Isekai For Hire Chapter 1: Target Acquired

Read chapter 1 of Isekai For Hire by wk_rust on NovelPedia.

Target Acquired The Soul Transference device shook in Asher’s hand as he fought to clear his vision. Dim lantern light cast shadows about the stall as his target mucked, her skin glistening with sweat. His free hand shot out to brace against the wall of the barn as the world spun. The nausea, one of his newest symptoms, kept getting worse. It was this, or four more months of suffering. Six if he was lucky, the doctors had said. He said a silent prayer to a god he didn’t believe in that the woman, Lorena, would go peacefully. It was a habit he’d started toward the end of his career, a clear sign he’d been in the job too long. The button depressed under his thumb, like a knife in her spine. Something tugged deep within him as a stream of ghastly blue wisps flowed from the device toward Lorena. Her back arched, arms went rigid, fingers spread wide. A breathless gasp escaped her lips. It happened slowly, then all at once. The tugging sensation turned ravenous, tearing and ripping. Cold sweat dripped. A stinging numbness spread from his chest to his limbs as the device claimed its territory, his knees buckling as a spike of pain shot through his skull. His consciousness flickered as an endless void of frozen blackness crept in around him. All sensations dulled to nothingness, his sense of self slipping away. The space between his heartbeats stretched into forever. A shrill scream. A sob. Why? The voice was panicked. I—I don’t want to die. The voice faded, replaced by a thud he knew all too well. The sound of a corpse hitting the ground. He turned and stumbled, vertigo knocking him off balance as his perception of the world shifted down a foot and a half. His arm darted out toward the wall but came up short, sending him crashing down in a dizzy heap. His vision blurred and his throat burned from bile rising up. The nausea was worse than anything the chemo had ever caused. Colton and his team of techs at Aetheron Corporation had assured him that souls transferred cleanly during body “acquisitions.” They’d tested it. None of them mentioned it felt worse than actually dying. Asher forced himself to breathe. This was his way out. His only choice. His second chance. His eyes fluttered open, lingering on the source of the thump: his old body. Broken and mangled, it didn’t look at peace even in death. He stared as his corpse slowly disintegrated, the System erasing any trace that Asher had ever existed. Was Lorena’s soul in there? He realized he had no idea. He hadn’t asked many questions. The fewer uncomfortable details the better, but a small part of him was regretting that. He pressed a hand to his chest, desperate to calm his thrashing heart. Slender fingers met unfamiliar curves. He opened his— her —eyes. Asher, now Lorena, rolled the thought in her mind. That would take some getting used to. He had assumed many aliases over his career and always committed to them deeply, but never had one changed him— her —in this way. She rolled her new shoulder, wincing in anticipation of the pain from metal grinding against bone. Nothing. Just smooth, painless movement. Standing came next. Her chest heaved with shallow, unfamiliar breaths, but the fire she expected in her knees never ignited. They simply worked, itching to run. The ankle, that was the real test. She scrunched her face as the joint slowly rolled left. She pressed her lips as she rolled it to the right. It always hitched on the right. The movement was smooth. No ticking of stubborn ligaments. No grinding of bone. She tipped her head back, her mouth falling open, and pointed her toes. No tightness from scarred skin refusing to stretch. Her ankle hadn’t moved this far in years. Laughter bubbled up. She clamped her hand against her mouth. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the lantern, her sunken cheeks and hollow eyes bringing to light something she had known from the start but refused to admit. This girl didn’t need saving. She needed a meal and some rest. Lorena resisted the