As the tired office worker trudged through the early morning fog, his footsteps echoed the weariness that clung to him like a heavy shroud. His disheveled appearance mirrored the monotony of his daily routine, with a crumpled shirt and unkempt tie that seemed to resist any attempts at neatness. Dark circles under his eyes betrayed nights spent in the embrace of insomnia, and his slow pace hinted at a spirit drained by the demands of corporate drudgery.

‘Should I just quit? But will I be able to find a better job?’

The city hummed with the synchronized rhythm of hurried commuters and blaring horns, a chaotic symphony that mirrored the disarray within his mind. Amid this mundane routine, the man continued to question his life choices. His student debt remained unpaid, and his company was exploiting that fact against him. Although there was an option to return to his hometown and live with his parents, he resisted, not wanting to be perceived as a disappointment who simply gave up.

‘I probably won’t be able to find anything anyway … If I just work a bit harder I’ll probably get that raise…’

He attempted to gaslight himself into accepting his fate, although deep down, he was mostly certain that he would not be given a raise. Even after an old co-worker left, and he was compelled to assume some of his responsibilities, all he received was a mere pat on the back. Unsure whether the company was genuinely in a bad state or if he was being taken advantage of, he continued with the routine. However, he couldn’t help but imagine that the latter of those two possibilities was the truth and that nothing would change unless he did something about it.

Soon, he arrived at a pedestrian crossing where many other people in similar situations were getting ready for the day to begin. Some looked just as tired as him, while others still brimmed with vigor, something he had experienced just a few years ago. All of them waited for the light to turn green and soon started to cross. The day seemed to be shaping up to be as mundane as ever, but little did he know that soon, his life would undergo a drastic change.

With a heavy sigh, the man decided to pause for a moment at the pedestrian crossing. The cool breeze stung his face as he reached into his pocket, retrieving a crumpled pack of cigarettes and a lighter. As he lit up, the first inhale provided a fleeting sense of solace, a brief escape from the monotony that enveloped him.

As the smoke curled around him, a sudden commotion snapped him out of his contemplative daze. He noticed a child pass right by him, no more than five years old, darting towards the crosswalk, oblivious to the speeding truck hurtling towards the intersection. The light was red and the child’s guardians didn’t seem to be anywhere. Panic surged through the man’s veins as he realized the imminent danger.

The cigarette fell out of his mouth as he, without a second thought, dashed towards the child, shouting and waving his arms frantically. The surrounding pedestrians turned their heads, their expressions shifting from indifference to alarm. The child, startled by the noise, paused in the middle of the crosswalk, his gaze landing on the bright headlights.

“No, get back!”

The man shouted, but the panic-stricken child didn't move. The truck driver, not paying much attention after seeing the green light, found it difficult to spot the child due to their height. When he finally realized what was happening, it was already too late. The driver slammed his foot on the brakes and sounded the horn, but this only made the child stiffen up even more.

It was now or never, the man, fueled by adrenaline and desperation, lunged forward, pushing the child out of the truck's path just in the nick of time. The child flew forward into the arms of other pedestrians, bewildered, as the man bore the brunt of the oncoming vehicle. The screeching of tires, the blaring horn, and the collective gasps of the witnessing crowd filled the air.

The impact sent the man sprawling onto the pavement, his body twisted and contorted in an unnatural manner. A stunned silence fell over the scene as the truck came to a shuddering stop, mere inches from the man's lifeless form. As the smoke began to lift, revealing the aftermath of the near-tragedy, the child's parents rushed forward, their faces etched with a mix of relief and concern. Other pedestrians surrounded the fallen man, unsure of what to do next. The air was heavy with a mixture of shock, gratitude, and sorrow.

Summoning the strength within him, the man opened his eyes. Pain surged through his body, but he managed a weak smile. He could barely see anything, but before his vision gave out, he spotted the child in the arms of their parents. The young girl he had saved had survived with just a few scratches on her knees. He wanted to do nothing more than give an earful to her parents, but soon his mind started getting hazy.

‘Haha, I’m really going to die here…’

He laughed to himself as his life flashed before his eyes. It was a very uneventful existence, one lived without taking any risks and without many joys. Looking back, he started regretting a lot of things. That one time when he didn’t ask that girl out to the school dance, or the other time when he was too scared to invest in a start-up business. He had always played it safe, never going outside the box.

‘At least I won’t have to go to work anymore… Maybe I should have tried harder… ’

With many regrets, he gave his last breath; his life on this planet was over, but this was not the end of his journey, only a new beginning. The man felt strange. Initially overwhelmed by the coldness of death, suddenly, he could feel a strange, overflowing warmth. His thoughts were like a haze, but he did finally regain his bearings, and to his surprise, he was still alive.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

‘I’m alive?’

He tried to call out, but something was wrong with his throat and his eyes. It was difficult to open them, and whenever he attempted to speak, only high-pitched nonsense came out. It all felt like a dream, and he couldn't keep himself awake. Only after some time had passed was he able to realize the strange circumstances he had found himself in.

‘What is this… why are my hands so small? Why is everything so big? Where am I?’

As he started to panic a childish cry escaped from his mouth. He could not come to terms with his new situation as he had been transformed into a toddler. Then, suddenly as he was bawling his eyes out and unable to stop, someone entered into the room that he was in. He instantly stopped as he witnessed the sheer beauty of the person looking down at him.

“Wros ek es ressra uma?”

He couldn't understand the language that the woman was speaking, but as she picked him up and brought her big blue eyes closer, he picked up on a few things. The woman's ears were quite long, and her hair was yellow like straw. Somehow, he had been reborn as a child of a fantasy creature known as an elf, and this woman before him was probably his mother.

‘Wait… is she going to? Hey, lady stop!’

The man in the baby's body started squirming around, wanting to indicate that he was an adult trapped in a child's body, but his words were just a jumbled mess. Soon, his face was planted onto something soft, and his hunger took over. Thus his life had been started anew and with this opportunity, the man would perhaps rediscover the joys and experiences he had missed in his previous life.

‘Wait what’s this? A screen? Is that my name?’

Name:

Helion

Age:

3 days

Class:

None

A status window unfolded before him as he contemplated his predicament. It manifested every time he attempted to focus on his physical state, presenting a straightforward screen displaying stats and explanations. Perplexingly, every value appeared as either zero or one, adding to the enigma of his predicament.

"Where am I? Is this some sort of video game?"

Being not much of a gamer himself, the man pondered his unfamiliar circumstances. Little did he know, his life was on the verge of a fresh start, with the vast world ahead offering nearly limitless possibilities. Unbeknownst to him, however, someone scrutinized his entire situation. In a well-lit room adorned with numerous monitors, two women dressed in white examined a screen depicting his current state.

"It worked! The soul transfer went off without a hitch! Can we proceed with the project now?"

"Let me assess... He does appear a bit disoriented by the situation; I suppose everyone reacts differently to these circumstances."

"True, but the important thing is that it worked!"

"Before submitting the data, we must double-check; we can't afford any mishaps like that one time..."

"Ah, that was indeed an odd bug. Someone must have tampered too much with the settings, resulting in a forceful transfer."

"Yes, that peculiar bug caused quite a commotion. Great-grandfather was quite furious."

“Well, but that subject did show a lot of resolve, he almost got away…”

“True…”

Concluding their conversation, the pair left the room adorned with numerous monitors. As they stepped outside, they entered an expansive building filled with activity. The space buzzed with numerous individuals, their faces illuminated by smiles as they diligently carried out their tasks.

They made their way to the elevator, pressing the button that would take them to the top floor. Once inside, the glass walls of the elevator provided a panoramic view of the outside world. A sprawling modern city, harmoniously coexisting with abundant plant life, stretched out before them - a sight they always found enchanting. As the elevator reached the top floor, the two women entered a spacious office adorned with elegant furnishings, and a large door at the end marked their destination.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes, we have finished our work!”

The somewhat mechanical-looking secretary scanned them and, after confirming their credentials, replied.

“Please go in.”

Pushing the door open, the two women entered to find a solitary man seated at a massive desk. He sifted through various sheets of paper at a rapid pace, simultaneously monitoring multiple flat screens. His hair, as white as snow and elegantly lengthy, complemented the well-fitted suit he wore.

“Grandfather, we did it!”

“Huh? Oh, it's you two. Did you complete that project?”

“We did!”

One of the girls, cheerful, eagerly approached for her reward - a pat on the head. The other, more reserved, displayed a hint of jealousy toward her sister's nonchalance.

“Grandfather, perhaps you should take a break?”

She suggested while presenting a small drive containing all the relevant information. The man swiftly inserted it into a socket, delving into the wealth of data.

“I wish I could, but the multiverse won't run itself. My predecessor left me with quite a significant void to fill, but this will alleviate many problems. You did a great job. Now, the worlds relying on the systems will be reinvigorated.”

“Why did you leave those systems in Grandpa, weren’t they the issue?”

“I wouldn’t say that but stripping the worlds of the systems after they relied on them for their entire life would only bring chaos and anyway… it just makes life a bit more interesting, doesn’t it?”

The man smiled while looking at his two granddaughters who didn’t quite get it but could not really give a good argument towards their senior who was a being of unfathomable power. Even with all of it, he chose to relinquish most of it to allow the worlds he controlled to govern themselves.

“The two are right, you should take a break.”

As the three were chatting, a fourth person entered through a side door. It was a beautiful woman with pinkish hair and caramel skin - the one and only wife of the man known as Zhang Dong.

“Haha, perhaps I should…”

The man placed a stack of papers down before looking at his lovely wife, whose beauty had never faded. His face, once devoid of emotion, could not stop itself from showing bright smiles now. Finally, he had achieved his goal of becoming happy, and making a place where others could do the same had become part of his existence. It was not something that would happen in a day, but he was sure that eventually, it would become a reality.

Even though not everyone agreed with his approach, and there were some beings of immense power that he needed to worry about, just like any other time, he would tackle each problem with the help of his friends that he had made along the way. To this new God, nothing seemed impossible, and he would never give up as he had found something that was worth fighting for.