(The chapters are organized through translation.)
My name is Okan. I'm twenty-five years old, 1.85 meters tall, with hazel eyes and black hair.
If someone asked me to describe myself, I'd probably say "ordinary." I've spent my whole life trying to stay ordinary. Like everyone else... Maybe I should have been a little braver. I wish I were someone who had more to say about myself.
Now that I'm this close to death, I regret not keeping a journal.
Maybe these are my final thoughts. As if this was my only regret in life.
If only I had more time... I wish.
But there's no time left now.
When the fight started outside, I never imagined it would turn into a full-blown shootout. Everything changed so fast. Exploding gunfire, screams, people fleeing in panic...
In that moment, everything felt surreal. As if a dark shadow had fallen over my life.
I had nothing to do with any of it; I was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
I was about to start fresh. I had finally gotten my life together — but now, none of it matter.
As I lay on the ground, everything felt heavier. Time seem like it have slow down.
I could no longer move. Even opening my eyes became impossible.
A heavy, dark veil had fallen over me.
I could only hear the sounds.
People were screaming. Someone was calling for help.
But the voices were muffled and distant — far too distant to reach.
A bullet had torn through my neck. The pain was so intense that even breathing was a struggle.
The only thing I could do... was screaming silently which is echoing inside me.
I could feel the warm blood trickling down my neck.
It was flowing slowly, like a hot wave.
But my body was getting colder with each passing second.
The pain was fading... but it wasn't comforting.
It was just a different kind of fear.
I felt myself getting closer to the end.
The end of something...
Even the last sounds ringing in my ears were fading away.
I couldn't hear anything anymore. I couldn't feel anything.
I was disappearing into the silence.
And soon, even that would fade.
What would happen to me now?
My thoughts were growing heavier.
The pain was replaced by a deep, overwhelming exhaustion.
Even thinking had become difficult...
"Wake up!"
The voice suddenly echoed in my mind and jolted me.
My eyes snapped open.
I sat up abruptly, gasping for air as if life had rushed back into my lungs.
My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.
What just happened?
Was it a nightmare? Was it real?
I took a deep breath.
My head was spinning with questions, but none of them had answers.
I walked to the bathroom, hoping that washing my face might help me organize my mind.
The water was cold — but it didn't wake me up.
Then I looked in the mirror... and frightened.
The face staring back at me was mine — but not the 25-years-old me.
It was my 17-years-old myself.
I was getting closer to the mirror.
Touched my face, then looked at my hands, my legs.
What had happened to me?
Had I really gone back in time?
How was this even possible?
Was I dead?
My face was full of confusion, and my mind was flooded with questions — none of which had answers.
Just then, a woman's voice echoed in my mind:
"Warning: system overload detected."
Where had that voice come from?
What overload?
It was echoing inside my head.
Was I really losing my mind?
Maybe I was still trapped in a nightmare.
Suddenly, another voice — a man's voice this time — sounded coldbloodedly and harshly:
"Calm down."
Calm down?
What were these voices come from?
Who was speaking to me?
As I tried to make sense of it, the woman's voice echoed again:
"Warning: overload at critical level."
Then the man's voice followed:
"Current memories have collided with past memories. The strain is too much to handle. Seal all memories immediately and restart at the beginning point."
Those words made me frightened.
Seal my memories?
Beginning point?
What were they doing to me?
The woman's voice came once more:
"All memories sealed. Starting point configureted. Rebooting now."
"Wait — no, stop!" I shouted.
But no one heard me.
The cold mechanical voice inside my mind had made its final decision — and everything went dark.
The next thing I knew, I was in my bed.
I shot up, my heart pounding wildly.
My hands were soaked in sweat, and my head was spinning.
It felt like I had just woken from a terrible nightmare.
But I couldn't remember it.
I couldn't remember what I saw or what I went through.
Only one thing was clear...
In that dream — I was an adult.
YOU ARE READING
GATE: First Encounter
FantasiA stranger in his own body... An intruder in his own mind... Okan had no idea he was living the last ordinary day of his life. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his own bed but a captive on Aetherion-a distant world beyond the stars. How...
