I was naked in some kind of capsule. I assumed it was a capsule because of the liquid that had just engulfed me.
"It must be a capsule to preserve a human during hibernation. The liquid is used as a nutrient transporter that delivers nutrients and oxygen through the nose and mouth, and also keeps the muscles from atrophying."
I raised my hand to touch the ceiling, but: "My arm is very weak; I can barely lift it. It must be due to the long hibernation, and this happened to my lungs just a moment ago as well."
I thought while struggling to lift my hand.
"As I suspected, there were openings that pump liquid from above and remove waste through drain openings as well. This happened a moment ago when the capsule was completely emptied of the liquid."
I tried pushing the capsule door with my hand, calming my racing heart, but the door didn't open.
"I must still be in a daze from my death; everything happened so quickly that I couldn't grasp what happened."
"It's as if I'm in a dream."
Hmm!.
A strange sound came from my mouth, but I blamed it on my vocal cords that hadn't been used for a long time.
I gradually sank into darkness, feeling my senses returning and my heartbeat returning to normal. I felt my dry throat needing water and all my muscles trembling, unable to handle the sudden use.
I didn't know how much time passed in this hell, but I felt it would end soon because I heard the sound of the door opening.
"Chk! Chk!".
I saw the door gradually opening with waves of light and the sound of steam rising.
"Ouch!".
My eyes started burning, and tears flowed because of the sudden light waves, so I closed them and placed my hand over my eyes to block the light waves.
I forced my feet to move forward, and as soon as I took a step, I felt a sudden weightlessness.
"Oh damn".
As soon as I realized what had happened, I fell directly on my face.
"Boom".
"Ouch! Damn, my nose".
I felt warm liquid dripping from my nose, so I held my nose with my hand and lifted my head.
I began to feel the light waves decreasing, so I forced my eyes to open.
When I finally managed to open my eyes, the bright light filled the place, revealing dilapidated walls and scientific equipment that seemed from another era. The sounds from the capsule echoed in the empty space.
"Hmm, just as I expected, but it looks a bit different from what I anticipated."
I expected to be in some kind of laboratory, but it seemed abandoned?
The air was still, saturated with the smell of rusty metal and old chemicals.
The only sounds were the echoes of dripping water from rusty pipes, and the cold air touched my bare skin, increasing my feeling of loneliness in this deserted place.
"It suggests that it hasn't been used for hundreds of years; everything is almost eroded."
I leaned on a nearby table to stand, surrounded by strange devices that looked like ancient relics of old technology.
I turned to see the capsule I was in.
"The capsule is strangely small; how was I inside it?"
It was a small, compact white capsule with wires dangling from it as if they were veins feeding it life.
The fears I initially suppressed began to increase, and what I feared, I believe, has happened.
"My strange voice, my diminishing field of vision, my weak body, all point to one thing."
I tried to find a mirror. Although most of them were eroded, I found one in the corner of the lab.
I forced my body to walk and leaned on desks and chairs until I reached the mirror.
What was in front of me was a strange face I didn't recognize at all.
A seven or eight-year-old boy, with black hair, black eyes, and features of a very handsome child.
"Ahhhhh! Who is this? How did I become a child, damn it!"
I started screaming in panic and stumbled, falling backward without noticing.
"Ouch, that hurts".
I felt dizziness taking over my brain as it tried to comprehend the fact that it had turned into a child.
In the end, I stood before the corroded mirror, my new face staring back at me with wide, confused eyes.
"Damn it! How did this happen."
I grumbled as I placed my hand on the mirror, looking at the child in front of me.
"Well, at least this child is handsome and has qualifications, and most importantly, I am alive. As long as I am alive, nothing else matters."
I tried to reassure myself with these words and saw the full side of the cup.
"It must be that I died and was reincarnated in this body or perhaps took over it? Like in those novels I read about before."
Now that I had calmed down, I started thinking about the family I left behind, my father and mother who might be heartbroken now with grief and sorrow over my death, or my girlfriend who I died in her arms and might still be blaming herself for what happened, the guilt eating her from the inside.
I felt tears streaming down my face as I thought about them and what would happen to them, 'I'm not even sure if A...'.
"Huh! What was my girlfriend's name? Why can't I remember her name!"
"Why can't I remember?" The question echoed in my mind, like ringing a bell in the void. "Maybe this is the price of a new beginning," I said to myself as I wiped away my tears and looked at the child I had become, trying to find a glimmer of hope in this new reflection.
I stayed silent for a long time until I calmed down.
"Okay! Maybe this is for the best so I don't get attached to the past and move forward."
"Let's search this lab; maybe I can find something useful or related to what happened to me."
And so I began searching.
(After a while)
"Damn it, there's nothing useful here. All I found was an old pocket watch, an old oversized gray T-shirt, and a wide brown pants," clicking my tongue.
After searching for a while, I only found a pocket watch in one of the desk drawers. It was a round, brown pocket watch, obviously very old, with writing in the middle, but I didn't recognize the language.
"It's not even working; it must need a battery change."
I put the watch in my pocket and sighed.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find out anything about myself or this lab.
"I guess it's time to leave."
I took a deep breath and turned to the stairs leading upward.
I began climbing the long stairs that seemed endless.
"How long are these stairs? I've been climbing for a long time."
I thought and continued climbing until I reached the end.
I stretched my arm up and opened the door.
Click!.
When I opened the door and stepped outside, I was greeted by the darkness of the night and a forest stretching endlessly.
I stood there, staring into the pitch black darkness surrounding the endless forest in front of me. "No city, no light, nothing..." I whispered to myself as the cold crept into my bones.
I sighed deeply and turned my body to return to the lab, but a surprise awaited me. "What! Where did the lab disappear to?" I shouted, looking around, but there was nothing but tall trees swaying silently.
The air carried mysterious calls from afar, as if nature itself was inviting me to discover its secrets. "Maybe this is the way..." I said to myself, pulling the gray T-shirt tighter around me, trying to find warmth in the bitter cold.
And so, with hesitant steps, I began my journey into the forest, armed with the faint hope that glowed in my heart. Every step took me further from the past and closer to the truth I was seeking to discover.