The Reincarnation

Nighttime: 10:30 pm, Monday, 3rd of October 2022.

The room was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the flickering glow of the laptop. I was tucked under my bedsheet, munching on popcorn as I lost myself in the captivating world of anime playing on Zetplix.

Just as the climactic scene had me on the edge of excitement, a voice drifted up from the lower floor, rudely interrupting my immersive experience.

"I know you're not asleep, Shin," my mom called out, her voice cutting through the air.

"Is she a psychic?" I sighed, exasperated by her impeccable timing.

Fully aware of the consequences that awaited me if I defied her, including the possibility of a slipper landing on my face and a long list of chores the following day, I reluctantly hit pause on the remote. With a heavy sigh, I resigned myself to the inevitability of sleep.

Leaving the fictional world behind was a bitter pill to swallow. Due to my contemplating dwindling supply of anime, the disappointment lingered. "What should I watch next?" I muttered to myself, my mind already craving the next immersive adventure.

After a few futile moments of pondering, I postponed the decision for another time, allowing the drowsiness to consume me.

As my eyelids closed, I was abruptly jolted awake by a piercing scream that echoed through the darkness. The anguished cry carried the weight of unimaginable pain, sending shivers down my spine. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a completely dark and black place known as the 'Void.'

I took a quick glance over my surroundings to get a hold of my situation. There was nothing but the endless darkness. I took a deep breath to calm my mind and carefully thought about the situation.

The void was pitch black, devoid of any light. Due to some mysterious reasons, there was nothing I could see except for myself. There was no air, and I didn't feel any temperature change: It felt like I was in a lifeless body.

After a few moments of intense thinking, I concluded that this was a dream, so I decided to explore the world of my dreams.

I began walking in the forward direction for a long time, approximately a week which I didn't realize since I had no access to smartphones or a calendar.

With an exhausted look in my eyes, I shouted in frustration. "What is this stupid dream?"

I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves, but the jar of my patience was at its utmost limit, so I made an annoyed face while twirling my eyebrow and muttered. "A teenager is supposed to have much more colorful dreams,"

A wave of disappointment took over my body, and I sighed. "Maybe I should visit a therapist tomorrow."

I sat down in the bottomless void, as there was no gravity. "How do I wake up from this stupid dream?" I mused, closing my eyes and tapping my chin.

Amidst my serious concentration, I sensed a bright light falling on my eyelids. I instinctively moved my hands before my eyes to protect them from the harsh brightness and thought, "How can there be light in a void?"

Slowly the harsh light dissipated, and I opened my eyes to see what changed around me. To my surprise, I saw a child standing in front of me dressed up in divine clothes, whose body let out a celestial light.

Without any second thought, I understood that it was God I was looking at. Although a child, his very appearance was godly and divine. His long, black, silky hair and his blue eyes looked majestic.

"I know what you're thinking, Shin," the child stated firmly. "I'm not god, but his apostle sent to handle some matters with you."

"Handle some matters?" I gaped in surprise. "But, I am sure I never did any crimes in my fifteen years of life."

The apostle chuckled and confronted me, "Don't worry! It's not about your crimes or anything like that." He then walked a few steps to the left and stated, "I can read your mind, you know."

He snapped his fingers and moved my right hand near my cheek before roughly pinching it between my fingers. "Owww! I'm sorry, Mr. Apostle," I screamed in pain as I tried to release my cheek.

"I'm sure that cleared up your questions?" he smiled. "Then, let's come on to our main topic."

"Main topic?" I questioned, bending my head slightly towards the right.

"Yes, It's about your death," he replied, folding his hands. "You have died unexpectedly, due to which your death was announced late, and you had to live in this void for a week."

"Unexpectedly? How, Mr. Apostle?" I questioned again, confused.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but for now, you just need to know that your heart suddenly stopped in between your sleep," he stated affirmatively. "I can't provide more details about it, or you might die again from embarrassment."

After hearing about my death, chills sprang down my body, and I froze in shock as my mouth opened widely. I couldn't accept it, as I had to leave my family behind before even saying goodbye.

The thing which disappointed and depressed me further was the fact that I had to leave my precious anime collection and my sacred web history behind.

"Don't state anything more. I'm already shocked. Any further, and my jaw will break," I sighed, defeated. "So, what am I supposed to do now, Mr. Apostle?"

The apostle turned towards me and mentioned, "Because it feels unfair that you died an embarrassing death when you were not supposed to, I'll give you another chance in a new world."

My depression went away, and I rejoiced as I was given another chance in a different world and partly because my dream of living in a different world was coming true. Although, I was somewhat sad as my sacred web history was being left behind.

The apostle laughed aloud for a few seconds and mentioned with a smirk and a thumbs up, "Don't worry! I've already taken care of that as your dying wish."

After listening to the glorious words the apostle said, I was beyond happy and felt obliged to follow this apostle for my entire life. I bowed in front of the apostle and thanked him with my heart.

"Skip the formalities and walk straight ahead into the new life you're being granted," the apostle smiled, opening his arms.

"Yes, sure, but I can only see the void in front of me," I pointed with a poker face.

The apostle glanced around, murmuring to himself as he folded his hands. "This wasn't supposed to happen. How are we still in the void?" He turned around, deep in thought, his finger tapping his chin and his eyes closed.

"Eh?" I sighed in disappointment, tilting my head and eyes to the left.

Pointing his finger upward, the apostle explained, "I guess you'll have to take a stroll and eventually find the way out."

He lowered his hand and fixed me with a grave expression. "Don't touch anything suspicious while you're here. I'm unsure why you were sent to the void in the first place."

I sat down, lowered my head, let out a disappointed sigh, and said, "Mr. Apostle, I don't think I'll find anything in this lonely place."

After a pause, I raised my head, offering a smile and a thumbs up. "But don't worry! I won't touch anything, even if I come across something intriguing. Besides, I don't want to die again."

"Well then, I guess it's time to bid farewell," the apostle sighed, closing his eyes. "I have a lot of matters left to take care of, so make sure to have fun in your new life."

I stood up, bent before the apostle, and waved my right hand for a final goodbye.

He disappeared in the blink of an eye, and so did the divine light, so I was left alone in the dark place without any light.

I walked forward as directed by the apostle, hoping to get out of this void and start my new life in a new world.

"I don't know how long I am supposed to walk, but I guess I'll have to bear with it," I thought as I walked. "Although, I already miss my time watching anime."

After a few minutes of walking, I saw a black orb with shining edges in front of me, and I couldn't help but wonder about it as my bar of curiosity rose rapidly.

"What is that orb?" I pondered, "Should I go near it and see it for once?"

But then the words of the apostle rang in my head. Although, my bar of curiosity already broke its limit, and I couldn't help but think, "Just going near it wouldn't do any harm, right?"

I walked towards the black, shining orb, and as I began to come near, it shone brightly, even though it was not bright enough to force me to close my eyes.

"Light in the middle of darkness?" I thought, my jaw dropping. "Maybe it's something divine."

I sighed, unable to contain my curiosity, and took a few steps closer to get a better look.

As I got near, I realized that the object was incredibly tiny, about the size of my palm. I let out a whistle of surprise, and an overwhelming urge to touch it washed over my mind.

"Although I was warned not to touch anything in here, I guess touching something divine wouldn't do any worse," I mused as I shook my head. "But a light in the middle of a dark place is pretty suspicious."

I was not able to decide, but eventually, the weight of my curiosity overwhelmed my sense of decisiveness, and I bent towards the orb to touch it.