"Ahhh!" I cried in pain as a sudden headache assaulted me while I tried to open my eyes. It felt as if someone had shined a flashlight directly into them.
Slowly, I forced my eyes open, and upon seeing my surroundings, confusion set in, quickly turning into panic. I found myself in an unfamiliar, messy room, sitting on a chair in front of what looked like a high-tech computer. Streams of data and graphs were displayed on the screen.
"What is going on? I was just going home..." I muttered, trying to recall what happened. A headache began to creep in, but I pressed on. "...And then a bright light blinded me, and everything went black."
As I remembered up to that point, I suddenly felt wetness on my lips and nose. Panicking, I wiped it away and saw blood on my fingers. My alarm grew as the headache intensified, pounding as if someone were hammering my head with a sledgehammer. "What is going on?" I gasped.
Everything started to blur before my vision faded entirely. My head slumped forward, hitting the table and the keyboard on the computer with a dull thud.
---
Some time later, I groggily opened my eyes. My head was a mess, and dried blood crusted down my nose onto the table. As I tried to gather my thoughts, I realized I had memories of someone I didn't even know—an unassuming man named Jonathan Blake, an orphan whose parents died in a military operation.
The memories unraveled further, and with a sinking realization, I whispered, "I died... That bright light—after dying, I was reborn as this guy in a world that feels like it came out of a sci-fi novel." I spoke aloud, trying to calm my agitated mind. Who wouldn't feel overwhelmed in this situation?
"One moment, you're quietly heading home, and suddenly, a meteor hits you, burning you to cinders. The next thing you know, you're waking up in a universe where humanity has spread throughout the Milky Way, and surprise—mechs are real. Not only that, but I studied to become a... 'mech designer'?" I muttered while rising from the messy desk and heading to the bathroom to clean the dried blood off my face.
"Why does the term 'mech designer' sound familiar?" I thought aloud. As I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror, standing in front of the sink, the answer hit me like a freight train. My heart lurched, and dread settled in my chest. "I remember now. 'Mech designer'... I read that term in my previous life, in the sci-fi novel *The Mech Touch*."
The realization caused my mind to spin, and I gripped the sink for support. Fragments of the novel's plot surfaced in my memory, though they were unclear. Splashing cold water on my face, I washed away the blood and grime. Looking up into the mirror, I saw an unremarkable face with shoulder-length hair obscuring my eyes and an awkward stubble on my chin. My body was thin and slightly emaciated, with hunched shoulders and dark bags under my eyes—a clear testament to poor health and exhaustion.
"I guess even in another life, I can't grow a proper beard," I joked, attempting to lighten the oppressive mood.
My gaze fell on a razor and foam beside the sink. With a sigh, I shaved off the stubble for a clean look. "Now, that's better," I said, inspecting my reflection.
I tied my long hair into a ponytail with a hairband I found in the cabinet. Stepping out of the bathroom, my eyes landed on the state of the room. A messy bed, dirty dishes, and leftover food were strewn about. Only the terminal's glow provided any light.
I sighed in disappointment. "I really let myself go after Mom and Dad's death," I murmured, picking up a framed photo of my family. Seeing my sister's face brought a rush of memories, overwhelming me once again.
"Dammit, this is too much!" I groaned, holding onto the table to steady myself as another headache took hold.
---
After regaining composure, I recalled my sister, Jenna Blake—a mech pilot who had joined the military. "I don't think I can talk to her yet," I thought, setting the picture aside.
Pushing the matter aside, I opened the windows and balcony door to let in sunlight and fresh air. As the morning sun warmed my face, I returned to my predicament.
"I don't remember much about *The Mech Touch*, but I know the main character, Ves, and the events up to the Sandman invasion," I mused.
A grim thought settled over me. "The Sandman invasion... And I'm in the Coman Federation, which means it hasn't happened yet. But how far off is it? I don't remember any dates being mentioned early in the novel."
Determined, I sat at the terminal and logged onto the Galactic Net. "The best way to pinpoint the timeline is to check for publicly relevant information, like Ves' mechs or the leaders of the Bright Republic. Or whether the Republic is at war with the Vesia Kingdom."
I searched for information about the "Bright-Vesia War." "Hmm... Looks like these are all past conflicts. So, no war recently," I noted, leaning back in my chair.
"I can say with certainty that a war is coming between the Vesians and Brighters. I just don't know when." I then searched for Ves' LMC and his mechs.