Darkness pressed against Ethan from every direction.
He opened his eyes and saw nothing. No light filtered through. The air was thick, damp, and sour with rot. Something sticky clung to his skin. His body felt impossibly small, heavy, and weak.
"Status."
A translucent panel surfaced within his consciousness.
[Master: Ethan Hunt
Physique: 200 gm
Spirit: 200 gm
Talent: Infinite Comprehension
Age: 1 day]
For a moment, even he was silent.
"Yumiko," he said inwardly. "Where am I?"
A brief pause followed.
[Master, you are inside a dustbin. You were discarded here shortly after birth. Your biological parents could not afford to feed another child.]
Ethan tried to lift his hand.
It trembled weakly and barely moved.
The world had reset him to a newborn and then thrown him into garbage.
The smell invaded his lungs. He felt the crushing weight of the lid above him. Hunger twisted inside his tiny stomach like a blade.
His breath grew shallow.
