5 Chapter 5

"Anything new?" Stevens asked one of the nurses assigned to look after Lucas throughout the night. She quickly scanned all the monitors connected to Lucas and found no abnormalities.

"He slept through the entire night, Dr. Stevens," the nurse replied as she began injecting medicine into Lucas' IV.

Suddenly, the monitors began to act up and beep loudly. Stevens immediately rushed to check on Lucas, her face filled with shock. "He's seizing! I need some help here!"

Frantic and worried, Stevens and the nurse quickly positioned Lucas on his side as he thrashed in bed. "What did you do?" Stevens asked the nurse, perplexed by Lucas' sudden seizure. Yesterday's scans had been normal, showing no damage to the brain.

The nurse replied, "Nothing. I was just adding antibiotics."

Multiple nurses rushed into the room as Stevens shouted, "I need some Ativan!"

"One nurse immediately responded, "On it, doctor!" She handed Stevens a syringe, which she promptly injected into Lucas.

"This doesn't make sense," Stevens muttered aloud. Even if Lucas were allergic to the antibiotics, it shouldn't have caused such a severe reaction. Moreover, the antibiotics administered a few moments ago were the same as those given yesterday, thus ruling them out as the cause of the seizure altogether.

Seeing fluids coming out of Lucas' mouth, Stevens swiftly grabbed a suction device to clear any blockages in order to prevent asphyxiation.

"Damn it! Page Dr. Shepherd immediately!" Stevens shouted, still uncertain about what was happening to Lucas.

A few moments later, both Stevens and Derek could be seen scanning Lucas' brain with the MRI machine.

"This doesn't make sense. He was fine yesterday," Stevens stated, still perplexed by Lucas' condition.

"We'll find out soon enough," Derek responded, his eyes fixed on the images appearing on the screen. The two doctors focused intently, eager to understand what was unfolding. As the images fully rendered, both of them were shocked to the core.

"There's nothing there," Derek stated in disbelief as he attempted to zoom in on the MRI image.

Stevens, equally baffled, remarked, "It's the same as yesterday. What caused his seizure then?".

Derek, with all his years of experience as a neurosurgeon, found himself at a loss as to what was happening with Lucas. Lucas had endured so much, from being physically assaulted to being involved in a vehicular accident, and now he was becoming a medical mystery. It was undoubtedly the worst year of the kid's life.

"Let's take a shotgun approach and observe once all the tests are completed," Derek suggested reluctantly. The shotgun test was not something Derek particularly liked. It involved conducting every available test a hospital can perform. While it could provide comprehensive information, it was also time-consuming and sometimes led to confusion. With multiple test results to analyze, it became challenging to interpret them accurately and avoid fixation on one abnormality while overlooking others. Discrepancies between tests could create ambiguity and hinder the formulation of a clear diagnosis.

"On it," Stevens replied, ready to leave the room. However, before she could take a step, Derek interjected, "Page me as soon as every test is completed."

********

Meanwhile, amidst the flurry of tests being conducted on Lucas, another man, recently struck by a truck, found himself inexplicably being pulled by an unseen force. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't resist the irresistible pull guiding him towards an unknown destination. As he was drawn further, a kaleidoscope of scenes unfolded before him. First, he witnessed the vastness of space, feeling like a mere observer of the cosmos. Then, his perspective shifted to Earth, observing its beauty from a distance. Suddenly, his journey abruptly ended when a vague image of a body collided with his.

Memories soon flooded the man's mind, but they weren't his own. He witnessed a woman in the midst of childbirth, her life fading away. Confusion clouded his thoughts as he questioned himself and wondered if he was dreaming or under the influence of drugs.

Another memory surfaced, revealing a nurse carrying him and attempting to hand him over to an older man, presumably in his forties. It was evident that the man didn't want him, although the man's words remained incomprehensible. Eventually, he said something to the nurse and walked away.

In that moment, the man bestowed upon him the name Lucas Grey.

Then, a new image materialized, featuring a different man and woman who cradled him with tear-filled eyes, radiating sheer joy. A cascade of memories ensued, depicting how the couple showered Lucas with love and adoration. They celebrated every milestone, from first steps to first words, and embraced the excitement of his first day at school. Time was a precious gift they bestowed upon Lucas, and their love remained unwavering throughout.

However, this joyous chapter eventually came to an abrupt end. One fateful night, the couple left to spend time alone together and never returned. Overwhelming sadness and anger consumed the boy's memories. He resented the world for taking away his parents, and his once radiant spirit turned rebellious.

Plunged into the foster care system, he despised every single placement. Mere shelter was not enough for him; he yearned to have his parents back. This inner turmoil led him to escape from each foster home, but he was repeatedly caught by the authorities and returned to the system time and again.

Eventually, he found himself with another set of foster parents, and something felt different this time. Unlike the previous homes where the caregivers merely cared about how much money the government will give them for fostering a child, the foster mother showed a genuine concern for him, albeit in her own little ways.

She prepared meals for him, engaged him in conversation, and spent precious time together. Through her, he felt a glimmer of the warmth his own mother had once provided. But just as hope started to bloom, it all came crashing down once more. The boy uncovered a deep secret harbored by his new foster parents— they were drug addicts. And his new foster father was using his new foster mother in order to increase their funds via prostitution.

Determined to not let her foster mother suffer, he wanted to report his new foster father, however, when his foster father caught wind of his intentions, he erupted in a fit of rage and subjected the boy to a series of brutal attacks. Amidst the onslaught of punches, the boy caught glimpses of his foster mother desperately trying to intervene, but the pain became overwhelming, and he eventually lost consciousness.

Upon regaining consciousness, the boy was met with heartbreakingly saddening news—his foster mother had passed away due to his foster father killing her. She may have had her flaws, but she was the first person who made him feel a genuine sense of belonging and warmth.

Bearing the physical pain of his wounds and the weariness in his body, the boy made the desperate choice to flee from the hospital. With no clear purpose or destination, he roamed the streets, his hunger and thirst driving him to beg for food from the passing strangers. Days blurred together as he walked aimlessly, unsure of where to go or what to do.

Driven by an impulse to escape the city, the boy embarked on a journey into the unknown. But his pursuit of a new beginning was abruptly interrupted by yet another tragic incident. Not far from him, a chaotic vehicular collision unfolded, and a piece of metal struck his head forcefully, plunging him into unconsciousness once more.

Suddenly Lucas' memories ended, and an intense brilliance engulfed the man, casting everything else into oblivion. As the man stood in the presence of this radiant light, the man found himself surrounded by a multitude of enigmatic inscriptions that materialized before him.

"You have died. One of our isekai trucks had a tantrum and escaped our holding facility. Upon escaping it traveled to your world and accidentally hit you and for that we truly apologize. For your compensation, we will be sending you to a parallel world. And since you are an accidental isekai case, you cannot pick the world you are headed to.

A body has been made available for you. And before you ask, no, the person who had the previous body had decided to move on to the afterlife but since you will be using his previous body, all memories found in that body's brain have been shown to you.

So that was the reason why Lucas' memory was shown to him, the man thought. Despite the weird circumstances the man found himself in, he was nothing but cultured. He knew what isekai meant and in this case, he was being transmigrated.

And in order for you to better focus on your new life, we have removed your memories of your past identity.

"Oh, yeah, I don't remember my name now. I didn't even realize that", the man thought. Just taking everything in at this point.

Don't worry, since it is our mistake in the first place. We will place a 'luck boon' in each of your immediate family members in your original world as compensation. And as for you, you will be given the following ability and gifts to enjoy your new life. 'S-rank level voice/singing talent', 'S-rank level musical talent in all musical aspects', 'S-rank stage presence' and a 'musical library'."