"Am I still conscious?"
I wondered, wrapped in a cold, fluid substance.
I couldn't be dead, since I was conscious. But I couldn't be alive either, right?
I was confused, but before I could continue reflecting, I felt a force dragging me downward, as if gravity was pulling me toward the center of the earth.
In the distance I could see it. An intense speck of light floating in the immeasurable void, growing larger as it approached.
Soon, the flash bathed me in an undifferentiated mass of light so bright that no color was distinguishable within it.
"Is this the light at the end of the tunnel?"
I couldn't help but feel afraid. I didn't want to die. I had to keep fighting.
If I died, all my brother's effort would be in vain. Giving up meant giving up on ever seeing him again.
I tried to resist. I tried to move backward, away from the light. But all movement was useless. I was still at the mercy of that mysterious force.
"No... it doesn't really matter. After all, even my brother got tired of me. Maybe dying is for the best."
I let myself go, letting the force drag me... but my consciousness didn't fade.
The intensity of the light began to diminish, breaking down into millions of colors that started to describe an environment.
My senses began to return. The first thing I noticed was an unpleasant smell that assaulted my nose. The air was thick, but it soon stopped mattering.
Next came sound, a chorus of wails and cries from voices I didn't recognize in a language I couldn't understand.
But all those sensations were overshadowed by one in particular: sight.
I blinked frantically, dazed, as my eyes got used to seeing what surrounded me.
That's when I realized. I had woken up!
"I-is this real? I've woken up!?"
I felt a wave of relief and happiness wash over me. I wanted to jump and leap with joy.
I was alive! And I had woken up!
My head moved frantically around me. I was in a bed, surrounded by wooden bars.
"Is this what my hospital bed looks like? How strange."
I felt like something was off, but it didn't matter now. The simple fact of being awake was enough for me.
I tried to sit up but the effort was in vain. Maybe I was too weak to move yet.
I decided that for now I would just dedicate myself to observing. My gaze then fixed on the ceiling, a white surface with nothing out of the ordinary. Or maybe there was.
Looking more carefully, I noticed something strange about the ceiling's coloration. It was white, yes, but a very rich white, with hundreds of tones spreading across its surface like an expressionist painting.
"Is it just me or has my vision improved? Nah, it's probably just my imagination."
But then, something else caught my attention. The air was filled with small specks of light dancing slowly without direction. It was a subtle glow, almost imperceptible, but it was there.
Puzzled, I decided to stretch out my hand, trying to catch those specks of light. I didn't know why but I wanted to touch them. It was a stupid thought, but in that moment I didn't care about trying.
"Huh?"
That's when I noticed it.
My arm was no longer the same. Small and chubby, completely unmistakable for an adult's arm.
"No... It can't be."
My gaze remained fixed on my limb for a few seconds as I tried to process what I was seeing.
I was unable to accept what my eyes were showing me.
"How is this possible?"
I had spent a long time in bed, and I was aware that I would probably have muscular atrophy. But that wasn't an atrophied limb, but the same as a baby's.
"What's happening? Am I dreaming?"
I wondered. That's when something came to my mind, a crazy idea from the stories my brother used to tell me.
"Reincarnation..."
It was one of his favorite themes. I had heard many stories with that theme from him.
That's why that idea occurred to me.
The confusion I felt was replaced by a seed of growing excitement. If I had really reincarnated, what fate awaited me? What possibilities would this new world hold? Would there be magic? Fairies? Dragons?
In an instant my mind filled with crazy theories.
Who cared if Ethan had planned my death? What did it matter that my family had abandoned me?
Fate had decided to reward me for all those years of suffering. The least I could do was take advantage of that opportunity.
"Heh."
A deep voice pulled me from my thoughts, reminding me I wasn't alone.
Confused, I turned my head in the direction the voice came from, finding myself with a piercing gaze fixed on me. I couldn't help but feel nervous.
I was being observed by a Caucasian man of advanced age. His disheveled hair was thick and greasy, and the unkempt beard that had grown around his disturbing smile gave him the air of a homeless man... a homeless man who had escaped from a psychiatric hospital.
His features were almost unnatural, his wrinkles were so pronounced it seemed like his face was about to melt off.
If it weren't for his cassock, no one could have guessed his religious position.
"Euq nebi, a odanoicnuf!"
He exclaimed under his breath, then cleared his throat and breathed deeply, as if performing a ritual to seal his excitement.
After that gesture, his face changed completely, showing an expression that mixed hatred and disgust, which left me even more perplexed.
"Blasphemy!" He roared forcefully, trembling with fury.
I couldn't help but startle at that sudden shout, but above all, I was surprised to have understood what he said. It was as if my mind was automatically translating it for me.
I didn't recognize the language he was speaking, a mix of guttural and hissing sounds unlike any earthly language.
However, I had understood it.
"Blasphemy?"
I felt my heart shrink in my chest. After hearing those words, one thing became clear to me.
This new life wouldn't be so simple.