The eye fluttered open, its dark pupil dilating against the vast emptiness that surrounded it. A sharp breath was taken, the air cold and unfamiliar as it filled the lungs. Slowly, the view expanded, the darkness retreating to reveal the source of the unease. Kamahura Lanjiwar sat up on his bed, his body drenched in sweat. The white strands of his hair clung to his forehead, evidence of a nightmare, or perhaps a memory too painful to forget.

The room around him was silent—eerily so. The low hum of the city outside was the only sound that broke the stillness. Kamahura's breath came in ragged bursts, his mind struggling to find its way back to reality. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The tatami mat beneath him creaked as he stood, the wood groaning under his weight.

He walked towards the balcony, the cool night air a welcome relief against his heated skin. Leaning against the railing, he gazed up at the moon. It hung in the sky, bright and distant, casting long, pale shadows across the quiet street. His breath steadied, but the emptiness remained. There was a hollowness inside him that refused to be filled.

"My name is Kamahura Lanjiwar," he thought, his voice quiet in the solitude of the night. "Thirty years old. $10,000 a month. A quiet Japanese house to call my own."

The words were hollow, devoid of warmth. Success, wealth—none of it brought comfort. His fingers tightened around the cold metal of the railing as he spoke again, this time aloud, as if confessing to an unseen listener.

"No family. No one to celebrate my birthday with. Every year, I cut the cake alone."

A bitter laugh escaped him, the sound rough and dry. He closed his eyes for a moment, lost in the memories of his time at IIT Delhi, in India. His mind wandered back to a time when he had been an orphan, struggling to survive, to make something of himself. He'd found friends there—real friends—his heart warm with camaraderie. And then there was her.

Yuaika.

His lips curled into a small, sad smile as the memories of their carefree college days flooded back. They had been inseparable, partners in mischief, the best of friends. But that was then. Yuaika had moved on, married with children. They still met occasionally, but the connection was different now. The innocence of those days had long since faded.

His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall, the numbers glowing faintly in the dark.

2 a.m.

A tired sigh escaped him, and with it, the weight of exhaustion pressed down on his shoulders. If I don't sleep now, I'll be a zombie tomorrow... he thought to himself as he turned away from the balcony and made his way back to bed.

But sleep didn't come easily.

Morning Rush

The shrill sound of his alarm clock shattered the silence of the early morning. Kamahura groaned in irritation, a grimace spreading across his face as he slammed his hand down on the snooze button.

"Why is everything against me today?" he muttered to himself, blinking groggily at the clock. "8 a.m.? Oh, crap!"

His movements were frantic as he threw off the covers, his body barely cooperating with the urgency in his mind. He rushed to his closet, yanking clothes from the hangers without thinking, his heart racing in panic. He had prepared for this day—had spent days getting everything just right. But now, the clock was his enemy. I bought this blazer two days ago specifically for today! I can't afford to mess this up!

He tossed aside the clothes he wasn't going to wear, barely registering his actions. His thoughts were a blur—get dressed, grab the shoes, check the time, don't be late. Don't be late.

The floor creaked beneath his hurried steps, and as he glanced out the window, the quiet emptiness of his house settled in again. There was no one to share this moment with, no one to laugh at his absurd panic. Alone, as always.

He rushed to shut the windows, the house eerily quiet except for the hurried thudding of his feet on the wooden floor. Grabbing his shoes, he muttered under his breath, "Dammit, faster!" He fumbled for his keys, locking the door behind him before dashing outside.

The cool morning air hit him like a wall as he sprinted down the street, the city streets blurring past in a haze of motion.

But then, his eyes flicked toward something. A staircase on the side of an old building caught his attention. His heart raced even faster as an impulsive idea crossed his mind.

I can't afford to be late!

Without hesitation, he dashed toward the stairs and leapt onto the neighboring rooftop. His legs screamed with the effort, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Adrenaline surged through his body, but the fear—the raw fear—clung to him like a second skin. The wind whipped through his hair, tears streaming from his eyes as he vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, not stopping for a moment. He wasn't thinking about anything but getting to her.

Today's my day off, he thought with a small, rare smile breaking through the tension. I'm going to see Yuaika. After all this time...

His heart swelled with emotion as he neared the company building. He could see her—he could see her standing there, her child in her arms. He barely registered the pain in his legs, the sharpness in his breath.

"There she is," he whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of excitement and disbelief. "She's waiting for me. Let's go."

But then, his eyes scanned the rooftop, his breath hitching in his chest. "Wait... Holy crap, where are the stairs?"

His eyes darted around, panic starting to set in. His gaze landed on a narrow fire escape ladder on the side of the building. I can't panic now.

Quickly, he descended the ladder, his thoughts a whirl of urgency. He dashed across the street to the other side, where Yuaika stood. He stopped at the crosswalk, tapping his foot impatiently.

Come on...

But then something unexpected happened. Yuaika's child, a toddler, squirmed in her arms. In a split second, he wiggled free, his tiny legs stumbling toward the busy street.

"No..." Kamahura's eyes widened in horror.

Yuaika, stop him! He shouted, but she couldn't hear him over the sound of the traffic. She stumbled, falling to her knees as she cried out in desperation.

Kamahura's blood ran cold as he saw the child now in the middle of the street, frozen in place, unaware of the speeding car approaching. His heart raced, and the world around him seemed to slow down.

The car wasn't slowing down.

Can I even save him?

The thought echoed in his mind. He could see the car approaching, its headlights glaring in his vision. If he jumped in, there was no way he wouldn't be hit. But then the thought broke through—This is Yuaika's child.

The urgency overwhelmed him, and without another thought, he leapt forward.

"No more hesitation!" he screamed, his voice raw with determination.

He ran with everything he had, his body trembling with adrenaline, but there was no time to stop now. He grabbed the child, throwing him toward Yuaika, who caught him just in time, her arms outstretched in frantic relief.

But Kamahura didn't have time to celebrate. He turned his head just as the car was almost on top of him. He had mere seconds. The world around him went dark as the impact threw him into the streetlight pole.

Pain exploded through his body as everything blurred into a haze. He managed to catch a final glimpse of Yuaika holding her child, tears of relief streaming down her face.

I did it... Kamahura thought, a smile creeping onto his face even as his vision dimmed.

Chapter 1: The Final Breath

"Kamahura! Are you okay? Stay with me, please!" Yuaika's voice cracked, her frantic cries piercing through the chaos. She knelt beside him, shaking his bloodied shoulders as if her touch alone could hold him together.

"I… I'm dying," Kamahura whispered, his voice barely audible. Warm blood seeped from the gash on his head, pooling beneath him. The world around him was a blur—a swirling mass of lights and shadows.

"Kamahura! Don't give up! I'm calling an ambulance, just hold on!" Yuaika pleaded, her tears falling freely, mingling with the blood on his face.

He gazed up at her with a faint smile, his lips trembling. "Hey, Yuaika… take care of yourself… and make sure the kid… grows up happy."

The edges of his vision darkened further. This is it, isn't it? he thought, his body growing colder with each passing second.

Why are human bodies so fragile? His thoughts spiraled as the pain consumed him. One collision, and we're reduced to this—a mess of blood and broken bones.

If this is what life's like, maybe it's better to not have a body like this at all.

The darkness closed in, swallowing the world whole. His limbs felt weightless, his consciousness teetering on the edge of oblivion.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in the void—calm, mechanical, and entirely foreign.

"New skill 'Blood Control' confirmed: The user can control blood."

"What…?" Kamahura's thoughts stuttered. The voice was surreal, disembodied. "What is this? Where is that voice coming from?"

The pain in his head began to recede, replaced by a strange warmth radiating through his veins. His heartbeat, once erratic, now steadied, each thud growing stronger.

So, this is how it ends… Kamahura's thoughts shifted to the life he'd lived. It wasn't good enough—not what I dreamed it would be.

A bitter chuckle echoed in his mind.

I didn't even find love… didn't build a family… didn't even… His lips twitched faintly. Die anything other than a virgin. Figures.

The darkness surrounding him felt both suffocating and peaceful.

"Am I… dead now?" Kamahura wondered. His voice felt distant, like a whisper in an empty room.

Memories of countless anime marathons and manga nights resurfaced, bringing a faint sense of nostalgia. Those stories… they always talked about being reborn in another world.

"If… if rebirth is real, then I want a second chance," he thought, his resolve hardening. "This time, I'll live differently. I'll make friends, create a big family, and live without regrets."

"Create a big family, and live without regrets…"

As his final wish crystallized in his mind, the darkness stirred, rippling like a vast ocean under a faint light.

There I was...

There I was, waiting my whole life to become someone great—just like a garden with all kinds of flowers. I wanted happiness... Damn it! I thought everything would change for the better this year, the start of a new chapter—a New Year, every 365 days of hope and promises.

Even now, after dying, here I am talking to myself. Great. I guess I'm my only friend now.

A heavy sigh escaped. And that was the last thing I thought before all my senses were swallowed by darkness. Goodbye, life.

A faint voice cut through the void: "Find Echo to grow strong."

"What… What did I just hear?" Kamahura's thoughts raced, trying to latch onto the unfamiliar words.

Kamahura's consciousness flickered like a dying candle, the voice he'd just heard reverberating in his mind. Echo? What was that? His mind scrambled for answers, but none came. The vast emptiness surrounding him was all-encompassing, save for that one strange phrase.

"Find Echo to grow strong."

The words lingered in the back of his mind, like a puzzle he couldn't solve. Despite the uncertainty, there was something about the voice that felt... important. A guide? A warning? Kamahura wasn't sure, but his curiosity spurred him forward.

He focused on those words. Find Echo…

Then, something shifted.

A warmth spread through him, not from his body, but from within, as if his very soul were awakening. The cold that had gripped him in his final moments was vanishing. His heartbeat, once erratic and fading, was now steady, strong, and full of life.

For a brief, fleeting moment, the sensation was like standing beneath a rising sun, its warmth filling every part of him. Kamahura felt alive again, his pain and injuries vanishing in an instant, replaced by an overwhelming sense of power.

His surroundings began to change, the darkness ebbing away. The heavy weightlessness he had felt before was now replaced by the sensation of movement—a subtle but undeniable shift.

Suddenly, the coldness vanished completely, and Kamahura found himself standing on solid ground.

He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the new reality. The world around him was... nothing like the one he'd left behind. He was no longer lying in a pool of blood, his life fading away. Instead, he stood in the middle of an expansive landscape, unfamiliar yet strangely inviting.

The sky above him was a deep purple, dotted with floating islands and strange, unidentifiable structures. The air was crisp, and there was a strange energy that hummed in the atmosphere. It wasn't just the physical world that felt different; he himself felt... different.

Kamahura touched his chest, expecting to feel the hollow emptiness of death. But instead, he felt the steady thrum of a heart, alive and strong. His body, once broken and battered, was whole again.

He took a deep breath, his mind racing. What happened? Where am I?

The last thing he remembered was dying. Yet, now he was here—alive, in a new world. Had it been a dream? Had he truly been reborn?

And more importantly—what did the voice mean by "Find Echo to grow strong"?

The thought lingered in his mind, like a challenge. A puzzle waiting to be solved.

"Find Echo…" he whispered aloud, determination flickering in his eyes. "I don't know where this is, but I'm going to find it. And I will grow stronger. For the first time in my life, I'm going to live... without regrets."

The world before him awaited, and Kamahura was ready to step into it—ready to see what this second chance at life had in store.

---

To be continued...