Mark's POV
I finally made it home.
The moment the door clicked shut behind me, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over me. My legs carried me on autopilot to the couch, and I collapsed into it like a puppet with its strings cut. My mind replayed everything that happened earlier, and I shivered—literally. Goosebumps crawled up my arms.
Two trucks. Two near-death experiences.
'What the hell was that?'
I shook the thought out of my head. Thinking too hard about it was just going to freak me out again. First things first, I needed to wash up. The moment the hot water hit my skin, I sighed. The steam wrapped around me like a warm blanket, but even then, that weird uneasy feeling wouldn't go away. I tried to convince myself it was just stress.
After drying off and throwing on some old clothes, my stomach growled—loudly. 'Right. Food. Time to eat.'
I opened the refrigerator.
Empty.
Like, desert-empty. A lone ketchup packet, half a slice of cheese, and some suspicious-looking leftovers that could probably walk on their own.
"Of course," I muttered with a sigh and headed to the cabinet. I pushed past some canned corn, a forgotten pack of cookies, and then found it—the holy grail.
Instant ramen.
"This will do," I said to myself, pulling out a pot and filling it with water. I put it on the stove and turned on the flame.
While the water started heating up, I pulled out my phone. I thought about putting on Power Rangers Dino Thunder—one of my all-time favorites. Honestly, that series kept me sane through a lot of dark days. I'd always daydreamed about being there, fighting alongside the Rangers, maybe even being one of them. Smart, powerful, important.
'If only,' I thought, staring at my reflection in the phone screen. Just some tired, average dude with nothing to show for sixteen years of effort.
The sound of the water boiling snapped me out of it. I opened the ramen packet and dumped the noodles into the pot. The steam rose, warming my face, and the familiar smell of seasoning hit me. For a moment, I felt at peace.
After the noodles were done, I grabbed a clean cup and set my phone against it. I settled in and ate, watching an episode and smiling despite everything. It was my little comfort world. For the next few episodes, I forgot about the world and its problems.
Once I finished, I cleaned up the dishes—nothing fancy, just a rinse and a wipe and then dragged myself to the sofa. The rest of the series played in the background, and I got lost in it.
I didn't even realize how late it was until I saw the time.
"Shit, I should've been asleep hours ago…"
But I was too lazy to get up, so I just let myself drift off right there on the sofa, phone face down beside me.
And then I heard it.
A horn. Loud. Sharp. Way too close.
My eyes flew open—and all I saw were headlights.
"What the actual fuck?!"
I didn't even have time to move. The truck broke through the wall of my living room, literally—and came crashing in like a nightmare come to life.
Everything happened so fast. I barely had time to think before I felt the impact. The sofa flew, the walls caved, and everything turned into a chaotic mess of sound and pressure.
In my final moments, all I could do was laugh.
A tired, dry chuckle escaped my lips.
"Really?" I whispered. "A truck crashes into my house? That's how I go?"
I closed my eyes as the pain hit. I didn't beg or scream. I just wished.
If I got another shot at life, if there was anything after this, I wanted to be someone better. Strong. Smart. Rich. Good-looking. Someone who didn't have to suffer like this.
Someone perfect.
And then… everything went black.
=====================================
But I didn't stay in the dark forever.
I felt something. Warmth. Tightness. Comfort.
But I couldn't move. I couldn't see. It was like being inside a balloon, or underwater, but more solid. I wasn't breathing, but I didn't need to. And that tight comfort began to shift… into pressure.
A lot of pressure.
Suddenly, something was squeezing my body—hard. Pain exploded in my skull and spine like a vice clamp. If I could scream, I would've. Instead, I mentally screamed, 'Stop! Please, stop!'
As if the universe heard me, the pressure did stop.
I felt myself pulled, slid, extracted. The warmth disappeared, replaced by cold air and bright light. I blinked—or at least, I think I did. Everything was blurry. Noises became clearer. Voices. One loud voice announced:
"It's a girl!"
Huh?
'Hold on. What?'
I didn't have time to think. Something—a massive hand smacked me on the back. A sharp sting echoed through my tiny body.
I opened my mouth to yell—except what came out was a high-pitched cry. A baby's cry.
'Wait–wait, wait—was that me?!'
Startled, I tried to stop. The crying stopped.
I screamed again.
The cry followed.
No.
No way.
'No. Freaking. Way.'
I could only think of one scenario. One completely insane, ridiculous, anime-like scenario.
'I got reincarnated?!'
There was no other explanation. I was a damn baby. I couldn't talk. I couldn't move properly. Everything around me was massive. And those were clearly adults… doctors, maybe?
I heard another voice cooing over me. Someone wrapped me in something soft—probably a blanket and held me close. Their voice was gentle, but I couldn't understand a word. It was like a different language.
Another mystery for later.
I just... laid there. No choice but to go with the flow.
Inside, I was screaming. My mind was racing.
'How? Why? Where was I? Who were these people?'
Was this Earth? Was this even the same world?
'Hell, was I even going to be raised as a girl now?!'
I felt my tiny hands curl up near my face, instinctively. This body—this fragile, small body, was mine now. I couldn't tell if it was a blessing or a curse.
But I knew one thing for sure.
This was a fresh start.
A reset.
A reincarnation.
I remembered my wish—my ridiculous, half-sarcastic wish from earlier.
If I get reincarnated, I want to be a cheat character. Smart, good-looking, rich, perfect.
Now I just had to wait and see if the universe actually listened.
If it did… well.
Who knows?