Closing Your Eyes Doesn't Make It a Dream
Closing your eyes doesn't turn it into a dream. The witch, Priscilla, opened her eyes in a frail, delicate little girl's body. The ritual had succeeded. Priscilla closed her eyes again for a moment to adjust to the sensations of this new vessel—the creaking but meticulously tended bedding, the bitter scent of medicinal herbs, the fragile yet steady thump of a heartbeat... the raw feeling of resurrection that only someone freshly reborn could truly grasp. And beyond the darkness of her closed eyelids.
"What a miraculous morning, Prischad."
A hyper-macho man boasting grotesque slabs of muscle was lounging in midair. Priscilla's eyes flew open in horror. That repulsive hallucination had followed her even beyond death.
"My God..."
Priscilla grimaced in disgust, her face twisting as if she'd just chewed on a cockroach.
"What a pussy-ass sigh. But no problem. With this Gigachad by your side, you can become an alpha too, Prischad."
Everything about him grated on her nerves—the booming voice reverberating like thunder, the inexplicable poses flexing his muscles, even the gleaming teeth flashing in his grin. And the fact that he was visible even with her eyes shut and ears plugged made it all the more insidious.
"To think that hallucination was real... I was hoping it'd just be a nightmare..."
"Closing your eyes doesn't make everything a dream."
Priscilla let out another long sigh, as if she didn't even have the energy to respond. Her head throbbed. She'd lived centuries, grown numb to pain, but this kind was new. And worse, she had no idea when it would end.
"Stop overthinking! When the pain ends doesn't matter. The place you need to stand up in is right here, right now."
"Could you not read my thoughts like it's obvious? Privacy, you know."
"You fucking idiot. Still spouting that dumb shit? I told you—I'm your inner self. The infinite potential inside you."
If that was true, it was horrifying. It meant her soul harbored the possibility of turning into a musclebound macho brimming with damn positive energy.
Goddamn it.
"Never imagined there could be a possibility worse than eternal death."
"Your potential is more infinite than you can imagine. You could become a Gigachad like me."
"And what's with that 'Gigachad' name?"
"It's a name symbolizing the alpha."
"What does that even... No, never mind. Don't answer. The name doesn't matter."
Priscilla had no choice but to accept it. This horrific illusion was part of her. No matter how many soul-transfer rituals she performed, it wouldn't vanish—it was her soul itself. She couldn't run from herself. That was the point of the spell.
"Good job. Now you look a bit like a fucking lion. The first step in any change is recognizing reality, just like this."
She decided to ignore the damn 'Gigachad' for now. Logically, getting swept up in that hallucination would do her no good. First, she checked the state of her possessed body.
Pathetic hunk of trash. Barely any mana, and the stamina's a wreck. Probably on the brink of death. Soul transfers prioritize bodies where the soul has just fled.
Normally, she'd have killed herself and jumped to a better vessel. With her spells, there was no need to cling to this weak shell. The body was just clothing. No point obsessing over a dying one.
But things were different now.
The spell's side effects are kicking in.
Gigachad. With the side effects starting, dying rashly might cause unknown issues. If the hallucination just followed her again, that'd be survivable—but if her soul splintered further, and that damn thing doubled? Tripled? Quadrupled?
The thought alone was nightmare fuel. Two, three musclebound machos ranting motivational bullshit in her ears.
For the first time since perfecting the spell, the witch felt a desperate urge to survive.
"That's it! That will to live! Excellent! Can't you feel your potential stirring inside, Prischad?"
Gigachad spread his arms wide, striking a pose that emphasized his vulgarly grotesque muscles writhing disgustingly.
"...You're not saying those muscles are my potential, are you?"
"Of course not! Obviously not! Your potential is infinite, Prischad. Far superior to these muscles of mine."
The moment Priscilla was about to snap again, the door creaked open suddenly. A middle-aged woman in a worn apron entered, her face a mix of worry and exhaustion.
"I heard voices from inside... Ah, Anna?!"
She screamed and rushed to the bedside, grabbing Priscilla's hand and collapsing to her knees. Sobbing with choked gasps, as if witnessing a miracle.
"You're awake! Hic, sob..."
"......"
Priscilla pieced it together easily. This 'Anna' kid she'd possessed had been dying. Too poor for proper treatment, surviving on half-assed herbal slop until the end. Then her soul slipped in.
Sigh... Family too? Must be exhausting.
With family around, the moment they realized she'd possessed their daughter, heroes or inquisitors would come knocking. Priscilla's head throbbed harder.
Normally, she'd suicide and bail to another body. Too risky getting spotted by heroes.
But with Gigachad, 'death' was no longer an escape.
How did things end up like this...?
Priscilla squeezed her eyes shut again. This time, she didn't want to open them ever. Might as well live blind.
"You fucking asshole, open your eyes right now! Your mom's worried. Say something to reassure her."
And damn it all, even with eyes closed, that macho’s hulking muscles were crystal clear.
Why should I?
"Because you chose to live as this girl. You know what you have to do."
What she had to do. Ha, yes. Back when she first perfected the soul-transfer spell, she'd gotten lost in this boring roleplay sometimes.
Priscilla opened her mouth slowly, reluctantly. A small, fragile voice emerged from Anna's throat.
"...Sorry for worrying you, Mom. I'm okay now."
"Good job."
The middle-aged woman hugged Priscilla tight, tears flowing at her daughter's comforting words. Priscilla sighed inwardly in the woman's embrace.
Sigh...
Praying that when she woke, this Gigachad hallucination would be gone.
***
A few hours later, Priscilla took a spoonful of the herbal porridge her mother had lovingly prepared. It tasted awful. No seasonings, just 'good for you' ingredients, clearly.
As Priscilla grimaced, Gigachad's boisterous voice whispered.
"Porridge full of love. You wouldn't say you don't know how to show gratitude, right, Prischad?"
"Thank you, Mom."
"Speak up! What’s with that pussy voice? Louder! Pack it with love and thanks for your mom!"
"...The porridge is delicious!"
"R-Really? I must've overdone the herbs; it's super bitter... Your taste buds must not be back yet."
"......"
And so began the great witch Priscilla's bizarre roleplay, alongside the Gigachad hallucination.
***
"Lucky break. Possessing into such an ideal setup right away."
I'd been planning to breadcrumb her a bit and let her suicide-loop a few times if the draw failed.
But no need now.
"Isn't it just a normal family? Not sure what makes it ideal."
"That's the point of the 'normal' vibe. Since ancient times, it's the wholesome family that melts a body-snatcher's heart."
The monster who stole a girl's body learns the value of love through her family, chooses to die as a girl instead of living as a hated monster. Cliché melodrama, but that's why it works. If it had tags, it'd be something like [#Regret #Tragedy #BodySnatching].
"From here on, I'll fine-tune it delicately. Turn the whole village—no, everything beyond—into Priscilla's stage."
The stage was set. Controlling the variables on it was the player's job.
Tricky as hell, of course.
But for me, at least in the world of Endless—
"I don't fail."
"...Haven't you ever actually stopped doom?"
"Tsk. Demotion."
"Gah!"
Canaria gasped in shock, sweat pouring down like a drenched pup.
"...People learn from failure! The one who fails most succeeds biggest. You will save the world, Your Grace."
"Canaya. We can save the world. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Demotion canceled."
"Phew..."
Canaria sighed in relief. She dabbed her forehead with a handkerchief, tilted her head to wipe sweat from her neck to collarbone, then parted her clothes slightly to clean the sweat pooled between her breasts.
Hm. Feels like I'll be pulling this prank a lot from now on.