Chapter 3 — Rebirth
Darkness.
Infinite, endless, boundless darkness. This darkness was not an ordinary night. It was not even the darkness you see when you close your eyes. It was a strange void that seemed to swallow everything, even time itself. The "absolute nothingness" that philosophers speak of — this must be it.
And Kyle... or the entity that no longer knew what to call itself... tried to open its eyes.
But he couldn't even feel that he had opened his eyes.
Because here, there was no body, no sky, no earth, no wind, no sound. Only infinite emptiness. Only consciousness. Only the self.
"Who am I?" — the question arose in his mind. "Am I still me? Or am I now something completely different?"
As the ancient Greek philosophers said: "I think, therefore I am." Descartes was right, it seemed. He was thinking — therefore, he existed. But what did this existence mean? An entity without a body, without a soul, existing as pure consciousness — was this still human? Or had he now become something entirely different?
A few moments passed... or perhaps it felt like years. Here, time was strange too. Not linear, but circular, as if suspended in the depths of eternity, like a clock frozen in place.
Then, slowly, memories began to appear in his mind.
The explosion.
First light. Then heat. Then fire.
"Fire..." — he thought. "Prometheus's fire. The curse and salvation given to humanity."
His body trapped inside the car. Metal bending. Glass shattering. Fire consuming everything. What had he thought in that moment? Fear of death? Or the fight to survive? He couldn't remember now.
"...Yes."
I died.
This thought appeared in his mind very calmly. As if he had already become accustomed to it.
I definitely died.
He thought again.
But then another question arose.
Then why am I still thinking?
He wondered. Is the "samsara" that Buddhists speak of — the cycle of rebirth — real? Or is this the "judgment day" that Christians promise? Or simply a continuation of a biological process?
I thought death would be different. I thought consciousness would disappear too. That atoms would disintegrate, and consciousness — like a candle — would simply extinguish.
But here he still existed.
Without a body.
Without sensation.
But existing.
This was very strange. And a little frightening.
Then...
Suddenly something trembled within the void.
And a voice was heard.
— Finally... it worked.
Kyle's consciousness trembled. This sound was not an ordinary sound — it felt as if it was striking directly into his mind.
The voice was not cold. But there was a strange power in it. The voice seemed to come from very far away. Or conversely — it was very close. As if it was emanating from within himself.
Kyle immediately wanted to shout.
— Who?! Who spoke?!
But he had no voice. Just a thought. Yet still, the question spread into the void.
There was no answer.
Only silence.
Infinite, oppressive silence.
Kyle spoke again.
— Hey! Whoever you are, come out!
But again, no answer came. As if the voice had never existed at all.
"I am not alone here" — the thought etched itself into his mind. "Someone is watching me. Someone was... waiting for me."
A few moments passed.
Then...
A small light appeared within the void.
A faint crimson glow.
It seemed to come from very far away. Or conversely — it was emanating from Kyle himself.
"The color of blood" — he thought. "The color of life. The color of death."
The light slowly began to grow. And along with it, a sound also emerged.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A heartbeat.
Yes.
It was a heartbeat.
Kyle was astonished.
"Am I hearing a heartbeat? But I don't have a heart..."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound grew louder. The red light also brightened.
And at that moment, Kyle understood — this was his new heart. The first beats of his new life.
Then...
Suddenly everything changed.
Pressure.
Pain.
Constriction.
Sounds.
Kyle's consciousness trembled.
— What is this?!
He panicked.
— What's happening?!
Suddenly, strange sounds began to be heard from all directions.
Noise.
Screaming.
Wind.
Thunder.
And then...
Light.
---
Outside, the storm was at its peak.
Thick clouds had completely covered the sky. Rain was pouring down as if from buckets. But this was no ordinary storm. This was not nature's anger, but its joy. As if the sky itself was celebrating an important event.
Strange red lightning bolts were splitting the sky. Each flash illuminated the sky in the color of blood. The thunder was so loud it was deafening. As if the sky itself was tearing apart.
Ancient legends say that the birth of great ones is always accompanied by natural phenomena. On the night Alexander the Great was born, three suns appeared in the Greek sky. When Charlemagne was born, light spread throughout all of Europe.
Tonight — on the night this child was born — the sky was painted in blood.
The old hut in the forest shook violently in the wind. Water dripped from the roof. The wooden walls creaked, as if they too were waiting for something.
Inside...
A woman was screaming.
— AAAAH!!
She was screaming in pain. But this was not ordinary pain — it was the sign of new life coming into the world. There was both suffering and hope in this pain.
Beside her stood a man. Anxiety was clearly visible on his face. His hands trembled, but he held himself together.
— Just a little more! Please endure!
The woman screamed again.
— AAHH!!
Her red eyes were filled with tears. The woman gathered all her strength, trying to bring her child into the world.
Outside, lightning flashed again.
The hut was bathed in red light for a moment.
And at that very moment...
The child was born.
The cry of the newborn baby filled the hut.
— WAAAAAA!!
Simultaneously with the thunder.
As if the sky itself was responding to his birth.
And at that moment — at that very moment — a star fell from the sky. Far, very far away — a star a thousand light-years away ended its life and joined eternity.
Astrologers say: when every person is born, a star shines. But when this child was born — a star died.
---
Adrian opened his eyes.
But the world he saw was completely different.
Everything was blurry. Colors were strange. And worst of all — he couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't even move his hand.
But he could think.
And at that moment, his memories began to return.
Explosion. Fire. Car. Death.
Then darkness.
Then the voice.
Then...
This.
"..."
Adrian panicked inside.
"What does this mean? I... Was I reborn?"
He thought with fear.
"Is this a joke? No. This wasn't a joke."
Because he was now in a baby's body. He couldn't even move his finger.
"Damn it... I'm a baby."
This thought horrified him. But at that moment, he sensed something else.
Someone was watching.
Adrian instinctively tried to turn his head. But of course, that was impossible. Even so, he felt the gaze.
Outside the hut.
Behind the window.
On a dark tree.
A hooded figure stood there.
He stood silently watching. His face couldn't be seen. Only a dark silhouette was visible. But he was definitely looking towards Adrian.
A few seconds passed.
Then he spoke slowly.
— Finally...
The wind shook his hood. For a moment — just a moment — his face was visible. But this face... this face was not an ordinary human face. It was very ancient, very tired, and very... knowledgeable.
— The truth returns.
Adrian heard these words clearly.
And in the next second...
The figure vanished.
As if he had never been there. Only wind and rain remained. Only the storm and the night.
Adrian trembled inside.
"What was that? Who was he?"
Thousands of questions arose in his mind. But there were no answers. Only mystery. Only suspicion. Only... fear.
---
Inside the hut, the parents were looking at their newborn child.
The woman smiled, even though she was tired. Her face held the most beautiful expression of maternal love.
— Wow... he looks just like you.
The man laughed.
His ears were slightly different from ordinary human ears. Longer. But not entirely like an elf's either. Half-elf. Half-human. A being belonging to both worlds, but fully belonging to neither.
— Really...
He looked at the child. His eyes held a mixture of affection and pride.
— And his eyes are like yours.
The woman slowly kissed the baby's forehead. When her lips touched the baby's skin, Adrian felt warmth — it was the warmth of affection. It was love.
— Yes... especially his face.
Adrian watched them. He was still trying to understand everything. This woman — his mother? This man — his father? Who were they? Where were they? What kind of world was this?
Then the father's gaze suddenly stopped.
— Hm?
He looked closely at the baby. The expression on his face suddenly changed — from affection to surprise.
— What is this?
He brought his hand closer.
Between the ribs was a strange red scar. The scar was in a strange shape. It looked like some kind of symbol — ancient, forgotten, yet still familiar.
The woman also looked. Her red eyes widened.
— Hmm... interesting.
She thought for a moment. Then she laughed softly.
— Maybe it's a sign of some kind of power. After all, I was also born with red eyes.
The man laughed.
— Maybe.
The woman shrugged.
— Who knows, maybe our child will become a great person.
Adrian stared at them. His golden-colored eyes slowly opened and closed. He heard these words and laughed inside.
"A great person? Me? I was an ordinary person. I died. And now I'm... just an ordinary baby again."
And then...
He started crying.
— WAAAAAA!!
But inside him, completely different thoughts were swirling.
"What the hell is this?! Have I really been reborn?! And as a baby again?!"
He complained internally.
"I was ready to die... I was tired of life... Why did they bring me back?"
He thought deeply.
"A new world. A new body. And perhaps... A new destiny."
Adrian slowly calmed down. His crying gradually stopped.
Various thoughts circled in his mind. As Nietzsche said: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." He had returned from death — so he should now be stronger.
Or as Schopenhauer said: "Life is suffering, and its only meaning is to overcome suffering." He would have to struggle with new sufferings in his new life.
But now he knew one thing for certain: he was alive. He was breathing. He could feel.
And this — life itself — was already a great gift.
"Alright..."
He said inside.
"If fate has thrown me here... Then this world must be waiting for me."
"And perhaps... This time... I will be stronger."
"This time I won't make mistakes."
"This time I will... live."
Outside, lightning flashed again.
The sky split with red light. As if announcing the beginning of this new life.
And Adrian laughed inside.
"Okay. Let's see. What this world has in store for me."
"Let's see what trials fate has prepared for me this time."
"Let's see..."
But one thing was certain.
This was no ordinary rebirth.
This was — the beginning of a story.
And how this story would end — even he did not know.
---
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The heartbeat continued.
New life. New opportunity. New hope.
And Adrian — now a child who would be called by a new name in this world — closed his eyes.
Until the time for awakening comes.
---