I am not what one might call an "extraordinary" person. In fact, if I were to describe myself, I think I embody the stereotype of someone considered "average" or simply "ordinary."
I am not very tall, just about average. I am not particularly charismatic, barely presentable. I am not especially wealthy either—I have just enough to live on. I possess no remarkable qualities that set me apart from others, but I don't have any glaring flaws either.
My name, Shintaro, is a very common name worldwide. Yet another sign of my mediocrity—a reminder that I am just a human being without any special distinction.
A simple summary of my existence and what defines me paints the picture of a nuanced person who is neither particularly talented nor flawed, yet not entirely lacking nor excessively flawed by society's standards.
Now, you're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this—why I'm speaking about myself as if I were outside my own being. Well… it's because I just died.
Indeed, at the very moment I finished that sentence, my lifeless body collapsed to the ground, my limbs falling awkwardly. My spirit—or soul—through some inexplicable phenomenon, escaped my physical shell and observed the scene from an external point of view.
I had just been hit by a truck speeding down the road. The driver, seemingly asleep at the wheel, failed to notice me crossing the street.
Now that I'm dead, who will care about my disappearance? I honestly believe no one will mourn my death.
Letting my pitiful life come to an end—a life steeped in regrets since my early childhood, where future aspirations, commonly referred to as "dreams," were nothing more than distant, unattainable hopes for the incapable person I had become. If I had to briefly describe the world around me, well…
It would just be gray.
Only gray. Nothing more.
My body plunged into an absolute void, into nothingness. This sensation was both terrifying and relaxing. Nothing existed anymore; I felt a kind of inner liberation. Time no longer existed—or at least, there was no frame of reference to perceive it. I let my mind rest eternally in this place that would now serve as my tomb…
[■■■■■]
What was that?
What could disturb my eternal slumber?
Was it a sound?
How could such a phenomenon occur when my soul was sinking deeper into the endless abyss of death?
After several seconds, I managed to make out various shapes around me. A vast, dimly lit hall with a glowing altar at its center. It was circular and supported by 16 pillars defining its perimeter. It resembled a Greek temple. The floor… was it intangible? I didn't feel as though I was on a "physical" surface.
The real and the unreal blended before me. Imagination and reality became one.
My heart was pounding… No. My heart couldn't pound. After a few moments of looking around, I noticed that I no longer had a body.
How was the light even reaching my eyes?
After a few seconds—if one can even still call them seconds—a spectral mass began to form around the point that served as my vision. I had no defined form, like a wandering spirit with no attachment to reality. The room was enveloped in an Olympian calm, the altar glowing in the center of the vast space with an amethyst radiance. The circular room was probably about twenty meters in diameter. Four chairs were arranged around the glowing altar. Suddenly, the altar shone even brighter, shifting from violet to gold.
Moments later, the glow intensified until it illuminated the entire room. The golden light materialized before my eyes, taking on a vaguely humanoid form. Its shape continuously moved and stretched like a reflection on a rippling surface.
"[j.. ■Ā;:ý]"
I couldn't understand anything… nothing at all; it was indecipherable.
"[You, wandering soul.]"
The voice of the entity resonated throughout the room. The echo struck each pillar, reverberating into my mind.
"[I am pleased to meet you.]"
"W-what… What?" I exclaimed. This being was pleased to meet me? Me? But why?
"[That is a question requiring a very long answer, little wandering soul.]"
It could read my thoughts?
"[You are nothing but a collection of thoughts, existing solely as consciousness. Reading you is no difficult task, little wandering soul.]"
The world lost all meaning, and my consciousness froze.
This is all nonsense.
"[Indeed, from your perspective, it must seem absurd, senseless. That is perfectly normal,]" the voice continued.
Yet behind this voice lay a strange feeling. It seemed like sympathy but veiled with a kind of sorrow.
There was no point in panicking or denying the situation. I couldn't do anything about it, so I might as well approach it rationally, even if that felt counterintuitive.
"What do you want from me?" I asked the voice emerging from the golden glow—a simple question aimed at understanding its intentions.
"[Your human role will be critical in the events to come. I am here to deliver a prophecy that will aid you in the imminent conflict. I am counting on you.]"
I didn't have time to comprehend what was happening. The golden glow suddenly seemed more tangible, like a palpable being. I could make out its face—a young, angelic woman with flawless, porcelain-white skin. Her crimson eyes exuded both divinity and intimidation. She wore a robe that seemed to merge with her skin, fading into mist at mid-thigh and extending to her ankles, giving her a ghostly appearance.
The young woman approached me, placing her index finger on my forehead—or whatever form my consciousness had taken. The last thing I saw was a bittersweet smile on her face.
Then, everything changed. The world warped and unraveled. The circular room with its 16 pillars slowly dissolved into space, fading completely. I was once again plunged into the abyss. A light, like the end of a tunnel, materialized. Moments later, I opened my eyes.
Light.
It was the first thing I saw: the light. A soft, calm light, bright enough to allow me to see where I was but not so intense as to blind me.
It was strangely peaceful.
I was lying in soft grass, its gentle touch brushing against my skin. I was alone, on the ground in a forest, with only the sounds of the wind and birds to fill the silence.
The atmosphere I had been immersed in for the past few minutes was strangely soothing. The faint noises that reached my ears were pure and delicate. I could hear nature freely—the harmonious songs of birds, the rustling of trees, and the vegetation swaying under the soft caress of the wind. Yet, this serene ambiance had an odd effect: it plunged me into a deep sense of solitude.
I needed to do something now, but what?
I couldn't stay in this forest forever. First, I needed to become aware of a few details to properly begin this new chapter of my life.
Still, one question kept circling in my mind.
Why?
Why is all this happening to me now? Why was I reincarnated here? What did I do to deserve this?
In my past life, I had never been exemplary. I just followed the path laid out for me. I died at the age of 25, on April 14—my birthday. What had I accomplished? Not much. My school years were really blurry, as if a fog had settled over them. But for how long? For how long had I lived with this fog, this monotonous feeling that made everything I did seem dull?
I couldn't remember. Always this fog…
Raising my head to the sky, I noticed its beauty and how… strangely, remarkably blue it seemed.
Colors?
Although it might seem trivial to anyone else, for someone like me, who had seen the world only in monotones and felt something missing, it mattered in a strange way I couldn't properly explain. Yet the colors weren't all that vibrant; they were almost dull. But that didn't matter. This feeling, this sensation etched deep within my existence, was undeniable.
Different thoughts drifted through my mind, like a boat on a river symbolizing my consciousness.
Is this what it means to want to live?
Still staring at the sky, I took a deep breath, filling my lungs completely with the pure air of this forest.
"I'm… alive?"
***
I stayed in the calm of the forest for a while. But now, I couldn't remain passive.
With that thought in mind, I wandered for what felt like several tens of minutes, searching this vast forest filled with vegetation so dense it reminded me of a wild jungle. My goal was to find a source of water where I could see my reflection, ideally a lake or a pond.
After a long time, I finally reached the edge of the forest, which opened onto a massive pond. The water looked clear and clean—so clear, in fact, that I wondered if it might be drinkable. However, to my dismay, the pond was still surrounded by the seemingly endless forest. It gave me the unsettling feeling that this forest had no end.
Despite this, the scenery was breathtaking. Towering mountains loomed over the horizon, creating a magical backdrop for the place. This blend of shapes and colors coming to life before my eyes once again reminded me of how much had changed. Something as mundane as a sunset now seemed utterly unreal to me.
A simple happiness, yet so essential to life. But wait—since when have I become so poetic?
After spending a few more moments lost in these exhilarating thoughts, I slowly approached the water's edge. Suddenly, a wave of stress and anxiety about my appearance swept over me. I had certain expectations—some more reasonable than others.
So, what would I look like? The suspense was killing me.
As I moved close enough to see my reflection, my appearance gradually revealed itself. The first thing I noticed was my hair, followed by certain features of my face.
I had white hair, almost silver, with slight bluish tints that gave it a metallic sheen. My face seemed quite youthful for someone who was supposed to be 25 years old. My eyes glowed a blood-red hue, creating a striking contrast with the color of my hair.
A mix of red and silver. How… original.
The features of my face were delicate, almost effeminate—a trait that, in the society of my previous world, would have been considered a significant marker of beauty and social recognition, much like the "idols" or TV stars.
In conclusion, though the reflection of my face in the water wasn't perfectly clear, it was enough for me to take stock of my appearance. This realization lifted a great deal of doubt and anxiety lodged in my mind. I wondered if my appearance had also been designed according to some arbitrary criteria.
But well, I guess I've been both lucky and unlucky today—with my sudden, undignified death, yet also this "reincarnation" as a new beginning.