‘Jolt’
I felt my heart begin to beat, and at the same time, my soul awakened. Simultaneously, my consciousness, which had been sinking into pitch-black darkness, slowly started to rise. No, it was more accurate to say that it was being pulled somewhere.
“Umm…”
Trying to check my condition, I directed my mind outward instead of inward, and I sensed that my head was literally empty.
‘This is…’
No, I could easily tell that, like a drought-stricken land, not a single drop of energy remained.
“Ugh…”
As I extended my consciousness throughout my body, I felt pain—not unbearable, but enough to make me frown involuntarily—spreading all over.
‘This is really strange.’
It was as if my body wasn’t truly mine. Yes, along with an unpleasant sensation of floating in the air, a strong sense of haziness was evident. I firmly believed this must be some kind of illusion.
‘No way.’
With a slight shake of my head, I brushed off the thought that was trying to overwhelm my mind with relentless force, dismissing it as unscientific in one swift stroke.
“Ugh… Huh?”
When I tried to move my fingers, I felt a dull numbness quite strongly.
‘This can’t be!’
I told myself again that what had happened was simply me coming to my senses. I strongly denied and shook off the resurfacing thought that I had become someone else.
When I opened my eyes wide and tried to lift my upper body, I felt an unfamiliar sensation—one that didn’t seem like mine—along with a dull pain and an even stronger haziness. It was like wearing ill-fitting, borrowed ready-made clothes; the sense of incongruity was overwhelming.
“Ughhh…”
After a few minutes, my eyes, overly sensitive as if they hadn’t seen light in a long time, finally adjusted to the brightness. Only then could I see what kind of environment I was in.
‘W-where on earth is this!?’
As a little time passed, the light no longer felt as blinding as before. Using it as a guide, I took in the desolate scenery with my eyes. The unfamiliar ceiling was not only old but warped, with mold growing as if there had been a leak, and a large spider web stretched across one corner. Turning my gaze from the wooden ceiling, I was met by walls made of the same material. The walls were riddled with holes, making me doubt they could even block the outside air. In fact, even now, air that didn’t feel refreshing was flowing into the room through those gaps. The only light source illuminating the room was the flickering glow of an oil lamp hanging on a wall patched with planks. While outside air came in near my head, the inside was damp from the vapor leaking from the old lamp, rough enough to provoke coughing.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Phew…”
To calm my mind, which was rattled by being in an unfamiliar environment I’d never seen before, I took a deep breath. Then, I noticed a dusty smell I hadn’t sensed until that moment, along with an oil scent different from kerosene. My fully awakened sense of smell finally picked it up.
‘One thing’s certain: this isn’t the room I lived in, with months of overdue rent and the constant threat of eviction.’
As I ceaselessly scanned every corner of the room, memories that had been buried deep, showing no sign of resurfacing, suddenly rose to the surface.
“Ah…”
Those memories were my most recent ones—or, to be precise, they were tied to the last accident I’d experienced. The sharp horn blaring relentlessly in my ears. The dump truck charging at me without any sign of stopping. The intense impact that made me feel my entire body shattering. Right after, I had crashed to the ground…
‘I should be dead, right?’
Then the question immediately arose: where was this place?
‘This doesn’t look like the afterlife people say you go to when you die.’
But it was also hard to conclude this was a hospital. The scenery was far too unhygienic for a place meant to treat the sick. Moreover, the scattered objects led me to judge that this wasn’t a hospital room.
“Ugh…”
Unlike when I slightly turned my head, moving my body took considerable effort. I barely managed to shift my upper body and directed my gaze elsewhere. Gradually, wanting to see something new, I spotted an old table.
‘The person using this room seems far from organized…’
On the table were oil-stained bundles of paper, machine parts, and a long-empty teacup, all placed haphazardly.
‘Was there some kind of accident?’
A coat, even more tattered than mine, looking like rags. It was torn and full of holes, yet it hung on a crudely nailed hook on the wall instead of a hanger. Right beneath it lay an old bowie knife and a ranged weapon that resembled a crossbow but was somehow different from what I knew, both intact.
‘Weapons… This person must be far from law-abiding.’
Realizing this was a disorganized, unsettling room that stirred anxiety, I was about to turn my head elsewhere when I noticed an aged chest of drawers.
‘That is…?’
The chest of drawers was something you could find anywhere. Despite being weathered by time, its patterns gave it an antique charm rather than just an old, worn look. My attention was captured by an incongruous object neatly placed on top of it.
‘That thing… If my memory’s correct, that’s definitely it!’
It had the appearance of a tool commonly used in Aether Punk, which had been a major part of my life. It looked as if it had been plucked straight from the game and brought into reality. I couldn’t comprehend what had happened to me for such a tool—something that shouldn’t exist in reality—to appear before me. But despite the confusing, hard-to-define emotions, I thought:
‘If I can operate that with my own hands, I might learn something and feel satisfied.’
The pain throughout my body clearly told me this wasn’t a dream. Driven by curiosity and desire, I reached out to touch the machine that doubled as a primitive AI and record organizer. It was close enough that I could reach it if I sat up. However, sitting up took me considerable time. After a few minutes of struggle, I finally managed to sit up and was reaching out when my gaze suddenly fixed on an object.
“Huh?”
A mirror on a small chest of drawers near the bed. I froze, staring blankly at the unfamiliar reflection. Because the face of a young man, completely different from the one I recognized as myself, was looking back at me. He was staring at me with a surprised expression.
Hello, dear readers!
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To those who have already shared their precious insights, thank you once again. Sharing your thoughts on this chapter would make this journey even more special. Writing this story alongside you is a true joy for me!
