"He's awake!"
The nurse's shout anchored his consciousness further. John was lying on a hospital bed, tubes connected to his arms, machines monitoring his pulse. The doctors began examining him, asking questions about his health and whether he remembered what had happened. But John, who had yet to grasp anything, decided to choose the easiest answer.
"I... don't remember anything."
'well that's not totally a lie ,I don't get any of the body memories'
The doctors exchanged glances before one of them jotted down some notes. Then they told him he needed to rest. After they left, John remained lying down, staring at the ceiling, trying to process what had happened.
He knew he was no longer in his world.
And yet, fear was not the dominant emotion he felt.
It was excitement.
He had always dreamed of an adventure, of escaping the monotonous life he had been living. And now, he had his chance.
Flashback
He recalled the last night of his previous life. He was just a college student leading an ordinary life until the night of the exam arrived. He had no idea it would be his final night in that world.
Suddenly, he found himself in an endless void. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but he soon realized this was no mere illusion — so I died, man, that's sucks why the fuck did death wait till my last exam it could do its thing before my first exam, and all that study and restless nights
it was a new reality beyond explanation. In the middle of the void, he noticed a strange-looking lake, like a still vortex of shimmering energy, resembling a sea of plasma that did not move.
Driven by curiosity, he reached out to touch it, feeling a warm current flow through his soul, as if absorbing an unknown energy. He didn't realize its impact until his senses sharpened—his vision became clearer, as though he had gained a new kind of perception. Amid the darkness, distant lights shimmered like glowing stars, filling him with hope.
He decided to move toward one of them at random. His only option was to continue searching for an exit from this unknown realm. He traveled until he found himself before a massive sphere, which seemed to mark the boundary between the void and whatever lay beyond. He tried to enter, but it rejected him, as if an unseen force was blocking his way.
He watched as tiny openings briefly appeared before quickly closing again, releasing transparent ghostly beings that seemed to be souls crossing over. It was then that he realized his soul had changed since entering the void—it was no longer transparent but filled with mysterious colors. Perhaps it was because of the energy he had absorbed while swimming in the lake.
He attempted several times to enter through one of the openings, but they closed too quickly for him to pass. Temporarily giving up, he sat atop the massive sphere, pondering a solution. As he was lost in thought, an opening suddenly appeared beneath him, causing him to fall straight through it.
He found himself traveling along a strange path, as if there was a predetermined route he had to follow. But instead of going along with it, he defied the path and rushed in the opposite direction at incredible speed. He felt like he was flying beyond comprehension, passing through worlds and planets he couldn't even begin to understand.
He hadn't realized he was nearing the end until he saw that he had reached the other side of the path—where a boy lay motionless on a hospital bed in New York, on planet Earth.
End of Flashback
As he lay on the hospital bed, deep in thought, he noticed something strange.
A bird was frozen in midair.
It wasn't flapping its wings, it wasn't gliding—it was completely still, as if time itself had stopped. Looking around, he noticed that all the machines had also stopped. The clock hands weren't moving. The entire place had become motionless.
Then, he heard a calm voice behind him.
"You were so lost in thought, I didn't want to interrupt. But since you've noticed, let's begin our conversation."
John slowly turned around to find a shadow forming out of the void itself.
"Who are you?" he asked cautiously.
The mysterious being smiled—or at least, it seemed like it did.
"You could consider me something like a reaper between universes, but... more than that. My name isn't important, and I won't waste time on a lengthy explanation. I wasn't exactly given permission to use my power here, and if I get discovered, there will be trouble. So, I'll keep this brief."
It took a few steps closer to his bed and continued:
"After death, souls leave their universes and head toward the void. My job is to collect them and place them into the Reformation Vortex, where they are reshaped and reused as new souls. But while I was busy with another task, you woke up in the void... and did something incredibly foolish."
It paused for a moment before adding with a sarcastic tone:
"You jumped into a vortex of energy, absorbed part of it, and used an unknown force to travel through the void—until you reached this universe and replaced the soul of someone who had died."
It fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "If someone told me this had been your plan for centuries, I might have believed them."
John felt overwhelmed by the information, but he understood that this entity held power over him. It could probably erase him if it wanted to.
As if reading his thoughts, the entity waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I was too late. Since you've already bonded with a new body, I won't forcibly take your soul. I'll let you continue your life here. After all, when you die again, you'll return to me anyway."
Then, it looked at him with empty eyes and said, "Do you have any questions?"
"Well, actually, I have a lot—"
"Keep them to yourself. I won't answer anything."
"But I can give you something that might be useful in this life. It's useless to me. I found it lying around in the void while I was wandering."
It reached into its cloak and pulled out something that looked like a coin before tossing it toward John at high speed. He couldn't dodge it. When it touched his body, he felt a warm sensation spreading through his soul, as if it had become a part of him.
"What is this?" John asked, touching his chest, but he couldn't feel anything tangible.
The entity smirked as it slowly faded into the darkness.
"A farewell gift."
[Do you accept the system binding?] A voice echoed from within him.