Daniel sat on an old wooden bench, on his way home from work, waiting for the bus. He was in a bit of a daze, his eyes half-closed.
I should have slept more... work and college are killing me. I can't have any more energy drinks or coffee; every time I do, I feel a sharp pang in my heart. I think I'm overdoing the caffeine.
He wasn't alone, of course. A small group of people stood beside him some standing, others sitting like him, all seemingly waiting for the bus. Despite being a small group, they were quite noisy. If it weren't for them, he probably would have fallen asleep already.
Aaah, just one more energy drink won't kill me, right? Following that thought, he stood up and headed toward a convenience store near the bus stop.
Hmm, six-forty-nine for an energy drink plus a four-ninety-nine natural sandwich... this is going to be more expensive than I thought. Things are tight; I'd better save. If I start thinking it's okay to spend this much often, it'll be a problem.
Never mind, I'll just buy coffee. I've already spent too much money on nonsense this month. Excited by the thought of a delivery waiting for him at home, Daniel ran out of the store when he saw his bus nearly reaching the stop.
On the bus home standing, because of course it was packed Daniel huffed. He was used to it, but still frustrated that he had to stand for half the trip. He grabbed onto the overhead bar while sipping his still-hot coffee. At least I have a coffee to drink during this hellish commute.
After just a few sips, it was gone.
It's like when you buy snacks before a movie. No matter how much you bring, it always ends within the first ten minutes. Daniel thought, giving a slight smirk as he finished his small coffee.
Break
When he reached his apartment complex, he went to the front desk to pick up his package, only to find no one there.
Wait, no one's here at this hour? They usually leave at 9:00 PM; it's only 8:30. Maybe they left earlier than usual today. Damn. I hope they at least took in my package.
With a long sigh, Daniel finally arrived home after his workday.
I still have to clean the bathroom, do yesterday's dishes, and sweep... living alone is so "fulfilling." I barely have any money left, even though it's just a studio apartment one room, a bathroom, and a kitchen joined with the living room and I'm surviving on instant noodles. Now that I think about it, it's not that common for a place like this to have a doorman... I guess I'm just overthinking.
With that "massive" motivation, Daniel began tidying up the house.
At least I'm not sleepy enough to collapse mid-chore. Better to do it now than deal with it when I wake up.
To the sound of dishes being washed, the bathroom being scrubbed, and the floor being swept, time passed until Daniel finally fell asleep on his bed.
What's that hissing sound? Is it raining? It feels a bit stuffy, too.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"Who's the bastard trying to break down my door?"
Before even opening his eyes, he yelled: "WHO IS IT? DIDN'T THEY TEACH YOU MANNERS?"
But at that exact moment, he realized something. Upon opening his eyes, he was no longer in his small bedroom, nor in any place he remotely recognized.
His body shivered for a second when a voice from the other side of the door spoke in a low, childish tone, snapping him out of his dazed state.
"What are you talking about? Mom told me to wake you up. You overslept you're going to be late!"
The situation didn't get any better. The language the voice spoke wasn't one he understood, nor did it sound like anything he'd ever heard. To make matters worse, the response he had shouted was in that very same language. He had answered as naturally as breathing, despite never having heard the tongue before; it was strangely familiar, as if it were his native language.
The shock didn't end there. As he began to take in his surroundings, he saw a room larger than his own apartment which didn't mean much, since anywhere was larger than that room. There was a bed in the corner, a bookshelf beside it, a large wooden wardrobe, and a study desk facing the bed covered in notebooks and loose sheets of paper. Because the room was small, everything was cramped, but strangely cozy. Everything was made of wood, appearing well-crafted and sturdy.
His attention to these details was shattered when the voice spoke again.
"Isaac, are you listening? Hurry up and come eat breakfast!"
Isaac??? Who the hell is Isaac?
This is a dream, right? But is it possible for a dream to create a language I've never heard? I don't think so.
It feels too much like a dream. Daniel used a technique he'd created as a child to tell if he was dreaming: he gave his tongue a light bite.
"I can feel the pain... it's not a dream."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing! I'm coming!" Daniel replied, sounding a bit hesitant.
As he stood up from the bed, he felt a slight dizziness and a chill down his spine. It felt as if ice were running through his veins. Suddenly, an overwhelming headache invaded his mind. Fragments so many fragments of memory flooded in nearly an entire lifetime of broken memories trying to fit into his head.
Knowledge, sensations of events he'd never lived, childhood memories, dreams he'd never imagined having, desires for things he didn't even know, feelings for people he'd never met all collapsing inside him at once.
Daniel, who had been standing just moments ago, was now writhing in pain on the floor. Amidst this whirlwind of events, his head, which felt like it was being pierced by knives, began to feel lighter. Then, everything went dark.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
That again... what happened? I think I fainted.
"What are you doing in there that's taking so long?"
Now a female voice, an adult. Probably the mother? The other must have been my sister.
Regaining some consciousness and standing up carefully, he said, "I'm coming out now. I fell back asleep."
"Hurry, Isaac, or you'll be late for the first day of school! Get up and go take your bath!"
The voice gradually moved away from the door, sounding hurried. Meanwhile, Daniel groaned in pain, his head still pulsing and vibrating.
He quickly left the room, finding himself in a small, empty hallway. There was a door next to his room, one at the end of the hallway, and one directly in front. He opened the door in front of him and locked it. Somehow, without understanding how, he knew this was the bathroom.
With trembling hands and heavy breathing, he opened and closed his fists to calm himself. Easy, hold your breath for ten seconds, then let it out. After doing this a few times, he felt his heart slow down.
This is all madness... Daniel didn't even properly analyze the bathroom; he just stood there, then sat on the floor, trying to rationalize what was happening. After a while, he looked at the bathtub. Seeing it was already half-full, he stripped and stepped in. His body began to relax as the heat of the water warmed him, and he was able to think clearly for the first time since waking up.
Okay, calm down... let's analyze the situation. I went to sleep and woke up here in this body. Right after that, my head was flooded with memories that apparently belong to this person... the memories are still very confusing and jumbled. Did I steal his body? Did he die and I took over? Did we merge? Did I transmigrate to this place?
Transmigration isn't a new concept in fiction, but that's all it was fiction. There are no records of anyone who transmigrated to another world and came back or proved it. There's always been a crazy person or two claiming it, though.
Based on the few memories I can grasp, school starts today the second year and it's not a good idea to linger in this bath. I have a feeling I've stayed too long already.
Getting out of the tub after a quick wash, he finally analyzed his "new" body. He was still reluctant to admit something so absurd. Tanned skin, almost bronze... from what I can gather from these memories, my grandparents came from another continent, which explains the darker skin. It's not that different from my old self; my grandparents in the other world were immigrants from South America, and my skin was always a bit more tanned than others, though not as much as now. He was visibly calmer now, no lo...
Looking into the small bathroom mirror, he evaluated himself.
From what I can see, we share some lineage. Appearance-wise, we diverge quite a bit. Short hair, dark brown eyes, a fairly decent face but nothing that stands out. He also seems a bit taller than my old self maybe five centimeters.
It seems it wasn't just my height that increased... my body feels heavier, too. A bit athletic. To be honest, it wasn't hard to beat my old self; work and college didn't leave time for the gym, and eating microwave meals every day didn't help.
Enough rambling, I need to focus. The situation doesn't seem desperate yet, but it's close. Leaving the bathroom and returning to his room, he began to dress for school. He obviously didn't plan on going to school today, but he had to trick the mother. Going to school in this state would only make things worse. The memories were slowly starting to make sense, but he needed a place to concentrate alone.
The uniform wasn't too flashy: a well-fitted brown vest fastened by a row of buttons. On the left side of the chest was the school symbol an owl lightly stitched in the same color as the vest; a quick glance wouldn't even catch it. Below were dark trousers of firm fabric and simple leather shoes.
Finally, he went downstairs to find his mother and sister at the table. Before he could even open his mouth, his mother confronted him: "Is your suitcase packed yet?"
His mother had bronze skin, black hair tied back, and brown eyes. But unlike him, her eyes were honey-brown. His little sister apparently took after their father more, with lighter skin and brown hair, though her eyes were brown like their mother's.
"Suitcase??" Daniel asked, surprised. The look his mother gave him was not pleasant. Then, a memory flashed in his mind.
Crap.
In that moment, he realized his plan to skip school was going to fail miserably. Accustomed to his other world where he went to school and came back every day, he had made a slip-up. He lived in the school dorms!!
It's not like it's my fault! I only just accessed that memory! Damn it!!
"I—I—" Seeing him stutter, his mother stood up from the table and headed straight for his room. On the way, she said irritably, "Eat your food quickly while I go pack your things."
Seeing there was nothing else to do, he sat down next to his sister. From what he could fish out of his memory, her name was Nizah and she was seven years old. It was strange because he felt a natural affection for her, even though it was his first time seeing her in person.
"Isaac, can you do that trick again?" Nizah blurted out.
"What trick?" Daniel began to worry about where this was going.
"The one where you levitate objects," Nizah said with the most brilliant smile in the world.
Meanwhile, Daniel's mind raced. I can levitate things?!!