"Huh? What the heck is happening?!"
Everything was a blur. There was a pounding sound, and then the sensation of falling.
Wait. Falling?
I blinked, trying to focus. But no matter how hard I squinted, everything around me was just a swirl of white noise, flashing lights, and people screaming.
Oh.
Then it hit me, like really hit me. My nerves screamed, "Hey, you're probably about to die!"
I was on a plane. No, scratch that, I was on a crashing airplane! The cabin jolted and roared like a busted washing machine. Oxygen masks dangled. People were shouting, praying, and crying. Some clutched their phones, recording their last, broken goodbyes. It was the kind of chaos you'd expect in a plane plummeting from the sky.
But me?
I was way too busy to get caught up in all that end-of-life drama. Because in that moment, right in the middle of probably my last few minutes on Earth, there was something way more urgent demanding my attention.
I NEEDED to pee!!!
The plane dropped again, my stomach doing somersaults, and I squeezed my legs together like I was holding on for dear life. My bladder felt like it was about to explode.
I could not, and I mean could not, be the girl who dies with a full bladder. I would not be the person who pees themselves in the middle of a plane crash. No. No way.
I grabbed the armrest, my knuckles going white as I fought with every ounce of my being to hold it together, literally.
Just as I was starting to get a grip, the plane dropped again with a deafening screech. A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen. God, why does my body have to fail me now? Of all moments, why was it my bladder throwing a tantrum?
People around me were screaming, but I was just clenching for dear life. My mind wasn't even on my imminent death. No, it was consumed with one thought:
Don't you dare embarrass me in front of everyone, bladder. Do. Not. Dare.
The plane shuddered again. Another terrifying drop.
At that point, I wasn't even sure if I was going to survive the crash, but let's be real. At least I wouldn't have to deal with my bladder anymore. Small victories, I guess.
I didn't even have time to process the possibility of death before I felt it. That sudden, heart-stopping lurch, like the whole plane was being yanked by a giant invisible hand.
Then, bam.
The impact hit like a punch to the gut, and everything went black.
****
I don't know how long I was out. Minutes? Hours? A whole reincarnation cycle? No clue.
But when I came to, I was blinking like someone who fell asleep watching TikTok and woke up in a totally different dimension.
Except I couldn't actually blink. Or move. Or even open my eyes.
Weird.
Everything felt muffled. Not just the sound, but the air. Like I was submerged in warm jelly. There was this thick, squishy pressure all around me, like I was wrapped in a very wet weighted blanket.
I tried to wiggle. Nope. Arms? Useless. Legs? Might as well be noodles.
Panic crept in until something thudded nearby. A low, heavy, rhythmic thump… thump… thump… thump…
A heartbeat.
But not mine.
Mine was fluttering like a caffeinated squirrel. This one was slower. Bigger. Steady.
Holy crap.
I wasn't floating in a void. I was floating in someone.
That heartbeat was coming from above me. Or maybe around me? I don't know. My sense of direction was spaghetti at that point.
The walls around me pulsed faintly with it, like I was stuck inside a water balloon with sound pressing in from every direction.
A gross realization started forming. I was in something warm. Wet. Biological.
No. No, no, no.
"Oh my god, am I in a womb?!" I whispered, or thought, or screamed inside my brain.
Honestly, who knows what counted as talking when you're barely the size of a potato?
And just as I was about to spiral, the air shifted. Well, not air, but whatever liquid cocoon I was floating in. Then it hit me, like a plot twist in a bad isekai anime.
This wasn't Earth.
This wasn't some hospital baby ward.
I could feel it. Something in the atmosphere felt different. Not in a science-y way. More like a vibe. The heartbeat I was feeling wasn't the only one. I could sense others nearby, maybe even two more, like I was connected to a network of pulsing lives.
And they weren't human. At least, not completely. One of them had a heartbeat with a strange double rhythm, almost like a drumline. Another one thudded so slow and deep it felt prehistoric.
This wasn't just a womb. This was the starting screen of a whole new world.
I couldn't believe it, but the thought hit me. Was I seriously being reborn into some fantasy world? After everything, after dying while trying to avoid an embarrassing bathroom accident?
And that's when the voice spoke.
[Host, welcome to the world of Vexora. You have successfully been reincarnated into this world. Please prepare for the journey ahead.]
I froze. Reincarnated?
Oh hell no.
"Excuse me, WHAT?!" I shrieked inwardly, low-key panicking. "You mean to tell me I was just in a crashing plane, about to die, and now I'm in a weird baby body? And now I'm reincarnated into another world? Seriously? Is this some kind of a joke?"
The voice didn't even flinch at my freakout. It was still too calm. Too neutral. It just kept going, like nothing happened.
[The reincarnation process is standard for individuals chosen by the Vexora System. You are now a Child of Destiny. Your journey will begin upon your birth.]
"Wait, hold up. Chosen by the Vexora System? Child of Destiny? What is this, some kind of fantasy RPG where I'm the main character?"
There was a small pause, and I imagined the system being all meh about my reaction.
Then it answered again, cool and composed.
[Correct, Host. The Vexora System assists in reincarnations. This is a normal occurrence for selected individuals.]
"Normal?" I laughed bitterly, though it was pretty much just a sarcastic thought. "Yeah, normal would not be my first choice of words for this whole mess. So, I crash in a plane, die, and then I get plopped into some new world with a baby body? Nice. Totally normal. Just my luck."
[Your new life will begin immediately upon your birth. The Vexora System will monitor your progress and assist you with necessary tasks.]
"Uh-huh," I grumbled. "Right. So what am I supposed to do? Start my life in diapers and throw up on myself? I didn't ask for this second chance, okay? I had other plans."
The system, however, seemed completely unbothered by my rant.
[You will receive tasks that will help you unlock abilities and grow stronger. Your progress will shape your future in Vexora.]
I was still in shock, but I couldn't help it. "Abilities? Like magic powers or something? Yeah, sure. Because that makes sense after I get reincarnated as a baby. Perfect."
[Correct, Host. You will gain abilities as you complete your tasks. Your path will be shaped by your choices and actions.]
"Right," I muttered. "Magic powers, tasks, abilities, all that jazz. So, I'm supposed to just roll with it? Fine. Whatever. It's not like I have much of a choice. I'm already stuck in this mess, might as well see what happens."
[Understood. Your journey begins now.]
…
The silence that followed was awkward.
Like, painfully awkward.
I waited.
And waited.
And nothing happened.
"...Hello?" I finally whispered into the void.
Still floating. Still warm. Still squished.
"So, when you said 'your journey begins now,' I kinda thought that meant I was about to, you know, be born or whatever," I muttered. "Not just float here like a microwaved meatball in amniotic soup."
I tried to move, just a tiny bit. My stubby little arm twitched, or at least I thought it did, and I immediately bumped into something. Something soft. And warm.
I froze.
"Careful," a voice said, sharp but composed, like someone whose patience was hanging by a thread. "That was my face."
I went full feral.
"What the ACTUAL HELL… WHO ARE YOU?"
"You elbowed me," the voice replied, a bit strained now. "It's already cramped in here. Let's not make it worse with friendly fire."
Cramped was an understatement. Now that I was paying attention, it felt like someone had tried to stuff two fully loaded carry-ons into a single tote bag. I couldn't stretch. I couldn't turn. I couldn't even flop dramatically, and that was basically my love language.
"Wait… are you…?" I hesitated, trying to place the voice. "Were you on the plane?"
"Yes. 11C. Aisle seat."
My jaw dropped. Well, metaphorically. My fetal face didn't have the range for that yet.
"You're that reporter guy? With the iPad and noise-cancelling headphones?"
"I was," he said dryly. "And now, apparently, I'm your wombmate. So, hello again, I suppose."
I would've groaned, but all I could manage was an angry thought.
"Of course. Because why suffer alone when you can suffer together."
He let out a quiet breath that might've been a laugh. "Misery does love company."
And just like that, fate said, bet.
Because a second later, a third voice cut in. And this one? Oh no.
This one had energy.
"BEHOLD, MORTALS!" it boomed inside our heads like someone had given a Renaissance fair kid a megaphone. "I HAVE CROSSED THE VEIL BETWEEN WORLDS! AT LAST, I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED!"
I felt my soul physically cringe.
"Dear god," I whispered. "No. Please don't tell me..."
"11A," the reporter groaned. "The kid with the eye patch and the trench coat. I knew it."
"Call me Nightfall," the voice said, so smug it might've been smirking in the womb. "Chosen hero. Dark emissary of the abyss. Slayer of midterms."
I was going to lose it.
We hadn't even been born yet, and I was already regretting my reincarnation.
This wasn't a new beginning.
This was a prenatal group chat from hell.