In this dark place filled with warmth and a sense of comfortability, I conjured up thoughts. Thoughts about my life and what I could’ve been if I had no ego. All those years glued to my laptop screen talking shit to people on forums and comments, it didn’t take long before I grew depressed over how much of a failure I was. 

And it only grew worse knowing that I could never fix it, as I was dead.

I don’t remember much about how I died, and to be honest, I prefer it that way. I prefer forgetting my name, forgetting my family and the friends that I had made when I was alive, because looking back at myself in memories depicted as pictures, it’d be best to forget what I was, and venture in this dark void. 

But it didn’t take long before this void started cracking, and lines of bright light violently seeking for space within the dark void. It was overwhelming, and in the next instance, I found myself on a wooden high chair with a table and chairs in front of me. 

“Raiden baby, are you not going to eat your food?”

I turned my head to the source of where I had heard that gentle voice from. 

It was a woman with curly dark brown hair, dressed in a buttoned up shirt that I could clearly tell was from the Middle Ages. 

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Upon eye contact, she smiled at me, and gently rubbed my hair.

“Come on Raiden, you need to eat if you want to grow big and strong!” said the woman who was clearly my mother. 

But upon hearing her soothing, cheerful voice, I couldn’t help but look back at her in confusion. 

“The hell is a Raiden?” I said. 

“Come on, it’s right there.” she said, pointing at the bowl that I didn’t know was in front of me. 

Within it was something that resembled mashed potatoes, with small pieces of carrots and shredded turkey. 

I looked back at her, my confused expression still glued on my face. 

“Well, I’m grateful and all, but that doesn’t tell me a Raiden is.”

Hoping she'd answer my question, I continued to look at her, waiting for an answer, but it seemed as if she couldn't understand what I was saying. 

“Do you want me to feed you?” Mom asked, seemingly ignoring what I had just said. 

“No, not really, I just want to know what a Raiden is.”

But before Mom had a chance to speak, a muscular man with black hair and a renaissance shirt walked in, energized and cheerful. 

“Morning Mina!” 

Hugging Mom after greeting her, the man turned to me, pinching my cheeks.

“And morning to you too Raiden!” he said in the higher pitched voice that people usually use to speak to pets and babies. 

I dropped my jaw as the man who was obviously my dad sat himself down next to me and gently, with my hand resembling that of a toddlers, facepalmed myself as I realized; Raiden - pronounced as Ray-Den, was my given name. 

- ‘Holy crap’. I thought to myself. 

- ‘My second life debut is off to a great start.’