A young man stared at the numerous stars scattered throughout the night sky through the window from his bed. If he could, he would have liked to go outside to get a clearer view but outside was an unreachable realm for him. The illness that plagued him all his life left him bedridden.

“Young master.” The voice of his young nurse brought him out of his reverie. “Your uncle and aunt are here to visit you.”

He let out a gentle sigh. It was this again.

“Tell them I am resting.” He didn’t want to see them.

His parents had passed away in a car crash three years ago, leaving him with a huge fortune. Moreover, he was down with an incurable disease that could take him to the Yellow Spring at any moment. In fact, doctors had told him that he would not live past his eighteenth birthday. And he was already twenty years old now!

The only thing that was holding him back was his perseverance. His mother used to constantly tell him – there were miracles in this world, one just needed to have enough patience to believe in it and wait.

“Young master, they said they had something very important to discuss with you,” the nurse said with a little hesitation in her voice. He knew how insistent they could get; he had seen that from the few instances they had met.

“I don’t want to meet them,” he said, his voice was firm.

This so-called ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’ had an estranged relationship with his parents before the accident. They had never bothered with him until two years ago. They were essentially strangers to him. It didn’t take a certified genius to figure out their motives; they wanted his properties. It was as simple as that.

The nurse made a troubled face and left the room.

He felt a little bad for putting her through this predicament but there was no way around it.

His phone buzzed. It was an e-mail from his lawyer. He had written to say that all the process to donate his properties to the charity had been completed. The scans of the documents were also attached with the mail. Truly professional.

What kind of face would my ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’ make when they learn of this? The young man wondered. It would make for quite an interesting scene. But alas! He wouldn’t be able to see it.

They were already well off – having his property wouldn’t change their lives much. Still, they tried everything they could to get their hands on it. Human greed was an unfathomable thing. The young man knew, the only reason he was able to let go of all his wealth easily was because his end was nigh. He wanted to make a difference in the world before he returned to the folds of the Earth.

Just then, something singular happened.

You have accrued a huge amount of good karma! +2 Fate

You have broken through the First Shackle of Fate as an ordinary mortal! A miracle has been granted to you.

Strange characters appeared at the bottom right corner of his vision. The strangest thing was, he could understand them! The young man wondered if he was hallucinating. But that thought was soon pushed aside when the next set of lines appeared before him.

You are about to reincarnate! Prepare your heart.

You are about to reincarnate. You are about to reincarnate. You are about to reincarnate. This line kept ringing in his head again and again. It struck a certain chord somewhere in the deepest recess of his heart.

“Ye-yes!” he mumbled. Not that there was any need for him to reply.

He would like to reincarnate! That was his honest thought, even if everything that was happening at the present moment was something his messy head had conjured up. He desperately needed a new lease of life.

I hope I get a strong body that can eat anything and do everything in my next life, he thought. If he ended up with a weak body, it would be the repeat of the life he had lived till now. That would suck.

Beginning the reincarnation…

His consciousness grew hazy all of a sudden.

It’s beginning. The man who was about to be reincarnated felt a slight trace of fear but he was mostly filled with anticipation. That was until he belatedly realized something. Wait a minute! Will I be able to retain my memories? But before he could make any sort of protest, his consciousness was invaded by darkness.

You have gained the trait [Innards of Primordial Taotie]!

These words appeared briefly in the darkness but soon faded away, unread.