"Ugh, who ran me over last night?" A gravelly voice mumbled from underneath the blanket.
The bedroom was in disarray; bedsheets scattered on the floor, an alcohol bottle tipped over, its contents thoroughly soaked into the carpet. A dim light escaped the bathroom attached to the room, its bulb the only source of light in the darkened space.
Picking up the pillow from his head and tossing it across the room, Kane grumbled, exhausted, slowly blinking his eyes to adjust to the gloom.
'Where the hell am I?' he thought, his memories a hazy blur.
Upon entering his bedroom the previous night, Kane's head was assailed by an excruciating headache that sent him sprawling to the floor. He had crawled his way from the doorway towards his bed before the pain forced him unconscious.
Raising his hand and touching his skull, Kane sighed in relief. "At least I didn't get injured falling."
Pushing back with his arm, Kane leaned against the headboard of his bed, his eyes surveying the bedroom's state.
Slick with sweat and grime, Kane's clothes clung to his body as if he'd run multiple marathons through a forest.
"What the fuck happened? I couldn't have drunk that much last night." He slowly recounted everything that happened after he left his meeting.
Shaking away the confusion, Kane reached for the bottle of water he always had on the nightstand. His fingers fiddled for a few seconds, pushing away his watch and keys.
'Hmm?'
A neatly folded piece of paper sat on the nightstand. Peering through the darkness, Kane saw his name written on it.
'Who was in my room last night?'
Standing up quickly, Kane stumbled for a moment as a wave of nausea washed over him. 'No more tequila for me.'
Taking a deep breath and pushing back the bile that built up in his throat, he unfolded the letter and began reading the beautiful penmanship.
{Dear Kane, I bet you're wondering why this letter was on your nightstand, or even how it was placed there.
You asked me to do it, a long time ago.
My name isn't necessary, as you wouldn't even be able to read the words before your mind melted.}
Rubbing his eyes, Kane re-read the start of the letter before chuckling.
"Yeah, alright, this is an elaborate joke."
{No, this isn't a joke. You said the same thing when we first met.
Now onto the reason you asked me to leave this letter and why your life is about to change forever.
You died.
Well, you died once.
This is your second life. I won't mention your past, as you requested to never relive those memories again.
I must apologize for my part in that, once again. You see, your previous life was... not pleasant, and that's coming from someone who has seen the birth of unlimited universes.
Unfortunately, that life you led was due to a mistake I made when I was first in my position. Think of it as a butterfly effect: One small mistake led to your current life.
As an apology, we discussed compensation. During our conversation, you wished to live a normal eighteen years before your 'wishes' were bestowed.}
Kane gulped, his fingers clutching the letter as his eyes bulged slightly. 'Don't believe anything without proof,' he thought.
{Your first wish was to be sent somewhere you could have a fulfilling life, though you did request not to have a family.
I must applaud you for everything you have achieved since being reborn.
Humans are truly remarkable. (Though, the substantial inheritance was my own addition.)
Secondly, you wished for a 'System.' I wasn't sure what that meant, but after some research, I've granted it to you.
(Your headache last night was due to it being assimilated. Time works differently here; eighteen years is less than a minute here.)
Your third wish will be granted when our agreed-upon time arrives. Though I must say, quite ingenious of you!
Make sure you have fun with your new gifts, oh, and your future wife is somewhere here.
Regards,
TOOA}
The letter slowly drifted to the ground as Kane's body shook. Faint memories of an opulent throne room, a man with a white beard, and Kane himself flowed into his mind.
"This... is real?" He whispered. Though the memories weren't intact, his mind wouldn't fabricate something so ridiculous based on a mere letter.
A flame appearing on the floor snapped Kane from his inner turmoil. The letter that had been left on the ground had now turned to ashes, which slowly began to dissolve into nothingness.
Letting out a yelp, Kane stepped back in alarm. "Really?! You couldn't have made that any more shocking."
Sighing, he turned and sat down on the bed gently.
'So all this is my second life?' He thought, reviewing the last eighteen years of his second existence.
'It sort of makes sense.
'I mean, who wakes up one day with a lawyer at their door stating that they're the long-lost grandchild of some lord and their last will left everything to them? It's actually absurd how easily I had gone with it all.'
A small laugh escaped Kane's mouth as he stood up, the previous sick feeling ignored due to his current situation.
Opening the blinds, he closed his eyes as sunlight blasted through the bedroom. Pushing the window open, fresh air slowly filtered through the room, removing the stench of sweat and grime.
Nodding to himself as fresh oxygen entered his lungs, Kane quickly removed his clothes and entered the bathroom.
Standing under the hot water, Kane closed his eyes as the fatigue from the system assimilation began to fade.
"Oh, yeah. How do I start this System?" He said.
...
[Ding!]
...
"Seriously?"
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A/N - 1/3 Released Today.