The year is 1987, Karim Araneidae was sitting in his study thinking over his life. He was born in 1843, living in Egypt and moving around as it suited his lifestyle. He was born a fairly powerful psychic, having discovered his abilities at the age of twelve when he first willed someone to do his bidding. Many are born with these powers, some having minor abilities such as forecasting weather and events, some, empaths, can feel the mood of those around them. These powers taking form in many ways. Karim studied far and wide on every topic related to his power, expanding and growing stronger with age.
He had psychically maintained his body, able to move a few hundred pounds with his will alone, he would mend his body, moving it around like a puppet when he became too old to do it himself, taking over the function of his organs once passing the age of 126. On this day he was in his study, sitting at a chair the fire roaring to provide some heat for his near-frozen body. He was reading one of the many papers that he had delivered on a daily basis, monitoring the world.
Awakening his mind, he probed his body. All of his systems were failing, his cells surviving only on his energy now having gone well past the Hayflick limit. He had prepared for this eventuality long ago as he was exploring his powers. He had learned early on to read minds, scan memories, and override functions of the body. As computers began to rise he would think to himself that much of what they were doing with these machines, he was doing to minds. He studied many fields of science closely, parsing them all for useful information and absorbing them with his own techniques.
He stared at the fire, placing the paper on the side table next to him. The moment had finally arrived. He had peered into the future and had seen this moment, everything beyond a bright spot that he could not see. This was the day he would die. He was now 144 years old, well beyond the longest verifiable lifespan. A twisted smile stretched across his face, the servants in the home who had worked for him faithfully for many years would soon be coming to their senses. As soon as he passed, his psychic hold would be removed and they would be left wondering why they abandoned solid careers to work for this man, his cook a former senator, his driver a former brain surgeon, other staff members equally important in their fields. What they did not know was they "chose" to do this simply because they offended him in some way and he decided to make them serve him.
He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath through his ancient nostrils. He held the breath in and focused, feeling that familiar hum. He leaned into the correct frequency and was soon standing in the room in his astral form. He looked at the body and it disgusted him. His hair he had lost the ability to maintain, liver spots marring his once-perfect skin. This was where the bright blank spot would begin. He summoned all his psychic energy, drawing in his consciousness into his astral form. Reaching his astral form towards his body he commanded the heart to cease.
Whiteness and a shattering ringing were the only sensory experiences that Karim could feel. He concentrated, focusing his energy and attempting to locate a pathway back to earth. He relaxed, allowing the astral form to bend to his will creating a room much like the one his body had just been in. He looked at a globe that had materialized and focused on it, dots of light appearing. Each dot was a host waiting to be taken. Some flashed into the globe for brief moments, others shone constant. These people were coming into moments where their guard would be down and he could pop in.
He focused, finding a body that shone bright. The mind had left it some time ago, but they had kept it alive. Curious, he thought to himself.
Focusing he sharpened his will, imagining himself in the body. The room he had materialized began to fade, the brightness that was once there began to dissipate. The first thing to come to him was the sounds of the room. His head was pounding, and something was blocking his throat and eyes. He reached up a hand, pulling at what was in his mouth, a numb feeling deep in his throat slowly sliding its way out until it popped and he was able to take a hurried gasp of air, lungs that had not been used in a long time naturally came back to life, chest muscles already sore from lack of use.
He reached his hand up further, feeling his eyes. There was a cloth that had covered his head that he removed. Looking down he could see it. A new body. This one was younger. He reached out his senses and began to probe the mind. He saw its childhood, favorite pets that had come and gone. He could see family, a girlfriend that was waiting for him. He could see the bus coming and his heart skipped a beat before the screen faded to black. His new body had been a victim of an unfortunate accident, completely brain dead his family was unwilling to pull the plug.
Nurses rushed in to answer the beeps of the machine.
"Holy fucking shit," the first nurse shouted, "Hey everyone get in here you ain't going to believe this shit!"
The sound of feet clattered in the hall approaching the door. In came two more nurses, wide eyes staring at the new body.
"Mr Sanchez, are you okay, can you hear me," one of the nurses asked.
"Yeah," he mumbled, finding a stranger's voice and tongue strange to operate.
"Mr Sanchez, we never thought we would see you. You're in the hospital right now, do you understand?"
"Yeah, big bus hit me, I was wearing jeans and a plaid shirt with a denim jacket. I remember the license plate too, do you want that?"
He probed the mind further, running the words he wanted to say through the filter built into this brain. The words he would have used replaced by the words this body would use, sounding exactly like the consciousness that had formerly occupied it.
He looked towards the nurses, focusing on broadcasting his message, you will bring me clothing. You will bring me any money you have access to. You will call a car for me. The nurses stared back at him refusing to move. You will move NOW! He pushed his will as hard as he could, the headache pounding. This body was not psychic. He reached out and attempted to read the nurses. In his old body, other thoughts would come to him easily, he could see them like others could see oil stains on a driveway. Now they were coming to him like trying to remember a dream after being abruptly awoken. What's he staring at? One thought. Wow, gone that long there must be brain damage another one thought.
He was still able to read minds. He probed his body and felt the issue, he was lacking in the energy that he would be required to do anything more than party tricks.
It took him three weeks to gather the energy to be allowed to remove himself from the hospital. Making his way to find new living quarters he purchased a paper, studying it and noting that his time in the Astral Plane was longer than he realized. Those few moments he had spent there had been 4 years. It was now 1991.
He ended up wandering in Manhattan of all places, the stolen body he was now able to drive effortlessly like a vehicle. He noticed his feelings were numb, coming to him on a delay and not as powerful. He would focus his mind on the memories, and create a feedback loop where he could read the memories of the feelings shortly after the body felt them. This was a frustrating workaround for Karim. No matter how he would focus, if it were food he would not be satiated, if it were pleasure it would be like a dull bulb compared to the sun, if it smelled it would smell faint, like filtered through a mask.
He would need energy if he were to regain full sensation. Psychic energy takes many forms. There is the power of will, chakra from the body, energy in the air, emotional energy, sexual energy. The easiest to harvest would be sexual. Making his way to a restaurant he was able to manipulate the staff into providing a corner booth. Scanning the crowd he sensed his first victim, a sexually frustrated nun who was questioning her faith. This would be fun.
Making his way to the bar he sat two seats next to the nun, scanning her as he ordered his drink. He pulled up her memories from childhood, her favorite songs, her favorite books. Everything she never shared even in the confessional booth. He knew her better than she did herself, and now had the words he needed.