A voice spoke up from Mr. End, breaking the quiet. "Done already? I figured this would take some time and that you would try every combination imaginable."
Ken retorted, "I don't like wasting time," his gaze shifting between Mr. End and Mr. Beginning, the two ultimate beings.
Mr. End smiled and said, "Fair enough. Efficiency is key, after all."
Mr. Beginning said, "I must say, you were quite thorough with the choices you made."
"Thank you," Ken replied with a sense of gratitude and relief, feeling a deep sense of validation for his meticulous efforts.
"Yeah!" Mr. End said. "I've never met someone who completed something with such speed and thoughtfulness as you did."
Ken could feel their amazement at his skill selections. It was an unusual combination, one they had never seen in all their years of supervising the reincarnation process, but it was simple yet effective.
In a serious tone, Mr. Beginning asked, "Are you prepared for your new life?"
"Yes, I am ready," Ken said with full confidence.
Suddenly, a thought crossed Ken's mind. His brow furrowed with curiosity, he turned to face Mr. Beginning. "Will I be a boy, or am I going to be a girl in this new life?"
The two ultimate beings exchanged knowing glances before responding in unison, "Let this be a surprise for you."
Their cryptic response caused Ken to furrow his brow slightly in confusion, his mind grappling with the unexpected answer. He couldn't help but feel a little unease at the thought of such a fundamental aspect of his identity being left to chance. But then again, wasn't that the essence of rebirth and a leap into the unknown!
Ken took a deep breath, his mind racing with doubts and fears. With a firm nod, he released his worries, steeling himself to embrace the uncertainty of his new start.
"That's fair enough," he conceded.
Ken looked at Mr. Beginning and said, "Alright, let's get started with a new beginning."
Mr. Beginning inhaled deeply, a mischievous grin playing on his lips as he released another bubble in front of Ken. Just as the bubble was about to make contact, Mr. Beginning uttered the words, "Let there be light."
In the next instant, Mr. End's voice followed, "Enjoy yourself. See you shortly, dear Ken."
A chill ran down Ken's spine at Mr. End's words. The finality in his tone was unsettling. It was as if Mr. End was saying, 'Hey, try not to die too quickly this time around, eh?'
Before Ken could dwell on the implications, the bubble touched him, and he was drawn in. The world around him dissolved into darkness, and he found himself falling into a deep abyss. He kept falling for a few minutes as his heart pounded.
Suddenly a glimmer of light pierced through the darkness, drawing closer by the second. The fall felt like a bottomless pit, time stretching and distorting with each passing moment into the unknown. Ken's mind tried to process the sensations of his formless existence. Was this what it felt like to be reborn?
As the light approached, the surrounding area began to brighten. The intensity became almost blinding, causing Ken to shut his eyes tight, allowing the radiance to envelop him completely. It felt warm, a stark contrast to the cold void he had just experienced.
Ken thought, "No wonder babies cry when they're born. It's like the most confusing light show ever."
As Ken cautiously opened his eyes, the transition felt gradual, as if his consciousness was reassembling piece by piece. His vision cleared, and to his surprise, he found himself lying facedown in gritty soil, feeling disoriented. The eerie silence was broken abruptly by a coarse, commanding voice.
A harsh voice growled cruelly, showing no mercy at all: "Get up, you worthless scum."
"Get him, Kaito," said a second, angrier voice.
"Don't do it," A girl's voice cut through the hostility. she pleaded. "You're going to get us into trouble. Mother Yuki won't like it."
The angry voice responded, "Shut up! I'm tired of him getting all the attention all the time. What's so special about him?"
Ken's mind spun, attempting to make sense of the sudden flood of names, voices, and relationships. Names, voices, relationships—all of it foreign yet somehow familiar. He felt like an actor thrust onto a stage mid-performance, expected to know his lines in a play he'd never read.
"Some warm welcome," Ken thought sardonically, his mind tinged with bitter amusement at the harsh reality unfolding before him.
Someone grabbed him roughly before he could gather his thoughts. A fist struck his stomach, causing him to lose focus for a second. The sharp, real pain in his stomach served as a stark reminder that this was no dream or simulation. He was already finding this new reality to be harsh and unforgiving.
The boy who had punched him, Kaito, yelled, "Stand up again, bitch. I'm not done with you."
Kaito's lackeys picked Ken up again, forcing him to face his tormentor. As Ken struggled to catch his breath, he couldn't help but note the irony of his situation. Those two enigmatic beings who had orchestrated his rebirth were probably laughing at his expense. "Some fresh start," Ken thought bitterly. "From scientist to punching bag. Is this what they meant by entertainment?"
Despite the pain, Ken's mind sharpened into analytical overdrive. He looked around, noticing his hands were covered in dirt. When Kaito grabbed him by the neck, Ken caught a glimpse of his reflection in the bully's eyes. It was then that he realised one of his chosen abilities was working—[Improved vision].
Lost in contemplation of his current predicament, Ken couldn't help but take note of his new appearance. "A boy, huh? White hair and total heterochromia—that's unique—one golden and one green eye. Very sickly but not bad-looking."
He almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of admiring his new looks while in the grip of a bully.
While Kaito's face contorted with hostility, Ken's expression showed curiosity rather than fear. This seemed to infuriate Kaito even more.
"Don't worry, I'll be done with this next punch," Kaito declared angrily, his fist aimed squarely at Ken's face.
Ken braced himself for the impact, but something unexpected happened. Time seemed to slow down around him. With heightened awareness, he could discern minute details of each spectator's face, their expressions a mix of morbid fascination and moral conflict.
"[Fast Thinking]," Ken realised, his mind racing at an incredible speed. "It's like I've got my own personal slow-mo button. Now, if only I had a fast-moving button to go with it."
He observed the twisted anger on Kaito's face, the savage smiles on his lackeys' faces, and the spectators' faces displaying a wide range of emotions. As Ken processed this information, another thought struck him. "I could dodge it. I can guess the trajectory of the punch."
The moment he thought of the word 'trajectory,' something strange happened. Detailed visions flooded his mind, outlining the path of the impending blow in a mesmerising display. Mental acuity unveiled a cascade of curved lines, each mapping the arc of the punch's impact.
"[Hyperphantasia]!" Ken marvelled inwardly. "Combined with [Parallel Thinking], this is like having a supercomputer and a Hollywood special effects team in my brain."
As the punch approached in slow motion, Ken's mind raced with conflicting thoughts, 'Even if he is a bully, he's just a kid. But so am I now. I should retaliate. I can't afford to be lenient with bullies. It never leads to a good outcome.'
In a sudden surge, vivid imagery flooded Ken's mind—a digital countdown ticking away the milliseconds before impact. "I'm running out of time," Ken's thoughts raced frantically. "I must make a quick decision."
He considered his options: dodge, block, or...
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sharp pain in his abdomen. In that single moment of pain-induced distraction, Kaito's punch connected with devastating force.
#BOOM#
After the punch knocked Ken unconscious, his world erupted in pain and confusion.
The last thing Ken saw was Kaito's face, still contorted with anger, and a voice shouting a name with concern. "Ryu," it said, the word echoing with both alarm and familiarity. "Ryu!"
And so, Ken—now Ryu—found himself unconscious; his new life began with a bang, but not the right kind of bang.
As far as fresh starts go, this one seemed to be more 'bitter' than 'sweet'. But then again, who said rebirth was going to be a walk in the park? At least he had some fancy new abilities to look forward to... once he woke up, that is.