**6:50 PM, Faculty Bathrooms**
"Come on, Martin, today you need to give 110% and ace this exam," he thought to himself, staring into the mirror.
—You'll have a tough time today, Martin —said a young man with blonde hair, carefully combing it.
—I know, but nothing's impossible.
—As confident as ever. Let's study together next time —the young man with blonde hair smiled slightly and raised his hand in farewell.
Martin stayed in the bathroom, running his hands through his hair, then splashing water on his face to cool down from the intense heat outside. He wanted to arrive in optimal condition for the exam.
**BOOOOOOOM**
A loud noise echoed around the faculty, and dozens of students rushed out to see what had happened. Martin was no exception and quickly ran to see what was going on.
"What was that? Did something explode in the faculty?" he wondered, seeing smoke rising in the distance.
After walking a few meters, he saw a young blonde man lying on the grass. It took him only a moment to recognize him.
—Camilo! Camilo! —Martin looked in horror at the scene before him. His classmate lay motionless and unresponsive.
—Help! Please! Help! —His screams were lost among the crowd of collapsed and terrified students. Chaos had taken over the surroundings.
Martin watched in terror as other students collapsed, not understanding what was happening, but the earlier explosion was probably no accident.
"I'm sorry, Camilo," he said to himself before standing up and running toward the classrooms. He was terrified, unable to speak, his knees shaking, but his body moved on its own, driven by survival instinct.
After a few seconds of running, he saw a professor getting out of her car, looking confused and incredulous at what was happening.
—Professor, run to the classroom! Don't stop! —Martin shouted at the top of his lungs as he approached.
—Run! Quickly, get away! —he urged.
The professor, confused and speechless at the sight before her, froze for a moment. But hearing Martin's insistent shouts, she snapped out of her stupor and, without even locking her car, ran toward the classroom.
"Just a little more, only a few more meters," Martin thought optimistically. The faculty door was visible from that distance. The professor, moving a bit slower, would make it at this pace.
**PAM**
"What is this? Did I trip? When?"
"Ahh, what's happening? My words won't come out."
"Oh God... my body... my body... isn't responding at all."
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS, MY BODY WON'T MOVE!"
"Professor, help me! Don't escape, you bitch!"
"Don't look at me with those eyes. Come back and help me, I helped you!"
"I didn't mean to insult, but don't leave me here..."
"Please... help me. I don't want to die, I'm only 20. I have so much left to live for."
"No, please... God, help me. I've never been very religious, but I beg you, help me. I'll give you anything, don't let me die like this."
"..."
"What a shitty end. I don't want it to end like this. I never fixed things. I regret so much."
"Dad, Mom, I don't want things to end like this. I regret many things. Please, I don't want to die like this. At least I want to fix things with my family."
"Dad... Mom... Francisca... I love you with all my heart. Please forgive me for everything. I hope you're all okay. I want to see you again... please, God, let me see them again. Don't leave me like this..."
"Just one last time, I want to say goodbye and tell them I love them. Please, God, or whatever is out there, grant me this last wish."
"Ah..."
"It's all dark. I see, I'm dead."
"How lonely. Will I be like this for all eternity?"
"Please, at least let my mind disappear too. Don't leave me in this darkness forever."
"What did I do to deserve such punishment? I only tried to be a good person."
"..."
"I thought it would be colder, but this warmth I feel, I could get used to it."
"Uhh... how much time has passed? Are my thoughts coming one after another, or are there pauses of days or maybe years between them?"
"Maybe my mind remembers some and simply erases others."
"Now that I think about it, those isekai stories were popular. Could it be possible that..."
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The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
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"How much time has passed this time? Was it minutes or decades? My head hurts too much. My memories are fragmented..."
"Who is Desty? It sounds familiar... uh, I can't remember anything related."
"This damn pain, I feel like I could die... but haven't I already died? I think I'm dead."
"Wait a moment... if my head hurts this much, that means..."
**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**
**SHIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT**
The curtain hiding the room was opened in an instant.
—What happened, daughter? —an older man entered the room. He had a thick white beard and a shiny bald head. He held a machete in his hand, ready to attack.
A young girl with brown hair and dark skin, wearing a simple one-piece dress, was breathing heavily, startled by the sudden action.
—The boy woke up suddenly with a scream —she said, breathing deeply to calm down.
—Who are you? What are you doing here? —the older man positioned himself between the girl and the young man lying on a rug.
The young man with dark hair had a wide grin on his face. He had woken from that eternal dream, and the first thing he saw was a small girl with dark skin. He had finally escaped that lonely darkness. However, due to the commotion, an older man with peculiar long ears had arrived.
The happiness was quickly replaced by astonishment, and his eyes widened. "An elf," he thought, seeing the figure before him. After a few seconds, the girl and the elf exchanged words in a strange language, and the latter approached with the machete in hand.
—*** **** ***—
Martin understood nothing, still staring in amazement at the older man's ears. Only one thing was on his mind at that moment.
"Oh shit... I'm in an isekai."
—Hello? —Martin responded softly, trying not to seem hostile.
—Erra! —the small girl exclaimed in surprise and looked at the elf in astonishment.
—*** **** erra **** —said the elf seriously, positioning himself in front of Martin as the girl ran out of the house.
Martin looked at the earthen walls and the simple design of the room. He had seen such archaic constructions in video games before. Stone houses with dirt floors, using curtains as doors.
"I'm in the desert or something like that," he concluded after thinking about it carefully.
The atmosphere became uncomfortable with the elf staring at him while holding his machete. Martin stayed still, waiting patiently to avoid causing trouble. Minutes passed, and the girl returned with a decrepit old man who seemed human at first glance.
—Hello, friend —the old man looked at Martin with a kind smile.
"He's speaking Spanish," Martin was surprised by the old man's words, remaining silent for a moment, thinking about what to say.
—Hello, sir. Where am I? —he responded respectfully.
—This is a village called Soledad. Where do you come from?
"I don't know how to answer... They could kill me right here if they see me as a threat, but I don't want to lie either," Martin thought for a few seconds and decided to disguise the truth.
—I come from the sky —he pointed with his right hand towards the starry sky visible through the window.
The old man nodded slightly, and the young girl and the elf looked astonished at the confession.
—*** *** ***— the small girl approached Martin and spoke excitedly.
—S'wei asks if you are a messenger from God —said the old man, acting as an interpreter.
"Hmm, if this is an isekai, probably a God or something similar sent me," Martin reflected on the girl's question, and without hesitation, he nodded affirmatively.
—*** *** *** *** *** *** —the girl spoke again, looking at the boy before her with curiosity.
—S'wei says that last night she saw a beam of light appear on the outskirts of the village. After investigating, she found you lying on the ground —the girl nodded at the old man's words.
—The man there brought you to this room —the old man looked at the elf, and Martin turned his head unconsciously. When their eyes met, the elf blushed and looked away.
—By the way, what's your name? —the old man changed his tone from friendly to respectful, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"Should I give my real name or lie?" Martin pondered the question. While it was another world and no one would recognize him, a very common name might seem strange in this society.
"Hmm... the village has a simple name like Soledad, let's go with that."
—My name is Key —without much thought, he gave the nickname he used in some video games.
—A pleasure, Mr. Key. This humble servant is called S'yei, and that guardian with long ears is named Kyle —the old man, sitting, made a slight bow. Seeing this, the father and daughter standing quickly bowed.
—No, no, no, elder S'yei, such formality isn't necessary —seeing things turning strange, Martin tried to stop them, but it was in vain.
—The messenger of God must receive the best treatment possible. Your mission in this world is important, and as servants, we must help in every way we can and not question the will of the gods —S'yei, along with S'wei and Kyle, looked at Martin with hopeful eyes, firmly believing he was a messenger of God due to all the surrounding events.
"Shit... it was a mistake to claim to be a god's messenger so lightly. What do I do now?" Martin felt he had grossly erred on his first day in this isekai. Religion is usually a very important and dangerous topic in such worlds.
—Messenger Key, which god blesses us with their benevolence?
Sweat began to run down Martin's forehead, and his skin got goosebumps. He had no idea about the religion of this world, their beliefs, or any related topics.
"This is my end." No idea how to evade the situation came to mind. Anxiety consumed him with each passing second. Desperately, he considered running and hiding, but he was sure the elf Kyle would catch him immediately.
—Desty —without even thinking, a word left his mouth. It felt strangely familiar and unknown at the same time, as if mentioning it evoked small ripples within him.
The word that came out of Martin's mouth reached the ears of those present as if it were a curse. Their eyes widened like saucers, and a certain terror was noticeable. Sweat began to appear on their faces. Though they didn't understand the foreigner's language, the name of this god was absolute and transcended all physical barriers.
The old man, the small dark-skinned girl, and the elf immediately prostrated themselves, not daring to lift their heads.
"What's happening?" Martin was in a state of bewilderment at the recent events, unsure of what to say, just watching in dismay.
—Get up, there's no need to bow —after a few seconds of the strange atmosphere, Martin managed to say something.
Standing up slowly, the trio smiled stupidly with a trace of terror in their eyes. It seemed Desty was more of a demon than a god, but seeing no immediate threat, Martin dismissed the idea.
The conversation continued without problems, and the atmosphere gradually calmed down, talking about trivial things. Martin learned that he was in the Sulfur Desert and that the village of Soledad was one of hundreds scattered around. The people earned their living through livestock and mining, making these places quite peaceful and safe due to their humble lifestyle. Visitors were rare, mostly locals or from neighboring villages.
The most surprising thing was the formation of the Sulfur Desert. The legend says that God appeared hundreds of years ago and made minerals rain from the sky, endowing everyone equally with wealth. Therefore, the people living in the Sulfur Desert took it as their sacred mission to populate the area and exploit the minerals.
The predominant religion was divided between the Goddess of Generosity and the Goddess of Charity, with a small dispute among believers claiming their goddess blessed the land. The village of Soledad had faith in the Goddess of Charity, with a statue of her in the village center and a small respective church.
After talking for a couple of hours, Martin understood the basics of the culture and geography of the area, forming a mental map of the place and surroundings. This was essential for planning his next step. Only the matter of special powers remained, as this world screamed isekai.
"At the very least, there should be some supernatural power or something similar. We have legends linked to gods, fantastic races, unsolved mysteries, a technologically backward world, and my rebirth after dying. It has to be an isekai; it all fits perfectly," with all the pieces coming together, only the touch of magic was missing.
Contemplating the intensely shining stars, sleep slowly invaded his body. Martin began to see images from the past, appearing one after another in his mind: Christmases, birthdays, vacations. His life had been good, never lacking anything. The happy memories made him smile and shed tears without realizing it.
"Father, Mother, Francisca, I hope we can meet again," deep in his heart, a light of hope had sprung amid the darkness that filled him—the possibility of returning to his world and reuniting with his loved ones. Clinging with all his being to this small chance, his eyelids slowly lowered, and his breathing slowed. His new life had begun.