Rebirth

Death. It always struck me as an ever-present void that consumed your everything. As the saying goes, the world—and even reality as a whole—ends with you as you sink into that familiar nothingness once more. And yet...there was still something there. A blip on an empty radar. A sudden but faint noise amid an otherwise deafening silence.

Moving water...? Hmm, that's odd all right.

It was muffled, slowly transforming into a more noticeable sound. It was as if someone were attempting to speak underwater now, right near my ears. A nonsensical tongue of gibberish in a place where I'd least expect it—the afterlife.

You know, they say your life flashes before you die, but here I am, feeling as if I'm drowning alongside a second self instead. Yeah, this is definitely strange. Is this how it goes for everyone?

It was pitch-black as I floated deep down into a spiraling unknown. I didn't exactly feel at peace, but I wasn't in a panic either. If anything, I felt robbed, for not seeing that blinding reel of memories that was shown time and time again in films. But hey, maybe that was for the best.

Wait, hold on a second. Now that I think about it, being forced to see your past seems a bit...much anyway, right? You understand, don't you? Just give me the ol' clean slate and bury those memories six feet under! And then another six feet deeper for safe measure!

I didn't need to even consider it any further, honestly. Why would anyone want to recall their most embarrassing moments right before their death? If that's the case, I'd rather root for whatever was killing me to finish even faster. Speed-line the process, let it cut ahead of the line and all that jazz. I would wholeheartedly cheer for my own demise rather than see the choices that led me there.

Right. If you can't kill me before those memories come strolling by against my will, you're simply a failure as a killer. You might as well find a different job.

Despite my strange predicament, I was starting to feel a bit too comfortable in my abode of nothingness. Allowing myself to freely argue against absolutely nobody but the gargling noise that persisted nearby.

Hm? Running away from my past? No, not at all. My memories and I have simply parted ways on neutral ground—no hard feelings involved or anything. I think that's a better way to look at it, right?

That carefree approach set my mind at ease more than anything else could. Either way, it wasn't as if my memories were particularly eventful or anything, and I could figure out at least that much. After all, I could still remember my name but nothing more when regarding myself. And there had to be a reason as to why.

Oh? The sound is...growing louder? Trying to get your two cents in, huh? Sorry, but I won't be persuaded to believe otherwise. A man must remain true to his beliefs! Or something like that. Wait, this feeling is...?

It all happened within an instant. It felt as if I were suffocating, struggling and gasping for air that was seemingly nonexistent. That nothingness then became constricting, warping my dimensions into a far more rigid space. My free-floating journey came to an end as I remained locked in place. I panicked, frantically stretching out limbs that weren't even there, against walls I couldn't even see. And then finally...

"Hwuaaaaaah! Aaa—ck!"

The upper half of my body jolted forward, and I inhaled into a rough string of coughs until my lungs almost escaped my chest. I was upright, covered in a lukewarm fluid, risen inside of a capsule-like tank filled with luminescent, red-colored liquid. In a large circular room, only the opening above shed light on me as the water glowed alongside what appeared to be a supermoon's luster.

"At...least I was right about it being water... It is water, right...?"

I inspected the droplets that flowed down from my wrists to my elbows. The fluid didn't have any unusual smell, but the hint of red, combined with lying in a tank filled with it, made it all quite unsettling.

"Maybe I was wrong..."

Observing my surroundings, I was able to conclude that I didn't have the slightest clue on where I was. The room was empty, with only me and the gold-coated capsule at the center. Basically, I didn't have a single lead to work with.

"Even a teensy bit of memories could've possibly helped me out here... No, it's too late for regrets. So, am I alive, or...?"

I patted my body, touching my soft skin while deep in thought. With a scrap of understanding, I certainly seemed human-like. I wasn't a ghost nor some sort of zombie risen from the dead. I wasn't rotting or follicly challenged, and I even appeared on the younger side, too. I had all limbs attached and my skin was near pristine, but then again...

"I understand that having a name doesn't necessarily mean I was human before. Still, I do remember what humans are like."

That's what I had gathered from my self-study, which meant that if I wasn't one before, I must've at least shared a connection to them in some way. Still, as I wildly moved my arms to test my flexibility, I was quite the natural at it. I could almost make them look indistinguishable from moving worms.

"Anyway, I should probably leave this tank or whatever it is... No telling what this 'water' could really be... Ah! I'm naked. That's actually a bit embarrassing... At least there's nobody here to see."

And yet, the moment I lifted myself from the capsule, a mechanical sound came from within. Small pockets opened at the sides of the interior, sucking in the red fluid.

"Woah! It's being drained... I didn't hit anything, but it responded to my movement? Is this just some sort of fancy bath?"

A separate mechanism began to act in response to the capsule being emptied. The edges shifted and protruded fan-like blades, and seconds later, the capsule began producing heat in my direction. I hadn't bothered moving, fearing I would activate something else, but now, it seemed to be giving me the spa treatment.

"Well, I guess I'll take you up on that offer then. It's not like I have a towel anyway."

I crossed my legs inside the capsule, leaving it to the lavish tub to deliver on the final touches of its apparent task. It was doing a rather decent job, that is, until the heat began to kick into another gear. My skin was slowly becoming singed.

"Wet into dry...and then trying to get me soaked again, but with my own sweat this time!? This tank has too many features! At least let me pick the option first!"

I leapt from the tub-sauna, covering my lower half on pure principle and self-respect. Even if there weren't any obvious eyes on me that I was aware of, one can never be a hundred percent certain. I'd rather not be ousted for being some strange pervert due to simply not doing anything at all. Preventative measures to the best of my ability was the least I could do, even if it was only my hands.
The capsule then detected my retreat and responded, too, suddenly shutting down the revved fans and sinking into the opened floor. I could only watch on, puzzled as it was then quickly replaced with something else.

"A briefcase...?"

With one hand, I quickly opened and sifted through the bag and to my surprise, there was a set of clothes and a folded note. A simple white button up shirt, briefs and a pair of black trousers, yet no shoes or socks.

"Oh! Lucky me. I won't question a 'get out of jail free' card, even if it leaves me desiring at least some sandals or something. But still, don't mind if I do."

The clothing provided was a perfect fit, oddly enough. It felt as if the clothes were tailored just for me and no one else. Bathing in the red-colored liquid was one thing, but the clothing was more palpable. It meant that someone—or something—knew me personally enough to know my measurements.

"You know, any time you want to show yourself, that would be a nice change of pace. Or what, are you going to introduce yourself through this letter?"

The folded piece of paper was clearly showing its age, with significant wear along the edges and outer surface but the inner contents was still readable—and that was quite the stretch. The handwriting was a mess of scribbles, like someone had attempted to write the entirety with their feet while having socks on. And for some reason, I could still make out the gist of what was written.

"If you're reading this..."

My eyes widened at the end of first sentence. It was rather direct, to the point without beating around the bush, and scratched at a question that was itching for quite a while inside my head. And it reaffirmed another, that the previous me was, in the truest sense, dead.

"...then you have come from another world, but only in soul. I have given you a body to use, and while it may appear human, it is not. You are, in truth, a homunculus."