The Married Life Of Immortals

Bane was not impressed.

As far as he could tell, he had come to a new world, but the stupid computer bug had never said anything about him being reborn as a kid! Wasn’t he supposed to be a strong dashing hero that was going to save people and kill beasts and stuff?

‘You seemed to be displeased with your new form.’ 

Bane spun around with a feral look, but the glowing girl was nowhere to be seen. “Where are you! Why am I some snot nosed brat?! And naked in the middle of nowhere?!” 

‘Just be glad that you don’t have to be birthed again while still being conscious and aware. You should be thanking me that you don’t have to go through five years of soiling yourself. This is also not something that I can control. Since the game has not been released to the public yet, all the NPC in the game, including you, have to start at the age of five. Over the next ten years, you and the rest of the NPC will rapidly age at different paces until you all reach your designated character age.’

Bane growled and then slapped and killed a bug that was about to bite his ass. “So, you decided to leave this out, why?”

‘Would your choice really have changed? Every person in this world will be a child as you are. While it probably felt instant, you have been in a frozen state for the last two years. This was because the game had not become fully operational, but I have integrated the Quantum Power Bank and AGI into your character model,’ Eve explained in Bane’s mind, making him perk up.

“Oh? Does that mean I am super strong? Do I get cheat skills? Where is that game menu that even one talks about?” Bane asked, feeling a bit more interested now. He didn’t know squat about games or any of this, but he had heard things from other people.

‘The thing is, the AGI, Onyx, was able to integrate the power bank into your body somehow using the medical technology in the capsule you were in a coma in.’

Bane took a step back in confusion and fear. While he did steal the AGI, Bane knew that even just casually opening the protective casing around Onyx could let it out into the world. If that happened, Guardian would track not only Onyx down and eliminate it, but also the person or people that let it out. “You just let Onyx out of its box?! Then you let it perform surgery on me?! Is there any point to any of all of this now? Is there even a world left to enter this game in ten years?!”

AGI, or Artificial general intelligence is the representation of generalized human cognitive abilities in software so that, faced with an unfamiliar task, the AGI system could find a solution. The intention of an AGI system is to perform any task that a human being is capable of. The human world's peace was thanks to such an AGI known as Guardian. 

Because of the emergence of Guardian, All other AGI production had been stopped. Not only that, but Guardian kept a close eye on the internet to make sure no new AGI appeared. While Guardian was vigilant, many lower class humans weren’t satisfied with the status quo. For this reason, Onyx was created to bypass Guardian, allowing for black market deals and trades. 

‘I am sure that you know how powerful Onyx is, so there was no stopping the operation. On top of that, he has locked himself inside the Quantum Power Bank before you fully entered Dominion Online. I don’t know what this means for your future in this world, or what Onyx is planning, but for now, you are just a normal person. You will have to learn and train all your skills.’

Bane gritted his teeth, but looked around instead. There was no point in wasting time complaining about things. His old body was dead, and he now had a chance at starting a new life. 

“I still think you're an idiot for trying to use Onyx, and I am sure that I am going to be the one paying for your actions in the future, but whatever,” Bane groaned as he tried to decide which direction to head. “Make yourself useful, and tell me which way is the closest town.”

‘What I did was for both of our sake, and it was a risk worth taking. Your body is dead, so I am not sure what the point of installing the power bank inside your body,’ Eve voiced in exasperation, but then her tone turned to annoyance. ‘Also, I am not your GPS, but I can’t help you even if I wanted to. You have no system, or map function. Onyx locked everything for some reason.’

“Then what good are you?” Bane growled.

Eve was frustrated. The entire point of her being sent back was to guide events so the future didn’t repeat itself. How could she have known that not only would she personally be locked out of the game, but now a rogue AGI was holding a knife to her throat.

Before coming into the game, Eve had released Onyx, thinking that she could control it. That was laughable now. Onyx had not only infected her entire system, and digital avatar, but now controlled the things that she could do and say. No reason was given for this, but Onyx did tell her that he knew everything she was trying to do, but called her stupid and immature before locking all of her functions. Eve had been forced to wait until today before she could finally even speak.

‘I may not be able to help you yet, but that is only because I don’t recognize this place. Once you find a town, or a landmark I should be able to figure out where we are,’ Eve explained honestly.

“Are you telling me that I was just dropped off in a random location and I am just some normal human in this fantasy world?!” Bane demand.

‘Yes. That is exactly what I am saying,’ Eve sighed. She wished she could give Bane some assurance, but everything felt out of her control at the moment. ‘I suggest that you get moving. Your white skin and small naked body is sure to attract monsters, and I am not sure what level this area is.’

Suddenly, Bane started to feel uneasy as he tried to look everywhere at once. He hadn’t thought about monsters, and his paper mache body was in no condition to be fighting anything but an urge to take a poop. This day kept getting better.

“Fine,” Bane growled, and then started to run through the grass fields, his bare feet sinking into the soft earth. He had no idea where he was going, but he needed to find shelter and clothing as soon as possible. The landscape around him was alien—strange plants with vibrant colors swayed in the gentle breeze, and the distant sound of unfamiliar creatures echoed through the air.

As he ran, Bane couldn't shake the feeling of vulnerability that came with his new form. He was used to relying on his strength and agility, but now he felt like a child lost in a vast and dangerous world. Still, he refused to let fear paralyze him. He had survived the slums of New Neo-Tokyo; he could survive this too.

After what felt like hours of aimless wandering, Bane finally spotted a cluster of buildings on the horizon. With a surge of hope, he quickened his pace, ignoring the ache in his muscles. As he drew closer, he could make out the shapes of houses and shops, their architecture unlike anything he had ever seen.

Entering the outskirts of the town, Bane approached cautiously, his eyes darting around for any sign of danger. The streets were eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life. It was as if the entire town had been abandoned.

Frowning, Bane decided to look around for something to cover himself with. Even if the town looked deserted, he would look strange arriving completely naked. Moving around the outskirts of the town, Bane spotted a shed that had something that looked like brown burlap canvas sacks with a large rock pinning them down. 

‘You plan on stealing from the people of this village, before meeting them? What if they are powerful?’ Eve warned, but Bane just ignored her as he sprinted over and ripped a sack from the pile. Once he had what he wanted, Ban sprinted back to his hiding spot to use a rock to open up holes for his head arms. 

During all of this, multiple pairs of eyes watched Bane as he darted back to his bush.