In a battlefield covered in nothing but corpses of humans, aliens, and entities - the only one left standing was The Person. A man with long black hair, eyes as white as snow, and a face that couldn't be seen, completely hidden beneath dried blood. The sky was dark, clouds thundered, but the rain didn't dare to fall.
He slowly opened his mouth and said,
"ZVJLASHS SL IEVWL."
---
Suddenly, everything around began to blur. The Person and the battlefield vanished, and all that remained was a void, filled with strange faces, crying and begging for help.
What is this? Why am I seeing this? Let me go, I have someone waiting for me! Let me leave!
But the voices began devouring him. His body started to feel extreme pain. His screams echoed in the void.
Then, a voice rose above it all.
"Brother! Brother, what happened?! Wake up!"
Someone was calling.
All the faces disappeared as he opened his eyes and his vision cleared. He saw a girl, maybe around fourteen or fifteen, with dark brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and a cute, round face. Her eyes looked worried, maybe for the guy who had just woken up.
The guy slowly pulled himself up and looked around. It was his pitiful, small house. The ceiling was made of old bricks, and the brick walls around him looked like they were barely holding together. He had been sleeping on a small bed, in the same condition as the rest of the house. When he looked to his left, something was cooking in a half-broken pot.
The girl, still watching him, said,
"...You were all sweaty and clenching your fist..."
The guy looked at her, then down at his body. His brown shirt was soaked with sweat.
Suddenly, his right eye twitched. He placed a hand over it.
"...I got the same dream. A battlefield, a man, millions of corpses, and his only words, in ancient language, saying, 'Destiny is yours'..."
The guy had pale skin, medium-length black hair, and black eyes. He spoke in a low, confused tone.
"...I don't know why I keep getting that dream. Who is that man? It's painful. Those faces at the end, devouring me. My body was torn apart... my flesh, my eyes, my brain an—"
She hugged him and said,
"It's just a dream, don't worry, brother. Maybe your brain is too stressed from the last few days. That's why you're seeing strange things and your body hurts. Try taking a day of rest. You can work tomorrow too."
The guy pulled back and patted her head.
"No, I can't take a leave from work. It's our only way of survival."
He stood up from the bed and started walking away.
"I'm going for work," he said, waving a hand as he left.
The girl couldn't say anything, because what he said was true. They wouldn't get to eat today if he didn't work.
He didn't even eat the breakfast. It will go rotten by the time he comes back at night. Today is his birthday too, his nineteenth birthday. I think he didn't realize, thought the girl as she took the pot off the fire.
---
In the streets
The guy looked up at the sky. It was bright. The streets were bustling with crowds and wanderers. All around him were shops and houses.
Today I turned nineteen. The same day I was born in this world, which I wish I hadn't been. This day is a bad omen for me. Nothing good ever happened on it. I was Pratham, the man who died at the age of forty-four from hunger. And now, I am Leon.
He observed a temple far to his left. It had a gothic structure with shining marble walls. The designs on the marble looked too fantasy-like.
It's been years since I reincarnated here, but I never get used to this type of architecture. It's too overwhelming for me.
He looked away.
He walked further down the street and reached a small shop that was closed. He unlocked the door and looked inside. There were many flowers, though many of them were already withering. He twisted the sign on the window to 'Open'.
He touched one of the flowers that had completely withered away. It was the most expensive one he could afford in his shop.
"How did this happen?"
His mood sank. He sighed, picked it up, and threw it into the dustbin in the far left corner.
The shop was small. The walls were grey with black edges and designs. There were six old tables where the flowers were placed. Leon couldn't afford anything more impressive, as he was already under pressure from the shop's rent.
There was a newspaper on the chair where Leon usually sat.
"How did this get here? I don't remember buying it. Did the owner bring it yesterday when he came to ask for rent?"
He walked over and checked the date on the newspaper. It was from yesterday. He looked at the headline on the front page:
'King Refuses Demands of Protesters! Protesters Turn to Violence!'
Just as he was about to read further, loud noises suddenly came from outside.
"What is happening out there?"
He put the newspaper back and walked toward the door. As he opened it, the first thing he saw was a man with a farm scythe attacking an old man. A stream of blood splashed onto his face.
His face now covered in blood, he watched as the same man crashed the scythe through the glass of his shop. The shattered pieces cut across his skin.
Suddenly, he realized what was going on.
They are... the protesters!
He backed away.
"I can't let them destroy this shop."
He looked around for something to fight back with, but all he had was a digger, the one he used to collect soil for flowers.
As the protesters entered the shop, he grabbed it and began waving it to scare them off.
But there were too many of them. They all rushed into the shop and began destroying everything. Two of them charged at Leon. His grip on the digger weakened. One of their scythes cut through his chest. He screamed and collapsed onto the ground.
They finished ransacking the shop and ran away, leaving Leon lying in a pool of blood. His vision began to blur. Tears streamed down his face.
I... lost my shop... How... will I help my sister? I can't even fulfill her dream of becoming a royal guard... I'm a useless big brother...
His eyes locked onto the digger lying in front of him. Slowly, he reached out to pick it up, despite the pain.
"I can't face my sister..."
He pointed the digger at his neck. His hands trembled. A weak smile formed.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Sorry... Nina.
SLASH—
But Leon didn't die.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw that the sharp edge of the digger had been slashed in half. The side he was about to use to end his life was gone.
He looked up with teary eyes. There stood someone.
A beautiful lady in her early twenties, with white hair and blood-red eyes. She wore a dark blue coat and pants. The coat had a high, broad collar and an emblem on the chest, a circle with an "H" inside, and to the right of it, three lines forming an "E."
Her gaze was cold, like there was nothing inside her heart. Her lips parted, and she said,
"Don't waste your life. We need you."