Karl was an office worker in Japan. He was only 26 years old and had been working there for three years.
One day, New Year finally arrived, and his boss gave him a one-week holiday.
The next day, he flew back to America to meet his family and celebrate New Year together. On the morning of January 1st, 2025, he went to the airport.
7:30 AM (WIB)
...
Inside the plane, Karl sat in the back seat near the window. Next to him sat a woman who was playing an RPG game on her device. Out of boredom, Karl tried to talk to her.
"Mm… Hey."
The woman turned to him and replied.
"Uh… What?"
Since she looked annoyed, Karl fell silent.
"…."
"What?"
"… Nothing."
The woman frowned, then turned her attention back to her device. Karl sat quietly next to her, watching as she tapped her screen, smiling to herself. Suddenly, an announcement was heard.
[Beep!]
[Passengers, please take your seats, as the plane is about to depart.]
[Beep! Beep!]
Not long after the announcement ended, the plane took off. Karl stayed silent, then took a book from his bag and began to read.
9:00 AM
After reading five pages, Karl stopped and looked out the left window. Outside, he saw the vast blue ocean. He enjoyed the view.
9:30 AM
Land came into sight. Karl turned to his right, still seeing the woman playing her game.
As Karl kept glancing at her, she suddenly looked at him and asked:
"What?" she said. Karl, startled, quickly responded.
"What game are you playing?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
Karl rarely talked to women, but since the atmosphere was awkward and quiet, he tried to break the silence.
"Oh, this?" She showed him her game.
"Yes…"
Karl looked closely. It seemed to be a trending game, similar to Genshin or Wuwa.
"This? It's called VIKTORIA," she said.
"Oh! The one that's viral right now." Karl nodded, then continued:
"So, what's your character's name? And yours?" he asked.
"My name's Alin," she said. "And this character's name is—"
But before she could finish—
BOOM!
"!!"
Something inside the plane exploded. Shocked, Karl stood up, and saw the passengers screaming in fear.
"What happened!?"
"Ahhh!"
…
…
…
"Help!"
"Mom, I'm scared…"
"It's okay, honey…" Karl saw a mother and child crying as they hugged. Panicked, Karl looked around.
"Ah!" Suddenly he remembered something and looked beside him—more precisely, at the seat next to him.
"!!"
Yes, the gamer girl, Alin, had fainted. Foam spilled from her mouth, but her device was still on. Karl grabbed her shoulders, shaking her hard.
9:35 AM
"Hey! Wake up!!" He shook her, but she didn't respond.
"Damn it," Karl muttered, letting go of her and running toward the cockpit. When he arrived, the pilot was already packing, with a parachute strapped to his back. Karl froze.
"…."
"…."
After a moment of silence, Karl shouted and ran toward the pilot.
"Hey! Where the hell are you going!?"
"Of course I'm running, idiot! Can't you see!?"
Karl grabbed the pilot's hand.
"No! No! No! You're not just leaving us here, are you?!"
The pilot furiously tried to pry Karl off.
"I want to live, you fool! Just look over there!"
The pilot pointed ahead. Karl turned to look—and his eyes went wide, his body trembling. If this were a cartoon, his eyes would've popped right out.
"N-no way…"
Ahead, the plane was only 500 meters from the ground—about to crash.
The pilot didn't waste time. He yanked his hand free from Karl's grip and rushed to the exit door.
"!!"
Karl turned and saw the pilot already at the exit. Karl wanted to chase him, but before he could, the pilot jumped. Karl froze along with the other passengers, then shouted furiously.
"At least take me with you, you bastard!!"
People around him glared at him with hatred, since he wasn't the only one who wanted to live.
But Karl didn't care. After he shouted, someone spoke in a hoarse voice:
"D-did he just abandon us?"
One by one, the passengers started screaming.
"No! I don't want to die!"
"Ahhh!!" More and more screams filled the cabin.
Karl thought to himself: Am I really going to die here? Why? How? I just started making my parents happy again…
And then—
BOOM!!!
The plane slammed into the ground and exploded with a thunderous crash. The earth shook from the impact.
9:36 AM
---
(POV KARL)
…
I felt myself in utter darkness—no light, no sound. Only emptiness, so dark it could swallow even light itself.
Where am I? I muttered in my mind.
I'm dead, right? … Huh? I can't breathe properly!
I tried to move my body, but…
Mm? Why does it feel like I'm being squeezed? It's so cramped! Way too cramped, I can barely breathe!
I tried to gasp, but only tiny bits of air came through.
I can't take this anymore!
Suddenly, I saw a faint light in the distance. After that, I could finally breathe—slowly, then more and more as the light grew.
Hah… Finally, I can breathe. But… why is the light getting bigger?
The light expanded… bigger… and bigger. Then, as if remembering something, I muttered:
"Oh? Am I going to heaven?" I nodded and closed my eyes, waiting to enter paradise.
Heaven, here I come…
I waited—until what greeted me was not heaven, but the scream of a woman in pain.
"Ahhh!" (?)
"Almost there, madam! Just one more push!" (?)
"Ahhh! Hah, hah, ahhh!" (?)
"Almost, madam! Just a little more!"
I heard the woman's screams. Hm? Who is that? An angel? But why is she screaming?
Confused, I kept listening. The light grew enormous—then suddenly vanished. My vision blurred into a misty haze.
"Congratulations, madam, you've had twins, but…" (?) I heard two women talking.
"But why…?" (?)
The first woman asked in a raspy but gentle voice. Before the second woman could answer, the door opened. Footsteps echoed.
"Master." (?)
The footsteps stopped, replaced by a man's voice.
"Are they my children?" (?)
"Yes, sir." The servant nodded hesitantly.
Meanwhile, the baby being held—the reincarnated Karl—heard the voice with confusion.
Wait… wasn't I supposed to be in heaven??
Not long after, his vision cleared. Now he could finally see the world around him.