Transliterated (Old Version)

This book is has been relaunched with revisions and better marketing, you can find the new version here:

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/98840/transliterated-xenofiction-isekai

What makes you “you?”

Is it your body? Your voice? Your home? Your name? If you lost all of them, who would you be?

Scholar Ink-Talon knew there was more to its world. The crow devoted its life to prodding the corners of the Known World, delving into the secrets of the Gift of Understanding that granted it higher thought. If it had the power to Understand anything it perceived, then surely it could unravel the cause behind the greatest disaster in recorded history. Together with its partner Keen-Ear, it was on the verge of a breakthrough...

And then both of them ceased to exist.

Two humans now inhabit their bodies. Humans who have been stripped of their names by the same power of Understanding that allows them to communicate. To them, their lives have been upended and their minds have been forced into the incompatible bodies of ordinary animals. To the natives of that world, however, they are people who had existing lives and responsibilities. People stricken by an affliction of the mind. Possibly even people who have killed their bodies' original inhabitants and taken their place.

Together, they will need to master both their new bodies and their new power to Understand the world around them, all while grappling with an alien society and questions no one is prepared to answer. What good is a human mind in a world where humans never existed? What responsibility do you have to those you've harmed by no fault of your own? Do you even have a right to exist if your existence comes at the cost of others? What will you do about those who claim that you don't?

Things you can expect from this book ↓

- Animal Isekai with heavy existential themes

- A detailed and considered society in a world without humans.

- A defined magic/power system geared towards communication and discovery, not combat.

- 3rd Person Limited PoV, multiple main characters

- Compassionate and clever MCs.

- A fleshed out side cast of native animal characters with unique personalities and motivations.

- The cutest pair of squirrel kits you will ever meet.

- Occasional interstitial chapters featuring in-universe writing, always relevant to the current events in the story.

- Emotions running high.

Whatnotto expect:

- Power progression. The setting's magic grows through practiced technique and discovered uses, not statistics or unlocks.

- The characters to regain human form, as much as they wish they could.

- World-ending stakes. The stakes may sometimes be life-or-death, but only for the characters themselves.