Chapter 1: 1: The End is the Beginning
The sun was high in the sky. Its blinding rays illuminated a mountain envelope with hundreds of trees. From their leaves, drips of water pour out from time to time. The soil on the mountainous road looks wet and there are scattered leaves and broken stones.
The mountain road was situated 2000 meters above the ground.
Suddenly, a car whizzed past on the mountain road. It maintained a steady pace because of the steep grades due to the natural incline of the terrain. Winding roads, hairpin turns, and switchbacks help vehicles navigate the ascent or descent but also prevent them from speeding.
Inside the car, a man in a white office suit leaned on the window and gazed at the vistas of valleys, rivers, forests, and other natural features below the cliff. 'Well, not bad. This mountain is quite pleasing to the eye.'
The man then focused on the road ahead of him. He knew how dangerous his behavior was. He could already imagine the outcome if he fell on the cliff by accident. Even if you give him nine lives, he wouldn't dare to try it. After all, wouldn't he simply die and turn into a meat paste? 'Huh? What am I even thinking? Surely that won't happen, right?'
He felt a shiver on his spine when he thought of this. His name was Caleb, and he is... Suddenly, a deep and powerful roar, similar to the noise of a distant and amplified thunderstorm, reverberated in the mountain road.
'W-what's that?' Caleb's eyes widened when he saw large rocks the size of boulders fall five meters in front of him. 'Crap!'
Caleb thought of possibilities on what was happening. He slowly stepped on the break of the car to slow it down as clusters of rocks blocked the way. The deafening roar around him made it hard for him to calm down. Gradually, the car began to slow down until it went to a complete stop.
Without even sparing a thought, Caleb decided to turn the car around and drive away from the falling rocks.
The rumbling of the impending landslide began subtly, like a distant thunderclap, as the accumulated mass of soil and rocks started to shift. And then, all at once, the mountainside seemed to exhale, surrendering to the powerful forces that had been building beneath its surface.
With a deafening roar, the landslide surged forth—a chaotic cascade of earth, stones, and vegetation in a desperate rush to escape the embrace of the slopes. The terrain that had once been the epitome of stability now seemed to come alive as if the very essence of the landscape had awakened.
Enormous boulders, some as large as vehicles, were torn from their ancient moorings and carried along in the relentless torrent. Trees, stripped of their roots, were caught in the tumultuous dance of the debris flow, their branches reaching out like desperate fingers. The roar of the landslide drowned out all other sounds as if nature itself was proclaiming its unyielding power.
'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!' Caleb began to curse his luck. He realized that he was really in danger this time. He can't even speed up the car because of the slippery ground caused by the rain. The road was too narrow to perform different maneuvers. Suddenly, he realized that he didn't really have a choice. The threat of the landslide and the risk of falling to the cliff hung over his head.
He gritted his teeth and went for a full speed. 'It's do or die!'
As the landslide continued its descent, it left behind a trail of destruction that bore witness to its unforgiving path. Roads were obliterated, and the very contours of the land were rearranged in a chaotic symphony of destruction. One of the rocks fell accurately on the car, and then the flood of debris, broken wood, and sand devoured the car.
'Argh!!' The impact of the rock crushed Caleb's internal organs and numerous bones in his body, including his spine, suffered severe damage. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, his limbs were twisted in different directions and he could even feel the taste of earthy, metallic, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, mildly salty substance on his mouth as the surrounding soil inside the car threatened to choke him to death.
Caleb began to feel dizzy as his consciousness became blurry. He couldn't even hear the surrounding sounds anymore, but he could feel that the car he was in was in a free fall. 'So this is how I'm gonna die? Not instant? But a slow and painful one? The collision should've just ended me!'
He felt a pang of regret as his life flashed before his eyes. Happy memories, bad memories, people he held dear, pictures of his parents. It was as if he was watching the highlights of his life in a film. Strangely, he felt peaceful and began to accept that he was dying slowly and he knew that it would be over once the car hit the ground. Just the sheer momentum and impact would make the car explode.
Out of nowhere, unbeknownst to Caleb, a blue slippery, slimy liquid appeared just above his body. Currently, Caleb had already lost his presence of mind. His thoughts were chaotic. The liquid contained mysterious runes and a countless, infinite symbol of clocks hovered inside of it.
Strangely, the rocks that could topple houses and huge enough to scrap most vehicles, alongside the flood of debris and sand, stopped from free-falling motion and became completely still.
Such scenes can only happen in films and novels. Unfortunately, no one is there to witness it. The blue slimy liquid wrapped itself around Caleb's paralyzed body.
'Uh? I can't feel pain? Did I finally succumb to death?' Caleb expected to see a river with boats or an angel descending to take his soul to heaven or even the worst-case scenario, go to hell. To his disappointment, nothing changed. There is only the ever-changing darkness in his sight. 'So heaven and hell are fake?'
Just like that, the blue liquid managed to completely envelop Caleb's body. From head, shoulders, to toe. The runic symbols started to sway, and the hands of the clocks began to rotate simultaneously.
TIK TOK! TIK TOK! TIK TOK!
Then Caleb's body disappeared without a trace along with the slimy liquid. As if pressing the play button, without the blue liquid, the flood of debris, the entire landslide resumed with the same ferocity as it had been before the appearance of the mysterious slime.
Chapter 2: 2: Reincarnation!
Caleb didn't know how much time had passed. Around him was the never-changing vast expanse of darkness, an endless one at that. The good thing is, he didn't know why, but he didn't feel a bit of boredom even though he was the type of person to get impatient easily once left alone on the side without doing anything. Contrary to it, he felt weirdly at peace.
'This might be better than going to hell,' Caleb scoffed at the idea.
After all, he was pretty damn sure that he would land to hell if ever it was real. Everything he did in his life, he did them for his best interest. Is he evil? If you ask the people around him in his life, they would definitely nod their heads without hesitation.
Yet Caleb didn't think so. Evil? No! But he wasn't a hypocrite to claim that he was a good person... 'Still, I'm at least a law-abiding citizen.'
'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."
Just like that, seconds, days, weeks, months, or even years... He completely lost track of time. At first, he resolves himself to count in seconds as much as he can. But after he reached counting from one to one thousand seconds, he got distracted. In the end, he helplessly decided against such an impossible task.
While Caleb stared at the lightless void, although he didn't have eyes to begin with. He felt a sudden tug on his soul. A call, so bizarre, but it felt natural. Suddenly, a sphere of light emerged in the direction where his gaze was. Rays upon rays of light that pushed the darkness away appeared.
'What the?' The sphere got bigger and bigger. Caleb almost took a step back when he remembered that he didn't even have feet. Caleb felt that a strange force pulling him. What's more, he couldn't even resist. Helpless, he can only give up. 'If you can't fight it, enjoy it? What's the worst that could happen, right?'
Of course not! Caleb struggled with all his might. He didn't know what was on the other side of the sphere. Fear is an instinct of humans and the oldest fear that has existed since ancient times was the fear of the unknown!
Just like that, the immovable met the unstoppable force. 'No!!!'
...
"No!!!" A shriek similar to that of a pig resounded to his ears.
'Uh? Wait what? Since when can I hear?'
"Jacob, what's wrong?" A gentle voice filled with worry sounded yet again. This time, Caleb knew that it wasn't his illusion. He could really hear! But what's up with Jacob?
Out of wonder, Caleb opened his eyes. Only to see three pairs of eyes staring at him with a mix of confusion, distress, and concern.
'Crap? Where am I? Who am I? What is happening!?' Weirded by the circumstances he finds himself in. Caleb swallowed and scanned the place. Wooden ceiling filled with tiny holes, water containers lined up below a dirty kitchen, and an unfamiliar musty smell.
Aside from him, there are three people: a middle-aged woman wearing a simple plain cotton dress that didn't have patterns at all. She has brown eyes, lusterless black hair with the length reaching her neck, a high nose, sunken cheeks, unhealthy pale skin, and there's a hint of weariness, a shadow of exhaustion that speaks of the toll it takes on her spirit.
Beside her, there's also a middle-aged man whose appearance perfectly portrays what a farmer looks like in Caleb's mind.
His weathered face, etched with lines that map the years of labor and the ever-present sun, carries the stories of seasons past. His eyes, weather-worn yet sharp, hold a depth of knowledge that only comes from years of tending to the land.
A worn hat sits atop his head—a faithful companion through rain and shine. His clothing, though practical, bears the signs of hard work—a patch here, a stain there—each mark a badge of honor earned through toil. The faded denim and worn flannel speak of a uniform chosen not for fashion, but for functionality, a reflection of a life spent in the fields.
His hands, calloused and strong, bear witness to the labor that defines him. They've sown seeds and reaped harvests, dug trenches, and mended fences, shaping the land as surely as they've shaped his destiny. His fingers, weathered by the soil's embrace, hold a touch that can nurture life from the earth itself.
Lastly, a little girl, whom Caleb thinks to be eight years above. She has big eyes which were currently glued to his face. A small delicate nose, pinkish cheeks, and white skin. The little girl wore ragged white clothes, and a pair of wooden slippers, and her hair, supple hair reached her small shoulders. In Caleb's eyes, she looks weak and brittle.
"Jacob, did you dream of something bad?" The middle-aged man sat on the ground to face Caleb and patted him gently on the back.
Feeling the strong hand, Caleb pushed his miscellaneous thoughts to the back of his head. "Umm..."' Caleb responded with a nod of his head.
Since he didn't know what was going on or how he was supposed to behave, Caleb decided to take a careful approach. Do less, talk less. It was the old routine to avoid making mistakes.
The middle-aged man stared at Caleb for a moment before giving him a gentle smile. "Well, don't move around much. Rest well, understood?"
Beside him, the middle-aged woman breathed a sigh of relief and went to the kitchen to clean. She carefully walks around past a red, square mark on the floor.
Caleb, once again, responded with a nod of his head. But deep inside, he was already complaining. 'Damn, stop talking to me!'
"Brother, do you want this?"
'Huh? Brother? Does this mean I got reincarnated? Yet I can still remember my past life. Seems my damned wish actually came true!' Caleb eyed the piece of bread on a small palm. Two pairs of big brown pupils stared at him in the eyes. In the corner of the little girl's mouth, Caleb notices crumbs of bread.
For some reason, Caleb felt warmth in his heart. He could see that the little girl was obviously hungry, and it wasn't enough to satiate her. Yet she was offering it to him. 'Umm? What am I even thinking?'
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
2 Power
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