Reborn

“I’m sorry, but it seems like we are unable to hire you due to your background.”

“I understand. Thank you for the opportunity.”

It’s been thirteen years since the incident, and I still haven’t been able to land a stable job. On top of all of this, she won’t even talk to me. I did it all for her only for my life to end up like this. Maybe I should think things through a little more before I act. I always had this problem, diving straight in without thinking.

I need to go on a walk.

For just getting rejected from a job, I would expect myself to feel a lot worse. Looks like I’m getting used to rejection—not sure if that’s a good thing though.

The moonlight cast a soft glow across the bridge. The night was quiet, broken only by the occasional car passing by. Maybe this was why I was so calm—everything just felt peaceful. But as peaceful as it was, I was still unemployed. I walked over to the edge of the bridge, only stopped by the railings. Looking down at the water, all I could see was darkness. It looked quiet, calm, and peaceful. I thought to myself: Why am I trying so hard to find a job? I’ve got no one to care for, and no one who cares about me. Putting in all this effort just to end up nowhere—it’s exhausting. Everything—is such a pain in the ass. As I leaned over the railing a breeze swept across my face. It was light, but there was something comforting about it. I closed my eyes and let it wash over me.

How nice would it be for me just to jump off?

A few minutes passed. Then I heard footsteps behind me. Paranoid, I turned around fast. It’s not rare for someone to sneak up on me. If someone was about to mug me, they’d have to work for it.

But when I turned around I just saw a girl. She seemed to be young, maybe early twenties. Calm, almost apathetic. I wondered what she was doing outside at this time. As I looked at her more closely, I realized she wasn’t just calm. She looked… irritated. Maybe even a little pissed off.

“You got a problem?”

“Oh me?”

“Who else is staring at me?”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to stare.”

She walked over to my right and leaned onto the railing. She was slender with long black hair. Her skin looked kind of pale. She stared off into the distance and didn’t say a word.

Doesn’t she think this is weird? Just standing beside a stranger in silence? What a strange girl.

“What are you doing on this bridge?” she asked suddenly. Her tone was soft and measured, almost like she was being careful.

“Just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“You know you’re being awfully nosey to someone you just met. That might come off as rude to some people.”

She didn’t look at me, just continued to stare off in the distance. “It’s not like it’ll matter.”

I narrowed my eyes on her. This girl—IS EXTREMELY RUDE!

“So, are you going to answer or not?”

I sighed. “Fine, I’ll answer. But your attitude wouldn’t slide with most people. Not everyone is as kind as me.”

“Sure. Whatever.”

“I guess I was just wondering what went wrong in my life.” It got quiet. Maybe I’d said too much.

“Didn’t expect that did—”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m here for the exact same reason.”

“So you’re just here to think too, huh?”

“That and something else.”

“But don’t you think it’s a little dangerous? Being out here in the middle of the night all by yourself.”

“I think you should worry about yourself.”

“Rude.”

“And besides, it won’t matter either way.”

“Why do you keep saying that? You sound kind of cringe you know?”

“Because…”

Her face suddenly gleamed with excitement, as if she had just won the lottery. She gripped both her hands onto the railing and sprung onto it. I looked up at her as she stood on the railing. “Thanks for talking to me stranger!” Her voice, which was once empty and monotone, was now filled with energy and life.

“GET DOWN FROM THERE, IT’S DANGEROUS!”

“OKAY!”

She leaned backwards. And fell. Time slowed. The cars passing by, her phone tumbling, and her body falling towards the water. Slow enough where I can save her. I caught her wrist, just barely. As I held on to her I realized I wasn’t strong enough. My grip was slipping. I grabbed her with both hands.

Dammit, why am I so weak? I need help.

“Anyone, please. Come help me save here. ANYONE!”

As much as I begged, there was no one coming. The cars kept driving past. No one else was out here. I didn’t have any friends left to call. It was just me. It was all up to me. Mustering up all the strength, I started to pull. Even if it meant I would lose my footing, I wanted to give everything I had to help her. I know I haven’t done anything worthwhile in my life. Every moment, every second I wasted all of it. So please, let me trade it in for hers. Give me strength to save this person. If I’m able to save her, I know she’ll use her second chance at life way better than I ever could.

God, please. Just give me enough strength to save her.

But I lost my footing. My body tipped forward. One of my hands latched onto the edge, barely. The other still gripped her arm. Now we were both dangling.

Dammit, if I couldn’t pull her up with both hands, how am I supposed to do it with one?

“HELP ME OUT AND PULL UP DAMMIT!”

“Just let go of me!”

“No!”

I started pulling, with everything I had. My arms burned. My fingers screamed. But it was working. It was slow but it was working. I could feel her rising. I finally managed to pull her wrist high enough to get her hand on the ledge.

“Hold onto the fucking edge!”

“Just let me die! This doesn’t concern you.”

“It does now! If you fall, I fall. You don’t want to be a murderer now do you?!” She froze, not saying a word, not moving a muscle. “If you can’t live for yourself, then live for me! Don’t die in a place like this, don’t die in a situation like this!”

Finally, she reached out and gripped the ledge. She hauled herself up onto the bridge. Then she turned and extended her hand to me. “You ruined my suicide you know.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, yeah. Just help me up.”

Suddenly my arms went limp. My arms gave out. I had used everything I had. My grip loosened. She reached out, but she was too slow. I fell slowly. The wind was soft as I dropped, strangely peaceful. And then it went all black.

“Fuku Kota, I welcome you to the afterlife. It is sad to see that you’ve died in such an unfortunate way.”

“Uh, I… died?” Everything was just so sudden, I didn’t know what to say. The last thing I remembered was seeing a girl at the edge of a bridge. We talked for a bit and she was kind of weird. Then what else… Oh yeah, she jumped but I was able to pull her up, so how did I end up here? Oh yeah, my arms gave out and I fell. At least I was able to save her. Wait, did I save her? I know that I pulled her up but there wasn’t anyone stopping her from jumping again.

“Um, sir?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“About the girl that I saved. Did she end up jumping again?”

Out of nowhere, he suddenly burst into laughter. His voice sounded like that of a middle-aged man, deep and gravelly. But it wasn’t a man, or at least he didn’t look like one. He looked like a man, but was just a white silhouette. All I could do was awkwardly laugh along with him. “Even in death you still worry about others! It’s admirable, really. That’s why you’re perfect for this job.”

As I finished examining him, my eyes drifted to our surroundings. I hadn’t noticed it before, but this wasn’t how I imagined the afterlife. We were in a white void, it was nothing but endless light. I would’ve thought paradise would look a little different. Then again, as long as I wasn’t in hell, I couldn’t complain.

Suddenly, he stopped laughing and stared at me. He tilted his head back and forth, as if pondering something.

“But yes, the girl did make it out safely. Your words were enough to give her the strength to keep living.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Good thing I didn’t die for nothing, huh?”

“Yes, that is a great thing. But aren’t you sad about dying?”

“I am… just a little. But it makes me happy that I was able to use my life to save someone else’s. Not like I was using anything particularly important.”

“How pessimistic. Don’t you think it’s wrong to view your life from that perspective?”

“Not really. You’ve seen how I’ve lived it right? Every opportunity that came my way, I always ended up throwing it away. Maybe it’s because I was too impulsive.”

“You only stood up for what you thought was wrong.”

He was sort of right but I lost so many jobs because of it. Anytime I would encounter a creepy boss or just anything that didn’t seem right I would just confront it. Which would usually lead into a fight or me getting fired. But every time it happened, some of my coworkers would thank me for standing up for them. Their thanks meant a lot but it couldn’t pay bills, it couldn’t put food on the table. Maybe if I just ignored all of those issues then I would probably have a stable life. “I guess so, but where did that get me?”

“Not far.” I shot him a look. I know that my life wasn’t exactly the best but that was kind of harsh. “But I do think that trait of yours is something to boast about.”

“How come?”

“You’re willing to go through hardships in order to set things right. Truly the quality of a hero.”

“Oh, uh, thanks. But I wouldn’t go that far.” What he said caught me off guard. I’ve never been appreciated like this before. Sure, people have thanked me for helping them, but I haven’t had anyone say that the quality of mine was good. Most people would just say thanks and to tell me to control myself next time. They were probably trying to look out for me but I really didn’t need criticism after saving them and getting fired.

“I would! But it’s just too bad you were born in such a mundane world.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But if I was able to save someone, maybe being born there wasn’t so bad after all.”

“So then, would you turn down the opportunity to live in another world?”

“Another world?”

“YES! This new world won’t be as boring as your old one. It’s full of magic and adventure, and it’s in desperate need of a hero. A hero like you.” Before I could answer, the man reached out his hand and said, “So, what do you say? Would you like to be reborn as a hero in this new world?”

Before I accepted his offer, I thought back on my life. I hadn’t done anything meaningful. I was just a loser. I didn’t have many friends, let alone a girlfriend. I often got into fights and would lose every good opportunity that came my way. I couldn’t even land or keep a stable job. I had no one that loved me and no one to love. My life felt meaningless, a man born without reason or purpose. Maybe that’s why I was okay with dying, especially since it meant saving someone else. Trading my life for hers gave me comfort. As if that was the only reason I existed. Hopefully, she can make better use of her second chance than I ever did.

But lucky for me, I also got a second chance. A second chance in a world that actually needs me. “I say… I say yes!” I clasped his hand with a firm grip. As we shook hands, a bright circle of light shone beneath me, like a portal ready to swallow me whole.

“Before I send you through, promise me something.”

“What is it?”

“No matter what happens, promise me you won’t give up on this world. They need a hero. Someone as kind-hearted as you could bring the peace this world desperately needs.”

A bright smile spread across my face as I told him, “I promise. Just promise me you’ll make me ridiculously strong, like one of those characters in the popular light novels.”

“We have a deal!”

As the light consumed me, I looked back and waved goodbye to the one who gave me another chance at life. Thanks to him, I’m able to have this great opportunity. I won’t waste this life. I’ll save this world, no matter what awaits me.

Before I knew it, I woke up in the arms of a woman. She looked kind of young, maybe in her late twenties. She gave a warm, tired smile, something about it felt so comforting. It felt safe. This woman must be my mother. And out of nowhere, I suddenly hear someone scream. It wasn’t a scream of horror or panic, but it was a scream of excitement. I looked over and saw a man, he seemed to be around the same age as my mother. Seeing how happy he was I could figure out that this was my father. But what idiot would scream so loudly after their wife gives birth.

It seemed like my mother had this exact same thought because she started to scream at my father. I couldn’t make out what she was saying though. It wasn’t any language I recognized from my old world. Looks like I’ll have to learn a whole new language here, hopefully it’s not too difficult. Still, her face looked angry for a bit but then both of them shared a laugh. I guess this was their relationship, an energetic and somewhat foolish husband and a strict yet kind wife.

As they talked, I glanced around the room, trying to get a sense of the world I’d landed in. The space was small and plainly furnished. There was no sign of technology, no wires, no screens, nothing mechanical. The only source of light was a single candle, flickering softly in a wall sconce. So, no electricity. Judging by that alone, this place felt more like a medieval setting, like the kind you’d see in a fantasy anime from my old world.

Wait, could this world be magic based. I mean it is a fantasy world and he did say he would make me strong. Do I have some special ability, or like more mana than the regular person. Hopefully it’s both honestly.

Suddenly, the doorknob twitched. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, it began to turn with a soft creak, like someone was trying not to be heard. The door opened, and a man stepped inside. As his foot crossed the threshold, the air in the room shifted, heavy, tense. No. Dangerous. What was this pressure? Like gravity had doubled. Like the air itself could crush me. Every breath felt heavier. Every thought louder. I could die here, and the man causing it was standing right in front of me.

He was tall, wrapped in a black cloak that concealed his entire body. I couldn’t see his face, but beneath the hood, I caught a glimpse of a smirk: subtle, deliberate. Like he was proud of something. Was he doing this on purpose? Letting his presence weigh on us? Was this a threat, or just a show of power? Either way, he was dangerous. I looked to my mother, hoping for reassurance, maybe this was someone she knew. But the look on her face killed that hope instantly. She was pale, frozen, eyes wide with something between fear and disbelief. As if she’d just watched someone die. Maybe my father knows this person. His look wasn’t any better. My father looked ready to leap from his seat. But whether to attack or run, I couldn’t tell. His hands trembled. He was stuck, paralyzed, just like the rest of us.

When the man spoke, his voice was deep, eerie. My father's expression shifted almost immediately. With every word the cloaked man uttered, I watched anger crawl across his face, slow but relentless. Rage built in him like a storm gathering force, until finally he snapped. He charged with a roar. The cloaked man didn’t flinch. He simply raised a hand. A burst of blinding purple light erupted in front of him, and my father was hurled backwards like a rag doll. In that moment there was no doubt left, this world ran on magic.

Blood trickled down my father’s forehead as he struggled for breath. The cloaked man stepped closer, and my father stayed crumpled on the floor. He looked down at him, not with fear or pity, but with contempt, like he was something foul clinging to the sole of his boot. He raised his hand again. My father froze mid-motion, trembling. He didn’t need to be told what would happen if he tried to fight again, he knew. The man began to laugh. It was quiet at first, more breath than sound. But it grew, warping into something jagged and manic, echoing through the room. Then, abruptly, he stopped. He said one last thing to my father, words I still couldn't understand, and turned toward the door.

With each step, the air thickened. He hadn’t even touched us, but it felt like the room itself was collapsing. By the time he reached the door, it was suffocating. My mother, who had just started to sit up, collapsed back onto the bed. My father, still on his hands and knees, strained to rise.

I wonder… What kind of world did I get sent into?