Year: 1999
Lying in a pool of his blood, an overweight man with brown hair and matching eyes stared at the night sky where the stars shone beautifully.
The sound of the ambulance was irritating, he knew there was no chance of being saved. He was sure the accident had broken more than just a few bones.
He could feel his heart slowing down and the blood trickling from a gash on his head was already clouding his vision.
He wanted to laugh. Was this how he would die? After a lifetime of struggle and bitterness, this was how it would all end?
In a damn car accident, right after a messy divorce that had cost him everything.
Yes, it seemed so, and it felt as though God Himself was laughing at him.
'Well... at least I'll have peace,' The man thought.
No more fights, no abusive boss, no childhood nightmares—just the cold embrace of death.
With that thought, he smiled faintly.
And soon, his eyes were veiled by darkness as he fell into what he believed to be eternal sleep.
But, unfortunately, he was wrong.
______________//////////////////_____________
My eyes flew open, only to shut again due to the intense light.
I thought I was dead, but it seemed I was in a hospital. Wait—no, that's impossible. I was sure five of my ribs were broken.
A bone must have pierced one of my lungs, as I struggled to breathe and choked a little on my blood.
So how in God's name was I alive? Worse, why did I feel like I couldn't move a single muscle?
////
The man's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a woman.
He felt himself being picked up effortlessly, which startled and frightened him.
'Is a 35-year-old overweight man being lifted so easily?' That was his thought as he felt delicate hands holding him, radiating a warmth so comforting that he wanted nothing more than to sleep forever in that embrace.
But his mind worked overtime to grasp what was happening.
"Congratulations, it's a beautiful, healthy boy."
It took him several minutes to open his eyes again and feel himself being lifted once more, only this time to look into the face of a beautiful young woman with black hair and brown eyes.
She had a radiant smile with white teeth and tired but joyful eyes as she murmured a single word that made him finally understand what was happening: "My baby."
That was enough for him to comprehend—he had been reborn in the body of a child.
"Low vital signals! We're losing her!" A nurse's shout caught his attention. He turned his gaze to the unfamiliar woman, only to see her holding him tightly.
He tried to say something, but only a baby's cry came out.
"Shhh, it's okay. Everything will be alright, my beautiful one."
He could feel her love, her concern for his well-being. He felt a pang of sadness as her heartbeat grew weaker with each passing second.
'I barely know her, but I can tell she was a good person.'
In his previous life, he had seen many people die. One could say he had grown desensitized, but it was still painful when you felt a connection, even just a small bit of sympathy.
"Ms. Tania, what is the baby's name?" The doctor beside her asked, knowing there was no hope of saving her. At least she could name her newborn child.
She gave him another smile, a tear rolling down her beautiful brown eyes. "Dante... his name is Dante Jones." And with that, she closed her eyes, never to open them again in this life.
____________///////________/////___________
Two months later
It had been months since I accepted that I had been sent to another world, so to speak. And how do I know this is another world?
Very simple, really—there could only be two options, given that the year I died was 2047.
Now, I was in 1999. Either I was in another reality, or I had gone back in time. Though I wasn't a genius in math or quantum theory, I knew that, at minimum, going back in time would mean returning to my past self.
Knowing my former mother had lived until 87, I had faith that this was another world, maybe parallel to my old one, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was the present—a new life, a new chance. I swore to myself that I wouldn't waste it. I would become the best I could, even if I had to go to hell to achieve it.
With that thought, I ended my day. After all, it was boring being a baby.
One year later
It felt good to walk again, even if slowly. Since I ended up in this orphanage in New York, I have gained some fame for being far ahead of my 'siblings'. At three months old, I was forming small sentences. By four months, I was walking without crawling, and by five, I was running around.
I must say, the caregivers in this orphanage had their hands full with me. But what could I do? I needed some exercise.
If there was one thing I learned from reading books and watching sci-fi movies, it was that whenever the protagonist went to another world, an epic and perilous adventure awaited them.
Unlike those protagonists, though, I had no interest in being a hero of justice. No, I lived for myself and fought for no one but me.
I would be strong, and I would be a man worthy of respect. That was my vow, and like a certain blond ninja, I wouldn'tgo back on my word.
/////
And so, three months passed, I now spent my time reading and studying a book I'd taken from one of the women caring for the children. She was probably a college student. I wondered if she worked here because she liked kids or for some other reason.
Well, that wasn't my problem.
It was a physics book, but to be honest, my boredom was so immense that even a physics book felt like an amusement park.
I continued reading about basic principles, though it was difficult when the letters shifted places every second.
Yes, it was irritating—it reminded me of that book I once read about demigods and Greek gods.
Still, I forced myself to read. Thankfully, I was still in the United States. It would take forever to learn another language.
'Then again, learning another language could be useful someday. That's something to keep in mind.'
I smiled slightly, which to anyone else would probably look like a cheerful, innocent baby's smile.
/////
One year and seven months
Time has been passing quickly, which is good. I had no interest in trying to play with other children because it was of no use to me.
After all, I am an adult in a child's body. This also leads me to some questions. Did my soul, so to speak, come and replace the newborn soul of a child, or did I join with it, making us one soul?
It was a thought that gave me the creeps. After all, I can be many things, a little selfish and greedy, but I am not a child killer. There is nothing more cruel than hurting someone who cannot defend themselves.
But I have good news for me. After I had finished reading the physics book and started drawing the formulas on the wall, one of my caregivers, who was always around to make sure none of us got hurt, saw my graphs.
And they immediately put me in a room and asked me questions about how I did it. I gave them the book and told them that I learned from it.
From that time on, whenever some of the interns came here, I would get a book and the following week I tried to do some calculations with it.
I not only understood physics but also tried to see other things like history from modern to ancient like Roman and Norse mythology, I must say that Thor was nothing like in the Avengers movie.
There was even a law book, which I started reading, in my old life I never cared much about these things, I was not stupid but I was not an intellectual either, I had gotten a public service job which I worked for many years of my life.
But that doesn't matter anymore, I decided to be a better man and with my own hands I will do it, maybe a CEO of some company, a Politician or a Tycoon but I swore that I would do something to be remembered and I would never regret it.
I will never be fat again and I will never accept being humiliated again, I will do things my way no matter what the cost.
3 years later
Time has passed very quickly now I am five years and seven months old and I have worked hard to train myself a little, nothing too difficult, after all, this world does not seem like some movie or something like that not from what I can tellremember at least.
But still, there can always be unforeseen events, like being mugged or a damn car coming towards you.
That's why I trained my body every time I had privacy I did push-ups and sit-ups.
I'm still too young for anything to show up but with time I will become stronger, not like a bodybuilder stuffed with steroids, but a guy with natural muscles and 02% fat.
That's why I ate very carefully, I'm not picky about food at all, my favorite is chocolate cake and baked chicken, too bad that only happens a few rare times.
Three months later
Six years old is the beginning of school, even though my orphanage is not rich, it is very well supported by some charities, so no child goes hungry or has no place to sleep.
But anyway my day started as usual wake up early, eat something, brush my teeth.
The only difference is that now I went to preschool where an intern came taking the children to and from school.
We all walked in two lines with our 'teacher' keeping a close eye on all of us. We were already walking on the sidewalk in an area where not many cars passed by to avoid any accidents.
Another intern would watch us from behind the line to make sure nothing happened. It may seem like we were messy, but that was just the paranoia of the orphanage director. Even though he was an old man, he was still kind and always worried about all of us.
It was because of him, that always tried hard to make the orphanage a pleasant place, that my 'siblings' and I always lived peacefully.
Most of us got along well and there weren't many fights, but that doesn't mean there weren't black sheep in the flock. This comes in the form of a red-haired girl who I'm sure will one day become beautiful. She had arrived a few months ago, and as much as I wanted to talk to her, I didn't know what to say.
'Would this be my first crush in this new life? Nah, I'm just not very sociable, that's all.'
"Nancy, what did I tell you about taking other people's things?" The intern called the redhead's attention, who had a comical expression of someone who had been caught red-handed.
"Teacher, it wasn't me!" That excuse was a little pathetic, I might add, and it certainly didn't convince me.
"Do you believe I'm going to accept that excuse? You can count on me to ground you in your room for the next weekend."
Her eyes widened and fear came along with the horror. I understand her reaction since the weekend is when all the children are free from any other duties at the orphanage and get together to play ball and play for as long as possible.
The tears were already building up and I knew she was about to cry in despair, but it was then that I realized that this could be my chance to get closer.
After all, it was time to have some friends 'even though they are still children and I am a grown man in a child's body.'
I walked up to the intern, giving my best puppy dog look. "Teacher, please don't stop Sister Nancy from playing with us this weekend, I can get grounded instead"
I don't know how I acted but apparently, it was good enough to break the intern's will who mumbled something about 'cute children'.
She gave Nancy a piercing look who flinched still glancing at me a little and I gave her a little nudge to which she smiled a little.
"She will be without TV for the rest of the week and that's final"
I smiled a little and as soon as she picked up what Nancy had stolen, which was a compass.
Well we all had things that belonged to our parents after they died or that simply abandoned us, I for example was going to receive mine tonight.
This was also a safety rule so that children would not lose or break the last things their parents gave them.
But that was a subject for another time, but now Nancy was approaching me. "Hm... th..thanks for helping me"
She seemed like the kind of person who was not used to thanking for something but that did not stop me from giving her a beautiful smile.
"That was nothing, it's always good to make another friend"
She smiled happily at me. "I'm Nancy Bobofit and you"
I must say that the parents who gave her that last name certainly did not love her.
Holy shit, what kind of retard has Bobofit as a last name?
But with a happy wave and a handshake I introduced myself. "Dante Jones, nice to meet you"
We shook hands and that was the beginning of our friendship.
Discord: https://discord.gg/6bhmTrCgpq
Recruitment:
Positions are paid.
Translator: Translate Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and French. To English.
Proofreader: Proofread and correct the translation (grammar, punctuation, etc.).
Experience is not mandatory.
In case you are interested, we are also training for the positions of editors (Typper), translators, and Manhwa cleaners.
4 advanced chapters on Patreon.
Patreon (+4): Azeneth2523