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Chapter 1 - Another Chance

Bright.

So bright, it felt like the world itself had cracked open.

But it wasn't the first time I'd seen such a light.

I saw it before.

and provide what could be better

The accident.

I was ten.

A rainy afternoon. A family trip.

Mom's jasmine perfume.

Dad humming that old tune like he always did…

Then — tires screeched, metal crunched, headlights blinded me.

Time slowed.

So this is how it ends...

Mom... Dad... I'm coming.

I didn't cry.

Didn't scream.

I just... accepted it.

Now, years later — that same light again.

But colder.

Final.

And then — darkness.

Not sleep. Not dreams.

Just... emptiness.

And in that emptiness, I thought.

Not of regrets.

Not of people.

Just... life.

I drifted through school like a ghost with a heartbeat.

Smart enough to solve math in my sleep.

Lazy enough to never bother with homework.

I once passed an entire exam by answering C for everything.

Still scored above average. Suckers.

My interests?

Anime. Games. Naps.

And… yeah, a few websites that required incognito mode.

I wasn't a loser — I was cultured.

I studied the female form purely for... artistic appreciation.

Okay, maybe for stress relief too.

I wasn't a creep.

Just honest.

I flirted. Teased.

Never really cared if anyone stayed.

No dreams.

No attachments.

No drive.

I wasn't broken. Just... tired.

Too smart to care.

Too bored to try.

Maybe this is fine.

Maybe I was always waiting for it to end.

But just as that thought settled in...

Something shifted.

A strange pull.

A whisper that felt like hope... or a trap.

What if... I got another chance?

A flicker.

Amidst the darkness, a speck of light appeared — faint, but real.

I didn't think. I just moved toward it.

No legs. No body. Just my mind, floating like it wanted to be reborn.

And then—

Cold air. A wooden scent. A sharp, sudden pain in my lungs.

And then sound.

"It's a boy!"

"He's not crying…"

No. I wasn't.

I wasn't even sure I could.

I felt everything… and nothing.

My body was small. Fragile. Weak.

But my mind?

Still sharp.

Still me.

Blurry vision. Two figures hovered above me. One looked exhausted but proud. The other — gentle, with teary eyes — reached for me.

Her arms wrapped around my tiny body, pulling me close to her chest.

I could hear her heartbeat.

Warm. Alive. Real.

"He's… perfect," she whispered, her voice trembling with joy.

"My sweet little Ryan…"

Ryan...?

My thoughts froze.

That name.

She didn't look at anyone when she said it. She said it to me.

So that's it... Ryan.

That's who I am here?

I didn't know what kind of world this was…

But I had a name now.

And a mother who smiled like I was the light she'd been waiting for.

I closed my eyes — not in fear. Not in confusion.

Just… thinking.

Let's see where this goes.

Cut to black.

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