The rain was falling sideways.That kind of typhoon rain that made roofs rattle, wires hum, and transformers hiss with sparks.
"Eddie, huwag na! Too dangerous!" someone shouted from the street below.
Eduardo Ramos didn't even glance down. His gloved hands tightened on the utility pole as the wind roared around him. The transformer above was spitting blue arcs like angry lightning.
"If we don't fix it now, the whole barangay loses power!" he shouted back, voice muffled by the storm. "And the hospital's generator's already down!"
He pulled the fuse block, rainwater splattering against his face. He'd done this job a thousand times — in worse weather, even.
Thirty-six years old. Electrical technician. Two kids. A tiny rented house with an always-leaking roof.
This was supposed to be just another night call.
Then he saw it — a flash of bright white from the corner of his eye.The transformer exploded.
BANG!
For a split second, the world was pure light.Then… nothing.
When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on his back.He expected to see a ceiling fan, hospital lights, something.
Instead, there was sky — wide and blue, with two suns blazing above like twin eyes of a god.
"…Huh."
He sat up slowly. The grass beneath him was soft, glowing faintly at the tips. His toolbox — blackened and smoking — lay beside him.
"Did… did I survive that? Where's Quezon City?"
No answer. Only the wind, and the distant sound of bells.
He looked around. Rolling hills, a dirt road, and what looked like a small village not far away. The air smelled strange — sharp, almost metallic, like ozone after a lightning strike.
"Okay, Eddie. Think. Either this is heaven, or I got sent to another country. Or…"He stared at the twin suns again. "…another world."
He chuckled, half in disbelief.
"So that's how it is. Typical. I die fixing a transformer, and the next thing I know, I'm in an isekai."
The first person he met was a girl — maybe ten, barefoot, holding a lantern that glowed faintly blue.
She gasped when she saw him. "A-are you all right, mister? Did the monsters get you?"
"Monsters?" Eddie blinked. "Uh… no. I think I got the electric kind."
The girl tilted her head, confused.
He pointed at her lantern. "Hey, kid. That's not working properly, is it?"
"Huh? Oh—" She shook the lantern. The light flickered, then went out. "It broke again…"
Eddie held out his hand. "Mind if I take a look?"
She hesitated. "You're not a mage, are you?"
"Ha! Definitely not. I'm an electrician."
She looked even more confused. "Is that… a kind of wizard?"
He grinned. "Close enough."
He sat cross-legged on the dirt and popped the lantern open. Inside was a crystal — faintly glowing, cracked at the edges, wrapped in fine copper-like wires. It reminded him of a capacitor.
"So this world's tech runs on magic, huh? Mana current… crystal cores… oh, look at this shoddy connection."
The girl crouched beside him. "You can fix it?"
"Yeah, I think so. Give me a minute."
He rummaged through his bag — miraculously, his tools had come with him — and found a small screwdriver. The metal tip gleamed faintly as he adjusted the wires.
He didn't even notice that the glow from the crystal grew brighter at his touch.
With a click, the lantern flared to life, shining steady and strong.
The girl's eyes widened. "It's working! You did it!"
Eddie grinned, the pride in his chest familiar and warm. "Of course. Never underestimate good grounding."
"Grounding?"
"Yeah. Keeps the flow stable. Electricity or mana, same idea."
She looked at him as if he'd just cast a miracle.
"You really are a wizard!"
He laughed. "Sure, let's go with that."
By evening, Eddie was walking beside the girl toward the village of Loryne — a small place of stone cottages, windmills, and wooden carts. Lanterns glowed softly at every doorway, but he noticed many were flickering or dark.
The townsfolk eyed him warily. His clothes — damp uniform, steel-toed boots, tool belt — looked foreign. His brown skin and accent didn't help.
"Stranger, you're not from the capital, are you?" one old man asked suspiciously.
"Not exactly," Eddie replied, scratching his head. "You could say I'm from… pretty far south."
The man grunted. "Another wanderer, huh? We've got enough mouths to feed already."
Before he could protest, the girl piped up.
"He fixed my lantern! Look! It's shining again!"
The old man's eyes widened. "By the Light… that was dead for weeks!"
Within minutes, Eddie found himself surrounded by curious villagers, each holding broken lamps, tools, and trinkets.
"Can you fix this mana stove?""My staff's dimming!""The pump won't flow anymore!"
Eddie blinked. "Whoa, hold on! One at a time!"
And just like that, his new life began — standing in the middle of a medieval street, surrounded by people handing him magical junk.
"Heh… guess I'm back on call."
By nightfall, he'd fixed five lanterns, one broken pump, and a mana kettle. The villagers insisted he take food — bread, soup, and a strange glowing fruit that tasted like guava.
He sat outside the inn, watching the stars — more than he'd ever seen back home.
His hands ached. His stomach was full. For the first time since dying, he let himself breathe.
"So this is it, huh? Another world. No internet, no jeepneys, no Meralco bills…" He chuckled softly. "But maybe, just maybe, I can build something here."
A faint spark danced between his fingertips.He froze, staring.
"Was that… me?"
The spark vanished, leaving only the sound of crickets and distant laughter.
He leaned back, smiling faintly.
"Alright then. Let's see what kind of circuits this world runs on."