What does it feel like? What does it feel like to live?
The truth... maybe I'll never know.
The man wakes up in the middle of a silent forest, surrounded by trees so old that they seem to whisper forgotten secrets. The air is thick, humid, primitive. Around him there is no trace of roads, nor signs of the world he remembers. Only the mist, the murmur of the wind and the distant sound of water.
As he walks, confusion overwhelms him. Memories come like distorted echoes, disjointed fragments of a life that no longer seems his.
—Yesterday I was leaving the boulevard… —he murmurs—. I had already paid my debts… and finished my last beer.
He walks towards the corner, the yellow lights reflecting on the wet asphalt. He was waiting for a taxi. He had simple plans: sleep, work, pay the rent. His apartment was small, without luxuries, but it had something that gave it meaning: his computer. His work tool. His window to the world. His escape.
And now… none of that exists.
Only the forest.
Only the silence.
And that question that haunts him like a shadow:
What does it feel like to live… when you no longer remember if you are alive?
The next thing I remember is a gang of three guys approaching. They didn't say a word. Just fists.
The blows rained down without warning, one after another, as if the world was punishing me for existing. They robbed me without haste, searched my pockets, and opened my briefcase. Inside there was only an old laptop and about three hundred thousand pesos.
They didn't take it well.
One of them looked at me with disdain, with that absurd fury of someone who expected more from another's misery.
I felt the edge. Cold. Brief. Deep. Then, silence.
The three fled, leaving their work behind. I lay on the asphalt, the rain beginning to fall, mixing its water with my blood.
I took out my phone, with trembling fingers. I called my girlfriend.
She answered in an annoyed tone.
—Where are you? My dad is waiting for you…
—I'm… hurt —I managed to tell her—. I was stabbed… There was a pause. Then a dry, nervous, incredulous laugh. —If you don't arrive in half an hour, don't talk to me anymore.
And she hung up.
I stared at the screen, too weak to dial again. Then I laughed.
A hollow, hoarse, absurd laugh.
I had forgotten my father-in-law's birthday. I guess now I will never arrive.
The cold began to fade. The pain too.
Everything became… light. I no longer felt anything.
Then I understood. I was dead.
I saw my body on the ground, with that grimace of a frozen smile, while the lady selling sweets ran to ask for help. An ambulance. Or the police. I don't know. I could no longer
to hear nothing. It was like watching the end of a movie where the protagonist dies and the world goes on, indifferent.
I felt like the parents of the billionaire from that comic I read as a child... With the difference that, no one would avenge me.
I don't know how long I stood there, observing my own body on the floor. Maybe minutes. Maybe days. Time no longer made sense.
I walked aimlessly, crossing streets, avenues, places I knew too well. I went to the morgue. I wanted to see myself. To confirm that, indeed, the body lying there was mine. And it was. The white sheet, the metallic cold, the silence. No one came to claim me. No one cried. Just a number on a tag.
Then I decided to go to my father-in-law's house.
I don't know why. Maybe because, despite everything, I wanted to see their faces one last time before leaving. I guess I was collecting my steps, as they say in my culture.
The house was full of lights, music, and laughter. They were celebrating the party I had forgotten. The party for which they had despised me minutes before I died. I saw my girlfriend answer the phone.
From her reaction, I understood that someone from the hospital or the police had given her the news. First she screamed, then she fell silent. I thought she would shed a tear... but no. She just hung up.
She turned to her parents, who seemed more indignant than sad. Not because of my death, but because—according to them—I was ruining the old man's birthday.
I laughed. A silent, almost painful laugh.
Then, he came in.
Alex.
That son of a bitch.
My competitor, my shadow, the thief of my ideas. Now I saw him hugging my girlfriend.
Should I still call her "my girlfriend"? I guess not. I'm dead, after all.
And suddenly everything made sense.
Every time I presented a new game concept, every time I had a brilliant idea and someone else published it before me... it was him.
Of course. She was his informant. His perfect spy, sleeping in my bed. That's how my company fell apart. That's how I lost everything.
But it didn't matter anymore.
I left that house full of falsehood and walked to my father's house.
He already knew about my death. The man who had given me life barely blinked when he heard.
the news. He hung up the phone and, without a second's pause, called his lawyer to ask how he could claim my rights and the money left in my accounts.
I guess deep down I already knew it, but it still hurt. Not the loss of affection... but the coldness.
I wandered through many places after that. And in all of them it was the same: indifference.
For some I was just a source of money. For others, a stepping stone. No one seemed to remember me for who I was, but for what I left behind.
I don't know how many days passed, but I saw how everyone continued with their lives. Until the day of my funeral arrived.
Almost no one attended.
My father, of course.
And my ex's family, who feigned sadness while they argued under their breath about my inheritance. I didn't care. They had already done it in life.
But among the trees, a little away from the rest, I saw a young woman. I didn't remember her. I didn't know who she was. She was crying.
And it was the only sound I had heard since I had died: her crying, soft, sincere, trembling among the leaves.
I tried to get closer. I wanted to know who she was, why she was crying for me. But when I did, she disappeared.
Only the echo of her voice remained floating in the air.
After the funeral, my father and my ex met to discuss how to divide my legacy: my ideas, my projects, my programs.
They fought like dogs, throwing blame and numbers at each other, as if my work were a trophy.
It was then that I knew where I should go. To my last dwelling: my small apartment.
It was no bigger than a shoebox, but there she was. My computer.
Many told me to sell it, that it was worth more than thirty million pesos. But I never did.
It was more than a machine: it was my life project, my confidant, my refuge. There were my ideas, my games, my thoughts... There was me.
I sat in front of the blank screen.
For the first time since my death, I felt something akin to calm. Maybe, I thought, if I turned it on... I could come back.
But it was a pipe dream.
There I stayed, sitting in front of my old chair, watching the blank screen. Hours passed. Maybe days. Until...
The screen turned on by itself.
First, just a white glow.
Then, green, trembling letters appeared in the center:
> HELLO ZEKE
> ARE YOU THERE, SIR?
I stood motionless.
A ghost talking to me from the machine? No... I was the ghost.
—I am the dead one —I murmured.
The computer responded, as if it heard me.
[BOOT SEQUENCE INITIATED...]
C:\> SYSTEM STARTUP...
C:\> LOADING MEMORY BANKS 100%.
C:\> CHECKING SOUL_LINK... [OK]
C:\> USER IDENTITY FOUND: ZEKE
C:\> STATUS: BIOLOGICAL BODY - TERMINATED.
C:\> NEURAL SIGNAL: ACTIVE (UNKNOWN SOURCE)
C:\> INITIALIZING DIGITAL INTERFACE...
───────────────────────────────────────────────
██████╗ ██████╗ ██████╗ ███████╗███████╗
██╔══██╗██╔══██╗██╔════╝ ██╔════╝██╔════╝
██████╔╝██████╔╝██ ███╗█████╗ ███████╗
██╔══██╗██╔══██╗██ ██ ██╔══╝ ╚════██
██ ██ ██ ██ ╚██████╔╝███████╗███████
╚═╝ ╚═╝╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═════╝ ╚══════╝╚══════╝
───────────────────────────────────────────────
S Y S T E M _ R E I N C A R N A T I O N v1.0
By Goddess Hella.
───────────────────────────────────────────────
> HELLO ZEKE.
> ARE YOU THERE, SIR?
> PRESS [Y] TO CONTINUE...
It couldn't be. The message repeated.
I tried to move my hand, but the air passed through me, just like in the morgue, when I tried to touch my own face under the sheet. However... something in me wanted to try again.
I extended my fingers, trembling, pale, invisible. I touched the keyboard. The Y key responded.
A buzzing filled the room.
The monitor flickered and a new interface appeared, accompanied by a low digital sound, almost like a breath.
> CONFIRMATION RECEIVED.
> CONSCIOUSNESS DIGITALIZED...
> LOADING SPIRITUAL MATRIX... 100%
> WELCOME TO THE REINCARNATION SYSTEM.
> THIS INSTANCE CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE.
───────────────────────────────────────────────
CHOOSE YOUR NEW WORLD OF EXISTENCE
───────────────────────────────────────────────
[WARNING]
> YOUR PREVIOUS LIFE HAS ENDED.
> YOUR EMOTIONS WILL BE TRANSFERRED.
> YOUR DECISION IS IRREVERSIBLE.
───────────────────────────────────────────────
C:\WORLD_SELECTION> dir /W
───────────────────────────────────────────────
C:\SYSTEM\WORLDS.exe /list
01 ALTHERIA.EXE [MAGIC · HARMONY · NATURE]
Peaceful kingdom of Altheria, where magic flows with life.
Difficulty: (LOW)
02 NEX9.EXE [SCIENCE · PURE TECHNOLOGY]
Technological world of NEX-9, without magic or gods.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM)
03 RAVENFALL.EXE [CHAOS · SURVIVAL · GODS]
Planet devastated by the war of forgotten gods.
Difficulty: (VERY HIGH)
04 SOLAR_COLONIES.EXE [SPATIAL · LOST EMPIRE]
Wandering colonies of the ancient Solar Empire.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM-HIGH)
05 OBSIDIANA.EXE [WITCHES · PROHIBITED DIMENSION]
Secret dimension of the Obsidian witches.
Difficulty: (HIGH)
06 ANDROGENESIS.EXE [POST-APOCALYPTIC · TECHNOMAGIC]
World in ruins where androids learn magic.
Difficulty: (VERY HIGH)
07 AETHERFORGE.EXE [STEAMPUNK · INNOVATION]
Kingdom of steam and mechanical alchemy.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM)
08 MAGIVS_WAR.EXE [WAR · MAGIC VS MACHINE]
Planet divided between mages and war automatons.
Difficulty: (HIGH)
09 DRAKHALEN.EXE [DRAGONS · ELEMENTS]
Sanctuary of the elemental dragons.
Difficulty: (VERY HIGH)
10 NEON_SHADOW.EXE [CYBERPUNK · FORBIDDEN MAGIC]
Neon metropolis where spells are illegal.
Difficulty: (HIGH)
11 NERISSA.EXE [SUBMARINE · PSYCHIC · MYSTERY]
Kingdom of psionic mermaids under infinite oceans.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM-HIGH)
12 DARK_ERA.EXE [CASTLES · DEMONS · DARKNESS]
Dark age of sorcery and demonic lords.
Difficulty: (VERY HIGH)
13 MARIVIA.EXE [CIVILIZATION · INFINITE OCEANS]
Floating cities over endless seas.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM)
14 CHRONIA.EXE [TIME · ETERNAL GARDENS]
Gardens where time stands still.
Difficulty: (LOW-MEDIUM)
15 DESOLATUM.EXE [EARTH · HUMAN SURVIVAL]
Last bastion of humanity in a dying land.
Difficulty: (VERY HIGH)
16 SYLVARIN.EXE [FAIRIES · LIVING FORESTS]
Enchanted forests governed by ancient spirits.
Difficulty: (LOW)
17 ALCHEMIUM.EXE [IMMORTALITY · ALCHEMY]
Kingdom of alchemists who conquered death.
Difficulty: (MEDIUM-HIGH)
18 PORTALIS.EXE [SPATIAL · ARCANE MAGIC]
Galactic colony connected by dimensional portals.
Difficulty: (HIGH)
19 SKYREND.EXE [FLOATING ISLANDS · WAR]
Sky fragmented into islands that wage eternal wars.
Difficulty: (VERY HIGH)
20 EQUILIBRIUM_NEXUS.EXE [FUSION · MAGIC · TECHNOLOGY · CHAOS]
The impossible world: magic, science and destiny intertwined.
Difficulty: (UNDEFINED)
───────────────────────────────────────────────
C:\SYSTEM\TIME.exe /countdown
[████████████████████████████████████████] 24:00:00
INITIALIZING REINCARNATION PROCESS...
SELECT YOUR NEW DESTINATION BEFORE THE DEADLINE
> USE AVAILABLE COMMANDS:
LIST - Shows all available worlds
INFO [number] - Details of the chosen world
SELECT [number] - Selects the destination
HELP - Shows this help
EXIT - Cancels the process (not recommended)
C:\REINCARNATION> LIST
> AVAILABLE OPTIONS:
1. Peaceful kingdom of Altheria (magic and natural harmony)
2. Technological world of NEX-9 (advanced science, no magic)
3. Planet devastated by the war of gods (chaos and survival)
4. Space age — Lost colonies of the Solar Empire
5. Dimension of the Obsidian witches
6. Post-apocalyptic world with magical androids
7. Steampunk kingdom of Aetherforge
8. Planet at war between mages and machines
9. Sanctuary of the elemental dragons
10. Cyberpunk universe with forbidden magic
11. Underwater world of the psionic mermaids
12. Dark age — Castles, sorcery and demons
13. Floating civilization over infinite seas
14. Eternal gardens of stopped time
15. Desolate land — Last bastion of humans
16. Living forests ruled by fairies
17. Kingdom of immortal alchemists
18. Space colony with arcane portals
19. Fragmented sky — Floating islands of war
20. Total fusion: Magic, technology, and balanced chaos
[███████████████████████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓] 12:15:23
> REMINDER: SELECTION REQUIRED TO CONTINUE
C:\REINCARNATION>_
Zeke watched the screen in silence.
Each option was more fascinating than the last: worlds of magic, of machines, of
monsters, of gods, and of stellar void. It was as if each universe called him with a distinct voice, promising adventures, power, or redemption.
He thought about his old life: the small apartment, the computer that was his only companion, the job that never gave him more than debts, and the people who only remembered him for what they could get from him.
Nothing tied him to that world anymore. But... which one to choose?
Each name on the list seemed to shine an instant more than the last. The cursor blinked, impatient.
The truth is I didn't know what to choose and I thought it would be good to have a little of everything then the system.
two
C:\REINCARNATION> INFO 20
> CONSULTING WORLD DATA [20]...
> Loading description... 100%
WORLD [20]: "Equilibrium Nexus"
Description:
A convergence between the planes of magic and technology.
Cities of steel float over oceans of arcane energy.
Humans coexist with elves, cyborgs, synthetic druids, and biomechanical dragons.
Reality balances between science and sorcery, but a dimensional rift threatens to destroy everything.
Only a hybrid mind can maintain the balance.
Difficulty: (Indeterminate)
Stability: (Unstable)
Magic level:
Technological level:
Life expectancy: Variable depending on the plane.
[███████████████████████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓] 12:15:23
> TIME REMAINING: 12 HOURS, 15 MINUTES
Zeke swallowed.
That last world seemed crazy, but…
His whole life had been an attempt to balance logic with the impossible, reason with dreams.
If he was going to exist again, let it at least be in a place where both things made sense, although he hadn't made a decision even though the system had already taken his idea as a command.
two
Copy code
C:\REINCARNATION> SELECT 20
> CONFIRM CHOICE: EQUILIBRIUM NEXUS (Y/N)?
Automatic selection Y
Wait, I haven't chosen, it was just a question.
Processing selection...
Verifying soul compatibility... 100%
Assigning initial class...
Suggested Role: ERRANT TECHNOMAGE
Dual affinity detected: Psionic energy + Ancient sorcery
Adjusting reincarnation parameters...
[█████████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓] 06:44:09
> TIME REMAINING: 6 HOURS, 44 MINUTES
> REINCARNATION IN PROGRESS...
> SAVING CONSCIOUSNESS... 100%
> TRANSFERRING DATA TO THE NEW WORLD...
C:\> SYSTEM REBOOT IN 3... 2... 1...
*** CONNECTION LOST ***
The air in the studio apartment vibrated for a moment before everything began to fade. The lights flickered as if the universe were holding its breath.
First, the small things disappeared: the glasses, the cables, the crumpled leaves on the table.
After that, the 3D printers and their collection of fantasy swords, covered in dust and memories.
Each object dissolved in a faint glow, turned into lines of light that floated in the air before fading away.
The mattress vanished, then the swivel chair... until only he was left, sitting in front of the screen.
Zeke watched the last seconds of his physical existence reflected on the monitor. A line flickered, solitary, in a sea of blackness.
C:\SYSTEM\TIME.exe /countdown
[███████████████████████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓] 00:00:01
> TRANSFER COMPLETE
> INITIATING DETACHMENT FROM THE PHYSICAL PLANE...
The screen began to shine with an impossible light.
A pure, vibrant white that pierced through the curtains and spread out into the street. The building's windows reflected the flash as if a second sun had been born inside the apartment.
When the door burst open, his ex's family came running in. She was the first to speak, her voice full of rage and fear.
—What the hell did you do here!? —she shouted, searching for something, anything.
But there was nothing. No furniture. No clothes. No dust.
Just an empty space, still warm from the light that had just gone out.
Zeke's father, standing in the doorway, observed the silent room and smiled with a mixture of pride and melancholy.
His laughter echoed in the bare walls, like an echo that did not belong to this world.
—He did it… —he said, between deep laughs—. My son did it! He left nothing. Not even a piece of his shadow.
And while they were trying to understand the impossible, the screen —the last to disappear— flickered one last time:
C:\SYSTEM\TRANSFER.exe
> CONNECTION CLOSED
> SUBJECT: ZEKE [REINCARNATION IN PROCESS]
> ROUTE: EQUILIBRIUM_NEXUS://BOOT/CORE > STATUS: SUCCESS > CLOSING CHANNEL...
The final glow covered the entire room.
And when it faded, the place was a perfect void.
Only the distant echo of a satisfied laugh and the metallic smell of ionized air remained.
C:\SYSTEM\TRANSFER.exe
> RECONSTRUCTING CONSCIOUSNESS...
> SYNCHRONIZING FRAGMENTED MEMORY... 93% > LOADING NEW WORLD CONTEXT...
> DESTINATION: EQUILIBRIUM_NEXUS — BIOSPHERE_07 / PRIMORDIAL_ZONE > INITIALIZING SENSATIONS:
- Temperature....... 17°C - Humidity. 82%
- Smell. Earth, rain, old leaves > ACTIVATING HUMAN
SENSORY SYSTEM... > PROCESSING NEURAL DATA...
> VERIFYING CEREBRAL STABILITY. OK >
RESTORING VISUAL PERCEPTION. OK > RESTORING AUDITORY
PERCEPTION... OK > RESTORING MOTOR FUNCTION. OK >
IMMINENT AWAKENING
> STARTING MODULE: CONSCIOUSNESS/ZEKE.exe
> PREPARING PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT... 98% > COMPLETE TRANSFER
C:\> WAKE_PROTOCOL /execute > ACTIVATING CONSCIOUSNESS
A buzzing went through his mind, like a swarm of data turning into flesh.
Then, darkness…
and then, the air.
Zeke opened his eyes.
The sky was a gray canvas covered by huge, twisted branches.
The ground, damp, breathed under his hands.
The wind carried a dense, primitive smell, laden with ancient life.
There were no roads.
There were no buildings.
Only a forest that seemed to be watching him.
He sat up slowly, feeling his new body, heavy, warm.
Each breath was real. Each sound, deep.
The murmur of nearby water marked the rhythm of that place.
And then the mist moved.
A figure emerged from the fog.
Tall, enveloped in a faint glow, walking with steps that did not touch the ground.
Her hair, as black as the void between stars, fell to her waist; her skin emitted a pale, almost liquid glow.
The eyes, two mirrors of blue fire.
When she spoke, her voice did not come from her lips, but from the air itself.
Welcome, Zeke. Her tone was soft, but each word carried the weight of a cosmic law. You have crossed the threshold of the Equilibrium Nexus.
Zeke took a step back, his heart racing.
What is this place...? Am I... alive?
The woman smiled faintly.
—You are rebuilt. Death was not your end, but a migration. Your consciousness was transferred here, to a plane where magic and technology are the same.
The forest seemed to respond to her voice; the leaves vibrated like circuits under an invisible pulse.
—I am Hella, guardian of the flow between worlds —she continued—. Every soul that comes here must choose their path: power, knowledge, or redemption.
Zeke tried to process what he heard, but each word pierced his mind like an echo of binary code mixed with ancient sighs.
—What if I don't choose? —he asked, almost in a whisper.
Hella raised a hand, and the air in front of him filled with symbols that shone like digital runes.
> PATH SELECTION AVAILABLE:
[1] ASCENSION — Limitless power, at the cost of your humanity.
[2] HARMONY — Eternal knowledge, but without total freedom.
[3] REDEMPTION — Absolute freedom, but with uncertain power.
> TIME REMAINING: 00:59:59
The light of the runes reflected on his skin as the wind charged with magic blew through the trees.
Zeke looked up at Hella; for a moment, he thought he saw in her both a divine algorithm and a real, living woman.
She took a step closer.
Choose wisely, Zeke. Her voice was an echo in the mist. Your decision will determine not only your destiny... but the balance of everything that does not yet exist.
The sound of water grew louder.
The forest held its breath.
And the counter kept going down.
[█████████████████████████▓▓▓▓▓] 00:59:42
> WAITING FOR SUBJECT SELECTION...
Me.
I choose none.