"Ugh...my head, it hurts so much!"
Neo felt as if a colossal hammer was pounding against his skull, while his very essence seemed to be torn apart and reshaped into bizarre forms.
Clutching his throbbing head in agony, he slowly pushed himself up from the ground. His breath came in rapid gasps, his face as pale as a ghost, sweat trickling down his forehead and soaking through his shirt.
As he sat on the soft earth, feeling the grass beneath him and the cool breeze brushing against his skin, the sharp pain in his head gradually began to fade.
He took a deep breath, letting out a sigh of relief. A faint smile crept onto his lips but quickly vanished as fear washed over him again. His body trembled uncontrollably as he dug his fingers into his hair, shaking his head in disbelief.
His eyes were wide with terror and confusion, as if he were experiencing something beyond comprehension.
"No...no...no...this can't be happening," Neo muttered under his breath. Fragments of broken memories invaded his mind, memories that felt both familiar and alien, as if he were living two lives at once.
"Reigen...Neo...Reigen...Neo. Which one am I? Am I Reigen or Neo?" The confusion etched on his face was evident; it flickered between joy, fear, disbelief, and uncertainty, a haunting sight given the circumstances.
He lay back down on the soft ground and closed his eyes tightly, brows furrowed in deep thought.
Above him, towering trees cast long shadows across the forest floor; distant animal cries echoed softly while leaves rustled gently in the wind. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass.
In that moment of tranquility, everything became clear, the blue sky overhead and the blazing sun illuminating the world around him. Time seemed to stand still as Neo lay there like a boy lost in slumber amidst this serene landscape.
After what felt like an eternity, Neo finally opened his eyes again. Gone were the expressions of fear and confusion; instead, clarity had taken their place along with a spark of intrigue, and even excitement, in those pitch-black depths that resembled an endless abyss.
A soft yet helpless smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he murmured to himself, "So…this is how I ended up here?"
He raised himself slightly to gaze at the magnificent blue sky above him before chuckling softly. "I never imagined such things could exist; I always thought they were just tales spun by bored minds. But here I am, reincarnated into another body…"
He glanced down at his delicate hands with a quiet hiss escaping from between clenched teeth: "...in another world."
Silence enveloped him then; even the wind seemed to pause its dance among the trees while animal sounds faded into nothingness.
His eyes blurred as memories flooded back. He recalled accompanying his friend Francis on a date, only to have an earthquake strike right after.
The last thing he remembered was pushing Francis out of the way as a massive slab of stone came crashing down, leaving him uncertain if he had been crushed into meat paste or not. Given his position, however, he felt pretty sure that was the case.
But instead of drifting into oblivion, whether it be hell, heaven, or whatever awaits the dead, he found himself in another person's body and in an entirely different world. The shock was overwhelming.
Sure, he had heard of reincarnation before but never truly believed in such fictional concepts. He considered himself a practical person who dealt with facts rather than theories. Yet here he was, reincarnated into someone else's life in a world that felt strangely familiar yet distinctly foreign.
Neo's expression turned grim as he contemplated his current situation. This new world wasn't as simple as it appeared; if Earth were like a basic village in a game, this place was on nightmare difficulty, especially for someone like him inhabiting the body of someone whose background seemed straight out of a movie or TV series.
The body he now occupied belonged to Kurokami Reigen. Why he had been reincarnated into a body with a Japanese name puzzled him even more. It felt almost like this world wasn't so different from Earth at all; aside from the memories flooding his mind, he'd have thought he simply woke up in Japan.
But no... this world was completely different, so much so that Neo couldn't decide whether to thank his lucky stars for being reincarnated here or curse his bad luck for landing in what felt like a hellhole.
The body he occupies is named Kurokami Reigen, a descendant of one of the most powerful clans in this world, at least, that's what the memories he inherited suggest. Whether that claim holds any truth remains to be seen, but for now, Neo is certain that even if this clan isn't as formidable as depicted in those memories, they still sit at the top of the food chain.
This clan is a true menace to the bone. Delving into Reigen's memories has made Neo realize that there are indeed levels to power. Everything he has experienced since waking up here doesn't seem all that shocking anymore.
From the mysterious old man who vanished like a ghost to the manor and pink blossom trees that disappeared before his eyes, and even the breathtaking beauty who called out to him only to vanish without a trace, these experiences had left him reeling with shock and nearly gave him a heart attack. But after sifting through Reigen's memories, they no longer seem so extraordinary.
Neo sighed softly under his breath, his eyes reflecting surprise mixed with frustration. "This guy is just pathetic," he muttered. "Coming from such a prestigious clan yet talentless enough to be exiled? What a failure."
He rubbed his temples in exasperation, his voice tinged with fear. "Now I'm just a walking breakfast. If this guy were an ordinary person, it wouldn't be so bad, but no, he had to be something special, and here I am paying the price."
Worry etched across his face as nightmarish memories flooded back, the reason this world feels so drastically different from Earth is because there are demons known as Makai roaming freely.
These Makai are horrifying creatures that thrive on bloodshed and destruction. The Kurokami Clan specializes in hunting them down; however, to fight these beasts requires talent, a talent Reigen lacks since he failed to awaken it and was subsequently cast out of his clan.
It's one thing not to have talent when you're protected by your clan; it's another entirely when you're just an ordinary person who won't become prey for these Makai, at least for a time. But being from a clan dedicated to exterminating these monsters while being utterly talentless makes him prime meat for them.
Just thinking about all this gives Neo a headache. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed softly. "Am I going to die again? No way, I can't go through that pain once more."
The memory of being crushed into meat paste haunts him; it's not surprising anyone would struggle after experiencing such trauma. If he had simply drifted into oblivion after that fate, it might have been better than getting reincarnated with vivid recollections of turning into red syrup.
With a helpless sigh, he muttered under his breath, "No use crying over spilled milk; what's done is done. Now I just need to survive and avoid those grotesque Makai... damn these monsters are terrifying."
He slowly stood up and glanced around, realizing he was still in the tranquil forest. He picked up the two black bank cards, examining them closely as his mind drifted into deep thought.
"At least I have some money to get by... Even though they kicked this guy out, at least they had the conscience to let him live well." He chuckled softly before making his way deeper into the woods, guided by the memories of this man.
The sun cast a warm golden glow over him, his shadow stretching along the ground as he gradually vanished into the thick foliage of the forest.