Year 2024, Somewhere on Earth—
The storm raged outside, a violent cacophony of wind and rain that shook the very foundation of the world. Trees groaned in the fury of the tempest, their branches twisting like tortured limbs. Somewhere in the heart of that storm,
A boy sat, motionless, the only sound in the room the soft hum of a laptop screen flickering before him. The faint light from the screen cast long shadows across his face, making him look like a figure carved from the very darkness itself.
The room was cramped, suffocating. It wasn't the kind of space that breathed or lived; it was a tomb. If two people stood side by side, arms outstretched, they'd barely touch the walls. His gaze drifted back to the laptop, the voice of the professor in the video a dull drone that slipped into the background of his thoughts. The programming lecture continued, but his attention had long since wandered.
He sank deeper into the bed, the fabric creaking beneath him, the silence wrapping around him like a heavy, suffocating blanket. He let out a long, exasperated sigh—more a release than a breath. "Isn't my life just... too ordinary?" The thought was uninvited, but it clung to him, gnawing at his insides. Every day felt like the same, unbroken cycle: wake up, go to college, listen to lectures, come home, waste time on the bus, only to repeat it all over again.
The thought was unbearable. Novels. Anime. Sleep. That was all he had. And even that—his one remaining escape—felt hollow. The stories that once stirred his soul now seemed like faded echoes, distant and unreachable. He couldn't find anything new. There were no worlds left to explore, no characters to root for.
His mind wandered back to the last novel he'd read. It had been one of those reincarnation stories, the ones he had devoured so many times. A boy, weak and alone, was reborn into a world brimming with power, magic, and potential. He had been nothing in his first life—just a recluse, a ghost in the world. But then he had gained unimaginable strength, and his life, his destiny, had changed. "That character... he was nothing before," he thought, his fingers curling into fists. "Just a nobody. But those powers... they changed everything. They gave him a chance."
He looked down at his own hands, the ordinary, unremarkable hands. "I've got friends, family, a life that supports me. But it's not enough." He thought of his parents' concerned faces, the nagging voices telling him to stop wasting time on fiction. "They don't get it. They don't understand why I need this," he thought bitterly. "Why I need to escape."
The frustration tightened in his chest. His jaw clenched. "At least my life is better than his was before. At least I'm not alone," he tried to reassure himself, but the words tasted empty. "What's the point of all this? Why even think about things that will never happen? It's not like I'm going to die and wake up in some other world."
He stared at the ceiling, his breath slow but heavy, as if the weight of his thoughts were too much for his chest to bear. "Content... but not happy," he whispered to no one in particular. The thought sat there, a jagged, uncomfortable truth. What was the point of a life that was only half-lived? What was the point of waiting for something—anything—that would make it all worth it?
The storm outside howled louder, its fury mirroring the turmoil inside him, but he didn't move. The world outside raged, but here, in this small room, nothing changed. Nothing ever changed.
Few minutes later -
He tidied up his bed and went to sleep after scrolling through reels for half an hour.
3:00 AM
The room was still, the silence broken only by the faint hum of the fan. But then, without warning, his eyes snapped open. His breath hitched, his chest heaving as a sudden wave of panic surged through him. What the—? His mind raced, his body frozen for a moment before instinct took over.
With trembling hands, he threw off the blanket, his heart pounding as he reached down to check. The damp fabric met his fingers, and a frustrated groan escaped his lips.
"Another wet dream," he muttered bitterly, his voice laced with annoyance. "Just great."
Dragging himself out of bed, the wooden floor beneath his feet creaked softly, a sound that echoed in the stillness of the night. His movements were sluggish, his body weighed down by exhaustion and irritation. He shuffled toward the closet, pulling out a fresh set of clothes before trudging to the bathroom.
The faint splash of water filled the air as he cleaned up, the cool droplets jolting him slightly from his haze. But when he returned to his bed, the solace of sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned, the minutes dragging on like hours, the rain outside a relentless rhythm against the window.
His gaze drifted toward the glass, the storm beyond mirroring the turmoil in his mind. His chest rose and fell unevenly, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. I've got college tomorrow, and here I am, wide awake, he thought, his lips pressing into a thin line. Another wasted night.
With a defeated sigh, he reached for his phone, the blue light glaring in the darkness. He knew it was a terrible idea, but his resolve had long since crumbled. Navigating to his usual guilty pleasure—Japanese "mature" anime videos—'the ones he had sworn he'd stop watching' .He let himself fall into the numbing distraction, the tension in his chest momentarily dulled.
---
Ten Minutes Later—
The room was silent again, save for the soft shuffle of his footsteps as he made his way back to the bathroom. His reflection in the mirror stared back at him, but he avoided its gaze, his eyes hollow with exhaustion and something deeper—shame, perhaps.
The cold water splashed against his skin, chasing away the last remnants of heat. His movements were mechanical, almost robotic, as if he were going through the motions without thought. He dried off and trudged back toward the bed, his shoulders slumping under the weight of his restless thoughts.
But just as his body met the mattress, a sharp, searing pain tore through his chest. His eyes widened in shock, his hand instinctively flying to his heart. The agony was unlike anything he had felt before—tight, suffocating, and relentless.
"What… is happening?!" he gasped, his voice barely a whisper as the pain intensified. His breathing grew shallow, erratic, each inhale feeling like he was trying to breathe through water.
His mind spiraled into chaos, panic clawing at his senses. I was fine… I go to the gym every day! I'm healthy! This can't be happening. Is it… is it a heart attack?!
Sweat beaded on his forehead, cold and clammy. His legs gave out beneath him, and his knees hit the floor with a resounding thud. His hands clawed at his chest as if trying to tear the pain away, but it was futile. His thoughts blurred, the world around him spinning into darkness.
"No… not like this…" was his final thought as the void claimed him. His body collapsed to the floor, a soft *thump* marking the end of his struggle.
---
Somewhere in the Vast Expanse of the Cosmos—