I groaned as I stuffed my phone into my pocket.

"What's wrong?"

"This damn character is pissing me off," I complained. He sighed as we continued down the street.

"It's a novel, brother," he nudged me as we stopped by the crosswalk. "Let's lighten up, yeah?"

"I know, it's just... he's such an annoying guy! Literally, anybody would do better in his situation-- I would do better in his situation!"

"I wouldn't be too sure," he chuckled. "Being transported into another world doesn't sound that easy."

"To each their own, I guess."

Clicking my tongue, I pulled my phone out and started reading again. As much as the main character irritated me, the story was so good that I couldn't help but be stuck to the screen. My eyes scanned the screen as I started getting absorbed into the plot.

"Crosswalk on," the voice spoke.

I started walking forward. A grin formed across my face as I read the words on screen. After a long arc, the main character was finally going to kill the main villain! Excitement filled my heart as I scrolled faster and faster. And right before he killed the villain...

Again, I shoved my phone into my pocket angrily. Another cliffhanger? How many cliffhangers does this author think we can handle?! We need some resolution every once in a while, you know?!

"...ico!"

"You'll never guess what just happened, Leo."

When my eyes went to search for Leo, he was nowhere to be found. Instead, when I lifted my head, I saw a red hand plastered onto the crosswalk sign.

"Nico!"

Behind me was Leo, running toward me at full force. The sounds around me began to sink in. A loud blaring horn and the sound of screeching brakes. My eyes widened as I turned and watched a large freight truck tunneling my way. Time felt like it started to slow down, and sounds grew louder and louder. Was this really how I was going to die?

Suddenly, I felt a palm on my chest shove me backward. I tumbled out of the truck's path, yet there was still no relief in my heart. In my place was Leo, falling forward. He'd leaped to push me out of the way.

"LEO--"

The sound rang through my mind. A heavy thud and loud screaming. It was only after a few moments that my body was finally able to pick itself up and move. Running towards him, I felt my heart sink. My knees started to buckle as his deformed body came into view. Falling in front of him, I felt my stomach churn. Covering my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting, I hovered my hand over his body. Every part of my brain was telling me that there was nothing I could do, and yet my heart refused to believe so.

I slammed down onto the ground. If I'd just paid a little more attention, then none of this would've happened. Everything was so quiet. Why was nobody calling for help? Why was nobody moving? Tears began to form in the corner of my eyes.

Only after I felt my lungs deflate and my throat burn with each breath did I realize why it was so quiet. It turned out that I was screaming this whole time. Everything else was just so minor compared to my guttural cries that my mind never took note of them.

"Do you ever shut up?"

My blood boiled as I spun around to see who was speaking. But as I did, I found myself face to face with the muzzle of a pistol. The man behind the gun had an annoyed expression as he pressed it against my forehead.

"You can't even die properly, can you?"

My voice refused to speak. No matter how badly I wanted to say something, my body refused to listen. As I looked over at Leo's body, I couldn't help but feel upset. He'd just given his life up for me, and now I was going to waste that chance? I wanted to move, I wanted to do something...

Yet I couldn't.

"Nothing to say?" the man smiled. "Good."

In a single moment, I felt myself falling backward onto Leo's body. My limbs went limp as I watched blood fill my vision. Regret filled my mind as I started to close my eyes. As I felt my body run cold, I looked at Leo.

...

...

My eyes shot open as I felt a surge of electricity surge through my body. My body let out a few choked gasps as I struggled to breathe. Grasping and clawing at my throat, I arched my back upward in pain. But as quickly as it started, the pain dispersed, and I fell back to the ground without breath. Hyperventilating, I sat up and quickly surveyed my surroundings. Simultaneously, images of the crash as well as the man who killed me flooded my mind. Wincing in pain, I check below me to see if Leo is still there, but I find nothing.

This wasn't the city streets. There was seemingly nothing around me except the cold, hard ground. Pushing myself up from the floor, I gripped my shirt and took a few deep breaths. After a moment of rest, I collected my nerves and tried to think rationally.

"Are you calm, now?"

My gaze snapped to a voice behind me. In the once empty space, there was now a young girl sitting on a chair. She was wearing a white robe and had white hair that touched her shoulders. Her eyes had this a strange empty stare that seemed to look somewhere beyond me.

"It took quite some effort to drag you here, you know?" she sighed.

"Who are you?" I barely managed to speak. Within a blink, I found myself sitting across from her. I felt my body freeze as she stared into my eyes.

"Does that matter?" she spoke as a cup of tea seemed to manifest in her hand. "We'll probably never meet like this again."

"That's a bit..." I paused. "At the very least, where am I?"

My heart was still uneasy, given everything that had just happened. But she didn't seem like she was going to harm me. She didn't have that same look as the man that shot me earlier. And even if I wanted to do anything, I doubt I'd be able.

"If it calms you, then I guess it wouldn't hurt."

Lifting her hand, the surroundings seemed to shift once more. The space around us that was once an empty darkness transformed into a vast open sky. She placed her teacup down before looking me in the eyes. Her stare had a strange effect that sent chills down my spine.

"Well," she seemed in thought. "To put it simply, we are in between life and death."

"L-Like limbo?"

"I suppose. The reason I brought you here, hmm... I should probably tell you."

She pointed at my chest, "The scent of calamity lingers around you, you see. I figured I'd give you a chance to squirm and resist with all your might."

"Calamity...?"

She simply waved her hands in front of me, but as she did, a dark miasma appeared around me. My lungs felt as if they were going to collapse. The pressure was enough to cause me to be light-headed. As I was about to cry out, she waved her hands again, and the miasma returned to my body.

"I should say, there is no afterlife for those like you," she spoke. "It's better to just erase you. If we eliminate your existence, the calamity dies with you."

"Wait, what? Eliminate my existence?" I stammered. "There's an afterlife, but I can't go there?!"

"Calm down; this is where my offer comes in," she stood up. "Five years. I will send you to another world where you can foster the skills you need to overcome the calamity."

Before I even opened my mouth, she spoke, "But if you fail, I will have to intervene."

I leaned back into the chair, taking a few more deep breaths as I tried to process what was going on. My mind was filled with various thoughts of doubt, curiosity, and uneasiness. Whether or not to take her deal, I was struggling to choose. On one side, I wasn't sure if I was ready to die. But on the other...

"I understand this is quite a heavy decision to make, so I shall give you some time--"

"I'll do it," I stood up.

"Are you sure? There will be one restriction."

I tilted my head slightly. Walking up to me, she pointed at my forehead, "You will not be able to remember this conversation, nor your death. It is a safety measure given to all reincarnators."

"Well, then, how am I supposed to remember my goal?"

"Don't worry," she placed her palm on my chest. After a moment, I felt a warmth in my soul. "I planted a seed in your soul that will guide you."

My mind quickly flashed over to Leo and the crash. Inhaling sharply, I shook my head and thought to myself. If there was an afterlife, surely Leo was already there. Knowing that much put my mind at ease. Although I felt sorry for his family, it was enough knowing that he was out there somewhere. As for me, Leo and this girl gave me a second chance. I wasn't sure what the hell this calamity was or if I would even be able to fight it off. But that didn't matter. I was going to take every chance at life I had.

"Then, is there anything I should know before you send me there?"

"Does it matter? You won't remember anyways."

"A-Ah, you're right, huh?"

She paused. It was as if she was going through her entire reservoir of knowledge. After a moment, she placed her hand on my chest again, "There. This way, the seed should warn you when you run into one of them."

"Them? Who's them?"

"Everything else is annoying to explain, and you'll figure it out, probably."

"Probably...? What do you mean--"

A large hole opened up below me, and I began to fall. I felt shivers run up my spine as I fell into nothingness. It was a shame; I had a few more questions to ask. Not that it mattered anymore. After this, I would be living in another world. Clueless to my turbulent fate, clueless to that 'calamity' that was residing in my body, sealed away somewhere. A part of me hoped that I would be able to defeat it. And as I fell, my consciousness slipped away, too. Memories of the conversation I just had began to fade. Visions of the crash and Leo's death, as well as the man who shot me, all of it began to fade. Moments later, my eyes closed.

----

I felt a soft wind blowing against my face. That's strange, had I fallen asleep on the porch, again? Opening my eyes, I sat up and looked around me. But to my surprise, where I'd been wasn't the porch of my home but the empty streets of a marketplace in the midst of night. The architecture seemed old, historical even. Actually, the way the town looked reminded me of a fantasy game...

Wait, a fantasy game? I went to bed and woke up in the middle of the streets in a town that looked like a fantasy game?

"Was I reincarnated into another world?"