Filo stared at the girl in front of her, and in a flash, she realized with perfect clarity who she was. From the intel she’d pieced together before, the Blood Clan’s True Ancestor was the first vampire, one of a kind, older than every other bloodsucker out there. No way a goddess could’ve whipped up this body just for Filo’s transmigration. That meant one thing.
Holy crap, this wasn’t transmigration. It was body-snatching! Filo’s brain spun like a bad plot twist. In the xianxia novels she binged back on Earth, body-snatching was a shady trick used by evil cultivators, the kind that got you hunted by righteous heroes. Was she the bad guy now?
But hold on, this wasn’t a straight-up xianxia world, right? This place had dragons, vampires, and a goddess with terrible taste. Maybe body-snatching was just normal here. Filo shook off the guilt creeping in, trying to keep her cool.
The “true Filo,” as she now called the original True Ancestor, walked closer. Her soft footsteps on the dreamscape’s floor rang clear in Filo’s ears, each step like a countdown. Filo swallowed hard, the sound loud and awkward. “Okay, look, I’m really sorry for taking your body. Totally not my fault, I swear. Blame that goddess, the one with the silver hair and those big white rabbit curves, a cheeky nod to her figure. She’s a complete weirdo, right?”
“No need to explain. I know that weirdo,” the True Ancestor said, her voice calm but sharp, like she’d seen it all.
“Huh?!” Filo’s mind blanked, her eyes popping wide like an anime character’s. “You know her? Wait, what’s the deal? Are you two buddies or something?” Her brain went into overdrive. If they were pals, why would the goddess let Filo take the True Ancestor’s body? No, that didn’t add up. Maybe they were enemies! Yeah, that made sense. The goddess probably tossed Filo into this mess to screw over the True Ancestor. Classic divine drama.
Filo was about to pat herself on the back for figuring it out when the True Ancestor’s tiny fist bonked her head. “Ow!” Filo yelped, rubbing the spot. “What was that for?”
“Not enemies, not friends, just acquaintances,” the True Ancestor said, rolling her eyes like Filo was a slow learner. “But you being in my body? That was my call. I told the goddess to do it. I wanted true death.”
“True death?” Filo blinked, confused, like she’d missed a plot point. Then it clicked. Back on Earth, some people, when life lost all spark, just gave up. For the True Ancestor, an immortal with [Indomitable Spirit] who’d probably seen empires rise and fall like trends, maybe nothing was left to care about.
Filo softened, a bit of empathy cutting through her snark. “So, you were just done? Ready to check out?”
The True Ancestor nodded, her eyes far off. “Using the goddess’s higher powers, I had your soul put into my body. My [Indomitable Spirit] latched onto your spirit, so I could die for real. This?” She pointed to herself, her form starting to crumble into white particles, like a fading image. “Just a sliver of my soul. The rest is wiped clean, reborn in some random normal family. I wanted to try being ordinary.”
Filo watched her body break apart, bit by bit, like a glitchy video feed. “But,” the True Ancestor added, eyeing Filo, “I told the goddess to pick a top-notch heir. Now I’m thinking she just grabbed the first slacker she found.”
“Hey!” Filo huffed, crossing her arms and turning away. “Like I asked to be in your body! You think I’m happy being a girl? No offense, it’s a great body, but this wasn’t my choice!” Her inner salted fish flopped in protest. “Blame the goddess!”
In the divine realm, the goddess sneezed loudly, her silver hair bouncing. “What?” She pinched her nose, puzzled. Gods don’t get sick. “Someone’s talking smack, huh?” Her eyes narrowed. “Gotta be Filo, whining about her new gig. The True Ancestor’s body is gorgeous, second only to mine, and she’s not even into it?”
She waved her arm, opening a time vortex to check on Filo. “Sleeping? No, she’s chatting with the True Ancestor’s last soul bit. Nice, maybe she’ll own her new role.” She closed the vortex. Dream-crashing wasn’t her thing; she’s a goddess, not a sleep god.
In the dream, Filo and the True Ancestor were roasting the goddess. “She’s got no chill,” Filo griped. “Dropped me in your body, no instructions, just ‘deal with it.’”
“Typical,” the True Ancestor snorted. “She once ended a war with a meteor. Lazy.” Each jab made the goddess sneeze, her realm echoing with achoos. She sulked, not knowing two Filos were teaming up against her.
“You’re pretty useless,” the True Ancestor said, arms crossed, still haughty despite fading. “But I like you. I’ll grudgingly accept you as my successor.”
Filo scratched her head, sheepish. Hard to argue when she’s in someone’s body, and the True Ancestor’s barely a wisp. But useless? No way. “Hold up, I’m not useless. I’m salted fish, not trash. Back in school, I was a top student, acing tests. I could’ve been a star, but I was too chill for ‘model student’ awards.”
She puffed out her chest, striking a goofy pose. “They called me [The Tuna of the Salted Fish World]! Classmates said if I wasn’t so relaxed, I’d be a protagonist, with a glowing sword and epic backstory. But who needs that? Protagonists fight enemies nonstop, dodging death. Sure, harems are cool (❁´ω`❁), but I’d rather chill with snacks and anime.”
The True Ancestor raised an eyebrow, her body half-gone, fading fast into white bits like a glitching sprite. She had maybe a minute left.
Filo expected a heartfelt goodbye, but the True Ancestor got serious. “By the way, my fading soul can still sense the world a bit. Something’s changing. Watch out for other Ultimate Beings, and also my sister.”
Snap! Her form suddenly shattered into white butterflies, like a phone at 20% battery going dead.
Filo’s mouth twitched, staring at the fluttering butterflies. “Your sister? You drop that now? Why not lead with that? Damn!”