Lying in my crib, I found myself lost in thought, staring blankly at the ceiling. The past few weeks had been eventful—too eventful for a literal baby—but right now, something else weighed on my mind.
Meanwhile, the system had been humming some song for what felt like an eternity. At first, I ignored it, hoping he'd get bored, but the damn guy just wouldn't stop. Finally, I snapped.
"Can you shut up already?" I grumbled internally.
Instead of stopping, the system just laughed. "Oho? Someone's irritated. What's the matter, bro? You look troubled."
I stayed silent, not really in the mood to entertain his antics. But of course, he didn't let it go.
"Don't give me the excuse that you're still stuck on that whole 'Butterfly Effect' thing? I know you're not stupid enough to worry about something which you know will not happen . So what is it ? Spit it out already."
I hesitated for a moment before finally voicing the thoughts swirling in my mind.
"System… why am I here?" My voice, though only in my head, felt small. "Why did I get this second chance? I wasn't someone special. I didn't do great deeds or anything… So why me?"
A pause. Then I continued, my thoughts spilling out.
"And you—who are you really? Where did you come from? What's my purpose in all this, what's my purpose in life , why can't I find it ?"
I let out a breath. "Do I sound like a hypocrite or a weirdo for questioning all this? I mean, I got a second chance, and here I am wondering why, instead of just being grateful…"
For the first time in a while, the system didn't answer immediately. Instead, there was silence. A long one.
Then—he laughed.
"A hypocrite? A weirdo? Nah, Adrian, you're neither. If anything, you're just someone who thinks.
"You know most people live their lives just… existing. Doing their jobs, going through the motions, never questioning a thing. It's not even that they're lazy or don't work hard. They just never ask themselves—'Why am I here? Am I happy? Is this where I want to be?' But you? You think. You question. That's already different and ahead of most."
I listened, letting his words sink in.
"As for your questions… I can't answer them—not completely.
"Why are you here? You'll have to figure that out yourself, that's not my question to answer.
"Where do I come from? Let's just say… I come from you, and not from someone else."
I frowned. That sounded vague as hell. But before I could push further, the system continued.
"And your purpose? Purpose isn't a person, a thing, or a position of power. It's not something given—it's something found. Purpose is a way of life, its the motive with which you live, Adrian. Think about it deeply, and you'll realize what it is."
I fell silent.
Purpose, huh?
My mind drifted, searching for an answer. What was my greatest purpose? What was the thing that truly drove me?
At first, my thoughts went to stealing the protagonist's opportunities. Yeah, that was fun. Then, I thought about having beautiful wives—also fun. But… was that truly my purpose?
No. I enjoyed those things, sure. But they weren't my reason for being, .
Then, my thoughts drifted further—to my past life.
A life full of loneliness.
A life where I lost someone .
A life that, no matter how much success I achieved, always felt… empty.
My vision blurred, my thoughts sinking deeper into memories long buried.
And just like that, I was pulled into a flashback.