It felt like years when I started my new life in outer space when it's only been a few weeks at most. Having that said, my past life was just average. Recalling my last moments back on Earth wasn't a pleasure. It's not like I had something I regret leaving while I died. In fact, it was embarrassing. That was the only word I could described what I felt after realizing how I had died. Simply because I died while eating noodles. Precisely, I choked on the pasta itself.
Embarrassing right? Who's heard of a guy that dies slurping a noodle? The thought of it somehow made me chuckle and depressed at the same time.
There was no god at the time of my passing. It felt like it just happened. No purgatory. Nothing. Just plain 'ol darkness. It was until my eyes snapped open. I reawakened. Not in my room, not anything I was familiar with. Rather, I awoke in another world.
That's what I thought until I saw a spaceship passing by.
Never mind in another world, I was in outer space!
How cool is that?!
Yeah, that moment was my ignorance speaking.
I was not as happy and excited as I am today when I was during my arrival in this…strange place.
I remembered how lost I felt after seemingly back to life with a new body. It was strange at first but now I was slightly used to it, inhabiting a body not my own.
Ethan Almiyers was my new name in this life. A man, nineteen years of age, was born on the planet called Kelta. A war-torn planet that was far different from Earth in terms of geological structure and technological advancement. The memories of the body I am inhabiting were as clear as day, it was as if his memories were linked perfectly to mine. It felt like our lives had converged into one single entity but somehow I was the one whose personality resurfaced to take control of the body. I felt his memories as if I'd lived them my entire life. I could remember the time in his childhood when he cried from the ashes of his town. The death of his parents, his friends, screams, blood, bombs…the invasion.
The more I delve into these memories, the more I felt an emotion within me stirring. I didn't like it, not one bit, it wasn't mine.
I let out a shaky breath, shaking those memories away. While I pity the poor guy for his circumstances, I couldn't let that get to me. After all, I'm me, not him. I may inhabit his name, memories, and body but I am not him.
I was just a regular University student back on Earth, nothing more, nothing less.
Yet that wasn't the only thing I was concerned about.
That thing was on my wrist. It was a wristwatch, a weird, strange wristwatch. It was all black in color and somehow it wouldn't work or turn on no matter how I tried. I thought it was low battery at first and attempted to charge it but another problem came to be…..
I couldn't remove it.
Yes, I tried every possible way aside from the option to cut my hand entirely. Wouldn't that be too gruesome?
It scares me at first, the thought of a non-removable watch embedded in my flesh was a terrifying thought. As time passed, I started to relax a little, seeing that whatever this thing in my watch was as harmless as a fly. Regarding its origin, it was a complete mystery. I couldn't find a single trace of this guy's memories of having this watch in him or yet receiving one. So far I haven't got a single clue yet, and it will remain that way as I slowly lose interest in this piece of metal.
Cheat? It might be, considering its mysterious nature but it wouldn't work so I just let it be. It would be a waste of time getting it to start after numerous attempts of failing. I'm not stupid enough to make it my entire life to figure out whatever this watch is. I had enough problems on my plate for it to be added.
My gaze went elsewhere below, it was a table, and on that table was a bowl of soup I just ordered for lunch. For its appearance alone, it was bland.
I grabbed my spoon, swirling it around the soup and raising it in the air as it slowly dripped back down to the bowl. I took a small slurp out of it. Tasted it and immediately felt no flavor coming out of it. I scrunched my brows, my tongue dancing as if trying to find the flavor out of it but found one. I force myself to swallow it whole. Somehow, even with no taste, it was somewhat disgusting.
I sighed, placing my utensil back on the bowl. There's goes my appetite
I stared at the massive window a distance away from myself. My gaze fixed on the lone star, straight in my direction. It was so small.
"Hey, Ethan! Thanks for waiting. I got a bit held back, sorry"
I snapped from my daze and slowly turned my head to see Abraham approaching me, waving.
"Abraham" I let out a greeting smile.
Abraham was the first friend I managed to befriend on the Space Station. Knowing my non-existent social skills, I somehow thought I would be alone in this new second chance at life but somehow, this guy just spawned into my life. Though we didn't talk with each other that much, I still enjoyed his company most of the time. However, I did find his paranoid characteristics to be… unique.
He didn't stand out much to the crowd thanks to his raven black hair which was lighter than mine and was common among researchers for some reason. However, there was one thing that made him slightly unique from the others that I knew was that his other eye was covered by his bangs.
"Seriously, you could have ordered something better but you got that instead?" He asked, questioning my choice of meal.
"It's healthy and cheap" I shrugged, finding nothing wrong with my meal" Get the word? Cheap?"
"I think you forgot the most important of them all." He said, "Flavor. What if it's cheap but has no flavor? That is not worth it dude"
"Well, you may be right on that one" I replied "But I'll stick with this for now."
"You're lost, dude" He sighed. "So anything new and exciting happening lately?"
"Nothing much. Pretty average day to day, every day."
"Then what with that look of yours just a moment ago?"
"What?"
"You seemed to be troubled, any reason why?"
Confused, I let out a chuckle "Why would you think of that?"
"Dude, I literally saw you spacing out earlier."
"That you did"
"Wanna talk about it?"
".... Well about that, The thing was...." I paused, seeming to think it over in my head "I was just tired and all."
"What? Didn't get any sleep? And that pause you did, suspicious ain't it?"
"I don't know what you mean" I gave the most innocent stare I could muster. Hoping he would drop the subject but instead, he pursued it with keen interest
"Dude, Don't tell me…is it your love life?" He gaped in shock but I knocked him on the head
"Ow!"
"Cut out with those romance novels"
"What has that got to do with this?"
"It's tainting your mind"
"?" Abraham stares at me questionably.
"What you said it's not even close."
"Oh" Abraham let out a surprised expression before returning to normal " I see. So what's on your mind then?"
"I don't know." I could feel his piercing gaze on me
"Seriously?" He gave me an incredulous look.
"Yes" I gave a flat response
"...." He fell silent, seemingly in deep thought "You know, your face is very punchable right now."
"I'll take that as a compliment" I smirked
He sighed "Of course, you do"
++++++====++++++
Herta's Space Station.
Researchers from different planets come to work here as researchers and most of them are faithful followers of Herta. It was a large spaceship with tons of different sectors, each had its own purpose in serving the Space Station.
To say the space station was large is an understatement, it was more than large, it's huge! bigger than I even expected it to be when I first arrived here. There were many floors that you'd expect from this gigantic beast.
Regarding the qualification for a researcher role in this Space Station, it was a hard process. How hard exactly? Well, It took this guy, the body I am inhabiting, twenty-three tries before actually managing to pass the entrance examination. Barely pass, considering he was in the lower tier of the researcher ranking, that means the job I am taking on right now doesn't have as much importance as the rest of the researchers. Less importance equals less pay.
This somehow reminds me of myself back on Earth. I am nowhere near intelligent in my past life. I could barely pass a semester let alone be considered a genius. It was an average life at best.
After our much-needed break, aka, Lunch, we began heading towards our sectors.
I stretched my arms, careful to not let the cup of coffee in my hand spill out and at the same time, let out a yawn
"Sleepy already?"
"Well, it happens" I rubbed my eyes, feeling groggy as I did so. "Aren't you?"
He shrugged, whirling his cup around "Well it happens"
I gave him a blank look "I see"
We finally approached the elevator and stood there, waiting
"So, I guess this is it" I focused my gaze on the blinking lights, patiently tapping my foot on the floor while humming a tune in my lips.
"You're making it sound like we're going to war" He snickered, barely holding off a chuckle.
"No, not a war, but more like…something worse"
"At least the pay is good"
I think he might want to re-state that. My pay was nowhere as high as his. "I doubt you're here for the pay" I rolled my eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing and the elevators here" I pointed out, dodging that question like dodging a bullet.
We stepped right into the elevator. His sector was on the third floor while mine was on the fifth floor, namely the storage zone.
Not too long, we arrived at his floor, thanks to the rapid acceleration of the elevator. One of the finest technologies, if I could say so myself.
"I guess this is where we part ways. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Better believe it" I gave a short nod and a smile. He smiled back and went his way.
I slurped down my coffee, feeling its warmness down my throat. It was pure bliss. Coffee always finds a way to pull me right back up without a hitch.
Everything was going on what seemed to be a typical day for me until that's when the elevator stopped on the third floor. I blinked, slowly moving to the side to get more space in the middle for the person to occupy. The elevator door opened revealing a young woman my age with pink hair, a fair complexion, and light blue eyes. She wore a collared white shirt with loose, detached sleeves and ruffles, a black bowtie, and a black skirt with gold accents covered with a ruffled purple overcoat. She was humming a tune while walking towards my side.
I froze, standing completely still. Shock and disbelief flashed across my features for a split second before I composed myself.
Holy shit, it's Asta.
I maintained a neutral look as I spared a glance at her.
The rich girl that everyone admired and wanted to be. I mean, who wouldn't? She was, in fact, the richest person in this space station and not to mention, incredibly beautiful. If I remember correctly and If my information on the intergalactic web was correct, then she was the daughter of some wealthy family. God, I wish I was as lucky as her in this life. I would kill to get a family like that.
Currently, she was standing right beside me. The feeling was more in line with meeting your boss that you've never met before. It was nerve-racking that I pretty much hoped, in the deepest part of my heart, that she would ignore me and not start up a conversation –
"So, you are?" Her soft voice reached my ears. My face froze as I cursed myself for jinxing it.
I gulped, swallowing down the nervousness. Act normal, act normal.
"Name's Ethan, Lady Asta" I spoke my name, calm and natural.
Nailed it.
Asta eyed me with her azure-like eyes leveling down on my gaze.
"Nice to meet you Ethan" She smiled "Are you new here perhaps?"
"Uhm, well yeah, you could say that" I scratched my head. "I've only been here for a few weeks at most."
"I see. Did the Space Station meet your expectations? Perhaps if you have one that is" She asked "Just curious, that's all. After all, as the lead researcher of the Space Station, it's my job to keep all the employees feel satisfied about the place"
I thought about it for a moment. "it is something…" I began drinking my coffee, averting my gaze.
"Something?" She tilted her head, eyes peering right at me.
"Uh yeah." I lowered my cup. I hope she didn't notice me shaking."I-I mean, it's pretty good, has its perks and all"
She bobbed her head up and down "Oohh I see. That's great. I hope you'll be able to enjoy yourself here."
"I'm pretty sure I will," I force a smile. To be honest, I didn't want to feel yet but one thing for sure, this life was a tad better than my old one. It's just that, I wasn't sure if it was worth trading to my old life.
"Mhm, however, you don't have to lie, you know?"
Eh? My smile froze as I stared at her, confused.
The elevator door rang, breaking my thoughts along with it.
"It seems my stop is here" Asta steps forward, her hair fluttering along her clothes from the breeze as she turns around her head to face me. "It was nice meeting you, Ethan."
"Uh, same to you too boss," I gave her a somewhat robotic wave.
She blinked, a surprised expression covering her face.
I blinked, confused about why that is.
Wait, did I?--
A dawning realization came over me like a speeding truck. Before I could add anything to defuse the situation, the elevator door began to close much to my dismay.
Silence spilled into the elevator room as I stood frozen.
I run my hands across my face, holding the urge to scream. Did I just call her boss?!
That adds to another list of embarrassing things I said to my new life. What a great impression on your boss.
+++===+++
Life is short so be happy.
That was the motto that I always followed in my old life and that still applies to now. Those words were something I took to heart greatly, given that my mother was the one who gave it to me before passing away, it held a special place in my heart.
No matter what the situation is, no matter how bad it is, there is always a silver lining.
How I wish I could see a silver lining when I gazed down upon a pile of paperwork on my desk. It was growing each day and every time I glanced at it, it was as if god sent a projectile vomit down my face and it burned. It burned so badly.
"Tsk, Ethan bro, You seriously need to up the pace. That thing over there might be your reason for your death."
"Thanks for that reminder, Noah" For the record, I was being sarcastic. This Noah guy was the exemplification of a perfectionist and a narcissist. There are many times I found him annoying. Of course, I've already met this kind of people back on Earth so this wasn't a new experience for me dealing with such people.
Noah flashed a smirk "Just warning you. Can't have a dead man on the job, can we"
Why did he make it sound ominous? I wondered why he was so pesky of me. I feel like he was doing this for every newcomer he finds.
"Thanks but no thanks, I already know my predicament for worries like that to be nonessential at this point" I replied.
"I see, better get to it then, and also" He handed me a piece of paper "Deadline is tomorrow"
I blinked, staring widely at the newly arrived paper in my hands before watching Noah leave the office.
"Fuck that guy." I cursed under my breath.
It really sucks to be an NPC.
This job of mine was akin to an office job…actually scratch that, it is an office job with some slight difference right there and then. What I do all day is do paperwork, endless paperwork.
I sighed, placing the paper down to the pile. I held the urge to burn the papers down to the ground and scream for independence. That was probably a bad way to have an excuse to get deported out of the space station.
I am not on Earth, and if I got deported, I would have nowhere else to go. This guy's planet was completely in ruins and this place was the only salvation I have. Not to mention, things in this universe here run differently.
Gods exist and shits like superpowers also exist.
That's right, you've heard it clearly. Superpowers, gods, demigods, and magical bullshits existed here, in this universe.
Heck, this place I was reborn to have intergalactic civilizations. The one with spaceships and all.
Can't say I am surprised though. It was common knowledge back on earth that knowing that this was a typical situation for a transmigrator. Being transported into another world would always result in a fantasy world. My situation was no different except that I am not the main character of the story. Stereotypes and all. I could already tell which people are gonna be the most important ones, Aka, major characters.
How can I tell exactly? For example, what clothes they are wearing? If it's far too unique from the rest then that shit is a major character right there. If it's bland-looking like me, then that right there is a side character or an NPC.
It wasn't hard to differentiate. It was within the range of common sense.
It was a major disappointment after finding out I have no system or cheat in this world. Like I said earlier, being an NPC sucks.
I patiently tapped my fingers on my desk, scrolling down my mouse, deciding to procrastinate for the time being.
Don't blame me, I'm just the kind of person, to procrastinate before doing the job. Keeps me all focused and all.
Over the intergalactic web, I found a post that piqued my interest.
[Who the f#@k is this Haxxor Bunny?! A hacker? Might report]
"Another rant post?" I muttered, feeling another case of deja vu. This Haxxor bunny was wreaking havoc on a game called Space Commandos. Whoever he or she was, they were destroying players left and right without any difficulties whatsoever. This is what? The eleventh post I've seen so far about this haxxor Bunny. I clicked on the video and the person behind it was completely outclassed. It was strangely amusing, to be honest, and lit an inkling to my desire to play this game. It's been a while since I've played a video game. Sadly, time was my enemy.
I scrolled down a bit more and found a post that took another of my interest
[Planet Harvet Under Attack by the AntiMatter Legion. The IPC on the move?]
The Antimatter legion? I thought about those two words for a moment before it clicked on me.
Ah, the army that was known to follow a genocidal god? That's them, alright. I sighed, shaking my head.
I've heard about them, basically everybody, from what I believe, even from the farthest part of the universe is familiar with them. They were infamous for destroying multiple worlds under the name of their God, or Aeon to put it more simply, Nanook.
Flashes of disturbing images passed through my mind. I felt a sudden pang of anger, kept inside, at the mere thought of them.
I didn't need to question why. After all, this Antimatter legion was the source of this guy's past, a past of which his world, his birth world, was slowly crumbling to pieces. He was lucky he survived the ideal, but the chance was not high to begin with. I had to pity him though, Imagine surviving everything from that and then just got snatched away by an unwanted visitor…which is me.
Guilty, I would be but there is nothing I can do about it. The least I could do is to somehow help achieve his dream and live his life, now mine, to the fullest. That's what I thought until I found out what this guy's dream was.
It was absurd. How absurd? Well, that dream includes killing an Aeon. How fucking far-fetched is that?! It might even be fucking impossible. It was more like a revenge plan rather than a dream.
It made me wonder if this guy has a hero complex or just plain up stupid. Maybe both. I wasn't the right person to judge as I have my own dark past, mainly my chuunibyou side back in high school. Those were the times.
I leaned back in my chair, feeling the hours pass by slowly. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, it was now near the end of my shift.
The pile of papers in my life was now reduced to half. I let out a strained smile and patted myself for a good job well done. Lifting myself from my seat, I yawned and stretched, feeling some soreness near the bottom of my back.
"That hits the spot" I moaned out of bliss. I looked around the area, finding the place almost empty if it weren't for the fact that I saw a person, with which I am very familiar, was still on her desk.
She had snow-white hair that seemed to reach her waist and wore eyeglasses that fit her look naturally. She was a beauty, there was no doubt about it. I heard guys talking about her and saw some that were actively swooning over her.
No, I wasn't those guys. I'm not the one who is actively pursuing romantic interests. I have too much on my plate to worry about that. I still haven't even completely adjusted to this new life yet.
I approached the person and greeted her as I came closer "Emily" I mentioned her name.
"Ethan" In response, she mentioned mine. Her tone was kinda blunt. I winced slightly at that but made no comment as I pressed on.
"So you're working overtime?" I asked, looking at her desk to be spotless. Not even a pile of paper in sight. I was amazed at how fast she worked, it was surreal at this point.
"I'm just finishing up some tasks for tomorrow."
Ah, advanced working?
"I see. So, is there anything I can do to help?"
"No need. I can handle it" She quickly denied, her tone neutral, not knowing whether it was out of assurance or annoyance.
"Ah, if you say so." I force out a chuckle, trying to sway away the awkwardness beginning to form.
"..." Silence.
She was so focused on her work that I started to think of myself as a wind to her.
Well, there's the conversation. I wanted to sigh but held it in. "I guess, I'll see you later then."
"See you" She replied, not even bothering to turn her head.
"Good night"
"Good night"
"..." I turned around and headed towards the exit with my footsteps echoing across the halls.
++++=====++++
"That will be 250 credits"
"Do you take card?"
"Of course. Please swipe it here"
"Thank you" I smiled, doing as intended with my purchase, and quickly left the small convenience store in the station with a small bag at hand.
"Please come again!"
"Don't worry I will" I waved at the kind clerk, who was also a researcher but working a side job for whatever reason.
"Dinner check, now to cook it" I muttered, eyeing up ahead with an absent mind. Eventually, my thoughts wandered elsewhere.
What's my purpose here?
That was one of the questions that I asked myself every day, each time I found myself alone with my thoughts. It was depressing, I didn't know what I should do in my life.
Knowing I had no clear goals to focus on, I was basically at a loss, with no direction to go. Every day, I wake up, eat, work, and sleep and that repeats every single day. It was a normal routine that every adult experienced back on Earth but is this really my calling to be in an office?
I was given a second chance at life for goodness sake! Superpowers, Magic, and all of those fictional bullshit existed here! I should be out there wandering the known cosmos, and doing some stuff that every person could only dream of having.
Yet, knowing how dangerous and absurd the idea is, I decided to reevaluate myself. I was nothing more than an NPC in this world. Despite how disappointing it sounds, that's how it is. I had no powers, no cheats, and this stupid glued wristwatch. I was nothing special and would die like a canon folder like in those novels I read. That wouldn't be a good way to die. I didn't want to die. No one likes to die..
Without knowing, as if time skipped over me, I found myself at the front of my door.
The metal plating of the door illuminated my face, young, full of life, and a fresh start.
What would my mom think about my current situation? Would she be happy that her son could start a fresh life better than the one given to me on Earth?
I let out a breath, curving a smile to my face. It wasn't genuine or forced either, it was something that was a start.
Well, as they say, life is short so be happy.