Chance

I was born in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Neighbors who lived like brothers, turned on one another for supposedly believing in the wrong god and things turned ugly really quick. People who were rich like my parents were able to flee, thanks to a greedy few but couldn't escape the fate of becoming refugees.

My parents were educated enough to fight for their rights but powerless to obtain them. And those who had the power definitely hated their protests. Being kicked from one country to another, I experienced how 'kind' the world can be. Needless to say, I didn't have a normal childhood. As a child, all I wanted was one friend but we never stayed in a place long enough for me to make it happen.

However, the fight for our lives made it possible for us to finally settle in the land of the free and home of the brave. I was beyond happy when I got enrolled in a regular high school and had goosebumps. It didn't take that long for the excitement to die down. Every kid my age had their own struggles and no one was interested enough in a weird kid who picked up bits and pieces of habits from all over the world.

So after my honeymoon phase about a stable living environment, I missed my old life. Perhaps that was the reason why I immediately dived into the lake when our class belle dropped her phone while doing some tik toks. Or perhaps, I hoped to make a friend this way.

As I was diving deeper trying to get hold of the phone, I could feel losing control of my breath. My vision was getting murkier but I didn't give up. I was finally able to catch the phone and wasting no time, I started swimming upwards. As I swam towards light, a hand helped me climb ashore. However, when I wiped my eyes and looked around, I was in a world of white. A white figure with a shadowy outline was helping me stand.

As I was wondering if I was in the afterlife, the white figure spoke, "Hello Viswa. Congratulations on receiving the Universal Breakthrough System. Welcome to the system space."