Chapter 2: Accepting His Fate? - Part 2

Acknowledging the voice, Hiroki felt a subtle shift deep within him. Gradually, the oppressive veil of torment lifted, freeing him from its suffocating grip. With each passing moment, he felt a renewed sense of control over his body, as though his response to the voice had spurred a cascade of changes within him. Paralyzed muscles twitched back to life, and dulled senses sharpened with renewed clarity. Hiroki's body eagerly embraced the resurgence of mobility and strength, each breath carrying with it a burgeoning sense of vitality and resilience. Though uncertainty still lingered in the air, he found solace in the gradual return of control, a beacon of hope amidst the chaos that surrounded him.

The voice persisted, its tone tinged with annoyance. "You will be fine. My wind spell wasn't that powerful."

Despite Hiroki's senses sharpening and the pain receding, his bewilderment only deepened. Why was the voice speaking of wind and... spells? It felt like a surreal intrusion into his tumultuous reality, akin to a discordant note amid a turbulent symphony.

For a fleeting moment, the vivid sensation of wind rushing past him during his recent ordeal flashed through his mind. Grimacing at the memory, he added wind to his list of despised adversaries, alongside airplanes, heights, and especially parachutes.

In stark contrast, the word "spell" evoked a sense of wonder and nostalgia. It transported him back to the countless hours immersed in fantasy novels, where magic was as real as the air he breathed. The worlds and characters within those pages had become his only solace in a life filled with solitude and loss.

Perplexed yet slightly intrigued by the unfamiliar voice's cryptic words, Hiroki decided he had to see who exactly had spoken, unsure of what awaited him.

With his hands beginning to tremble, Hiroki reluctantly opened his eyes, his vision obscured by a blinding brightness surrounding him. The intense glare disoriented him, blurring everything in his vision except for a single figure.

A slight gasp escaped Hiroki's lips involuntarily.

Amidst the overwhelming light, he found himself on the ground, looking up at a surprisingly familiar silhouette. As Hiroki's vision continued to adjust to the luminous haze, his gaze fixated on the profile of a... villain. Looming over him was the imposing form of Victor Thornwood.

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He commanded attention with his striking appearance: flowing locks of blonde hair framing his face while piercing blue eyes held a mysterious allure. Draped in medieval-inspired dueling attire, the man exuded an air of aristocracy, his regal cloak billowing dramatically around him.

The resemblance to Victor Thornwood, depicted on the cover of *Ascension*, a novel Hiroki had coincidentally finished reading the night before, was unmistakable. Despite giving it a critical one-star rating for its clichéd hero and flawed magical system, he couldn't deny the allure of some of its characters.

But this was impossible, wasn't it? Characters from books didn't just step out into the real world.

Hiroki's mind swirled with confusion as he grappled to make sense of the surreal encounter. His brain raced, seeking a rational explanation amidst his chaotic thoughts. Was he hallucinating? Dreaming? Or were the paramedics cosplaying?

In a sudden epiphany, realization struck Hiroki like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the murky depths of his mind. Could this enigmatic figure be a guiding spirit ushering him into the afterlife? The entity mentioned using a spell, implying the existence of magic. A mystical spirit would have magical abilities. The fact that magic existed in this reality would prove that he was no longer a part of the mortal realm in which he was born. The soul-shattering pain that he had felt must have been the result of his death. The fact that the pain was now receding indicated he had crossed the threshold into the afterlife.

A mix of awe and disbelief flooded Hiroki's mind as he pieced together his theory. He was impressed with himself for coming up with this possibility. In hindsight, he could almost convince himself that the process of dying wasn't all that bad. As Hiroki considered the implications of his theory, a sense of wonder and anticipation washed over him. It struck him how rapidly his mind had adapted to the idea of crossing into the afterlife.

However, why had the spirit forsaken the comforting appearance of his deceased parents, instead manifesting as a character from a novel he scarcely admired? And why embody the villain from *Ascension*, a symbol of malice? Also, did this existence imply that it had just assaulted him by using a "wind spell"? Hiroki was certain that a benevolent guiding spirit wouldn't randomly attack the recently deceased. If he was in a situation where someone or something was determined to torture him using magic throughout his afterlife, he might be in a little more trouble than skydiving without a parachute. The first step he had to take was to verify the presence of magic. At the moment, there was only one place he could learn the truth from.

Confronting the being before him, fear tinged Hiroki's voice as he asked, his curiosity shining through the trembling words: "Did you just attack me with... magic?"