Have you ever wondered what comes after death ?
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Of course you have it's something that is so common in the mind of many people, because of the rise of a current condition and that is our good old friend.Depression.
And if you don't have one, well your very lucky since depression is a bitch. And it's really horrifying experiencing one.
The fact in the modern time, where's it's considered to be some of the greatest time to live, it's also somehow considered some of the most loneliest time. With many people being more introverted or being less social.
That's really a bit sad.
...
Right I'm getting somewhat sidetracked where was I ?
Oh yeah death and what comes after.
Most people have an idea about what happens after death.
But that depends on who you ask, since you'll hear different things from different people.
The Buddhists talk about us being rebirth. Atheists talk about nothing and some believing we just ceased to exist.
Some fringe group in Utah once told me we'd all ascend into data clouds, that one was a weird one.
But for some they believe after death there's still a meaning, with that idea being based on a concept called the afterlife.
The idea of an afterlife has existed from ancient time.
Which i was one of those people who believe in an afterlife.
I was a Catholic.
Not just "I go to church on Christmas or Easter or when he feels like it" Catholic".
But I mean guilt-sharpened-by-prayer Catholic.
I prayed every day to the Lord, I followed the ten commandments,though even following what was told was pretty hard in some parts for me to do, I usually confess my sins once a year, but i usually confess 2 times before Easter and Christmas.
I helped those in need, and forgive those who have done harmed to me( this was stupidly hard to do).
Since i was Catholic ,i believe when I died, in some way I'd be greeted by Saint Peter holding a divine clipboard. You know the one with your life story, all your sins, all the prayers you forgot to finish.
With myself imagined him going:
"Ah,Michael (Yes that's my name). A Catholic Man, who struggled with nearly of every type sin of any imaginable envy, sloth, lust, gluttony, also once rage-quit a Crusader Kings campaign. But confessed regularly and care for others. Heaven for you."
It was Simple. Quick. And Eternal.
But....Turns out, God really has a sense of humor.
I mean of course he does considering Jesus alone did crack multiple joke even a dick joke.
Because when I opened my eyes i was not in Heaven or Hell... Thankfully.
But when i opened my eyes,i found myself
In a crib for a baby.
And worse after receiving my memories again which it was painful as heck as if getting hit with the equivalent of being shot in the head with a 20mm bullet of a Sniper rifle.
I am now something no Catholic man should ever be.
....A Frenchman.
(Cue thunderclap, Gregorian horror music and chant,and the sound of a church organ being playing a spooky sound)
Okay....okay.
I'm kidding.
Sort of....
French jokes aside, I wasn't expecting reincarnation to be on the menu.
Let alone being reborn into a different world entirely.
Because trust me, this ain't Earth.
And how do i know that you might asked ?
Of course i learned about it.
I'm m after all a cultured man,
Who have read so many webnovel, light novels,fanfics.
And in 80% of cases if you suddenly woke up and found yourself in a different body you are definitely in another world and have been reincarnated.
And when being reincarnated you sometimes gain a perks usually includes an op ability or some stick like a system or a golden finger the Chinese would say.
I have tried to see if i have a system and nothing popped up so looks like im a dud.
Now before continuing on my long long long monologue,did i already say long three times if not..long.
Let me introduce myself.
My name is Michael de Montfort.
Yeah that's my current name
And yeah, I know it's Very Fancy.
And considering that name for a second.
I thought i was born in a fantasy world but after looking around, i spotted a Tv and different modern appliances, making it clear im living I'm in a modern world, and I don't mind about that.
Now my last name "De Montfort" comes from my dad's side an old French British family name with medieval weight to it.
If you know your history, one famous person with that name was Simon de Montfort a crusader and a bit of a fanatic, and someone who got excommunicated. Fitting, I guess.
As for my baptism name, it's Stephen or Étienne, as the French would say. I was named after Saint Stephen, the first martyr of Christianity.
Makes sense, right? Die once, come back a martyr.. yeah not really i think.
Now you might be wondering how the hell did I get here?
I mean, it's not every day someone dies and wakes up as a French toddler.
The short answer?
I don't know.
After i died and closed my eyes and took my final breath.
I woke up and found myself here.
There was no ethereal voice saying "You've been chosen."
No floating goddess asking me what cheat power I wanted.
Just darkness,and silence,and then light with me waking up.
But here's the kicker, while i didn't get any system.
I did get something , since i remember everything. And i mean it.
Not "vague flashbacks" or "fragments of a past life."
No. I have full retention of everything that happened.
My original name was Michael Reyes in my previous life. A Twenty-seven years old Catholic, confirmed, occasionally sarcastic, and incredibly overworked.
My main job?
I was a scientist,worked primarily in Biology and chemistry, though I dabbled in physics more than I care to admit. My degree said " Biotechnology," though but let's be honest, I was more like a problem-solving mercenary with a lab coat.
I also had a side hustle,and do you know what it was?
I was an amateur archaeologist.
No, seriously.
You wouldn't believe how often that came in handy. Since for me i had some fascination with church relics, ancient artifacts,and items ,and etc.
Hell I still remember, I had a collection of roman coins back at my house,and I had plenty of other findings.
Not to mention i also had a fascination with biblical and all types of history,not to mention old-world legends and myths.
As well about the supernatural.
That maybe what got Saint Peter to stamp my application for reincarnation.
Or maybe… maybe it was something else....nah i don't want to think about it.
Now you might be thinking on how did i die ?
Some might guess I died by being overworked.
Another might say i got killed by being hit by the legend himself that create heroes by killing them first and then kidnapping them to another world, aka our friend Truck-Kun. Yeah sadly no...
I died in an accident.
More specifically I was working late in the lab i worked for, when suddenly a compressed tank chain-reacted after a minor electrical short.
So yeah I was killed in an explosion.
But it was not my fault by the way, that the the whole place went up in flames.
But luckily i didn't feel a thing, and Thank God, since i don't want to the feeling of burns,and the smell of cooked flesh.
And with the fact it was very quick.
One second I was standing.
The next ? Darkness.
Then I was here.
As a baby.
A French baby.
Le bébé sacré, if you want to be dramatic about it.
But here's the thing that really screws with me here.
As i said i remember everything
I didn't just remember science.
I remembered everything.
My education, my Spotify playlists, every formula I'd ever memorized, historical trivia,my mom's mac and chease recipe even the exact steps to fix a leaking faucet or on how to commit tax evasion,on a sidenote it was during a desperate time.
But overall if it was in my brain before death, it's still there, yes it includes embarrassing memories.
But thankfully i can't ignore some memories or have it appeared though it's like sorting through files upon files, so sometimes things somehow got lost, i don't know how that works.
Anyway, for now, I'm just playing the role of "Gifted little French boy."
well that's it for chapter 1 which is explaining what i have experience, which my life story will probably start in chapter 2
~Michael
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Recap & Details:
Past Name: Michael Reyes
Age of Death: 27
Profession(s): Scientist (Main), Archeologist (side interest)
Cause of Death: Lab accident, instant death from an explosion due to one of the equipment malfunctioning.
Reincarnation Status: Fully aware, confused, but not scared ,and is currently curious and cautious.
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Names :
Father's name : Edward de Montfort.
Mother's name : Giulia Valentini.
MC's name: Michael de Montfort
MC's Baptism name: Stephen (Étienne)