Hello! My name is Cale Hamilton. Please call me “Cale” with affection.

I am currently in a dark place. There is pitch black darkness all around me. Though I say that, it’s not as if I can turn my head to look around, rather, I can’t move any part of my body. Whatever is binding my body is heavy and encases me completely. There is pressure holding me down which seems to penetrate through to my bones. This is what I imagine being encased in concrete must feel like.

…Huh? Now that I think about it, I only feel the pressure on my bones. As if invisible shackles are penetrating my flesh, binding only my skeleton to the ground. My bindings even seem to fill the inside of my chest and stomach, pushing outward on my rib cage.

Although this is quite the unsettling situation, and anyone – even if they weren’t claustrophobic – would certainly feel a sense of fear and panic, something about it seemed comforting. It’s a feeling of security, like a newborn baby wrapped tightly in a blanket.

I relax my body and shut my eyes… or I try to. While shutting my eyes, I am struck with a peculiar feeling. It’s as if my eyelids were removed and I was attempting to move something that wasn’t there, similar to a phantom limb. It’s an unusual feeling and something that should definitely alarm me, but all I feel is a slight feeling of unease, and even that passes almost instantly and I resume relaxing my body.

How did I end up in a place like this?

Even if you ask me, I’m not entirely sure myself.

Thinking back as far as I can remember, I recall the events that led up to this unfortunate situation.

I am in my apartment, sitting in front of my computer, anxiously refreshing the webpage on the screen. Today is the day that the final chapter of a light novel I’ve been following for years finally comes out. Coincidentally, today happens to be my birthday, and I can think of no better present than the final chapter of this saga. Like a kid, I continue to refresh the webpage, anxiously waiting for my present.

The phone rings. I glance over at it and grimace, it’s my older brother.

My relationship with my brother wasn’t necessarily bad, but we hardly spoke to each other after mom died. The main cause of this rift was undoubtedly me.

A few years before she got sick, the relationship between me and my mother deteriorated. It even got to the point where I stopped visiting her in the hospital, and didn’t even attend the funeral. Though it sounds heartless, my actions aren’t completely without justification.

You see, a few years before she got sick, I started to notice strange behavior. She would secretly leave the house for hours, not letting anyone know where she was going or what she was doing. My father was constantly at work, and my older brother had already moved out of the house, like that, they were completely oblivious to this suspicious behavior.

One day, I decided to skip school, and lie in wait outside the house to see where she goes. I watched as my mother came out of the house, looked around, and after confirming nobody was there, began to walk down the side walk. I followed her as she walked, and after roughly 20 minutes, she stopped, leaned against a wall and took out her phone.

After talking and laughing for several minutes, a relatively nice car pulled up in front of her. The top of the car was down, and you could see inside it. The only person in the car was the driver. I could only see the back of his head, but I could tell he was male, had black hair, and was wearing a pair of sunglasses. This man was definitely not my father. My mother got into the passenger seat, leaned over, and they shared a passionate kiss. After that, they drove off.

I was in shock. I can’t remember clearly what I did that day after that, but I never looked at my mother the same way again. I barely concealed the disgust in my voice whenever I spoke to her after that.

It didn’t take long for her to notice my change in behavior and confront me. I told her what I had seen and she didn’t even deny it. She broke down crying about how she felt so alone with everyone out of the house all day, and needed someone, anyone to spend time with. My opinion of her dropped even further, and with it, so did our relationship.

I thought for a while of exposing her to the family, but shortly after, she fell ill and was diagnosed with lung cancer.

I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the irony of it. Although she was my mother and her sin was definitely not at the level of warranting death, it just seemed like instant karma. My thoughts and emotions at that time were somewhat all over the place and so I tended to avoid seeing her at the hospital whenever possible. This was definitely not easy to accomplish with the endless lectures of 'family bond' and 'emotional support' from my dad on a daily basis. When I did visit, I always felt a sense of awkwardness and detachment from the situation. Looking at my dad and brother holding her hands and crying with her, I couldn't help but facetiously wonder if that other guy had come to see her here or if he abandoned her as soon as he got word.

Soon I moved out of the house and entered college. My father and brother tried numerous times to contact me and get me to visit my mother before she died, but after a while, the calls stopped coming. Then, I received a text from my brother telling me that she had passed away, and listed the date and location of the funeral. Needless to say, I didn’t attend.

Having been lost in my memories of the past, the call had gone to voice mail and the call screen was replaced by a notification of a new message. I pick up my phone and after hitting play, press it to my ear.

“…Hey Cale… I had hoped you would answer, after all, it’s been a few years since I’ve heard your voice. Anyway, I called to congratulate you on your birthday. You’re 25 now right? Time sure flies--”

I take the phone away from my ear and delete the message.

I know I’m acting like a child, and that it is my fault in the first place -- in not telling them of mom’s unfaithfulness -- that they were oblivious to my reasons for why I did what I did and saw me as a heartless person. But I can’t bring myself to talk to them anymore, at least not right now.

I shake my head, dispelling any lingering feelings, and once again refresh the webpage.

…No update.

I glance at the clock which displays the current time in cold and unforgiving numbers.

7:32…

If I wait any longer, I’ll be late for work.

With a sigh, I shut down my computer, pick up my briefcase, and head off to work.

It is a relatively short commute from my apartment to my work place. I don’t even have to board a train along the way.

I walk with a quickened pace through the streets in an effort to get there on time, when something caught my eye as I walked past an alley.

It was the rare scene of a mugging taking place. A man in worn and dirty clothing was holding onto the purse of a struggling woman. The man was taller than the woman, and was wearing a hoodie which hid most of his face. The woman had long, blonde hair, was wearing a red dress, and matching red heels. Her purse which played the role of the rope in this tug-of-war match was also red.

I stood there somewhat dumbfounded as I watched the events taking place in the middle of the alley, still hidden from the early morning sun. It’s a scene people frequently imagine encountering, but few ever actually do.

Many people speculate as to what they might do in a situation like this, but no one really knows for sure until it happens to them. The thought of running in like a gallant white knight and saving the damsel in distress certainly crosses my mind, but I discard the thought almost immediately.

I am not the type of person to butt into situations I have no knowledge of. What appears to be a mugging could easily just be a lovers spat, and the idiot running in and trying to save the woman will end up ridiculed by the very person he was trying to rescue. Besides, I’m not exactly a very intimidating person, and I’ve never acted violently in my life, even if I correctly read the situation, I would only step in to get beaten up, then robbed in place of the woman. At least she will only be robbed, not beaten.

In any case, I’ll be late for work.

Thinking this, I turn to leave, when I notice something shinny in the hand of the male. I take a step forward and look closer, focusing my eyes to get a better view.

A knife. What he was holding was, without a doubt, a knife. This situation would no longer end with just her being robbed. The struggling woman would be stabbed and most likely killed in order to get her to let go of the purse.

Before I knew what I was doing, my legs had already started to move in the direction of the two in the alley.

As I got close, the male noticed me and with a surprised look, let go of the purse.

With her opponent suddenly letting go of the other end, the woman lost her balance and fell down against the wall of the alley.

As a result of my in-ability to react to the sudden action of the criminal, and my lack of a plan in the first place, I stupidly stepped forward, charging head on into his range. What happened next was something of a blur, but I remember the outcome clearly.

I was stabbed. The man had thrust his knife into my chest, and pulled it back out. When he saw the blood coating his blade, and the blood pouring from my wound, he shrieked and ran out of the alley.

My legs became weak and I collapsed onto the stone floor of the alley. The blade must have hit an artery because my blood was already pooling in a rather large area around me. I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony, reminding me of the time I learned of my mother’s diagnoses. What a way to die.

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My body shook, and it took me a bit to realize it was from the woman shaking me. I tilted me head to look at her and saw a panicked expression. Tears were rolling down her face as she shouted something at me, but I couldn’t make out what it was. The ringing in my ears muffled the sounds of her screams, and it was all I could hear. I forced a small smile. Dying while somebody holds you in their arms and cries for you isn’t so bad. Really… what a way to die.

My vision blurred and faded to black.

When I awoke, I was floating in a vast and empty expanse of darkness. There was endless nothing-ness all around me. Far off in the distance were small lights which resembled stars.

I turn with little effort to take in my surroundings. There is a faint ambient glow around me, and it takes a while to realize it was caused by me. My body seemed to give off a strange glow in the darkness. I try to look down at it, but am unable to do so. Despite my ability to move freely, it would seem I no longer have a body and am no more than just a head.

While confirming my current situation, a small white ball appears some distance away from me, glowing dimly in the darkness. It seems to twist and turn in a confused manner and it hits me that I must look similar.

Shortly after, countless identical balls of light are spawned in, roughly forming a circle around an empty area in the center. I am one of the balls located in the innermost rings around the empty space.

Suddenly a bright white light appears in the center of the empty space, and takes the shape of a large egg. It emits a warm glow which calls to me and I unconsciously start to drift toward it.

At that point I notice that it isn’t only me, all of the white lights are being drawn to it, some faster than others. Deep within me, something tells me that I must reach the light first, and like that I rocket ahead of the rest, drawing closer the light.

The second I start to speed up, like a chain reaction, everyone around me speeds up and try to push past me. As we near the center, the space becomes cramped and some of the lights are pushed violently between the other lights until they are crushed and disappear.

I feel a cold chill in seeing this, but the overwhelming need to reach the light in the center dispels any fear that is felt. With a final, desperate push, I am somehow able to break through the front past the rest of the lights, and reach the light egg just before anyone else.

As I come into contact with it, the egg expands, enveloping me completely, and I am pierced by a blinding white light.

When I awake once again, I find myself bound in darkness.

Having recalled the past events which lead him to be trapped here, Cale sighs… though his body doesn’t actually move.

It was then that Cale noticed something. It was strange to not have noticed it until now, but he had not actually taken a single breath since he had awoken.

(When I try to breathe, I am unable to do so, it’s as if I can’t remember how to perform the action of taking air into my lungs.)

A restless feeling begins to swell, but soon dissipates.

With another breathless sigh, he attempts to move his body.

Although what forced him down was heavy enough to feel it pressing on his bones, when he moved his hand, it tunneled through the substance rather easily.

It wasn’t long before his finger poked through to the other side, and was freed from its restraints. With this encouragement, Cale shot his hand up, grabbing at the air on the other side.

Satisfied with his victory over what trapped him, he pushes his hand further into the air until the entire length of his arm is free. After this, he places his hand onto the surface.

(…Dirt?)

Confused, he braces his hand against the ground and pushes his upper body out of the dirt.

(N… no way. Was I buried alive? But what was with all those lights I saw… a dream?)

Cale twists his body and looks around.

What greets him is an eerie graveyard. Because of the fog, it was difficult to make out the entire size of the cemetery, but it seemed to be rather large. The tombstones around him were in poor condition and a fence, which appeared to have stood around the graveyard at some point, was rotted and collapsing. Past the fence, the fog thickened, and it was impossible to see anything.

This wasn’t the type of place you would find anywhere on earth. It had a distinct, other worldly feel to it. Looking around and remembering the dream he had, a single thought was born inside of Cale’s mind.

(Perhaps… I’ve been reincarnated?)

In disbelief, he mutters that thought in his head.

(No, even if that were the case, it’s weird isn’t it? If I’ve been reincarnated, shouldn’t I be a newborn baby, lovingly held in the arms of my new parents? Coming back to life and crawling my way out of the ground… it’s as if I were a zombie--)

Standing up and stretching, he tries to rationalize his predicament, when he suddenly stops his thoughts. As he lowered his arms from his stretch, his hands appeared in front of his face.

(What is this?)

Cale was shocked. The hands that appeared before him were nothing more than bone. No flesh at all could be found on the pale white surface.

In a state of mild panic, he looks down at his body. His fears became a reality. Just like his hands, his body was nothing more than bones. The bones were perfectly preserved and without imperfection, not even a trace of dirt could be found on them after clawing his way out of the ground. In another situation, the body could even be admired for its peculiar beauty.

(W… what is going on…)

Cale couldn’t take it anymore and collapses on the ground.

(Finally achieving the dream of being reincarnated in another world, only for it to end up like this… It’s too cruel.)

He complains to himself and falls into despair. Then, just like that, his despair was gone, replaced by a cleared focused feeling, similar to how you would feel after taking a shower and finish preparing for the day. All traces of his earlier self-pity, uncertainty, and fear were gone.

(Huh? What just happened? Could this feeling be like those humans who become undead and lose strong emotions?)

Having read plenty of fantasy novels in his previous life, Cale was able to rationalize the cause of his unusual calmness.

(Ha..ha… this is ridiculous. I can’t even laugh. What am I supposed to do from here?)

With a sense of defeat, he looks around, once more taking in his surroundings. His eyes stop on a particular gravestone. Unlike the other gravestones in the cemetery which were crooked and falling apart, this one stood up straight, completely undamaged. However, this wasn’t the only reason it caught his eye, the gravestone stood directly in front of him, in other words, it was his gravestone.

Out of curiosity, he leans in, and examines it closely. There was nothing, not a scratch on it. It’s smooth surface, much like the bones which made up his body, was white and without imperfection.

Cale, slowly reaches out his hand and touches the stone.

At that moment, the gravestone lights up and with a bubbling, oozing sound, a black liquid seems to crawl out various areas on the stone’s surface, forming numerous illegible characters, which in turn moved to create a circle around his hand. Moving toward the center of his hand, more black liquid crawled forth to form a pentagram underneath.

Shocked, Cale tried to pull back his hand, but it was firmly stuck against the stone. No, it is better to say that the stone and the hand were already the same object.

While tugging on his arm in vain, the black characters turn red and start to glow. Like that, he was forcefully shown an unknown world.

What appeared in Cale’s head were scenes from someone’s past life. As he was being forcefully downloaded with the life of another person. Scenes of growing up, scenes of love, scenes of war, all were being transmitted and converted into his own memories. The final thing he saw was what appeared to be a knight. He was looking up at the knight from beneath the ground with half opened eyes. The knight removed his helmet, revealing a solemn face. After saying something he couldn’t make out, the knight turned and walked away, and dirt was thrown over his face.

With a loud bang, his body was thrown from the gravestone and landing on his back, he lay on the hard ground.

(Was that the person this body belonged to?)

Showing an amazed expression, although nobody would be able find any difference from the normal expression of a skull, Cale thought about what was shown to him. If he wasn’t certain before, he was certain now. He had been reincarnated in another world.

The memories in his head were fuzzy and hard to make out, many of them already forgotten. It was hard enough for him to recall his own memories of the past, and now he was trying to bring forth the memories of another person.

From what he did remember, this world is ruled by multiple factions, constantly warring and vying for control of each other’s resources. It was a fantasy like world where demons, monsters, and magic existed. Where the strong were recognized and the weak perished.

Cale, who had led a boring life with nothing to look forward to, felt delighted to be thrown into such a brand new and exciting world. The only problem was…

(It’s unfortunate that I’ve been given a body like this, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’ve been given a second chance and, in all fairness, my dreams have been answered, all I can do is press on.)

With new found resolution, Cale stands up and heads toward the edge of the cemetery.