Chapter 1 My Arrival
Gradually, the background noises faded into silence, leaving me alone in the darkness. My consciousness, however, remained intact. "I'm going to be exposed," I thought, the weight of my impending discovery settling heavily on my mind.
It was inevitable that my carefully concealed lifestyle would be unveiled. The impending credit card payment deadline was a ticking time bomb, and any missed payments would trigger a series of letters. Letters that would eventually fall into the hands of my mother...
I hoped she wouldn't blame herself.
And my younger sister, she would cry. I hated the thought of that.
I think about the happy memories I had with her. Although I also consider her to be a parasite. She’s the only parasite that I truly accepted and loved.
I had made a promise to take her on a winter trip to the South during her school break. A promise that now seemed destined to remain unfulfilled.
Suddenly, a faint sound pierced the silence. The sound of screaming, growing steadily louder as if approaching.
Was I still alive? It defied all logic; the wound I had sustained should have been fatal. My mind raced through various possibilities. The prospect of waking up from a long coma crossed my mind. If that were the case, I could only hope that the military continued to pay me during my unconscious state.
Time ticked away, nearly half an hour passed as the screams persisted, accompanied by other indistinct voices. Panic and tension infused their words, even if their meaning remained elusive.
I attempted to pry my eyes open, but a surge of pain greeted my attempt. Still, even through the discomfort, all I could perceive was an unending expanse of blackness.
The noises became gradually clearer. The screams were likely coming from a female. She might be in the same hospital as me. Normally, this type of noise would have irritated me, but in this case, it was my sole connection to what I believed was life.
There seemed to be the voice of an older lady; I could discern it from the raspiness of her speech.
There was also the distinct voice of a male.
Yet, despite the increasing clarity of the sounds, I still couldn't comprehend what they were saying.
Then, an incredible amount of pain engulfed my body. It began in my head, as if pressure from all sides was about to make it explode.
That pain slowly radiated downwards to my other body parts.
When the pain subsided, the screaming also seemed to come to a halt.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Though my prior attempts were in vain, I resolved to try opening my eyes once again.
A brilliant light burst forth, temporarily blinding my vision.
Am I in heaven? A place I doubt I deserve, I mused inwardly.
Swiftly, my sight adjusted to the intensity of the light.
Before me stood a young woman with pale skin and raven-black hair. Her beauty was striking, though I found her more endearingly cute than overtly alluring.
I was glad to be in her care, heaven or not, this was a pleasant sight.
Slightly to the right, was an elderly lady, her hair a gentle gray and her skin marked by the passage of time. She regarded me with kind eyes. I quickly shifted my attention away from her.
Why would I subject myself to the sight of someone less visually pleasing when such an agreeable vision graced my view?
The black-haired woman's gaze remained locked with mine, and I reciprocated the stare. The emotions playing across her face were mysterious and our eyes remained connected. I didn't yield to discomfort.
Was she challenging me? The intensity of her gaze made me uneasy, yet I’m not one to back down.
“&#@&#%!@# &^$&#Q % ^#^#@!”
Breaking my eye contact, I shifted my focus to a corner of the small, gloomy room.
Seated there was a middle-aged man. With his straight brown hair, a visibly misaligned nose, and facial scars, he exuded an aura of someone not to be taken lightly.
Suddenly, he rose from his seat. It was hard to gauge, but beyond his well-built frame that strained against his brown clothing, he towered at well over six feet.
“%#^@&#^ *!@%#% %#@&@,” the young woman retorted, her tone indifferent.
What were they saying? What language was this?
Their conversation continued, yet I remained unable to decipher a single word.
My patience wore thin.
Summoning my courage, I cleared my throat and prepared to speak... Or so I attempted.
Instead, only a feeble “ah” emerged from my throat.
I tried moving. But it was as if my body was paralyzed.
Seeing me struggle, the old lady leaned down and picked me up.
That’s when I finally realized the truth: I wasn't in my old body anymore.
***
Exactly 30 days have passed since my accident, and I've come to realize that I've been reborn.
Initially, I had my suspicions about this fact, but they were firmly confirmed when I saw my reflection in a mirror.
As for why any of this happened, I'm still utterly clueless.
I've never been a religious man, reserving my prayers to the moments of gambling desperation. In fact, I've often held the belief that those who put their faith in a higher being are simply gullible. However, my current situation, inhabiting the body of an infant, seems to stand in direct contradiction to that.
"Why would anyone bother going through the trouble of putting me here?" I pondered.
There are so many more pressing matters that could use the attention of such a being. If they possess the power to orchestrate such rebirths, surely they could also eradicate diseases, halt wars, and eliminate violence.
Whoever's in charge must be a sadistic being with a twisted sense of priorities.
Regardless, I find myself strangely content that it's me who's been reborn.
Now, don't misunderstand me – I'm not exactly thrilled about life. But I hadn't planned on dying either. Moreover, I would hate it if it were an unambitious, immoral leach that was given a second chance. Plus, there's something oddly exhilarating about this experience, and I no longer have the looming shadow of my debts to worry about!
I began to chuckle, but the laughter abruptly died when I noticed my mother staring at me.