"Ugh, who ran me over last night?" Kane's gravelly voice mumbled from underneath the blanket.
The bedroom was a wreck: bedsheets lay scattered across the floor, an overturned alcohol bottle had thoroughly soaked its contents into the carpet, and the only light came from the dim bulb escaping the attached bathroom.
Kane grumbled, exhausted, tossing the pillow from his head across the room. He blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the gloom.
Where the hell am I? his mind screamed, memories a hazy blur.
He remembered entering his bedroom the previous night, his head assailed by an excruciating headache that sent him sprawling to the floor. He'd crawled from the doorway towards his bed before the pain finally forced him unconscious.
Raising a hand to touch his skull, Kane sighed in relief. "At least I didn't get injured falling."
He pushed back, leaning against the headboard, his eyes surveying the room's disarray.
His clothes, slick with sweat and grime, clung to his body as if he'd run multiple marathons through a forest.
"What the fuck happened? I couldn't have drunk that much last night," he muttered, slowly trying to recount everything after his meeting.
Shaking away the confusion, Kane reached for the bottle of water he always kept on his nightstand. His fingers fumbled for a few seconds, nudging aside his watch and keys.
Hmm?
A neatly folded piece of paper lay there. Peering through the darkness, Kane saw his name written on it.
Who was in my room last night?
He stood up quickly, then stumbled as a wave of nausea washed over him. No more tequila for me.
Taking a deep breath, pushing back the rising bile, he unfolded the letter and began reading the elegant script.
{Dear Kane,
I bet you're wondering why this letter was on your nightstand, or even how it was placed there. You asked me to do it, a long time ago.
My name isn't necessary, as you wouldn't even be able to read the words before your mind breaks down.}
Rubbing his eyes, Kane re-read the start of the letter before chuckling. "Yeah, alright, this is an elaborate joke."
{No, this isn't a joke. You said the same thing when we first met.
Now, onto the reason you asked me to leave this letter and why your life is about to change forever.
You died.
Well, you died once.
This is your second life. I won't mention your past, as you requested to never relive those memories again. I must apologize for my part in that, once again.
You see, your previous life was... not pleasant, and that's coming from someone who has seen a lot.
Unfortunately, that life you led was due to a mistake I made when I was first in my position.
Think of it as a butterfly effect: One small mistake led to your current life.
As an apology, we discussed compensation. During our conversation, you wished to live a normal eighteen years before your 'wishes' were bestowed.}
Kane gulped, his fingers clutching the letter, eyes bulging slightly. Don't believe anything without proof, he thought.
{Your first wish was to be sent somewhere you could have a fulfilling life, though you did request not to have a family.
I must applaud you for everything you have achieved since being reborn. Humans are truly remarkable.
Secondly, you wished for a 'System.' I wasn't sure what that meant, but after some research, I've granted it to you.
(Your headache last night was due to it being assimilated. Time works differently here; eighteen years is less than a minute here.)
Your third wish will be granted when our agreed-upon time arrives. Though I must say, quite ingenious of you!
Make sure you have fun with your new gifts, oh, and your future wife is somewhere here.
Regards,
@#$%@^#}
The letter slowly drifted to the ground as Kane's body shook. Faint memories. An opulent throne room, a man with a white beard, and Kane himself, flowed into his mind.
"This... is real?" he whispered. Though the memories weren't intact, his mind wouldn't fabricate something so ridiculous based on a mere letter.
A flame appearing on the floor snapped Kane from his inner turmoil. The letter, now on the ground, had turned to ashes, which slowly began to dissolve into nothingness.
Letting out a yelp, Kane stepped back in alarm.
"Really?! You couldn't have made that any more shocking."
Sighing, he turned and sat down gently on the bed.
So, all this is my second life? He mentally reviewed the last eighteen years of his second existence. It sort of makes sense.
I mean, who wakes up one day with a lawyer at their door stating they're the long-lost grandchild of some lord, and their last will left everything to them? It's actually absurd how easily I had gone with it all.
A small laugh escaped Kane's mouth as he stood up, the lingering nausea forgotten in the face of his current situation.
Opening the blinds, he closed his eyes as sunlight blasted through the bedroom.
He pushed the window open, letting fresh air filter into the room, slowly banishing the stench of sweat and grime.
Nodding to himself as fresh oxygen filled his lungs, Kane quickly stripped off his clothes and stepped into the bathroom.
Standing under the hot water, he closed his eyes as the fatigue from the 'system assimilation' began to fade.
"Oh, yeah. How do I start this System?" he murmured.
...
[Ding!]
...
"Seriously?"