1 Unexpected Departure

This darkness is quite unsettling.

I've lost track of time during my stay here. Whether it's been days, months, or years, I honestly can't recall.

Why am I here? Well, I died. Congratulations on your damned guess, with all due respect.

Unfortunately, I didn't meet my end courtesy of Truck-kun like those clichéd heroes in novels and anime. My demise was a bit more extravagant—I was ejected from Plane-kun.

You might think I'm kidding, but I'm not. To convince you, I'll share my awesome story (or at least, I hope it's awesome).

I'm an 18-year-old dude, fresh out of high school. Life in this underdeveloped country is a real challenge. If you haven't experienced it, trust me, it's like living in a chaotic whirlwind.

Anyway, since I was a hard worker and all. don't get me wrong, I wasn't just buried in books. I got selected by a university in the United States. Luckily, they covered all the costs because neither I nor my family could afford it. Can you believe one dollar is worth more than 50 of my country's currency?

I did not know the costs of studying there, but after some simple research, I discovered that it is equal to 15 thousand dollars or more per year. Holy shit

Me or my family shelling out for this? Not happening, not even if we pull a ten-year no-break work marathon.

And hey, I've got siblings to think about . If we somehow manage to scrape up that amount, I'll be stuck paying off debts longer than a student loan, probably working as their eternal minion. No thanks!

Returning to our topic, after I was accepted into this university and prepared my papers, passport, and the like, it was time to travel. I went to the airport and said goodbye to my family and friends. Unfortunately, I was single.

Don't you dare laugh at me. I wasn't bad-looking, and yes, I talked to girls, just as friends, of course. Get those perverted thoughts out of your brain. Quite the opposite, I was popular in school because of my high grades and athletic talent, but I hadn't found a soulmate yet.

After saying bye to everyone and shedding a few tears, which honestly doesn't do much good, I walked toward the plane. It's wild, you know? For someone who's used to hopping around, they might not get it. But for me, I've never left my town in my 18 years, never even traveled within the country because money's always been tight.

The journey kicked off, the plane took off, and everything felt amazing. But halfway through, guess what? The plane got hijacked.

Oh my good luck, a few masked folks popped up, wielding weapons and all that, threatening everyone. They even had their sights on a few girls, but honestly, I wasn't about to play the hero. Not gonna risk my life for someone else's drama.

We had to put our hands above our heads, just like in the movies when a plane gets hijacked, with our heads down. Suddenly, for some reason—I'm really nothing special—they picked me and two others to send a warning to the rest.

Damn it, man! Why does luck always play games with me? I tried to resist, but I got hit. Well, at least it wasn't with actual bullets.

After waiting for a while, the authorities were taking their sweet time, and these guys, they really had a problem with patience. They grabbed me and the other two, making their way to the plane's door. And what do you think happened next?

Wow, you catch on quick. Yup, they chucked me out of that cursed plane. Seriously, why? I was just aiming to go study some random stuff. Why on earth is all this happening in my darn life?

This wraps up the story and explains why I'm stuck in this cursed darkness. Honestly, I've lost track of time here. It doesn't really pass, and I don't feel hunger, thirst, or any of that. I suppose it's because I'm just a soul now.

While I was waiting for nothing, I noticed a white light appearing in this dark square. This was the first time I saw anything other than darkness. This is amazing.

But there is no time to think. I was pulled into this light, I couldn't resist.

"Damn, where am I being dragged?"