"Thinking"
"Speaking"
"Are you freaking kidding me?"
I blinked. Once. Twice.
"This… this has to be a bad dream."
Let's rewind for a second.
5 hours earlier.
It was just another normal day in my life.
Or at least… that's what I thought.
I had just finished binge-watching Naruto for the fiftieth time, followed by a deep dive into Marvel and Harry Potter fanfics. I was running on three cans of Monster, zero sleep, and a questionable amount of life choices.
"Man… if I had powers like that…"
My eyes burned from too much screen time, but I kept scrolling through fanfics.
Saitama's punches. Gojo's Limitless. Goku's Ultra Instinct.
And of course… Karna, the son of the Sun God.
"Life would be so much easier with OP powers."
I stretched, yawning.
"Alright, time for some fresh air."
So, like an absolute genius, I grabbed my phone, threw on some flip-flops, and stepped outside at 3 AM.
"Mistake number one."
The night air was cool. Peaceful. Stars twinkled overhead.
"Ahhh… this was a good idea."
I barely made it five steps down the street when I heard it.
HONK! HONK!
"Huh?"
Cue slow-motion.
A bright flash.
A loud jingle.
"Wait… is that…?"
A freaking ice cream truck.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."
I turned my head just in time to see the words "ICE CREAM MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER" plastered on the side.
"Not this time, buddy."
SPLAT.
And that's how I died.
"Death by ice cream truck. What a legacy."
Present moment.
I was floating.
"Okay… where the hell am I now?"
"Limbo, kid. Welcome."
"Huh?!"
I spun around… only to see nothing.
"Who said that?"
"Me."
I blinked.
"Who's… me?"
"Your friendly neighborhood ROB."
"Wait. ROB? Like… Random Omnipotent Being?"
"Bingo."
"Holy crap. This is happening."
"Relax, kid. You're making me feel bad."
"Why am I here?"
"Because you got pancaked by an ice cream truck."
"No, I mean—"
"Why me?"
"Ah."
ROB paused dramatically.
"Here it comes… some deep, philosophical reason…"
"Because…"
"Yes…?"
"I was bored."
…
"Wait. WHAT?!"
"Yup. You were next on the list. Figured, why not?"
"I DIED BECAUSE YOU WERE BORED?!"
"Technically, you died because you didn't look both ways. Don't blame me."
I wanted to scream.
"This has to be a joke."
"Look, I'm giving you a chance here. Most people don't get that."
"A chance?"
"Yup. Reincarnation. New world. New life."
Brain… rebooting.
"Wait… you're serious?"
"As a heart attack, buddy."
"And I get… powers?"
"Uh-huh. One power. Don't get greedy."
Cue internal scheming.
"Alright. Let's keep it simple. Gamer System."
Silence.
"Denied."
"WHAT?! Why?!"
"Too broken. I'm not giving you save points and unlimited skill trees."
"Ugh. Fine."
"Gojo's powers?"
"Limitless? Infinity? Nope. Denied."
"Come on!"
"Do I look like I'm running an anime convention?"
"Ultra Instinct?"
"Haha. Cute. Denied."
"WHAT? WHY?!"
"Dodge everything without thinking? OP much?"
"Okay… One Punch Man's powers?"
"OH, HELL NO."
"WHY?!"
"Dude. You'd literally end all conflicts with a sneeze."
"Gahhh! Fine!"
"Alright… Thor's powers?"
"Denied."
"Saiyan bloodline?"
"Zenkais? Super Saiyan? Kid, do you WANT to break the universe?"
"Okay, okay… how about Karna's powers?"
Silence.
"Eh?"
"Karna, huh?"
ROB's tone shifted.
"Son of the Sun God. Blessed with divine armor and unparalleled skill."
"Yes. That one."
ROB went quiet for a moment.
"…Alright, I can work with that."
Relief flooded me.
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. But no full-blown OP mode right off the bat. You'll grow into it."
"Fair enough."
"Cool. Enjoy your new life… Ethan."
"Wait, what—"
Before I could ask anything else, the world shattered.
Cue… the chaos.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
What the hell was that noise?!
Oh. It was me.
"Wait, wait… why am I screaming?!"
Oh. Right. I was a freaking baby.
Sensory overload.
"Holy crap, what is happening?!"
Everything hit me at once.
Bright lights. Loud noises. A cold breeze.
"Oh my god, I'm tiny!"
I tried moving, but my body felt like Jell-O. My arms flailed around like wet noodles.
"Calm down. Assess the situation."
My blurry vision cleared… and I saw them.
My parents.
"Whoa…"
My mom was breathtaking. Soft brown curls framed her gentle face, and her bright green eyes were full of warmth as she looked down at me.
"Oh, he's so beautiful…" she whispered, her voice so soft it made me feel safe instantly.
Then I looked at my dad.
"Holy crap."
This guy was built like a freaking tank. Broad shoulders, strong jaw, and an expression that screamed "I will destroy anything that hurts my kid."
"Look at him, Em," he said softly, his voice deeper than I expected but filled with emotion. "Our little Ethan."
Cue emotional moment.
"They're perfect."
Their love washed over me like a warm blanket.
"I'm so lucky."
But then… reality hit.
"Oh no… not now…"
My body betrayed me.
PFFFFFT.
"Oh sweet mother of—"
My dad's eyes went wide.
"Whoa! That's… powerful."
My mom? She just laughed.
"Oh, he's got your strength, Brian."
"Great. A baby with nuclear capabilities."
"Why, body?! WHY?!"
Fast forward a few months.
Every night, after my parents thought I was asleep, I meditated.
I didn't know what I was doing at first, but I could feel something inside me. A warmth.
Power.
Slowly, I gained more control.
"Okay… focus."
I closed my eyes, breathing deeply.
A tiny spark of heat pulsed in my palm.
"C'mon… little fireball."
A flicker.
A spark.
FWOOSH.
"OH SH—"
The tiniest fireball popped out of my palm.
"HOLY CRAP, IT WORKED!"
And that's when I heard footsteps.
"Crap, crap, crap!"
I waved my hand, trying to extinguish the flame.
Door creaks open.
"Ethan? Sweetie?"
Cue baby panic.
"Waaaaaah!" I cried, instantly switching to baby mode.
"Nailed it."
"Oh honey, did you have a bad dream?"
"This… is going to be harder than I thought."
But as much as I trained, I couldn't shake the feeling…
"This world… it's not what I think it is."
And my journey?
"It's only just beginning."