Ryan, Marlin's older brother, stood in the doorway, his expression a mixture of surprise and concern. He had noticed the strange look on Marlin's face—a look of disbelief, as if something was out of place.
"Are you okay?" Ryan asked, his voice calm, yet laced with concern.
Marlin blinked, lost in his thoughts for a moment, before he finally answered. "I... I don't understand. Everything... everything feels wrong. I remember... I remember my past life. I was studying, I was in college, I was supposed to have a future... but now..."
Ryan took a step forward and placed a reassuring hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Marlin, I know this is hard, but you need to pull yourself together. You've been given a second chance, and I'm here for you."
Marlin's mind continued to sift through the scattered thoughts, but he felt something strange as Ryan spoke. Memories were creeping into his mind like tangled threads, overwhelming him with vague, incomplete recollections. He remembered himself in his previous world—an engineering student at the age of twenty-two, surrounded by challenges and pressure. But there was something off, something out of place. There was a deep feeling that something in this new world didn't align with what he had known.
Marlin looked again at the small window of the room. The air was cold, and the village floor visible from here was devoid of any signs of human activity. Everything was eerily quiet, as if time had stopped. Slowly, the memories began to come into sharper focus: the house he was living in was isolated from everything else, located at the edge of this remote village. It felt like a scene from an ancient time, as though time had frozen at a particular point.
Everything here seemed strikingly similar to the Victorian era. The village itself consisted of old buildings, narrow streets, dimly lit gas lamps, and the air was thick with moisture. It all seemed like a picture from a distant past, yet he was now a part of it. Gradually, he realized that this world was entirely different from the one he had known.
"Is this... reincarnation? But I didn't die?" Marlin whispered to himself, immersed in his questions. "What happened to the owner of this body? Was there a soul swap? Was this person here before me, or did I take their place?"
Then, Marlin snapped out of his thoughts and noticed Ryan, who was silently watching him. "I need time to think," Marlin said, his voice barely a whisper.
"Of course," Ryan replied with a calm smile. "I'll wait for you. I'm going to work, but I'll be here when you decide."
As Ryan left the room, Marlin sat on the simple wooden chair by the window, trying to piece together all the fragmented memories. Slowly, he began to grasp the truth: he had reincarnated into Marlin's body, an orphan with only his older brother left.
He remembered that Ryan worked in the mines, struggling to provide for both of them. He also recalled that the house they lived in was on the outskirts of the isolated village, where there were no signs of modern life. The weight of this world pressed on him, and he became more certain that any attempt to escape might be impossible. He had to face this new reality, no matter the consequences.