Chapter Text
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Ah… my head hurts like… What was I doing?
Then something in the workshop catches my eye, 'Humanity's City'
"Weird name..." ... "Oh? It... a Proje... Moon Mod?"
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Something... feels wrong... I am even at my room?...
"Gues... another... ...cuse to... ...rraria agai..."
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Once the game was open, I only left the QoL, HRS and PM mods.
Right I... that... then why does...!
Feeling the need to breath sink, I do what is natural...
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"Cough! Cough!"
...Only to be met with an air that stinks... to the point I would prefer to stop breathing. The place where I am laying down feels somewhat dirty and rough, so I am not in my bed nor my chair... and... it's cold in here... really cold... almost freezing...
Opening my eyes, I find myself buried in some trash bags, they are heavy but only to the point that I struggle to move them, however before I fully exit, my eye sees...
Something laying in the floor, as snow? was falling from the sky, something I don't want to see.... in front of my sight, a human body smashed and cut into bits, its coat was ripped, their hands missing, face unrecognizable, legs twisted in multiple directions to the point I could see a bit of the bones. The only thing that was in condition was its hat... that seems familiar...
Not only that, it... his hair, those clothes... despite never? seeing this guy... despite its stat-!
A tall man was guiding me in the backstreets, "A... tha... is how I..." looking up to him, I listen with excitement. After all I was very curious on what d-
I want to look away, "A...ah..." my throat tighten as my body stays frozen...
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Before spiraling, my body falls back, to be hidden again, such process makes me realize one thing... my hands are smaller... no not just that, my whole being was smaller... or perhaps I always been like this... but... the one thing I know for sure is... that corpse...
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Is... my father... or at least something told me it was...
...!
Covering my face, more memories surface again but with the little will power I have, I put myself together…
The processing of information can wait, I need to live... this body seems to remember where... their house is. I would bother myself trying to think of the dangers of coming out but I will just die if I stay here...
Thankfully this body seems to know what is left and right.
Looking at the corpse of my father, is it really 'my'? I swallow the grief and shakenly walk towards it. I think I somewhat remember... for reasons I don't know, he was attack by Middle members... what did you do to end up like this?
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I need to get as much from this as possible, searching in the pockets, I find a damaged wallet, a photo and the keys of my home... Most of objects of this guy are too damaged or bloodied for me... thankfully the hat is intact.
Now I can finally fridge off and try not to die... However, before going away, I look at the corpse one last time...
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Everything was going too fast, "Dad... sniff... what is going o-"
Father just placed one finger on my lips with a smile, "Kiana, just hide here and I'll deal wit..." he placed me inside the pile of trash bags. Caressing my head one more time, he fully hides me.
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"Ther... he...s! You little sh..."
The loud sounds of weapons are heard for an amount of time I am not aware...
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I do not know how long I was there for...
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Somehow... I made it back, don't know how long it took, I... stopped thinking for a moment...
Once inside I closed that damn door so no one can bother me... unless if mother comes back... if....
Never mind that, now that I am... relatively safe and not freezing... I can think... about... this... fuuuc-
Okay... I wanted to play Terraria with a Project Moon Mod alongside some other one... don't know what happened after making the player character...
And now, I am a child, if the memories of this body don't lie... I am 4... my family is one made of a father and a mother... plus me... the economic situation was somewhat stable but not perfect... father was a fixer, I don't know what mother works for but she made money and that was what mattered...
While thinking of what to do, I went to the mirror, as I need to know 'myself'... yes, that's what this body is... me... otherwise it wouldn't make sense....
Entering the bathroom... there is no mirror... ah never mind there it is... sadly it is kinda high in the wall... right I am short...
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Standing with the tips of my feet on top of a chair I can finally see enough of 'myself'... silverish white... actually I think it we can just call it silver hair color, silver eyes... I kind of look like a... Hold on why is my skin so pale??? Did my habit of not going outside translated into...
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Hold on... I... am a girl?... like... Yes, it seems that this body was indeed born as a girl... how joyous.
I would say you win some and you lose some but I am in this fucking city, The City, what year is it? what day? Is the library a thing? I am even in a near canon mirror world? Is this the 'original one', where the games happen?
... A distraction from these thoughts would be nice...
This body looks... in my opinion, cute... well I have a bit of time to waste... Looking at the mirror I start recreating some expressions of Charon and the Sinners... mostly Yi Sang, Faust and Don expressions... it was kind of fun to do...
I need a hot bath, the trash smell claimed my body, who knows how long I was there for... praying that I don't get sick from the cold.
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Once... I wash myself... as much as can be allowed with this water, out, second pair of clothes on... which look the same and then go to my parent’s bedroom...
Laying my back in the bed that seems to be made for 1.5 people, a bed where... these new memories told me something... it wasn't as comfy as my bed back on my world... yet a slight but feeling of safety came to me when resting here inside the 4 blankets... but not for long, because... well... I am alone in this city... and...!
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I didn't realize for some seconds but... my heart beat... I am a mess, somehow... these memories... this body... no, I start to cry... how horrible... I don't know what to think...
I feel like these are my memories but they are not... I am having a hard time trying to think if I am Kiana or I am the person from the otherworld, it doesn't help that the father of this world looks like the father of the otherworld... no... the otherworld is my world and this is....
There is so much I want to think of, things that are reasonable and wrong... but my eyes give up...
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My body shoots up, breathing unstable... I had a nightmare... thankfully. it was just that, I feel like a mess but nothing can be done... my face is wet... but at least I am not cold in this bed... sadly not cold doesn't equal to actually warm...
Not sure how much time I wasted, I need to start planning... now, a way... or something to ensure I have a chance to liv... no, to survive, there is nothing such as living in this city... at least not without power, money and...
I know some things of this world, well enough that I have only 2 ways to survive. Syndicates or Fixers... with my current situation... this... to my knowledge and opinion, are the best options...
Lifting my small hand in front of my face I count... well the Fingers... The Thumb is a no, I will pretty much die by just breathing wrong...
The Index is a somewhat option but I will most likely mess it up or the will of the city will mold me into something or someone else... if I even survive long enough for that...
The Middle... probably the 'best option'... but to me not really, after canto IX, my opinion changed... that group is more about appearance... even so, if all options fail, the Middle will not be my go, I don't think I have what it takes to be one of them.
I don't want to have tattoos... I don't mind if people get them but I don't want them on me.
Then... The Ring... yeah no, fuck this one, I like drawing and stuff but what they do is too much for me...
The Pinky is out of the question, its requirements are unknown and there can only be a specific number of members at once... or something like that... also there isn't much information about them nor how to become one...
And for the fixer stuff... I am too young to be one, I need to be 20 years old to even attempt to be one...
With all of that… the options for me are, join a syndicate, find a way for the middle to protect me without joining or live long enough to become a fixer…
...Maybe the more likely outcome will be that I become a rat first...!
Wait a moment... this body remembered something... fuck.... Kiana's memories told me that this District is... 25 aka Y Corp... no wonder it’s so cold outside.
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Truly unideal...
Shifting my head to the left, a calendar in the wall... 'October 1st 955'... 2 days before the birthday of... Kiana... same birthday as mine, same name I wanted...
What kind of joke is this? Is this real? This is too specific, I am a character in a fanfic? I am here because a me or something, someone thought of... no... NO...
Focus Kiana... I am living in this world... breathing and thinking. Whatever brought me here can wait, besides... I'll probably never get answers...
...Why I am calling myself... right I... You know what? To hell with it I, we, whatever. I am Kiana, end of discussion.
Anyways, surely... could I have a cheat tool? Or something that can help me... If I was specifically brought here while I was playing, I must have something that will help me survive... like a menu or...
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[Progression Achievement Unlocked! - >Survive your first day<]
[1 exp gained]
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... Okay... no... yeah, I... 99% chance that something brought me to this world. In front of my face there are multiple things...
A menu with options but I will just mention what is important... 1st is an inventory reminiscent of the one in.... Terraria it also includes armor and accessory slots... man... I just wanted to play a cool HRS + PM Terraria mod, why me? The images shown in the preview of both mods were so cool... they also were made by the same person and could be played together.
Taking a double look, I have an extra slot on top of my accessories slots, it has the color of a blue-purple and gold... there rest an item called 'Mysterious Cartridge'... Focusing on it, I discover that it has some sort of level, I do not know if I need exp or materials to level it up... Also, I can't take it off...
2nd and 3rd are very simple, Missions/Work and Achievements... nothing to say there.
And the 4nd is a status menu... or well to be more specific it like when you observe Ally/Enemy Units in limbus. Right now, it displays... me!
Mmmm... Level 0... weird… 15 HP, -5 SP... never mind -6 SP...
1 skill, 2 passives and 1 effect...
One coin attack skill called 'Punch', 0 base power, 1 coin power, -3 Id level...
As for the passives, 'Dissociation'... basically a 50% chance of losing 10% less SP when losing SP... how useful... The second passive is just the mysterious object... and it just gives me the effect...
Said effect is nerfing me... cool
So, if anything looks at me the wrong way, I will die... good to know.
Silver hair and eyes, the system... my memories told me I was adopted but I don't remember when I was or where those 2 found me... there is some shit going on... the question is if will I survive long enough to know what that is...
Oh, I have like 3 tags... one of them is... 'Orphan'... well shit. I am truly alone on this... hold on how does 'Orphan' qualify as a unit tag?... The 3rd one is just ???... great, I guess.
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Okay, for now I'll use my in universe, game and fanfic knowledge to try to guide myself, first money and papers, I need to know for how much time I can use this apartment as a 'safe place'...
Getting off bed I try to use my 'new' set of memories... where could the money be at...
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Found something, a safe with a lock combination inside the small closet... let's see... what could this... thing be using as the password.... hold on I have a most ingenious idea!
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Soon enough I open it while holding back my tears, inside was an amount of money, in the right there is 4.825 million Ahn and 175 thousand Ahn on the left with a small paper that says... 'Kiana's Birthday Money'... besides it there is a list of possible gifts for me… ranging from 'pencil and paper' and 'Sleep dress'... no big stuff but most of the list, ignoring some, has stuff I always wanted to have but couldn't due to...
Let’s just say I wish I could have been able to wear a dress in the past...
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When I was able to think again... my body was in the floor, snaping out of it, after all this is doing nothing but wasting time…
I have 5 million to survive for a bit... I don't know if this means much... but knowing the city I doubt it is enough for 3 people... but I am one people so I will be fine as long as I have a roof on top of me.
Okay, first business is... anything that is not expensive nor cheap so I can use it to enhance my body... The idea is to look poor when going out, my previous stinky clothes before the bath shall help selling the illusion, don't want to call attention from rats, some low augmentations could be easily hidden with some more clothes on top or just not be noticeable.
... wait I have an inventory... can I really use it? Won't the Head come after me if they notice I can use it?... Do they even I know that I am here?
... I should be fine, as long as I don't go against the vision and the rules of it, I can be here, the worst that can happen is getting the attention from Syndicates, Fingers, Hana, Wings and any other group with significant power... I wouldn't be surprised if some the 'Beholders' from B Corp or something someone related to the head are capable of reading minds...
Anyways I shouldn't worry about the Head, the technology for storage is something that is used, at least by people who are up in the power chain and I was born human both in this and my previous life.
Mmm... now that I think about it... having a game inventory like this... I am like a Devyat' Fixers but without the courier trunk... yeah, I need to be careful to not be seen using this...
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I better start preparing to get out...
Rubbing my eye I get up as I take a deep breath.
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