I still remember the day that I died like it was yesterday. My rebirth is also forever etched into my mind. But what happened in between, is still very much unknown to me. Before my death, I never had anything to say. Nothing interesting ever happened to me. I grew up with very average parents with your typical average struggles. Nothing special. In school, I studied very hard and I achieved nothing more than average grades. There was nothing special or extraordinary about me or my life in any way shape or form. The epitome of average, if you will. There was nothing that I excelled at. Nothing about me ever stood out. So the world didn’t see me and it had no reason to. I certainly made no effort to rectify that. My limitations in life were only exceeded by my lack of interest in it.

Those who felt as I did usually turned to video games or binge-watching television as a means of escape, and in extreme cases, some would turn to drugs. Mine, however, came in the form of something much more… nerdy, I guess you could say. The day I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons was the day I found my passion. I bought every book with my limited funds and learned every aspect of the game. I created my own world and my own non-player characters, or NPCs for short. My mind lived in this world, creating endless storylines and backstories. Finally, I began hosting my own campaigns, with players walking through the adventures I created.

At this point, you’re probably already bored with my story. I get it. I would be too if I were in your shoes. We don’t share the same interests, and that’s okay. But this isn’t my story. This isn’t even where my story begins. This is barely my origin story, if you will. So before I jump into it, a few details first need to be laid out. 

I heard the click of the electric kettle as the water finished boiling, snapping me out of my fantastical mind palace. I poured the hot liquid over my Mr. Noodles and sat down turning on the evening news. I had about an hour before everyone would be connecting online for what would be the last game night I would ever host. 

“This is the 438th day of our worldwide quarantine...” The newscaster said, providing updates on the pandemic. People everywhere were struggling with having to stay home. Only the most essential services remained open at this point. Many people were out of work. I, however… Well, nothing had changed for me. I worked from home. All my friends were online already. I only used to go out to get groceries, which had now been replaced by deliveries from army medical. Everything was delivered. No one was allowed to leave their homes unless under the direct supervision of army medical using specialized equipment to combat the air quality. In this way, the world had suddenly become perfectly constructed for my introverted lifestyle. I had no reason to leave anyway, and that was just fine by me. “...Today Supernova Labs of Science and Technology will be launching the Quark Accelerator, at 11 pm tonight, with nothing more than a skeleton crew to run the operation. It is expected that…” 

I turned off the T.V. and placed my dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I poured myself a glass of rye and ginger, one of the few luxuries I was still able to afford in this new world, grabbed my laptop, and started setting up for the game. Once everything was set for tonight’s adventure, I grabbed my headset and put it on as the players popped into the video chat, one after the other. 

“Last time we played, the party was leaving the Cave of Wonders with their magical loot…” I started to recap the recent events. Don’t worry, I’ll spare you the details of the adventure. It’s not relevant. But as we continued to play, I noticed a storm roll in and rain started to fall against the window pane. The pitter-patter of droplets became a low hum in the background. I smiled, I knew tonight I’d be sleeping like a baby. I never understood why, but I never slept better than through a thunderstorm. Nature’s orchestra, I always thought. 

We were finishing up the final battle of the night when the world seemed to inexplicably slow down around me. I was suddenly hyper-aware of my surroundings. The air began to feel thicker, electrically charged, as the hair on my arms stood on end. I noticed the trickle of raindrops on the glass pane of the window slow to a crawl. The alarm on my cell phone started going off. It was 11 pm and time to bring the story to a close for the night. But the tone was different. Very different. Longer. Slower. Each note of the tune spread out over a much longer period. The images on the screen practically froze as my colleagues' movements were barely noticeable. It was then that my window burst towards me, shattering into a million pieces as a bolt of lightning began to reach for me—its deadly hand outstretched. But I couldn't move. At least not in time. My movements were still much slower than lightning.

This was it. This was going to be my end—death by lightning bolt. The arc was moving so slowly that I could see the electrostatic discharge emanating from the blast. Before it struck me down, the sky suddenly turned a mix of red and black and the new colours rushed through the lightning bolt. It was more than light now. More than static. More than just the rapid movement of electrons making its way to my chest. It was thicker now. Much more dense than it was a moment ago. The red and black nature weaved itself through the newly formed radiated finger of death. 

Everything went dark the instant it hit me. I could feel my body flying through the air before slamming onto the ground. My mind raced with the realization that I did in fact hit earthly ground and not laminate flooring. Did the blast send me through the wall of the apartment building, to the ground below? No, that couldn’t be it. Where was the rain? Not a single drop touched me. The ground felt dry. The smell in the air had no trace of toxic humidity. In fact, the air smelled very different, it smelled... clean! 

My breath was becoming more shallow. My heart rate was slowing. Regardless of where I landed, I was dying. As I took my final breath, the synapses of my mind still registered the sound of an eagle or a hawk. But within the sound of the screech, there was something else. Almost like the crackle of a burning fire. And then, the final beat of my heart. My mind continued to register information. The electrical charges in my brain began to slow as blood and oxygen were being deprived. Suddenly a bright reddish-white glow engulfed my vision from behind my eyelids. My skin was on fire. My brain registered every bit of it even though my body lay there completely lifeless. What a strange way to die, I thought. Then… nothing.

I can’t tell you how long I was dead, but I can tell you what happened next. My body sprang up to a seated position, although struggling as if buried alive, except the dirt was light and fluffy. My lungs gasped for air as I choked on it. But this did not taste like the earth. This tasted like death, like burning, like… ashes. 

I opened my eyes and spit the foul taste out of my mouth, hacking and coughing. It was night. There was just enough moonlight for me to be able to see my surroundings. I didn’t know where I was, but one thing was clear, I was no longer in the city. And that’s when I noticed them… there were two moons in the sky. 

And this is where my story begins.

Chapter 1 - A Dim Glow >