Lost Echo

As the chill of the high altitude seeped into his bones, he clung to the last shreds of consciousness. Time stretched into an eternal moment as he plummeted towards the ocean. His life, unremarkable at first glance, unfolded in vivid flashes against the backdrop of the deep blue abyss.

Born to an ordinary family, his days were marked by the mundanity of routine: wake, school, homework, hobbies, sleep. Introverted by nature, he navigated through his school years with few friends, his social interactions minimal but meaningful.

College offered a beacon of new beginnings. Here, he pursued a degree in medical technology, a field that piqued his interest during a high school science fair. His academic journey was a solitary one, marked by quiet evenings spent studying alone in the library, the silence a comforting blanket over his thoughts.

His introduction to otaku culture by a university friend opened a new world to him, one rich with vibrant stories and characters. It became both a sanctuary and a cage—while it isolated him from real-world interactions, it fueled his academic drive. He graduated with honors and landed a prestigious position at a renowned hospital.

Driven by financial necessity and a thirst for knowledge, he pursued further education. Master's degrees in Biochemistry and Epidemiology were secured through nights of relentless study and weekends lost to research papers. At 30, he embarked on a Ph.D. in Virology, driven by a newfound fascination with viral pathogens.

His breakthrough came unexpectedly. A routine experiment led to the discovery of a novel compound that effectively treated a rampant epidemic in the Middle East. The cure brought him a Nobel Prize and transformed him from a diligent scientist to a celebrated savior. Patents and promotions followed, securing his financial future.

With newfound wealth, he constructed his dream home—a sanctuary filled with memorabilia from his favorite anime and manga. A pilgrimage to Japan to attend the world's largest otaku convention was his reward, a dream fulfilled.

But fate had a cruel twist in store. His flight home was hijacked by a terrorist, the very person whose deadly ambitions he had inadvertently thwarted with his medical discovery. Cornered and desperate, the terrorist dragged him to the emergency exit and threw him out.

As he fell, the cold sea rushing towards him, he reflected on the paradoxes of his life—his isolation amidst success, his achievements despite adversity. With eyes closed, he uttered a quiet prayer for a second chance at life, a chance to rewrite his story in a world he had helped save.

Everything then went pitch black, as if a television channel had been switched off. The piercing cold vanished, leaving him in a void of sensory deprivation. He wondered if this was how it felt to die—aware but unable to feel, see, or hear anything.

As he accepted his fate, a faint heartbeat echoed in the silence. Warmth slowly spread from where his heart lay, accompanied by a mysterious force pulling him upward. Then, darkness claimed him once again, and his consciousness slipped into a deep slumber.

When he awoke, he found himself in a stark white room, the beeping of life support machines filling the air. His throat was parched, his body weak. Struggling to move, he was shocked to see a small, delicate hand enter his line of sight—not the rugged hand he remembered, weathered by chemicals from his job.

"What's going on here? I remember falling from the plane and crashing into the ocean. My survival chances should have been less than one percent. Also, this hand..."

He surveyed his surroundings. It was unmistakably a medical facility. "Did I end up in heaven? Or... have I been reincarnated?"

Pondering all possibilities, he turned his head to the right. His answer lay clear in the reflection on the black mirror—a young boy, perhaps between seven and twelve years old, lay limp on the bed connected to life support and IV drips. Though his features were barely discernible, the reflection hinted at Asian descent.

"So, I've been reincarnated, huh?"

His mind swirled with questions, but for now, he remained a silent observer in a new body, in a world that seemed familiar yet overwhelmingly strange. As the realization set in, he began to consider what life as this young boy might entail, pondering the possibilities of a new beginning, a second chance granted under the most extraordinary circumstances.