"Huh? where am I?"

Danish blinked, his surroundings a boundless white space with no end in sight. This... isn't the office... He was still in his work clothes, but the familiar hum of computers and voices was gone. Just silence.

"Greetings, young soul," a voice boomed, deep and echoing, like a thousand chimes in the distance.

"Huh?!"

"Oh, apologies," the figure said with a chuckle. A man in robes appeared, eyes gleaming like starlight. 

"I am Flik, the god of this realm. It seems I've made a bit of a mistake with your timeline."

"Mistake? Wait—does that mean I'm dead?"

Flik nodded, looking almost sheepish. "A rather unfortunate end, actually. You sneezed so hard it… well, led to a brain aneurysm. Rare, but it happens."

Danish's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding…".Died from a sneeze? That's the lamest death I've ever heard of!

Flik shrugged, a gentle smile on his face. "Life is unpredictable, even for gods. But don't worry—I owe you a second chance."

Danish's eyes narrowed. "A second chance?"

"Yes. A new life in a world of my choosing. You'll get to live again, with a few perks to help you along." Flik's eyes gleamed, and he waved his hand, sending out a ripple of golden light that wrapped around Danish. 

"After all, I want you to make the most of it."

"But don't worry, I will give you 2 perks."

When I heard it, I was happy. At least I can get some headstart and utilize these perks.

Danish perked up at that. "So, I'll be reborn with some cheat abilities?"

Flik chuckled. "Something like that. First, you'll retain your memories from your past life, including all the knowledge you've gathered. A handy skill, wouldn't you agree?"

Danish grinned. "Not bad. And the second perk?"

Flik's voice softened. "You'll have an enhanced constitution—a stronger body, sharper senses. Fewer illnesses, fewer injuries. And... let's just say you'll be able to adapt quickly to whatever new life you find yourself in."

Danish could feel a new sense of excitement bubbling up. This wasn't exactly how he'd pictured his afterlife, but it sounded promising. "Alright, then. Let's do this."

"Alright, but first, let's test these skills," Flik said with a mischievous smile. "Tell me the theory of quantum mechanics."

"Huh? Quantum mechanics?" Danish's jaw dropped. He blinked a few times, trying to process the request. "How the hell am I supposed to know that?!"

Before he could even finish his thought, a strange sensation jolted through his mind. Words—no, knowledge—started flooding in. It was as if someone had plugged a USB drive directly into his brain.

"Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory that describes the behavior of nature at and below the scale of atoms," Danish began, his voice almost robotic. "It is the foundation of all quantum physics, which includes quantum chemistry, quantum field theory, quantum technology, and quantum information science. Quantum mechanics can describe many systems that classical physics cannot. Classical physics can describe many aspects of nature at an ordinary macroscopic scale, but is not sufficient for describing them at very small—woah, woah, woah! How do I even know this stuff?!"

Danish stumbled back, clutching his head. "I don't even remember reading about quantum mechanics in my life!"

Flik chuckled, clapping his hands. "Nice! Looks like the first skill is working perfectly. Instant knowledge absorption—check."

Danish stared at him, dumbfounded. "You could've just asked me to recite something simpler, like… how to bake a cake!"

Flik smirked. "Where's the fun in that? Now, let's test the second skill."

"Alright, sure," Danish muttered, still trying to recover from the overload of quantum knowledge. "What's the—"

Before he could finish, a deafening BANG echoed in the white space. A bullet whizzed straight toward his head.

"WHAT THE—?!"

Time seemed to slow down. Danish felt a sudden rush of adrenaline, his senses heightening to an almost supernatural level. Without thinking, his body reacted. He dropped to the ground, rolled to the side, and then flipped backward several times, narrowly dodging the projectile.

He landed in a crouch, breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his ears.

"What the hell was that?!" Danish shouted, looking up at Flik, who was grinning like a proud parent.

"Just a little live demonstration of your reflexes," Flik said with a casual shrug. "Congratulations, your enhanced constitution and senses are working just fine."

"Fine?! You just shot at me!" Danish glared, still catching his breath. "You could've killed me!"

"Nah," Flik waved dismissively. "I would've stopped it if you didn't react in time. But you did react, so… two for two!"

Danish slumped onto the floor, shaking his head. "This is insane… I'm insane…"

Flik crouched down, meeting his gaze. "Insane or not, you're ready. These gifts will make your second life more exciting—trust me."

Danish groaned, still processing what had just happened. "Exciting, you say? This better not kill me again…"

"With the procedures been taken care of, it is there anything you want to mention, Danish?" 

"Well, I think you had gave me a good one actually."

"Very well." Flik nodded, his hand raised in a farewell gesture. "Remember, Danish—your journey is yours to shape. Enjoy it. But maybe... avoid sneezing too hard this time around."

Before he could protest, everything around Danish turned into a bright, blinding light.

-----------------

24 December 1761

Sultan Mustafa III paced in circles, waiting anxiously outside his wife Mihrişah Sultan's chambers. This was his firstborn, a moment he had dreamed of, even with six other consorts in his household.

Moments later, the cry of a newborn filled the air. The midwife rushed out, her face beaming.

"Padishah, alhamdulillah, your wife has given birth to a healthy baby boy."

"Alhamdulillah! May I come in?" Mustafa asked, a smile breaking through his worry.

"Of course, my sultan"

Mustafa entered, his eyes drawn to Mihrişah Sultan, who lay holding their child, her face weary but radiant. He knelt beside her, gazing at the baby swaddled in her arms.

"Thank you, my dearest," he murmured, lifting the newborn gently. He smiled down at the small face. "From this moment, you shall be called Selim."

At the same time,

"What... where am I?" I struggled to open my eyes, only to see a man in his mid-40s standing over me, gazing down with a mix of pride and wonder.

"What the... who is this man?" I tried to speak, but instead of words, only garbled, blurry sounds came out. I glanced at my hand—it was tiny. I'm a... baby?

Then I heard it. "Selim." The name echoed in my mind, triggering memories of history lessons. Selim... Selim... wait—1761. SELIM III!

"Uwargh! Uwekk!" I cried instinctively, frustration bubbling up as I realized I couldn't even control my own limbs. It seemed the first couple of years would be rough.

And so, I had been reborn, destined to become the future Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. But this time it will be different. Obviously.

In the Ottoman empire, the sultans usually had their consort on the Harem system which from the Arabic word Haram means forbidden.

Seen in the year 1761, it is still in the 18th century usually known for the age of revolution where the thirteen colonies managed to achieve independence from the British Empire and became the United States 13 years later. And there will be major events in the upcoming 2 decades as we know the french revolution. And the birth of the industrial revolution which will come by later.

With these 2 powers. This will be an interesting journey.