Everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
No pain. No sound. Just… nothing.
I wasn't sure what had happened. One moment, I was standing in the rain, thinking too much again, and the next… darkness.
"...Did I die?"
The words didn't leave my mouth — mostly because I didn't have one.
It was weird. I couldn't move. Couldn't see. Couldn't feel.
But somehow, I could think.
Time didn't seem to exist here. It was like being stuck between seconds. Floating, waiting for something to happen that never did.
Then — light.
A small glow appeared in the distance, soft and slow, like it was calling me.
It didn't look dangerous.
Just... final.
It pulled at me gently, and for a second, I thought about giving in.
But something in my gut twisted.
Wait... what if that thing wipes me clean?
I didn't know where that came from — maybe something my mom had once said when she talked about souls and rebirth.
She used to say that when a soul is "cleansed," it forgets everything and starts again.
If that was true...
Then stepping into that light meant forgetting everything — my family, my life, my regrets, even the stupid cat under the scooter.
I didn't want that.
"Wait—!"
The word didn't even finish before the light swallowed me whole.
And suddenly, the silence broke — replaced by crying.
My crying.
---
Bright lights. Beeping machines. Muffled voices speaking too fast.
"Daijoubu, daijoubu…"
"Omedetou gozaimasu!"
Japanese?
That was the first thought that hit me.
The second was — I understand them.
How?
Someone lifted me — warm hands, soft and trembling. A woman. She was saying something sweet, smiling down at me like I was the best thing that ever happened.
I didn't know her.
But my body… knew her.
Instinct.
And then it clicked.
I was reborn.
The thought didn't even sound real, but everything else lined up too neatly for it to be anything else.
And from what I was hearing, it sounded like I was in Japan.
That... wasn't ideal.
---
The days passed in a blur.
I couldn't move much, but I could observe.
My parents — my new parents — were kind. Young. My mother always smiled when she saw me, and my father had this calm, gentle voice that made everything sound safe.
They called me Ren.
It was a nice name.
Simple. Clean.
Nothing like "Krishna," but... it fit.
Time worked differently when you were a baby. It crawled.
But in that slow crawl, I learned things — sounds, words, the shape of the language.
It was strange how easily Japanese came to me. Maybe all those years of anime finally paid off.
Sometimes, my mom would take me outside in the stroller, and I'd just watch.
People were... different.
Some glowed faintly, others floated objects, one guy even shot sparks from his fingers like it was nothing.
At first, I thought, Huh. Supernatural world.
Everyone probably just had powers here.
I didn't question it too deeply. I had enough to deal with being a literal baby.
---
Then I met her.
She was about my age, with messy blue hair and eyes too bright for her own good. She was talkative from day one, always asking "why" to every little thing.
Her name was Nejire.
Her parents were friends with mine, so she was often over.
She'd crawl into my space, point at my toys, ask me nonsense questions like, "Why does the ball roll?" or "Why do people blink?"
Half the time I didn't even know how to react.
There was something about her, though — something that tugged at me.
I couldn't place it. Like seeing a face you've only half-remembered from a dream.
I tried to think about it once, but she started bombarding me with questions again, and that train of thought derailed fast.
---
Then came the moment that tied everything together.
I was two, sitting on the couch with my dad while he watched TV. I wasn't really paying attention — just playing with a small wooden block — until a voice from the screen made me look up.
"Breaking news! All Might saves forty people from a collapsing building!"
The camera panned to a massive man — blond hair, sharp jawline, muscles for days, and that smile. That damn smile.
No cape. Just pure confidence.
For a few seconds, I forgot to breathe.
All Might.
That name cracked something open in my head.
The glowing people. The powers. The faint familiarity of that blue-haired girl next door.
Everything lined up perfectly.
This wasn't just any supernatural world.
This was My Hero Academia.
And Nejire... was that Nejire.
---
I didn't freak out. Not exactly.
But my stomach did this weird flip, like the world just pulled a rug out from under me.
It was one thing to reincarnate.
Another to wake up in an anime world where people could literally blow up mountains.
Still, I played along.
Acted like any other kid would.
By four, I'd gotten used to it — the hero posters, the news, Nejire's endless questions about everything under the sun.
That day, we were sitting in my room, working on a puzzle.
"Why doesn't it fit?" she asked, frowning at a stubborn piece.
"Because you're trying to force it," I said.
"But why does it only fit there?"
"Because that's where it belongs."
She tilted her head. "Who decided that?"
Before I could answer, something inside me clicked.
The world slowed.
I could see dust hanging in the air, light bending across the floor, every edge and color sharper than ever before. My thoughts... accelerated.
I knew how every piece of the puzzle fit — instantly. Every connection, every pattern.
I placed the piece without even thinking.
Nejire's eyes widened. "How'd you—"
Then came the heat.
It started small — a warmth in my chest — but it spread fast, crawling up my neck and down my arms until it felt like my whole body was on fire.
Steam began to rise from my skin.
"Ren… you're hot!" she yelped, pulling her hand back, eyes wide. "Ren!"
Her shout echoed through the house. Footsteps rushed down the hall.
My parents burst into the room, eyes wide in horror.
I looked up at them, vision fading, the puzzle glowing faintly beside me — every piece perfect.
Then the strength left me.
The heat, the light, the noise — all of it vanished.
The last thing I heard was Nejire's voice.
"Ren! Wake up!"
Then darkness again.