Reincarnation Apple

Alone in a room only lit by a computer screen, a man in his 20s was typing away until he suddenly stopped and leaned back in his chair.

*Sigh* "I really don't want to go out tomorrow." It was getting late and I needed to get up relatively early for the first day of the semester.

*Bzzt*

"Hmm?" Flipping over my phone I see a text from Lyra, one of the only friends I have left from high school. Lyra was also the only female I am somewhat close to as we were two nerds who sat in the library on our laptops the entire break.

Surprisingly we ended up going to the same university so we kept in contact.

[Saki! Get the hell to sleep, I still see you online!]

[Doesn't that mean you are online too?] Knowing full well you needed to be logged into the game to see who is online, Lyra was technically no better than me.

[T-thats besides the point, don't be grumpy when I tell you tomorrow I told you so for not sleeping.]

**Lyra has gone offline**

'I guess I should listen.' Deciding it was probably best to stop procrastinating, I turn off everything and jump straight into bed. I put my phone on charge and begin to scroll through different social media.

***

<The next morning>

The morning sun poked through my slightly open blinds, conveniently landing right on my eyes. Forcing myself to wake up, I reluctantly rose from my bed rubbing my face.

Doing my usual routine of sitting in bed on my phone for an hour, I finally got up to get changed into some casual clothes. Seeing that I didn't have much time I grabbed my bag and left my apartment without eating anything.

Walking down the street, I eventually reach the main road where I could probably get a coffee or a small bite.

'It's on the way to the train station, I may as well get something to eat before I regret it.' Knowing full well what it's like to be in class on an empty stomach, I take a detour past some shops. However, as I passed through an alley that was a shortcut to the supermarkets I hear someone yell out to me.

"Hey you, did you want to buy an apple from a humble old man?" A rather ghastly voice came from a very skinny old man who sat on some steps with a small table in front of him.

I was about to keep walking forward, but the colour of the apple intrigued me. It was a singular purple apple which to my knowledge wasn't possible. Maybe in some other third-world country, there was such an exotic fruit, but this was a first for me.

"I see it has caught your eye, this isn't no ordinary apple, but one that allows you to retry at another life." The old man started to go on some crazy speech which instantly made me lose interest.

'Just trying to sell me some elaborate drug.' Continuing my walk down the alleyway, I zone out for a second and suddenly found myself a few steps back.

"Where do you think you're going?" A woman whispered into my ear, and I quickly turned to see no one. The old man still remained seated staring me down and waiting for me to take the apple.

Being freaked out by the situation I tried to run down the alley, but once I reached a certain point in the alleyway I suddenly felt my concentration fade and I would appear back in front of the old man.

'Okay, this has to be a dream.' It was like I was entering out of a playable zone and the game was forcing me to take the old man's apple.

"By eating this apple, you will be able to switch to a new body and rebuild your life." Like he was an NPC the old man held out the apple offering it to me.

"How much?" Knowing he wanted money I pulled out my wallet playing along with this "dream".

"The only payment is your time, now please, take this apple and rebuild your life."

Putting away my wallet, I take the apple out of the man's hand, but as soon as I did he disappeared out of thin air. Suddenly the sound of cars zoomed by which I didn't even realise had stopped.

'Was I stuck in time?' After the sound of cars came back it became suddenly obvious that I was in some sort of time stop.

'I should just… go home.' I didn't know if anything was real anymore, so I wanted to head home to see if I can wake up. Putting the apple I obtained in my bag, I walked back to my apartment.

*

Locking the door behind me, I sat on the edge of the bed with the apple in my hands. I tried seeing if I could wake myself up by hurting myself, but nothing seemed to work and it felt real.

I also tried messaging Lyra, but there was no response which was odd since she would be on the train right about now.

'Looks like I have to eat this apple.' I had no leads other than this strange apple which I was convinced had been laced with some drugs. However, with how this "dream" is playing out surely I won't die in my sleep from eating an apple.

Thinking about what the old man said, it did sound appealing to start a new life. I've always had the fantasy of travelling to other worlds, but I knew it was stupid to actually believe it will happen. However, a part of me wanted it to be real, my life felt empty with the only thing keeping me here was video games and Lyra.

My parents were dead and my only sibling cut me from their life, so it wasn't like I would be missed.

The thoughts continued to plague my mind as the apple got closer to my mouth. Tears were on the verge of escaping my eyes, but before I could break I placed my mouth on the apple and took a bite.

Nothing happened and the apple just tasted like any other apple I've had.

'Looks like I got my hopes up for nothing.' Sighing at the fact that nothing happened, I got up from my bed. Suddenly my phone began to ring and looking at who it was, surprisingly it was Lyra.

'I thought she would have texted me.' It must have been bad if she is calling me so I quickly picked up.

"Hello?"

"Saki where the hell are you?!" A very angry Lyra spoke through the phone, but there was something odd about her voice.

'Lyra sounds like the woman from the alleyway….' I hadn't realised it in the moment since it was a quick whisper, but hearing Lyra's voice connected the dots.

"Heh." After I went quiet, like Lyra was teasing me, I heard the smug chuckle she always does.

"Are yo-"

***

<In a place of complete darkness>

Opening my eyes slowly, I couldn't see anything around me. It was pure black making me question if my eyes were even open. I tried to move my body, but it felt like I was in a perpetual state of falling.

My senses were all kinds of messed up making it impossible to tell what was going on or where I am. The panic began to sink in, but as I continued to go in an unknown direction, a light suddenly engulfed the darkness which then slowly morphed into a room.

"AHHH!" I lunged forward whaling my arms around and screaming at the top of my lungs.

"Saki?! What's the matter?" Just after my scream a woman with long black hair and golden eyes entered the room.

"M-m-mum?" I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it was my own mother, but how was she here? My parents were meant to be dead.

"Oh sweetie, I'm right here don't worry." Getting pulled into my mother's embrace, tears uncontrollably poured out of my eyes. Everything was so sudden, my memories were foggy and I felt some weird things on my head and back.

"It was just a bad dream, don't worry, mum is here." Feeling my head get patted, it was oddly sensitive, but that was the least of my concerns. I wrapped my hands around my mother's back and I felt a fluffy sensation resembling a tail.

Wanting to get another look at my mother, I pulled back while wiping away the tears. Now that I have my bearings I looked at my mother instantly spotting something different. A massive fluffy fox tail was swaying behind my mother as well as a pair of ears.

'No way this is real.' I couldn't believe what I was seeing as it was a genuine fox girl, it also answered the question of what I was feeling on my head and back. I quickly reached for my head and behind me feeling the same fluffy traits of a fox.

I was left stunned causing my mother to give me a confused look at what I was doing.

"Everything okay?" My mother came in close with a small cloth wiping my face getting rid of any excess tears.

"I think I am oka-." Once I calmed down and spoke properly, it hit me that my voice was different… it sounded more feminine.

'What the hell?' I felt my head spin from all the sudden changes that I had no idea what I should be thinking.

'W-what and where am I?'