...I can't move.
His fingers wouldn't twitch. He tried—God, he tried—but they were already numb. His hands, his arms... gone. Swallowed by cold.
Only minutes ago, he could still feel them. A tingling at the edges. Now? Just a distant pressure, like his body was floating away—piece by piece.
The hospital light stabbed through his eyelids. Harsh. Artificial. A soulless blue that made the darkness behind his eyes feel like ice.
So this is it…
He didn't scream. Didn't cry. His body had already shut down most of what made him human. Fear, panic—dried up like old blood.
The heart monitor beside him beeped one final, sluggish note. Then stopped.
How long have my eyes been closed...?
Time unraveled. The seconds stretched into silence.
Was I a good son?
Did I disappoint them?
Will they cry when I'm gone…?
They say your life flashes before your eyes. But all he saw was nothing. No childhood memories. No triumphant moments. Not even the pain.
Just…
Regret.
Not for the things he did.
But the ones he didn't.
I never held my brother's hand when he cried.
I never told my sister I was proud of her.
I never chased my dreams. Not once.
He'd waited. Always waited. For the perfect moment. For the "right time." And now—there was none.
If there's a next life...
He'd move. He'd live. He wouldn't waste a single breath.
The edges of the world blurred. The pain melted away. The cold, the light, even the smell of antiseptic—it all dissolved into warmth.
And then—
Light.
But not the hospital light.
Sunlight.
A soft breeze danced across his face. Leaves rustled above him. The grass cradled his back like velvet.
What the…?
He sat up.
His body—whole. Strong. Healthy.
No pain. No tubes. No machines.
Just—
"Welcome, soul."
The voice was soft. Feminine. Divine.
A woman—no, a goddess—stepped forward. She was draped in white and green, crowned in living vines. Hair like snow. Eyes like gold.
"You died too soon. But the heavens saw your longing."
She smiled gently.
"And so, you've been chosen. You shall be reborn... in another world."
His breath caught.
Is this real...?
A reward?
A blessing?
Was this what came after?
"You will live again," she whispered. "But your path will not be easy."
Warmth wrapped around him. The light grew stronger.
He reached toward her.
"Go now, soul. Be reborn."
The world flared—
—then shattered.
CLANG.
Cold. Metal. Darkness.
He gasped.
Gone was the sunlight. Gone was the goddess. Gone was the peace.
He lay on his back, crammed into something tiny. Walls pressed against his limbs. No room to move. No light to see.
He reached out—his hand scraped steel.
What is this? A coffin?
The air was stale. Rotten. His breath came shallow and fast.
No. No no no no—
Then came the voice.
Not divine.
Not human.
"Welcome to Cycle #002. All subjects are awake. Initiating the Box."
A hiss. A mechanical groan.
And then—
The floor disappeared.
He fell.