For an average person. It is hard to live in this world. It is the truth.
At a young age, we are taught that all people are made equal and that we can achieve anything with enough effort. Obviously, that was a lie. A lie inherited from one generation of losers to another.
Not all people are made equal, nor does enough effort equate to success. All we can do is fight for survival and hope for the best.
Some are born intelligent, smart, strong or even wealthy. And when everything comes together, we call these people extremely lucky. And for a person without any of that luck, for an average person, it is hard to live in this world.
And Alex is the living representation of that.
His luck in the genetic pool was terrible, giving him a frail body. And he didn't even have the chance to have wealthy and supportive parents. Even then, with his slightly above-average brain, he tried to survive in this dog-eat-dog world.
Like everyone else, he went to school, got a computer engineering degree and became a corporate slave. Like the majority of the population, there he was, working to make the rich richer.
At some point in his life, he realized how meaningless his life was. He was just a failure; no effort could save him from this pit he dug himself into.
So, he quit his job abruptly and took a break from all the bullshit. And then moved to his old home in the village to do whatever he wanted.
And the first thing he wanted to do after moving to his home town was to gaze at the twinkling stars that were invisible during his city life.
Driving his old bashed-up second-hand car, he went to a nearby hill with the least light. He was sure that the stars would be visible there. As expected, he could see the tiny specs of light twinkling in the night sky.
Alex realised for the first time that it had been years since he last saw a star. They were prettier than the neon lights that swallowed the cityscape. It was a calming experience for him.
Once again, he was reminded how small he was in the vast expanse of the universe. His lifetime and everything he did in that time frame would be synonymous with the life of a bubble. Fleeting and insignificant.
Just as he was beginning to fall asleep, he caught some light flickering in the night sky. It was brighter than the stars and left behind a trail in the night sky.
Are they meteors, he thought.
Or was it Starlink satellites revolving around the planet? Anyway, they were pretty. And unknowingly, at that moment, he wished for a better future.
Just as he made that wish, the light from the meteors intensified. Rather than going across the Earth's atmosphere and burning into oblivion, one of the lights came crashing down towards Earth, slowly increasing in size as it neared Alex.
Alex was perplexed to see this. He wanted a better life, not an easy death. After scrambling, Alex ran to his car to start its engine. For some reason, the vehicle stalled, and the meteor crashed into his car, destroying everything nearby to smithereens.
Also, Alex, who was inside the car, died in that event.
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It was cold. No, it was freezing. Alex thought as he woke up from the nightmare.
He breathed heavily, looking around to see where he was.
Looking at his right hand, he saw something strange wrapped around it. It looked like a brown cloth, but it felt rough and coarse. It looks like his hand were injured and was inside some cast.
'Where am I? What happened to my right hand?'
Alex closed his eyes, trying to recall what had happened to him. For a fact, he knew that he was on a hill near his home.
But how did he end up here? Did the asteroid hit me? Is this a lucid dream?
He thought while trying to make sense of the situation.
But as expected, when he opened his eyes, nothing changed. He was inside a shabby room with dim lighting. It was freezing, and everything around him was foreign. His right hand was broken, and a slight pain could be felt.
'Anyway, it's better than getting smashed into smithereens by a meteor.' Alex thought while slowly standing up.
The wooden flooring creaked and made a screeching noise.
Alex felt soreness all over his body while standing up. Yet it didn't stop him from moving around.
Even though everything around him was unfamiliar, he knew the scenario playing around him.
This was just like a game.
You are suddenly thrust into an unknown world and have to fend for yourself and survive. That's what every game does, and this scenario was not any different.
He knew that he was not in a dream or a VR game. But the scenario forced him to look at the world like a game.
'If this is a game, I must analyze my surroundings and find the best possible course of action.' Thinking like that.
Alex began observing the world around him. The dilapidated wooden cabin was small and dirty. Leather and fur were stacked on the side of the bed, and a tiny oil lamp was lit near him on a clay pot.
The clothes that he was wearing were also made out of animal leather, and it covered him completely—providing him with ample warmth.
Looking at all that, Alex came to a conclusion. This place is ancient, and this might not be a place on Earth.
Looking out the window, he could see tall trees and snow covering the whole area.
It looked as if he was looking from a high vantage point.
'This wooden cabin was on a tree!'
Alex's thoughts were right. He was inside a wooden cabin made on a large tree. And this is also an ancient civilization.
Then poor Alex came to a startling realization that he was really dead.
Although he didn't know how long ago he reincarnated and how he lived till now. He was definitely inside someone else's body.
Contrary to what was expected. Alex was relaxed when he realised everything. He was old enough to know that some things were beyond his control, and there was no point in worrying about them anymore.
If he was dead, he was dead. What more could he do about that?
He lifted his broken arm up, making sure that it was alright despite moving it around. He made his way towards the door.
What awaited him beyond that door was a new world for him to explore. And like any gamer, Alex really liked a new and exciting challenge.