Jobless Reincarnation | Homies from Another World

Chapter 2 - Jinzoru - Once Upon A Time

What in the...

There was no sense of up or down, nor were there any boundaries or limits to define where I was. It was an empty space, but it wasn't the type that was simply enveloped in darkness. It was just...nothing, where even the concept of sound seemed foreign and distant. All I had to hold on to were my thoughts.

But even those thoughts felt diluted. I couldn't tell if I was moving or simply suspended in place. There was no pressure or gravity pulling at me, and not even a heartbeat thumping in my chest. My body—or what I once considered my body—wasn't there.

I passed from the shock of being told my Jordans were fake, right?

What an embarrassing way to go. No fulfilling life, no heroic sacrifice—just the brutal reality that my Jordans, the sacred kicks I had spent months saving up for, were fake. FAKE. The kind of fake that had me questioning my entire life's purpose.

But, at least it wasn't the worst way to go. I could think of plenty of more tragic demises. For example, being mauled by a pack of angry chihuahuas would have been excruciating—death by a thousand tiny bites. Or being taken out by an allergic reaction from... let's say, peanut butter.

In any case... I'm a goner.

I was dead. I didn't exist anymore.

It took a while for that thought to settle in. It was unsettling, but not terrifying, because the fear I expected wasn't there—instead, it was replaced by a vague curiosity.

I began to wonder whether I was truly still myself. What defined a person if there was no physical form, no pulse, or no sensation to anchor them to reality?

For an eternity, or perhaps just an instant, I was alone in this strange place.

...

...

...

Wake up.

Suddenly, a needle of light appeared in the distance. It was so faint, just like the first star in the evening sky. I wasn't sure if it was real or a hallucination, even though I didn't have a brain to hallucinate with.

The light grew brighter, and with it came the faintest sensation—warmth.

It was the first feeling I'd had in what felt like ages. I reached out toward it instinctively, though I wasn't sure if I even had hands anymore. Despite everything, there was a part of me that didn't want to leave the tranquility behind.

Then, the sensation of feeling returned in a rush. My skin began to tingle, and my lungs tightened as if they'd already forgotten how to breathe. I felt my body slowly reassemble itself together piece by piece.

Afterward, I awoke with a start.

My lungs burned. My heart pounded. I gasped, greedily pulling in air. The sensations were almost too much after the stillness from before. The shock of it made me want to cry out, but all I could muster was a thin, broken wail.

"Jisa sneshk sianw."

"Pesd istma ogmas."

I could hear voices, although I couldn't understand them. They seemed distant at first, but eventually I realized they were distinct murmurs. They sounded excited, ecstatic, and even worried.

Slowly, shapes came into focus. I quickly realized this was the face of a person—the very first sight that had reached my eyes.

It was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties. Luscious black hair framed her face, and her pair of eyes were a mesmerizing color of lavender. Although they were pale, they were also damn beautiful.