The Beggining After the End

Earth, Asia, Philippines. 25Th Day of the first month of the year 20XX.

In a 10m² dark room, A man in his 20's was sitting at the edge of the bed.

Both of this young man's hands were placed on his face acting as cover while his upper body is curled down enough for his elbows and knees to make contact.

A gloomy atmosphere surrounds this young man while quietly sitting at the corner of his cusion, he look rather morose and deep inside this young man's thoughts,

'After continuous unfortunate events with numerous unlucky encounters and the addition of a HUGE pile of problems for YEARS, brought about a very depressing life that is full of pain and suffering.

I've reached my limit and i'm sick and worn out of being in this shthole for too long. People might judge me and compare themselves to the capacity in which my body, mind and soul can endure to theirs, but i don't care anymore.

I am tired of always thinking and caring about what other people might and will say in every decisions and actions that i'll make. No matter what or where i step on, it is full of torns of unwanted criticisms and judgement anyways.', it makes his weak heart ache with indescribable pain.

Those 2 things made him so paranoid to the point of overthinking everything just not to make a single error that will result in him, falling in any kind of grave situation again. He hated being in the spotlight of shame more than anyone else in the world.

So, this pitiful young man was very careful with each and every move, but who would have thought that, after painstakenly choosing all of his actions---not moving almost. It seems that the God of fate, God of fortune and God of luck teamed up, played with his miserable life and had abadoned him after they are over and done with it.

That is why despite of all the effort and carefulness for years, he still fell in this slump of his life.

"I have no regrets anymore, because i already did all the things that i could, even surpassed my limits multiple times just for the sake of past happy events, memories and people around me.", a sorrowful smile etched on his face.

Truthfully speaking, the young man was basically living for those shallow reasons. He even often caught himself imagining that maybe 'one day', everything might become better.

He had aquired a habit of saying 'might" and/or 'maybe", because he is afraid to trust in himself and was very skeptic about things, brought by his upbringing.

For him at the moment all the things depended heavily on what ifs' and chances, but who cares? thinking back, i feel so stupid. After enduring these bullcrap of events for such a long time whilst holding a sliver of hope and will to live? Here he is, mustering all of the courage he had left to end all of it.' with a sigh he said,

"This is the end, after this i won't suffer anymore.."

Saying those words to himself---he dragged the nitrogen tank that was placed at his front towards him... it is now beside the bed while he silently prepared it. Just like his hands, the young man's mind was also preoccupied with this thoughts,

'After ending my life i can picture news about me will soon spread for a brief amount of time. And, while i am on the news those people who are close to me, athough a few, will start acting like they care a lot and will say nice things about me just like how humans are, whenever someone dies. hahaha laughable isn't it? totally ridiculous.

Presumably after a week passed, most of them will forget about me, but that's fine..'

After sorting out all of his thoughts he took his final 3 deep breathes.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale....

"Hoooooooooooooh"

The young man squeezed his abdomen and pushed out all the oxygen he have out of his lungs in that final exhale, held his breath to prevent any chance of even the slightest amount of carbon dioxide from entering his system to prevent failure. After making sure that everything was fine, in a hurry, he picked up and wore the unbreathble mask, opened the gas tank that was connected to it. He lay down flat on his back and patiently waited for himself to pass out and die.

After a few breathes he felt lightheaded.

He was scared and happy at the same time.

Memories of the past years flashedback in an instant.

"So this is what dying felt like, not so bad."

The young man said his goodbyes in his mind.

After 10 mins he died, or he's supposed to be...

'Why do i still have consciousness...?

IMPLAUSIBLE. Did it failed?, hehehehe no.. it can't be...

why you ask?

BECAUSE I SEARCHED FOR IT FOR NIGHTS AND DAYS! IT HAS 99.9999 PERCENT OF SUCCESS RATE!

No...No... This can't be...'

-2 incense stick of time later-

After calming down, he now begin to slowly notice the flow of surroundings inside the inifinte darkness that he is currently in.

"This feeling... am i drifting?, there's no water in here though...", He knew at once that the situation at hand---was not, by any means normal.

SFX: VACUUM

In the blink of an eye the speed of which he was drifting sped up by multiple folds, It surprised him to the depth of his core.

?!. Huh.. "what's tha-", ;he never got the chance to finish his question when sudenly...

SFX: ROAAAAAR. BANG. SCREECH

"ARRGGHHH!!!!!!!"

It was the Booming SPACE ROAR

"IT HURTS!!!! F'CK!!!!!"

After a moment it was followed by intense rumbling and high pitched noise that has an equivalent frequency of 1,000,000 Hz and getting much and much higher resulting to him suffering from extreme, excruciating and sharp pain.

"MAKE IT STOP!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!! ANYONE!!!!! ARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!! HELP!!!! RAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

Even if thw young man wanted to lessen the pain even just a little--he can't cover his ears. For he, is currently in a form of consciousness, like a soul. Therefore, not only he did not have any limbs to protect himself from anything while floating inside this limitless darkness. He also can't speak. So, All he can do is helplessly bear the pain until it hopefully ends.

After hours of screaming out loud, He had wished to pass out or die to escape from all of it, but he never did. So, those hours that turns into days, weeks, months, years, 10s, 100s, 1000s, 100,000s, Millions to billions of years... the inhumane torture finally stopped.

Sfx: chuckle

From a distance, if anyone were within the area, they would be able to hear someone laughing, and it was him.

haah...hahaha..wahahaha! I can't hear anything anymore... did i finally gone deaf?

he is questioning himself after wishing to die everyday while going through that anguish and hopeless adversity.

SFX: Wooosh~

A gentle breeze of air touched and embraced his resting body as if it felt pity for him.

But, for someone who had gone through the shittiest situation that anyone could ever think of, he had thought that after tormenting him through sound until he went deaf. Next is torture through physical pain. Anticipating this, he gritted his teeth and gripped his fists tightly bearing himself from the upcoming pain when he noticed..

!!!, Wait..

He moved his body(?) and it follows, it has been billions of years since he last felt that kind of sensation. It left him very surprised and dumbfounded.

"Hehehehe hahahaha PUAHAHAHAHAHA!", He let out 3 different parts of different kinds of laughter. It was almost as if he had gone mad. Well, even if he did, it is understandable.

-5 mins later-

He finally stopped laughing crazily, consecutively after that, a drop of tear fell down on his cheek(?) to his ears(?), he became aware of that sensation and at once, a lot of it started pouring down on his face, he couldn't hold it in.

He cried for hours.

When he finally managed to calm down a little, the young man immediately started questioning the GOD(s).

"Is this another kind of trick to make me feel hope and torture me once i let my guard down and throw me back again Inside that Endless Darkness?! HUH!? GODS?! IS THIS THE PRICE OF KILLING MYSELF?! WAS IT FUN?!!! DO YOU FIND IT AMUSING?! ANSWER ME!", He shouted angrily, Veins were popping as he shouted those questions through his mind.

He waited for an answer for days, but no one responded.

However, he did not simply waited like a fool for an answer the whole time he was laying down. As a matter of fact while waiting he had been quietly observing the surroundings, feeling eveything that was happening around him without moving an inch.

After not noticing anything weird, aside from the constant howling of winds and the rustling of grass, He finally decided to open his eyes.

And...

"WHERE THE FRENCH TOAST AM I?!", what he saw was surprising and unbelievable for him, since he and his mind can't process what's happening and where he is right now. "That's right, without a doubt this place is not inside that Darkness anymore.", He then placed his hand in front of him to check if he really was not hallucinating or just seeing an illusion.

That's when he notice something strange, "The ceiling seems different from our house", He felt so dumb and embarrased after he heare himself saying that, the young man became quiet for 5 breaths of time.

As he was only somewhat awake and barely able to understand what is happening, he began to confusedly search his surroundings using his hands and groped things at random.

" Did I got reincarnated!? ", he confusedly asked himself. Believing is absolutely out of the choices in this kind of situation for him right now. After all the hardships he went through he won't let himself fall in another trap that easily anymore, "Better not get my hopes up or i'll regret it.", he slowly closed his eyes, opening them after a long while. He sighed, "Is this real?". Once again he looked at his limbs and move each of it from his arms, hands, to his fingers and Legs, feet to his toes. Feeling the sensation to his utmost to confirm if everything really wasn't just a hallucination. But it is still not enough to convince him and he still can't believe it. So..

Sfx: SLAP

He groaned and began to slowly massage his swollen cheek, "Ish dish reary ril?", he wanted to refuse it, but he knew it clearly: This was definitely not a dream.

In a state between, disbelief and believing, the young man continued to check his body. From his eyes, nose, ears and mouth, all of it were still on its rightful place. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth.

"Though i kind of feel some changes, do i still look like a human?(1). I don't see any mirrors around so i can't tell for sure.", with seemingly overflowing curiosity, he was smiling unconsciously.

While excitedly checking his body as if he was a young boy opening up his christmass presents for christmass eve whilst panicking a bit, he was so happy to know that what he had lost before, were now back again and that was his physical body, when everything seems to be going well.

He pondered.

About something that he deemed as the MOST important THING. After all of the nightmarish hell that he went through. He stopped from moving his hands and sat down ankles crossed, with a serious tone he said, "I want to make sure if THAT made it." by that, he meant THAT.

"This is not weird at all okay?! I just want to see if it survived..", While covering his eyes using his left hand, and taking off the clothe covering THAT whilst slowly exposing his lower part with his right hand. After taking it off, the cool breeze feels twice as much colder than before.

"Alright, it is bare now....Hold on. Why does checking THAT makes it harder and more nerve wracking to do than taking my own life!? I F'N WENT THROUGH ENDLESS DARKNESS AND SUFFERED FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS, GODDAMNIT!.", After getting frustrated by his own foolishness he removed his left hand off of his eyes in spite of anger, he hurriedly took a glance and to his surprise.

*DING DONG*

wow.. Woah... WOAH?!!

"It's twic-No... 4 Times bigger?!" He cheerfully yelled.

(Hey Reader! stop your weird thoughts! The original is not by any means Small! it just grew bigger okay?!)

"Isn't this the best!?", After witnessing IT. He thought proudly; Seeing That evolving to THAT makes the pain and suffering i've experienced worth it by half. - It could be said that this was the greatest exchange that ever happen in history.

With that being said, "E-hem~", He cleared his throat in a way that he can do as elegantly as possible, "Ohoho please.. pardon this one with a Dig Bick, if i may be so disrespectful let us now proceed to other important matters.", Standing straight with his head and chin resting comfortably on his neck, in line with his body, keeping his feet shoulder-with apart, carrying his weight primarily on the balls of his feet, hands naturally hanging at his sides he said; "First, Let's check the surroundings, yes! the surroundings!", with that excuse, one could say that he really is quick when it comes to escaping embarassing situations and causing trouble.

--------------

To be continued

(?, ?) After being in a soul-like state for so long, he forgot what physicality is.

(1) After checking his body and found similar parts of what he has before when he was still on earth he assumed it firsthand that he might still be a human, but since he is in another world now, that might not be the case