Sensing the strange and awkward silence wafting in the atmosphere, Connor suddenly realized that something was amiss.
Hurriedly shifting his eyes away from the window that revealed a busy neon-lit street, he turned to the girl seated opposite him.
The girl was Isabelle, a fellow student from his chemistry class. With long raven hair framing her pretty face, she was quite good-looking.
But at the moment, her beauty was marred by the annoyed frown on her face.
From the expectant look in her eyes, it was obvious to Connor that Isabelle had asked a question while his mind was elsewhere, and was currently waiting for his answer.
As much as he wanted to resolve this situation and answer her, it was quite unfortunate that he was unaware of the question.
Cursing himself for not paying attention, Connor racked his mind to try and remember what it was that she had asked.
The first thing that popped out was a memory of a shy, nerdier-looking Isabelle from middle-school, but he quickly dismissed this as an irrelevant thought.
There was no way that the two Isabelles could be the same person, they were too different.
Pushing that out of his mind, Connor quickly went over the events leading up to this date.
It was actually Isabelle who had walked up to him and confidently asked him out on a date, just the day before.
Naturally, Connor had been rather surprised. On the few occasions that he had seen Isabelle, she had always come off as an emotionless ice queen, rarely showing any tangible reaction unless it was related to the professor’s lecture.
Regardless, he had happily accepted her invitation, after all, what man didn’t dream about being asked out by a pretty girl?
Honestly speaking, Connor was more than a little proud of himself for having received the romantic attention of such a beauty. The envious looks from his classmates was quite a boost to his ego.
Even the fact that Isabelle was largely impassive and dispassionate in class couldn’t stop him from hoping for something special on their date.
Full of expectation, he had met up with her at this quaint little cafe.
Unfortunately, as the afternoon went on, Connor had quickly lost his hopeful and optimistic attitude.
With every word exchanged, he realized that the two of them had next to nothing in common.
He had hoped differently, but her introduction alone revealed that she was as serious-minded in real life as she was in class.
Isabelle was the type of person that would work hard and prepare for the next semester instead of taking a single break. Admirable, sure, but not his choice.
Apparently, she had planned out her entire life with schedules, charts, and goal maps. In fact, her final goal was to win a Nobel Prize!
Hearing all this, Connor wouldn’t have been particularly surprised if Isabelle added that she had an organized chart on what food was to be eaten for every meal, a special spot on her couch reserved for no one but herself, and an iron-clad schedule with exact times for bathroom breaks, along with detailed records of her bowel movements.
Honestly, he had half-hoped that she would jump up and say, “Bazinga!” revealing that the entire thing was just a joke to break the ice.
But as Isabelle continued her descriptive introduction showing no intention of jumping, Connor had quickly lost that sliver of hope as well.
In the end, he had disappointedly concluded that the main reason she had asked him out was probably due to his high grades, which were slightly above her own.
Too bad for her, Connor was a guy who had next to no interest in studying unless an exam was around the corner.
Sure, he was fairly intrigued by how the world worked and how the universe ticked. Sure, he got some kicks out of solving difficult problems. Sure, he could spend hours dreaming up theories on subjects that interested him. But in the end, that was always overshadowed by the joy of having fun.
To him, studying was something that had to be done and not something he actually wanted to do. His primary goal was to find some cushy job that paid more for the least amount of work possible, make some good investments, and just kick back and relax, a stark contrast from Isabelle’s own.
Unaware of Connor’s opposing thoughts, Isabelle had finished her introduction. With a light smile, she had excitedly moved onto a speech about a recently published theory on cryopreservation.
Realizing that she was referring to that half-baked solution published last week, Connor had quickly lost interest.
With no intention of continuing to listen, Connor resorted to occasional nods as he sipped on his milkshake and stared out of the window.
Very soon, he had zoned Isabelle’s voice out and lost himself in his thoughts. His primary focus was the new Cyberthug 2099 game that was expected to be released next month. He really hoped it wouldn’t be delayed again.
Pondering on matters equally as important as the former, Connor had almost forgotten about Isabelle’s presence.
But this was when Isabelle had thrown a curveball by asking a sudden question, leading to his current predicament.
Noticing the ever-deepening frown on Isabelle’s face, Connor could see that he had taken far too long to answer. It seemed Isabelle already knew that he hadn’t been paying attention.
Connor started to feel a bit bad for ignoring her and racked his brain even harder.
Fortunately for him, the enigmatic question decided to reveal itself and emerged from deep within his psyche.
Perhaps it was due to Connor’s selfless desire to make Isabelle feel better, or perhaps it was due to a more selfish need to not be seen as a douche, or maybe, he simply had a good memory.
Either way, the question in question was, “So tell me, how were your previous relationships? Any exes that left a mark?”
With no time to wonder about how or when the conversation had shifted from cryopreservation to his love life, Connor came up with a solution to this entire problem.
To show that he had been listening and to make Isabelle feel a bit better, his only choice was to resort to the magic of comedy and crack a joke.
The fact that he had never been in a relationship before, had nothing to do with it.
Revealing a small smile, he answered with obviously pretentious sorrow, “Well… yeah. There was one ex that left a mark. Honestly, she left more of a package than a mark, a delivery if you will, and her name was Fed.”
Connor was expecting Isabelle to burst out laughing, especially since he had outdone himself with that joke, but she seemed more confused than amused.
Well, at the very least she was no longer frowning, seemingly having accepted that he had been listening even though he hadn’t, and that was a victory in his book.
But what she said next surprised him even more.
“Isn’t Fed a guy's name? Did her parents really name her Fed? By the way, what do you mean by 'package' and 'delivery'? Is that a metaphor? As in she left a heavy ‘package’ in your heart, perhaps… trauma? Or perhaps you were being literal and she was a delivery girl of some sort?”
Connor couldn’t help but laugh at that, thinking that Isabelle was joking as well, but her genuinely confused face revealed that she wasn’t.
Forcing a smile, he shook his head with playful disdain, “Geez, Isabelle are you being serious? Can’t you even understand a simple joke? My Ex was Fed! Get it? As in the delivery service? Do I really have to name it out loud? Tsk-tsk, I thought you were supposed to be a genius...”
Even though Connor was forced to explain the pun, he still expected Isabelle to at least smile at his ingenious joke. But instead of a smile, her mouth fell into an enraged frown as her eyes started to water.
Standing up with immense force that caused her chair to crash back, she backhanded him in the face with the strength of a skilled table tennis player, “Jerk! I can’t believe you made fun of me! I thought you were different from them. I thought we were--”
Her eyes lowered with visible disappointment, her words halted midway. Grabbing her purse, she started to walk away, “I hope we never do this again! Hasta la vista, Mr. Reeves.”
Shocked beyond words, Connor didn’t even notice the various rude stares from the other customers of the cafe. He touched his stinging cheek, still unable to believe Isabelle’s reaction.
This date had been an absolute train wreck. With him not paying attention and annoying her, then barely dodging that bullet only to be slapped in the face, this was bound to be a date that would go straight into the hall of the worst dates in the history of mankind.
Still, what had he done to enrage her so much?
He had never seen the usually unexpressive Isabelle act with such emotion and began to wonder if he had done something truly heinous.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
By the time he finished reflecting on his actions and confirmed that he truly hadn’t done anything wrong, Isabelle had already left the cafe.
Fortunately, applying logic to the situation, it didn’t take Connor too long to deduce what had happened.
Considering that Isabelle had been unable to understand his joke, and that she had only become mad when he had made fun of her for not being able to understand said joke, the situation was obvious.
Isabella must have autism or some similar condition which made it difficult to understand puns and jokes.
From her point of view, considering the words he had used, it made sense to think that he had made fun of her condition.
Connor felt like an actual jerk for not asking around the university about Isabelle first, instead of coming to the date unprepared like a pompous idiot.
Still, it was true that he hadn’t intended to make fun of her either.
Eager to clear up the misunderstanding, Connor jumped up with purpose and dashed after her while shouting, “Wait!”
He slammed through the door, but not before the cafe owner shouted behind him, “Boy, hold it! I don’t care about your lover’s quarrel, but who’s picking up the bill?”
Connor replied without even turning back, “Just put it on my tab!”
The confused cafe owner shouted back, “What? What!? I don’t even know you, boy!”
Unfortunately for the cafe owner, Connor was too far away to hear, and fortunately for Connor, the understaffed cafe owner couldn’t afford to chase after him with so many customers still inside the shop.
Connor scanned the street looking for Isabelle and quickly spotted her on the other side. Dashing after her, he shouted, “Isabelle, wait up! I didn’t mean to make fun of you. I’m sorry, but it was an honest mistake!”
On the other side of the street, Isabelle turned around, an angry scowl on her face. It seemed she was quite enraged, but her eyes were shining with tears.
Connor was once again surprised by the raw emotion on her usually vacant face. He had never expected to see the frigid girl with such a heart-wrenching expression.
While Connor was enraptured by his guilt, Isabelle’s eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
Her scowl turned into a gasp of horror, her mouth starting to move as if she was about to warn him of something.
Confused by the sudden change, Connor turned around in an attempt to find the source of her fear.
*Crunch”
All he saw was an extremely bright pair of lights.
The speeding truck hit him at a speed of 69 kmph, smashing his body away like a rag-doll, like an elephant knocking over a toy soldier.
Splattering blood all over the road, Connor crashed down onto the road several meters away, his head striking the asphalt with an audible crunch.
His mangled body lay at an unnatural angle, but for some reason, he didn’t feel any pain. Only a blazing warm sensation on his torso and head, along with a freezing cold feeling around the tips of his body.
Even under the aftereffects of the accident, Connor could easily deduce that he had been hit by a truck.
Delirious, he couldn’t help but make a joke with a mental grin, ‘A truck!? Hah! In accordance with the first rule of reincarnation, will I now be reborn as the hero in a magical world?’
Unfortunately, his clever joke remained within his mind, falling onto deaf ears.
Almost immediately, a figure dashed next to him and placed his head on something unusually soft. Whoever it was, they seemed to be rather frantic.
Connor tried to see who it was, but the accident had made his vision blurry, and the afternoon sunlight happened to be right above him, making it even more difficult to see.
‘Damn you, Sun! I know you’re important for life, but could you please go do your photosynthesis elsewhere? Making me melt and sweat in the summer, using Vitamin D as an excuse…’
[Oh? This soul has a problem with the light of Helios? Convenient. I’m already getting some ideas on where to put him.
Condition #1 Accepted: Aversion to the Sun.]
Fortunately for Connor, a timely cloud arrived, partially covering the light of the sun and allowing him to see.
The frantic figure that was holding him was Isabelle.
She had placed his head on her lap disregarding the blood and was desperately calling out for help while supporting his hand and neck.
As a science student, Isabelle had some idea about first aid, but there was only so much she could do when facing a fatal accident.
Even the poor truck driver was running around in circles, trying to call the onlookers, paramedics, and even his damned insurance to send help.
Connor ignored all of that. His only thought at the moment was to apologize to Isabelle.
Eager to do so, he tried to talk. His mouth opened, but all that came out was meaningless garble.
‘Bleating Goat Sh*t! Why can’t I talk? I NEED to talk to her! Dammit, I need to explain it was a mistake. I need to clear up my name! Am I not even allowed this one wish?’
Confusing his garble for pain, Isabelle grew even more scared and started to shout louder.
Connor immediately stopped trying to talk, effectively giving up on clearing his name. For some reason, he couldn't bear to see Isabelle scared like she was. The last thing he wanted was for her to suffer even more.
But, just before he closed his mouth, a streak of blood trickled down his head and reached his mouth, falling inside.
‘Eh? Is that blood? Why does it taste so good? Like... sugar? Where’s the horrible metallic taste it’s supposed to have? It can’t taste this delicious, I think...’
[His delirious mind has a thing for blood as well? Makes things easier, I suppose. It’s confirmed then, this soul will accept the curse of Cain.
Condition #2 Accepted: Taste for Blood.]
Exactly then, that helpful cloud passed by, bringing back the blinding sunlight.
Losing his vision again, Connor was forced to forget about the strange taste of the blood.
‘Neighing Horse Cr*p, it’s you again? Do you really have to hit a fellow when he’s down? *Sigh* I guess there are worse views than the afternoon sun. Personally, I would've preferred a beautiful full moon though....
When compared to blazing sunlight, the cool of the moonlight is the obvious choice. Silvery white light amidst strands of misty clouds.
Ahh, I really wish I could’ve seen that one last time. Maybe even howl at it like I used to do as a kid...’
[How problematic. A child of Cain howling at the moon? Impossible. That’s reserved for Selene’s children. I suppose it'll have to be one of the two, a flip of the coin.
But wait, wasn’t Reynath complaining about not having enough specimens for his Fulcrum research, despite the concord?
That gives me an idea, but, does this soul deserve such a fate? I suppose we’ll see...
Condition #3 Accepted: Desire for the Moon.]
Connor’s vision began to fade, the proverbial light of the afterlife seemingly reaching out to him.
As power seeped out of his body, Connor couldn’t help but think back to his life and smile as he remembered all the fun that he had.
He had a good family, good friends, and a comfortable life. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but overall, he had been happy.
But he also felt some regret for being as impassive as he had been, ‘Maybe, just maybe, Isabelle had a point. Working hard towards a crazily impossible goal with a plan seems kind of fun. When you’re about to die, living just for the sake of playing around seems quite fruitless. But I still think that being as focused as her is a bit too much as well.
*Sigh* Maybe, we could’ve been a good couple, covering each other’s weaknesses, me teaching her to relax and have fun without being so serious, and her teaching me the opposite.
With both of our minds combined, maybe we could have even achieved some serious sh*t in the chemistry field.’
Connor could almost see a vision of a different life. A life where they became a couple, fell in love, got married, had kids, and still made the time to change the field of science.
‘But now, I guess, it’s too late.’
His lips curled into a small smile, ‘If there is an afterlife, another chance, I hope I won’t die like this again. I truly hope I can die for something meaningful… or not die at all!’
[A hope to live a life with purpose? Not all that unusual. But this along with before, it seems that he is truly suited for either path, a child of Cain or a Child of Selene. But both? It wasn’t in Rei’s list of requisite combinations, but... we can’t let him have too much control.
Condition #4 Accepted: Immortality/Undeath/Regeneration.]
Connor could hear sirens in the distance, but somehow, he knew that they would be too late.
Using all his remaining strength, Connor stared up at the blurry figure above him and forced himself to wheeze out a whisper, “I-Isabelle, I’m sorry, I really am. This... isn’t your fault. It’s mine, all mine.
Being as intelligent as you are, please don’t be stupid enough to b-blame yourself.”
Heaving from the effort, Connor forced himself to continue, “O-Oh yeah, here’s some advice from a dying friend. Don’t be such a stick in the mud. Try to relax and have fun once in a while.
Maybe find a cool guy who is fun, but still intelligent enough.
Then, I’m off! H-Hasta la vista, Ms. Hartley--”
Isabelle could no longer hold back the tears. She sputtered through muffled sobs, “Idiot, why do you think I chose you? I've been chasing after you since we were in school. You’ve helped me so much.”
Unfortunately, Connor was no longer able to hear the living.
His final thought, ‘Wherever I’m going, I hope I don’t forget her, and the life I’ve led so far. It’d be a real pity if I did.’
[A real pity indeed as it is a hope that will never be achieved. Once a soul passes from one life to the next, they will forget everything. But it is also true that Reynath is one step away from throwing a tantrum. So little soul, let me give you an opportunity.
You will be reborn, in a body set to be a specimen for the Shattered Scholar. If you can survive him and make it through, you’ll get your memories back. If not, too bad.
Deal? Deal.
Condition #5 Accepted: Memories of another life.]
At that moment, his mouth curled into a satisfied smile and Connor Reeves heaved his final breath.
The medical staff would be shocked by the uncanny smile on his face, trying to figure out why a man who had died in such painful conditions, would smile like that.
***
Having witnessed the death of her classmate, Isabelle Hartley would obviously be devastated. She would throw herself into her work, ultimately graduating at the top of her class and joining an esteemed university as a research professor.
After 30 years of arduous research and experimentation, finally, she would change the world with the invention of a single device.
A device that would allow the stabilization of any injury, even those that are obviously fatal.
Heralded as a literal lifesaver, this device will save countless lives that would have been lost under normal circumstances.
Rather appropriately, she would name this device ‘the Reeviver’. While the additional ‘e’ in the name intrigued the public quite a bit, Isabelle refrained from explaining.
‘The Reeviver’ was based on the principle of Cryopreservation, which many had concluded to be a fruitless path for the further advancement of science.
Considering the limitless applications of her invention’s use of Cryopreservation, Isabelle would win the Nobel Prize for both Chemistry and Medicine.
Having achieved her lifelong dream, she would retreat from the public eye to live a private and reclusive life.
Showing no interest in starting a relationship, she would remain single until the day of her death, refusing all would-be suitors.
To the surprise of many, she would decline the offer to be cryogenically preserved with her own technology.
Thus, at 81 years of age, Isabelle Hartley would take her final breath, leaving the earth to grieve the loss of one of its greatest pioneers, with a peaceful smile on her face.