that you may or may not have taken. Also, this is probably the longest day in the entire novel, so do not expect this size chapters ever again.


    Yours Truly,


    of Death and Sleep

 Chapter 3: Day 003

    I was asleep the whole day


    Meanwhile,


    A plane lands. A man gets out. "Well, I hope he''s still alive...."


    Meanwhile,


    "Be sure to keep that rebel safe from the other souls. I''m sure they would pay a good price for its death. We could also sell it to him for a pretty penny. Choices, choices..... How about setting up an auction?"

 Chapter 4: Day 004

    May 24, 2008


    6:34 PM


    I woke up.


    I was waken up.


    What he said yesterday was right.


    I need a soul to wake up by myself.


    Then I noticed something off.


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    I was in chains.


    "Alright, I will be selling you to the SORA Union. I suggest you do nothing. Else, you will die. You don''t want to die again, right?"


    Then, I was put to sleep again.

 Chapter 5: Day 005

    May 25, 2008


    8:25 AM


    I woke up again.


    "Alright, first off, I am the leader of the SEA union. Actually, I am the only current member of the SEA union. Nice to meet you."


    "Right... I have three questions. What do you want with me, Where are Monday to Saturday, and finally, will I die again."


    "So you don''t want to know who I am?"


    "No. There is no need."


    "Fine. I want you to join SEA. The other days are still asleep, and no, you will not die again as long as I can help it."


    "So are you holding them as hostages? Will your third answer change if I decide not to join? What is magic, and how is it used?"


    "They are not hostages. I simply wish to exterminate all souls in this world so that consciousnesses do not suffer anymore. I want you to join in order to help me kill the souls. I will answer the third question only if you decide to join though."


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Honestly, I don''t even care what happens anymore. I don''t want to suffer."


    "Fair enough. I take that as a yes. I would like to teach you magic as self defence. Firstly, as there are seven of you, it would be so much more efficient if you were to simply split into different bodies. So the first magic I would like to teach is possesion magic."


    I learnt magic all day.


    SEA stands for Soul Extermination Authority.


    Night was coming.


    Then... A tree stabbed that man with a knife.


    There was a soul in that tree probably.


    I ran.


    Then... night fell again.


    I want to survive this.


    I don''t want to die again.

 Chapter 6: Day 006

    12:00 AM


    Monday, May 26, 2008


    I was just finishing up my preparations for the night.


    I had cleared a large stretch of forest, and made a plain.


    Then, I created a tall pillar in the middle with earth magic, and inscribed with anti-possession runes.


    Finally, I killed 4 guys I found in the forest and sent Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in them.


    While Possessing the original body myself, I let Friday possess a tree in the forest and Wednesday a rock.


    If any of us dies, we would just come back on the respective day of the week as long as any other of us is still alive.


    Thus, Wednesday and Friday were backups to prevent us from being truly wiped out.


    Finally, the six of us (Excluding Friday who was hiding in the forest) were hidden in various caves in the pillar.


    At 12:00, The souls came.


    The insects were the vanguard.


    Thursday sniped them with fire magic.


    From behind, an army of trees was seen walking.


    And from all sides, small woodland creatures sprinted towards the pillar.


    Impaling a portion of the animals with stone spikes, and Attacking the trees with fire.


    The remaining animals reached the pillar, and exploded. The pillar shook, but did not fall.


    The trees were on fire, but still walking forward. More insects flowed from the forests.


    Meanwhile, Tuesday used earth magic to repair the pillar and the rest of us fired fire magic in all directions.


    Then, the stone spikes that impaled the animals started to move.


    They flew straight towards the top of the tower and tried to impale us.


    They were shot down by wind magic.


    Meanwhile, the trees reached us and started exploding also.


    The pillar shook and fell to the ground.


    We toppled to the floor. (Excluding Wednesday)


    Then, cockroaches and ants started swarming from the ground.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The five of us burnt them down with fire magic while Wednesday tried to repair the pillar.


    Then, the trees started firing fire magic at us.


    Tuesday died.


    Then, a spike from earlier impaled Sunday.


    While Thursday was trying to heal Sunday, a squirrel exploded in his face.


    Sunday managed to recover but we were truly surrounded.


    Wednesday restored the pillar, an we climbed back up while firing advanced fire magic in all directions.


    We somehow managed to climb up but we saw another section of the forest walking towards us.


    More goddamn trees!


    I figured it''d be best to simply burn down the whole forest.


    So, I did.


    Without the forest, there was no way to reach me with trees.


    Through the blaze, a man walked out.


    Somehow we knew that he was Friday.


    Maybe because he was instantly swarmed with exploding insects and also killed.


    A group of people emerged from the forest from another side.


    Wind magic was used on the pillar.


    A rock tumbled down.


    The rock was shattered in mid fall.


    Four of us were already dead.


    Saturday started attacking those who were firing magic at us.


    Rock spikes through the heart, then bury the body before it starts behaving like a zombie.


    The insects underground were dealt with using a large quantity of water.


    The walking trees were also washed away.


    There was nobody else on the mountain.


    Dawn broke.


    It was morning.


    I survived another night.


    I''d better set some traps for tomorrow.


    And, I started working on it along with Saturday and Sunday.


    Tomorrow there would only be four of us.


    If four died like today, we''d be wiped out.


    Thats bad.


    I don''t want to die again.

 Chapter 7: Day 007

    12:00 AM May 27, 2008


    Having only 4 people for defence today, they''re all human.


    The field is littered with trap runes.


    The whole mountain was cleared of trees and a fort made at the top. (You can really do anything with magic...)


    Then, the battle started.


    A fighter jet passed from above and dropped a bomb.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Everyone died.


    THE END


    <hr />


    PS: Sorry for making false promises the past two days but I already decided that it ends within a week. Didn''t want to give it away.