LIFE AFTER DEATH

My life followed the typical script of a 15-year-old "outcast" student who had just entered high school in a new school. I was invisible to my peers, an easy target for ridicule. My appearance didn't help much, slim and fragile, with black hair and light grayish eyes, I went unnoticed, with nothing "special" to draw attention.

My only escape from this world of isolation was diving into light novels and manga, where thrilling and fantastic adventures awaited me between the pages. On that sunny day, I was hiding in the school restroom, already afraid of potential bullies who could torment me, so I was immersed in the pages of my beloved novel, an escape from the real world that plagued me.

But as fate loves to play tricks, a boy who made my life a living hell suddenly appeared, the same boy who had tormented me in elementary school. "Sean, I know you're in the restroom; I saw you scurrying in here like a rat," he announced, sweeping the area with his piercing gaze. He didn't rest until he found my hiding stall. I realized I was cornered when he ordered me to come out immediately, threatening to destroy my only refuge from this cruel world: my phone.

My cherished distraction was at risk, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing it. Without a choice, I obeyed, opening the stall. The nightmare was just beginning, and his sadistic smile hinted at that. He grabbed my head and shoved it into the toilet, relentlessly flushing it. The dirty and repugnant water flooded my face, making me choke and lose my breath. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, he pulled my head out of the water and let me vomit out everything I had choked on.

This cruel cycle repeated six times, but for me, every moment in that restroom felt like an eternity. Time seemed to stretch, making each ordeal even more excruciating. Finally, when the break came to an end, he stopped, took my phone, and forcefully threw it to the ground until it shattered completely. Then I angrily said, "You said that if I opened up, you wouldn't break my phone," to which he laughed and said, "Did your mom never teach you not to trust strangers?" He chuckled lightly. "Now let's make your filthy toy experience the same fate as you," he sadistically declared, picking up the already shattered phone and tossing it into the toilet.

As if that weren't enough, he leaned in close to my ear and threatened in a chilling whisper, "I'm looking forward to having fun with you for the next 3 years, and don't forget, if you tell anyone about this, I'll make sure you end up just like your damn phone." The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming, and I found myself ensnared in a nightmare from which I didn't know how to escape.

However, a question emerged in my mind: "What if I died and reincarnated in a world of magic and fantasy?" This idea began to grow in me like a seed of hope in the arid landscape of my everyday life. From my perspective, I didn't have much to lose. After all, my existence had already boiled down to a routine of suffering and despair.

If I departed from this world and wasn't transported to one of those adventure-filled worlds I read about so often, at least I would be free from this miserable life I led. And so, amid a mix of resignation and curiosity, I made a decision that would change everything. In the midst of a dark and rainy afternoon, with heavy clouds seemingly echoing my feelings, I stood before one of the tallest buildings in my city.

The determination to end it all was etched in every beat of my heart as I ascended that building, one step at a time, toward its peak. The decision I was about to make seemed to be the only act of control I had over my own life, a way to say "enough" to all the hardships that had corroded me for so long. As my feet climbed the stairs, my memories floated like fragments of a disorganized puzzle. Scenes of ridicule, isolation, and loneliness mixed with the characters from light novels and manga I loved so much. It was almost as if I were walking a path between reality and fiction, each step bringing me closer to the precipice that separated death from life. I finally reached the top, where the howling wind and relentless rain seemed to echo my darkest thoughts.

Looking down at the vastness of the world stretched beneath my feet, the feeling of standing on the edge of an abyss was overwhelming. My heart pounded in my chest, an intense mix of fear, sadness, and strangely, liberation. I was torn between two realities: the one I knew and the one I longed for. Between death and life after death, the choice was in my hands.

Tears mingled with rain on my face as I wondered if this would truly be the end or the beginning of something new and unknown. The question that had haunted me from the start echoed louder than ever: "What if I died and reincarnated in a world of magic and fantasy?" Amid this crossroads between death and life, something stirred within me. A spark of hope, a flame of curiosity that could not be extinguished.

As my fingers touched the edge of the precipice, a different choice began to form in my mind. What if I didn't take that final step? What if, instead, I chose to face the world that had shaped me up to that point? Just as I was about to give up on it all, as I took a step back, a strong wind started blowing in my direction along with the pouring rain. This caused me to slip in a puddle that had formed, and in the blink of an eye, there I was, falling from a building of more than 20 stories...