Alex slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the blinding light as his vision tried to adjust to the sudden burst of color. Everything looked… off. Saturated. Too vivid.
He stared blankly at the ceiling, his brain still booting up. Then it hit him.
"W-What the hell? This isn't my room."
He sat up slowly, confusion plastered all over his face. The walls were unfamiliar—plain but organized. Almost like… a dorm?
"Why am I in a dorm room? What happened to my place?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Before he could gather his thoughts, the door slammed open.
A guy barged in, eyes wide the moment he saw Alex awake.
"Alex! You're finally up! I thought you were gonna die or something—but hey, I guess my healing powers are getting stronger!" he said with a proud smirk.
Alex blinked at him, mentally rewinding.
Who the hell was this guy?
He looked around 5'10, built like someone who casually lifted trucks, with blond hair, sharp blue eyes, and a charming smile that would probably land him an 8/10 on any dating app. He wore a simple black T-shirt and jeans, but somehow made them look like a fashion statement.
But Alex wasn't concerned about fashion ratings right now. His brain was spiraling.
How did he end up here?
Then—
It hit him.
He'd jumped.
Off a building.
The memories came crashing back like a freight train.
Wrongfully accused. Fired. Fined.
The woman had a good relationship with his boss. They didn't even bother with an investigation.
His job was crappy, but it was keeping him and his little sister afloat.
He got drunk that night. Wandered home, numb.
And then—
The front door was ajar.
That door was never left open.
He stepped in…
And what he saw nearly killed him.
Blood.
His sister.
Dead.
The next thing he remembered was flashing lights. Police tape. Officers talking at him while his soul floated somewhere far, far away.
And then—he jumped.
Off the roof.
No hesitation.
He was supposed to be dead.
So why the hell was he here, alive, in some random dorm room?
"Damian! Hey, Damian!"
The voice snapped him back. He turned toward the guy—who was still staring at him, clearly concerned.
"You good, man? You look like shit."
Alex blinked again. Damian?
He pointed at himself. "You talking to me?"
The guy looked confused. "Of course I'm talking to you. Isn't that your name? Don't tell me the attack scrambled your brain too."
Okay, what? Now we're talking about an attack?
Alex frowned. "Sorry… my head's all fuzzy. Who are you again?"
The guy gasped dramatically, clutching his chest like Alex had just stabbed him.
"Damian! You forgot me?! Your very favorite best friend?!"
Alex wasn't amused. "Spare me the theatrics and just explain who you are—and why the hell I'm here."
The guy paused, realizing Alex was dead serious. The playful spark in his eyes faded.
"Alright… looks like your memory's actually messed up. I'm Joshua—Josh, if you prefer. And you… you're Damian Wirtz."
He gave a deep sigh.
"You've been in a coma for three months."
Alex's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A coma? For three months?" he repeated. "Then what the fick am I doing in a dorm room and not a hospital?!"
He immediately turned to Josh, demanding an explanation.
Josh scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Well… after the attack, you were rushed to the hospital. But once the urgent treatment was done… we ran out of money to keep you there. So… they kicked you out."
Alex blinked. "They what?"
"I know, I know," Josh said quickly, holding up his hands. "But since my powers are healing-based, I kept taking care of you myself."
Alex just stared at him, utterly bamboozled.
The next hour was filled with a chaotic info dump, but eventually, Alex pieced it all together.
He was in a new world—a parallel universe to Earth. But this one had superpowers, superheroes, and, of course, supervillains. The "attack" everyone kept mentioning? It was a full-blown terrorist strike on the city. Alex had gotten caught in the middle of it. He was considered lucky—some had died instantly, others were crippled for life.
And he? He fell into a coma.
Now awake, Alex stood and walked to the mirror in the corner of the room. Josh had stepped out to get him some food.
Normally, someone who just woke up from a three-month coma wouldn't even be able to sit up, much less walk.
But this? This was anything but normal.
He felt stronger than before. Sharper. Like his body had leveled up while he was unconscious.
Looking into the mirror, he saw a tall, dark-skinned young man with unremarkable black hair and eyes—slightly taller than Josh, but nothing that screamed "main character energy." He ran a hand along his face, and for a moment, an image of his sister flashed through his mind.
Thinking back on it, jumping off that rooftop had been cowardly. But at the time… it had felt like the only way out.
Now, with this second chance, this new life… he wasn't going to waste it.
No more being pushed around.
He sat on the bed and began scrolling through Josh's old beat-up phone. A few minutes later, Josh returned with some noodles, which he quickly prepared for them. They ate together, the room filled with the occasional slurp and the crackle of boiling water.
As they ate, they started planning their next move. Both were unemployed, scraping by on random gigs just to survive.
Josh had parents, but they were already drowning in responsibility—six other kids to take care of. At 25, Josh was expected to pull his own weight and help his family. He could have landed a solid job at a hospital, given his healing powers, but he had a bad habit of rubbing his bosses the wrong way. Authority and Josh just didn't mix.
Alex—who now went by Damian in this world—was apparently an orphan here too.
One thing still bugged him, though.
Josh had told him that not everyone had powers. And according to Josh… Damian didn't have any.
But deep down, Damian knew that wasn't true.
He didn't just feel stronger. He felt different. Like something was hiding just beneath the surface.
As he scrolled through the internet, he stumbled across an article on how power users activated their abilities. He decided to give it a shot.
He followed the instructions—focused, breathed deeply, and visualized the sensation.
Suddenly, time began to slow down. The room blurred, sounds warped, and within seconds, everything around him felt frozen—like the world had hit pause.
But after five seconds, his head throbbed, his legs buckled slightly, and time snapped back to normal.
He panted, feeling like he'd just run a marathon.
So… he did have powers.
But was it because his soul had possessed this body?
Or had the power always been dormant?
Either way, one thing was certain.
He wasn't powerless.
Not anymore.