What happens next? What happens after death?

  Well, looks like I'm about to find out. As my body relaxes and my thoughts drift, a sudden burst of golden light floods my vision.

  Where am I? Is this the famous light at the end of the tunnel? Am I just a speck of light? Is this my essence?

  Before I can fully process this rather significant development, I’m yanked upwards, drawn into the golden light.

  And as if that wasn't enough, my memories start to fade, like they’re being siphoned away. Experiences, emotions—all of it disappearing! The fear of losing myself washes over me. My consciousness is being evicted!

  But then, as if by magic, the shape of a body starts to form around me again, and my vision sharpens. I’m getting my body back! A noticeably younger one, at that!

  My feet land softly on something solid, a familiar warmth spreading through me. The scent of my parents’ cooking wafts into my nose. It smells like… home. Familiar surroundings, familiar faces, slowly come into focus. The comforting sound of laughter fills the air.

  Before I can soak in the warmth of a family hug, though, a dark void rips everything apart. The scene dissolves, the temperature plummets.

  Strands of shimmering, iridescent light pierce my newly reformed body, yanking my essence away! They drag me downwards into the inky blackness.

  Slowly, my senses return. I’m lying flat on a smooth, temperature-less surface. Gradually, I manage to pry my eyes open.

  Did I end up in hell? That’s my first thought.

  In front of me, a black and white, yet strangely clear new setting fills my vision. Scattered debris and wretched machinery lie in heaps. The place looks like a lab where a bomb went off.

  Well… at least it’s not hell.

  Lying there, every sensation feels… off. No sensation of a heartbeat or stomach to speak of. I’m feeling surprisingly empty. Like a hollowed-out gourd.

  After consciously taking a breath, the pungent, acrid smell of burnt machinery and metal stings my nostrils. To my surprise, I don’t even need to breathe.

  Slowly, I push myself into a sitting position on what looks like a metal table and glance around.

  “Hello? Anyone?” I call out softly. My voice sounds strangely pleasant, almost… melodic.

  A rapid, quiet scraping reaches my ears, and something shifts in the corner of my eye. Someone’s here.

  An awfully injured old man lies crumpled on the floor. His eyes, filled with despair and regret, reach out a trembling hand toward me.

  Cautiously, I move toward him, one careful step at a time. When I get close, his wrinkled hand grabs my arm with surprising strength. Instinctively, I try to pull back.

  “Val… Sa… ve me,” he rasps, his voice cracking as he coughs. Then, his hand drops, and his entire body… turns to dust. Just like that.

  Suddenly, the hair on my head erupts in a white, iridescent glow, as if it has come to life. The glowing strands surge toward the pile of dust.

  With a bright flash, my vision is once again filled with golden light.

  Was that just a side trip? Am I back?

  But instead of being back in my comfortable home, with my family and friends, all I see now are thin iridescent strings tugging at a speck of light. The same speck is entangled by golden strings as well.

  After a moment, the speck of light shatters into hundreds of pieces. The iridescent strings quickly nab a couple of tiny shards and pull them toward me. As they do, my mind is flooded by scenes that were never part of my memories.

  * * *

  With a pair of old, wrinkled hands, I scribble furiously in my notebook. “I’m on the precipice!” I declare. “The secrets of the universe are within my grasp. Everything I’ve ever desired—immortality itself—is almost tangible.”

  After making the final adjustments to the machines, I order the robot servant to lift a body from the incubator and lay it on the central table.

  The hairless form is perfectly proportioned, slim and fit. Every curve adheres to the golden ratio, devoid of any visible reproductive organs or distinguishing sex characteristics. The eyes are closed, the facial features equally flawless. It’s remarkably attractive.

  “This vessel…” I murmur, running a hand along the fair, soft, silky-smooth skin. “It’s the culmination of my life’s work. Perfection, finally achieved.” I lean in, whispering into its ear, “VAL, my finest creation, you are a testament to my genius.”

  Finally, I place a contraption on my head, connecting myself to the network of machines around me. Sweat trickles down my face as I press the button before me. The surrounding machines hum to life, emitting rings of light that ripple toward VAL lying on the center table.

  Before my eyes, a massive void tears open above VAL, a golden glow and energy pouring out in a storm of warm air.

  “Ahaha!” I roar. “The dimensional barrier has shattered! That hidden plane, hovering just beyond our perception, is now open to me! I, Dr. Keyser, have rewritten the rules of reality! My name will echo through the ages!” I cheer, laughter and ecstatic screams filling the lab.

  I reach out to press the button on my head, but millions of iridescent strings burst from the tear. They latch onto the body on the table, weaving around it and pulling a speck of light from the tear down into the form.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "This… wasn't calculated! It's not part of the design!" I shout, slamming a sparking red button on the control panel. I take a deep breath, feel a surge of energy, and sprint toward the table.

  The strings completely envelop VAL, covering it head to toe. The iridescent light fades, leaving behind a layer of white scales and a burst of long, silver hair.

  The tear snaps shut, and rings of light pulse outward with incredible force, followed by a blinding flash.

  I brace for the impact, channeling my energy into a barrier. It's not enough. "NO! Ahhhh…" A jolt of pure agony rips through me, like every nerve ending is being sliced.

  Collapsing on the floor, barely conscious, a voice reaches my ears. "Hello? Anyone?"

  Gasping, I lift my head, trying to pinpoint the sound. In the shadows, Val… is moving… off the table… toward me.

  The algorithm… they lied. This is… impossible. VAL… moving… an essence where there should be nothing.

  That form… it was supposed to be my ascension. It can't end here. I… I won't let it. The thought echoes in my mind as I grab its arm.

  "VAL… Sa… ve… me," I croak, my voice a bare whisper.

  Darkness swallows me whole.

  * * *

  The destroyed lab snaps back into focus. The old man is gone, just a pile of dust on the floor. Not even a bone remains. It's eerily quiet; nothing else is alive here.

  Why was I just forced to watch those very disturbing scenes? Was that what happened before I woke up?

  This is totally normal, right? Waking up in a destroyed lab in a body with no organs after dying. Totally normal! Things can’t possibly get any worse. Right?

  My mind races, trying to piece everything together. One thing’s for sure: this isn’t the afterlife I signed up for!

  This is an isekai, isn’t it?! After reading so many of those novels, I quickly realize what I’ve been forced into.

  WHY did it have to be a dying old man who dragged me here? Shouldn’t it have been a beautiful, clumsy goddess who tripped and accidentally reincarnated me with overpowered abilities? Or at the very least, a handsome, apologetic god with a sincere apology and maybe a cheat? Where’s the tutorial?!

  But most importantly, I DON’T NEED OR WANT A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE!

  I was content with my life, and at that moment, I thought I was going to have a perfect eternity with a heartwarming reunion with my family and friends!

  After a long rant in my head, I pull myself together. Sorting through all the memories I have from my life on Earth, I feel a bit better about my situation.

  Most of my memories from my later years are gone. Just images and fragments remain. Thankfully, most memories from my thirties and younger are still there.

  The current me is a thirty-year-old essence, with fragments of my “future self” swirling around in this new body. At least I’m not old anymore… silver linings, right?

  My knowledge and experience aren’t exactly at their peak thanks to the regressed age of my essence. However, this does bring the memories of my younger adult life into sharp focus.

  Which means I’m equipped with the knowledge and experience of every isekai, cultivation novel, and anime I’ve ever devoured.

  Somehow, my essence was transferred—or reincarnated—into this body after I died on Earth. Looking around, I can’t tell if this place is still Earth, a completely different planet, or even a different reality altogether.

  Val. That’s the name Dr. Keyser gave this body. Not bad. I’ll keep it for this isekai adventure, I suppose.

  My death on Earth definitely happened. According to the memories I glimpsed, I was in another dimension. My home, family, and friends were all there. But most of them were alive when I died. So why were they in that dimension?

  Dr. Keyser’s crazy experiment ripped a hole into that dimension, and those iridescent strings dragged me here. Then, boom! An explosion ripped through the lab, taking Dr. Keyser with it.

  Those iridescent strings snatched me away from my perfectly peaceful afterlife! Why me? Why did it have to be me?! I was chilling in peace! I was perfectly content being dead.

  Looking down, I give my new body a once-over. I have a general idea of what I look like from Dr. Keyser’s memories.

  Running my hands over my face, I touch my hair. It’s soft, thin, smooth, and yet, incredibly strong. After trying to pull a strand—just a little, mind you—not a single one breaks off.

  Aside from not having a heartbeat and not needing to breathe, there's no digestive tract, no sensation of hunger or thirst. There's even nowhere to, uh, excrete waste.

  Smooth scales cover my body from the neck down like a skin-tight suit. I'm not feeling any sensation of temperature around me; I'm in a perfect state, neither hot nor cold.

  Not an ounce of fluid is anywhere on me. I tried to cry tears, spit saliva, even blow my nose. Nothing. No mucus, no fluid, nothing. This new body is definitely not human. I don't know what I am, and I can't even tell if I'm alive!

  Flopping back down, I'm suddenly swamped with memories of my family and friends. The heart-melting smiles of my love and child…

  We said our goodbyes, but I did see them again, in the afterlife. I could go back to that warmth. All I need to do is, you know, pop back over to the afterlife.

  A wave of calm and excitement washes over me. If death is nothing to be scared of, then what’s the big deal? And I could just end it myself!

  Jumping up, I promptly bash my head into… Well, everything.

  Bang! Clank! Clash!

  Nothing. No pain, no blood, not even a tiny scratch.

  In almost every anime or novel, this form of invincibility is almost always a curse, never a blessing.

  If I’m stuck here and I can’t even starve to death, this is going to be one hell of an eternity. I have to find a way out first.

  Walking toward the control panel from Dr. Keyser’s memories, I find everything completely destroyed by the explosion. Even the robot servant is a pile of broken scraps.

  Luckily, my vision is sharp. A deformed gate shimmers into existence at the far end of the lab. I sprint over and yank it open. After climbing a flight of stairs, I find myself in a living room.

  A small, dome-shaped apartment living room, and nobody’s home. It’s a surprisingly Earth-like apartment. A table and chair huddle on one side, a couch sits squarely in the middle. No TV or anything. Four more doors line the room.

  First, a bedroom, complete with a bed and a closet. Next, a kitchen-looking place. The next door reveals a bathroom. The last door sports a series of locks. I unlock them all and push the door open. It leads to an enclosed cave with a big lake.

  Maybe there’s a way out.

  As I walk around the lake, little creatures swim and crawl in the water and around the cave. They scatter and hide when I walk by. I’ve never seen anything like them. They don’t seem aggressive, though, just… skittish.

  At the edge of the lake, a small, half-submerged vessel catches my eye. I rush over and see it’s a vehicle, a mini-submarine. But the latch is locked.

  After getting back into the living room, I notice a large button on the wall in a discreet corner, which I quickly press with a swift push.

  Who can resist pressing a button on the wall?

  Chug! Humm……

  The sound of some sort of machine that just came to life.

  Whump!

  The lights flicker back on, and my vision snaps from monochrome to glorious, full-color HD.