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Hey everyone, Meep here.
Apologies for the sudden drops and discontinuations of my other fanfics. Life has picked up faster than I expected, and I've struggled to find the motivation to write or focus on anything related for a while.
I'll try to make this fanfic last as long as I mentally can. The idea literally just came to me, and I think it could turn into a pretty decent story—hopefully!
That said, my update schedule might not be consistent due to real-life issues, but I promise I'll do my best to see this book through to the end. Hopefully, someone will find it enjoyable.
Enjoy!
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Haru sat on the train, one earbud in, head leaning against the cold window. His screen was open to some random clip from One Piece, but he wasn't really watching it. He'd seen it already. Probably ten times. It was just background noise at this point—something to drown out the sound of the guy two seats over breathing like he was on his final boss battle with life.
His eyes drifted to the city outside, neon signs flashing by like they were trying too hard to look alive. Everything moved fast, but nothing felt like it was going anywhere.
Another sigh escaped him.
"Man," he muttered under his breath, "how the hell did I end up like this?"
He wasn't looking for some grand answer. He just felt… stuck. Same routine, same job, same awkward lunch breaks pretending to care about office gossip. He wasn't miserable or anything—just numb.
People always talked about chasing dreams, about passion, about living life to the fullest. But when the alarm went off at 6:30 AM every day, none of that really mattered. You got up, you worked, you slept, you repeated. That was life.
And the weird thing? He didn't even know when he gave up on expecting anything else.
The train jerked to a stop. He got off, walked home like usual, keys jingling as he unlocked the door to his tiny apartment.
Shoes off. Lights off. Couch.
He collapsed onto it like gravity doubled the moment he stepped inside.
After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and just stared at the ceiling.
"I wish I could just… not be here, y'know?"
His voice was quiet. Not like anyone would hear him anyway.
"Not even in, like, a dramatic way. I just mean… somewhere else. Somewhere where things actually matter. Where I can feel something again. Maybe go full anime protagonist or something."
He snorted at the thought.
"God, I sound like one of those 'truck-kun take me' memes."
Then he closed his eyes.
Didn't even realize how tired he was.
Didn't feel the warmth creeping into the room.
Didn't hear the quiet whisper that didn't belong in this world.
"Wish granted."
Buh-dum…
buh-dum… buh-dum
… buh-dum…
Haru woke up to silence.
Not the good kind. Not the cozy, passed-out-on-the-couch kind of silence. This was… off. Heavy. Like a blanket had been draped over the world.
His eyes stayed shut, but something about the darkness felt different. Like it wasn't just night behind his eyelids—it was something deeper. Complete. The kind of black you felt, not just saw.
He furrowed his brow—or, tried to. His face didn't feel right. Nothing did. His arms were gone. No, not gone, just… short? Weird? Limp noodles. He tried to wiggle his fingers and couldn't tell if they moved.
The hell?
He shifted, and something thick slid over his skin—warm, dense, wet. A full-body hug from a swamp.
What the actual hell is this…
Was he dreaming?
This was new. He never dreamed. Not like this.
His whole body felt soft and useless. Fragile, even. Like he'd shrunk ten sizes and got packed in a sleeping bag full of jelly.
He tried to breathe—wait, was he breathing? It didn't feel like it. There was no inhale. No exhale. But he wasn't suffocating either.
Okay, weird.
He stilled. Just floated there. Letting the slow, dull rhythm of something in the background thud quietly in his ears.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
A heartbeat?
Not mine.
That was the first real thought that clicked.
His own heart was beating faster than this. Anxious. Panicked. Human. Whatever this other one was—it was constant. Steady. Like a drum in another room.
He felt his stomach drop.
No movement. No sound. Just… realization trying to crawl its way up his throat and getting lost in the sludge of whatever-this-was.
His mind tried to run through possibilities. Coma? Hospital tank? Some sci-fi cryosleep?
His thoughts were crawling. Disjointed.
This wasn't normal. He wasn't normal right now. He didn't know what he was, but it sure as hell wasn't the same guy who fell asleep on the couch an hour ago, annoyed at the world and half-joking about getting isekai'd.
He squeezed his—what, muscles?—together. Something squirmed in the liquid around him. Everything was too close. Too tight. Too warm. Too alive.
His breath—if you could call it that—shuddered.
Nope. No way.
Am I in—no. I'm not gonna say it.
He went quiet again.
Not ready to name the thought yet. Not ready to believe it. Just floating in the dark, surrounded by warmth that pulsed around him like the world itself was breathing.
He stayed like that for a long time.
Not sure how long.
Not sure of anything.
Except that he wasn't where he used to be—and wherever this was, it was real.
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AN/
Honestly, with the amount of hints I've dropped just in the first chapter, I've realized the "secret" will probably be revealed immediately.
Whoever puts together the obvious hints, please let me know if you can see the vision I'm seeing with this fic 🙏
All in all please enjoy and I'll aim for atleast 10 more chapters for this week hopefully