Year 2024, Somewhere on Earth— Raindrops tapped against the window, soft but steady, like a quiet reminder that the night wasn’t going anywhere. The wind slipped through the cracks in the frame, carrying a chill that made the small room feel even smaller. The faint glow of a laptop screen flickered in the dim space, its light casting soft shadows on the walls. A boy sat at the bed, still, his eyes fixed on the screen. The room wasn’t much—just four walls and barely enough space to stretch his legs without bumping into something. It felt more like a stopover than a place to belong. The professor’s voice droned on from the video lecture, spilling words about programming logic. He was supposed to be paying attention, but the sentences blurred together, mixing with the sound of the rain. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, unmoving. With a quiet sigh, he leaned back. The night stretched ahead, long and unchanging. The rain outside showed no sign of stopping, and neither did the endless stream of lessons waiting for him on the screen. He sank deeper into the bed, the fabric creaking beneath him. He let out a long, exasperated sigh—more a release than a breath. "Isn't my life just... too ordinary?" The thought was uninvited, but it clung to him, gnawing at his insides. Every day felt like the same, unbroken cycle: wake up, go to college, listen to lectures, come home, waste time on the bus, only to repeat it all over again. The thought was unbearable. Novels. Anime. Sleep. That was all he had. And even that—his one remaining escape—felt hollow. The stories that once stirred his soul now seemed like faded echoes, distant and unreachable. He couldn't find anything new. There were no worlds left to explore, no characters to root for. His mind wandered back to the last novel he'd read. It had been one of those reincarnation stories, the ones he had devoured so many times. A boy, weak and alone, was reborn into a world brimming with power, magic, and potential. He had been nothing in his first life—just a recluse, a ghost in the world. But then he had gained unimaginable strength, and his life, his destiny, had changed. "That character... he was nothing before," he thought, his fingers curling into fists. "Just a nobody. But those powers... they changed everything. They gave him a chance." He looked down at his own, the ordinary, unremarkable hands. "I've got friends, family, a life that supports me. But it's not enough." He thought of his parents' concerned faces, the nagging voices telling him to stop wasting time on fiction. "They don't get it. They don't understand why I need this," he thought bitterly. "Why do I need to escape?" The frustration tightened in his chest. His jaw clenched. "At least my life is better than his was before. At least I'm not alone," he tried to reassure himself, but the words tasted empty. "What's the point of all this? Why even think about things that will never happen? It's not like I'm going to die and wake up in some other world." He stared at the ceiling, his breath slow but heavy, as if the weight of his thoughts were too much for his chest to bear. "Content... but not happy," he whispered to no one in particular. The thought sat there, a jagged, uncomfortable truth. What was the point of a life that was only half-lived? What was the point of waiting for something—anything—that would make it all worth it? The storm outside howled louder, its fury mirroring the turmoil inside him, but he didn't move. The world outside raged, but here, in this small room, nothing changed. Nothing ever changed. A few minutes later - He tidied up his bed and went to sleep after scrolling through reels for half an hour. 3:00 AM The room was still, the silence broken only by the faint hum of the fan. But then, without warning, his eyes snapped open. His breath hitched, his chest heaving as a sudden wave of panic surged through him. What the—? His mind raced, his body frozen for a moment before instinct took over. With trembling hands, he threw off the blanket, his heart pounding as he reached down to check. The damp fabric met his fingers, and a frustrated groan escaped his lips. "Another wet dream," he muttered bitterly, his voice laced with annoyance. "Just great." Dragging himself out of bed, the wooden floor beneath his feet creaked softly, a sound that echoed in the stillness of the night. His movements were sluggish, his body weighed down by exhaustion and irritation. He shuffled toward the closet, pulling out a fresh set of clothes before trudging to the bathroom. The faint splash of water filled the air as he cleaned up, the cool droplets jolting him slightly from his haze. But when he returned to his bed, the solace of sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned, the minutes dragging on like hours, the rain outside a relentless rhythm against the window. His gaze drifted toward the glass, the storm beyond mirroring the turmoil in his mind. His chest rose and fell unevenly, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. I've got college tomorrow, and here I am, wide awake, he thought, his lips pressing into a thin line. Another wasted night. With a defeated sigh, he reached for his phone, the blue light glaring in the darkness. He knew it was a terrible idea, but his resolve had long since crumbled. Navigating to his usual guilty pleasure—Japanese "mature" anime videos—the ones he had sworn he'd stop watching. He let himself fall into the numbing distraction, the tension in his chest momentarily dulled. --- Ten Minutes Later— The room was silent again, save for the soft shuffle of his footsteps as he made his way back to the bathroom. His reflection in the mirror stared back at him, but he avoided its gaze, his eyes hollow with exhaustion and something deeper—shame, perhaps. The cold water splashed against his skin, chasing away the last remnants of heat. His movements were mechanical, almost robotic, as if he were going through the motions without thought. He dried off and trudged back toward the bed, his shoulders slumping under the weight of his restless thoughts. But just as his body met the mattress, a sharp, searing pain tore through his chest. His eyes widened in shock, his hand instinctively flying to his heart. The agony was unlike anything he had felt before—tight, suffocating, and relentless. "What… is happening?!" he gasped, his voice barely a whisper as the pain intensified. His breathing grew shallow, erratic, and each inhale felt like he was trying to breathe through water. His mind spiraled into chaos, panic clawing at his senses. I was fine… I go to the gym every day! I'm healthy! This can't be happening. Is it… is it a heart attack?! Sweat beaded on his forehead, cold and clammy. His legs gave out beneath him, and his knees hit the floor with a resounding thud. His hands clawed at his chest as if trying to tear the pain away, but it was futile. His thoughts blurred, the world around him spinning into darkness. "No… not like this…" was his final thought as the void claimed him. His body collapsed to the floor, a soft *thump* marking the end of his struggle. --- Somewhere in the Vast Expanse of the Cosmos— The void stretched infinitely, an endless canvas of black speckled with distant stars that shimmered like fragments of forgotten dreams. At the heart of this emptiness, a radiant white light pulsed, its glow shifting and twisting as if it defied the very concept of form. Slowly, the light began to take shape—a towering, ethereal figure whose presence exuded an overwhelming sense of divinity. Its edges flickered, undefined, yet its sheer aura was enough to command reverence. If a mortal were to see it, they would fall to their knees, awestruck and terrified in equal measure. The figure turned its attention to a tiny flickering orb floating nearby. The orb trembled, its faint glow dwarfed by the being's immense radiance. Compared to the towering entity, it was insignificant—a mere speck of dust before a mountain. "A soul…" the being mused, its voice resonating through the void, not as sound but as a presence that filled every corner of the space. "How curious. How did it come here?" The figure extended a hand, its fingers—if they could be called that—reaching toward the orb. With a subtle motion, it began unraveling the secrets of the fragile light. Memories, emotions, and thoughts unfolded before it, like pages of a book being read in an instant. "A human soul from a primitive world," it mused, its tone contemplative, yet there was something deeper—a flicker of intrigue, perhaps even… amusement. "But this… this is peculiar." The light surrounding the figure dimmed momentarily as it paused, the air growing heavier. "This soul… knows of the Otsutsuki baron family. The weakest… yet the most ancient of bloodlines. How could a world so backward hold such knowledge? Even as fiction, such truths should remain beyond their grasp." The being's form flickered as its thoughts deepened. "It seems my seclusion has lasted too long. The threads of fate are stirring, and events beyond my sight are in motion." Its gaze returned to the orb, which now shone brighter, its light growing purer in the sacred space it floated in. The divine energy surrounding it refined the soul, shaping it into something more than it once was. "You were not brought here by accident, little one," the being said, its voice tinged with something almost like amusement. "Perhaps it is his will. Or perhaps… it is yours." The orb quivered, its light flickering as though it understood the weight of the being's words. "You desired power," the figure continued, its tone shifting—colder, more calculating now. "A life beyond the mediocrity of your existence. Very well. I shall grant you this chance. But be warned, mortal: the path ahead is one of suffering and strife. The world I send you to holds the keys to your salvation and your destruction. You know of its future, yet even that will not prepare you for the trials that await." With a deliberate motion, the being raised its hand, its movements as graceful as they were terrifying. The void seemed to shudder, galaxies trembling as a powerful swoosh echoed across the vast expanse. The soul was flung into the infinite black, hurtling across dimensions, through stars and galaxies, its light trailing like a comet against the abyss. "Prove yourself, little one," the being murmured, its voice lingering in the space long after the soul had vanished. "If you rise above the greatest of that world, if you shatter the chains of mortality, then… we shall meet again. Until then, this gift shall serve you well." And with those final words, the light began to fade, the figure dissolving into the void as though it had never existed. Only the faintest echo remained, a whisper that would never reach mortal ears. "Do not disappoint me."