It's a village born from mud and ash. For the first fifteen years in this world, I've lived in Proudspire Hold in the entirety of my life. There's nothing to be proud of this land. The land is a chokepoint between two mountains and as such, it is a valuable asset for numerous trade routes in the continents. Those who hold this place controls the money going in and going out. In the eyes of the four petty kingdoms in every direction, controlling this mountain pass is a luxury they can't afford to lose.
In my entire life, the village has seen three different rulers with bloodshed following their rule. My father spent most of his money trying to move to Proudspire Hold because of its rumored proximity to the diamond mines of the mountains above. He spent the next two years as a merchant selling wares from his homeland and the last three as a soldier fending off the Astarask's siege. He died soon after, not of war but a disease that he got from a spear wound.
My mother mourned his loss even to this day. She's so weak from mourning that she can't even rise from her bed. As their only son, I spent days begging in the streets and the temple of Dibella. The nuns were good but their charity has an end.
Wait? Is this my story? I asked myself. One gloomy morning, an unseen revelation unfolded in my mind. I have dreams of a life of another. Life of a strange world, machinations, and customs. A memory of another filled my mind to the brim. It was as if my head is splitting apart. I fell over the dirt floor and crawled into a crevasse hidden from the streets. Pain shivered throughout my body with my head as the source. It surged jolts of searing anguish into my muscles. I wanted to scream but no voice from my parched mouth is coming out. A malevolent entity is invading my mindscape and eating its way deeper into my mind.
In an instant, all pain disappeared. Bliss filled my system and every anguish cast by the world flit away into nothingness. For the first time, I felt peace. I didn't stay in a life that granted me no pleasure nor joy. I let go and disappeared into the void.
---
I fell from the sky and hit a village drenched in mud and all manners of beastly shit. That son of a bitch could have been a little more careful when he pushed me from that damn portal. Nevertheless, he wasn't wrong when he said I'd be in a different world. Everything looks medieval, even the smell. What's more unsettling is that not am I in a different world, I'm also in a different body. It's of similar build to my own but I seem to be a tad bit whiter and freckles littered my arms chest. My hair is red unlike my previous brown and I seem to be wearing a loose roughspun tunic. I also seem to be lacking any undergarments given that I'm in a medieval setting.
"Where the fuck am I?" I asked in the heavens. I hope that God would give at least a sign about which shithole he placed me in. Soon enough, I felt a presence invade my mind. The world around me contrasted to a darker color and time seem to stop.
"You're in the body of a boy with nothing to live. So I placed you, a boy with a lot to live, in his body."
"So what's this boy's name?" God, my voice sounds deeper than my own. It's cool though, my previous nasally voice is gone for good.
"That's for you to decide. His mother is about to die... now. Congrats, you're living with no slate. Also, I'm happy that you like his voice."
Oof. I forgot that he could read my mind. Wait? Is he reading my mind as of this very moment?
"Yes,"
I groaned. "So what now? How in heaven's name am I going to live?" In this medieval world, I assume that aren't any government programs that would help the poor. If there's any advanced government at all. My pockets are empty except for a wet stalk of wheat and my stomach is growling from hunger. My arms are weak and they're hanging limply from my shoulders. I feel my vision drifting to and fro at times, and having a god in your mind isn't helping either.
"That's where my gift comes in. The power to possess somebody."
"Possess, like own them?"
"No. Think of it like those ghosts from the movie you watched with Jason. Last October 30. Remember?"
"Yes, I do remember. We were on the sofa while we're eating my mom's special tacos." Fuck. Thinking of Tacos just made my stomach growl louder.
"There was that scene when three of the ghost got inside human bodies and controlled them, like what you are doing right now."
Ohhh... I understand now. Ghost possession is what he meant by possession. It's a cool ability I guess. I could possess someone with money and buy food. I could even possess a king and live the rest of my life in the comforts of royalty.
"There is a catch though," His faces beamed and the freckles on his cheeks twinkled. "You can only possess people of the same social hierarchy."
"What do you mean?" Is it like a caste system or something?
"Yes, it is like that. Right now, you can only possess peasants or people who don't have a lot to live for. To possess someone higher, you need to level yourself with them."
That's fair, I guess. Free things just don't fly in your palms with a stitch. So to rise to the top, I need to crawl up society's ladders. Jump from bodies to bodies and hopefully, find my calling in this world. God smiled at my revelation and with a swift flick of his hands, he disappeared in a flash of light.
The sky above boomed and heavy downpour barraged the village. During the rain, I walked into the streets and took refuge in what seems to be a shed. The village is small but it has amenities that I can go to. I went...