(First Person POV)
I felt a splitting headache as I tried to open my eyes. An immense amount of pain coursed through my entire body, as if I was being burned from the inside.
It felt as if my internal organs were being roasted. My chest ached as if something was being drilled into it, and it felt too hard to breathe.
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist, hoping the pain would subside soon, and it seemed to work.
It took few moments for my pain to reduce slightly. It was not completely gone but had reduced considerably. I could now open my eyes and finally process what was happening.
The first thing to greet my sight was dense and lush green vegetation surrounding me. It appeared as if I was inside a forest. But my attention was not on the greenery or the immensely tall trees; it was focused on my chest.
I was leaning against a tree on my back, and in front of my eyes was my chest, which hitched with every breath I took.
A small, gaping hole, deep enough for my ribs to be visible, was present on my chest. A lot of blood had flowed from my wound and I was lying in the pool of my own blood.
I was about to freak out when in front of my shocked and incredulous gaze, the fist-sized injury on my chest started to mend itself. It looked as if the broken ribs were reattaching themselves, and new cells, tissues, and muscles were forming to close the hole.
My entire situation made no sense. It felt as if I were living inside a dream, but I knew that everything happening before my eyes was as real as it could be.
I took deep breaths—something I had always done to calm myself. With gusts of air filling my lungs, I felt my head clearing as I tried to analyse the situation I was in.
It took some moments to make sense of the situation and my condition. And when it started to make some sense… it made no sense at all. The conclusion I reached after this brief analysis left me horrified and shocked. And this shock was even greater than what I had felt after witnessing the wounds healing themselves.
Let me tell you from the start. My name was… is… Ethan Hadspes.
And in short and precise explanation, this was my second life.
And after this life-threatening wound, somehow, I had just awakened the memories of my previous life.
(Third Person POV)
On another certain mortal world, there lived another man. As destiny would call it, he too was named Ethan Hadspes. But their destiny was same only till sharing the name.
Ethan Hadspes, of this world, was a man of wealth, power and influence. At mere 30 years of age, he was one of those people who stood almost pinnacle of the world.
He was a dreaded businessman, and a dreaded Mafia Lord.
His life had been complete opposite to Ethan of the other world.
One had lived in absolute misery while the other had lived in other luxury.
One had struggled for even the basics of the life while the other had indulged in all sort of pleasure that life could have offered.
One had been bullied in his life and had been slave to his circumstances while the other had been that bully and had made the circumstances his slave.
One had been a bit innocent compared to the world he had been living him while the other one had been the epitome of cunning and shrewdness.
But destiny had intervened once again. Despite all his cleverness and wickedness and shrewdness, Ethan Hadspes of the mortal world too had been outplayed.
One of his rival Mafia Lord had outplayed him. Ethan had been beaten by an act of treachery. One of his trusted subordinates had backstabbed him.
Ethan lay in a pool of his own blood leaning on his back against the wall.
His eyes were fixed on the black barrel of the gun from which the shot had been fired and had punctured his heart.
"Jack," he somehow mumbled. "For Power?"
His subordinate, Jack, sneered.
"Why would I always remain and play a second fiddle to you? Do not I deserve my own empire? My own power? My own wealth?"
"Second fiddle to me?" Ethan laughed weekly. "You are nothing without me. I only kept you by my side because you had been with me since my childhood."
"You cannot rule even a street on your own," he spat. "You own fucking empire."
With this Ethan put his hands in his pocket of his coat and pulled out a small metallic device. A red button was mounted on the device and as soon as Jack saw the device, his eyes widened in shock and fright.
"Afraid?" Ethan chuckled in mockery.
Jack felt a chill down his spine because he had a very good idea what the device was for.
"Do not worry," Ethan added as he lunged the device towards Jack who somehow was able to catch it.
"I had planted explosives around everything I had built thinking that maybe someday I would need it."
"I had never thought that it would be one who would backstab me," he said.
"Are you curious why did I not blast you, me along with my whole empire?" He asked.
Jack though still recovering from his shock nodded.
"Because I want you to know… that without me you cannot even maintain this empire I have built," Ethan responded.
"You will see everything crumbling in front of your eyes and you will know that how much of an incompetent you are."
These were the last words that left Ethan's mouth as darkness took over him. And as life started to fly away from Ethan's body, destiny again took to its work but this time in way that no one could have ever comprehended.
This was the last memory of Ethan from his previous life.
This is the short summary of Ethan's first life, and now about this life.
His name was the same in this life—Ethan Hadspes. The world he had reincarnated into was a different world. It was a world of fantasy.
At the age of eighteen, every person underwent an awakening.
Every person at this age would be linked to a mysterious entity or existence. This mysterious existence was called the ACHOLOID.
As soon as a person was linked to ACHOLOID, a talent would awaken inside them. And this was moment when the life of a person could truly transform.
If he awakened a great talent, he could soar into the sky into one giant leap but if he awakened a low-grade or trash talent, the person would be forever cursed to remain at the bottom rung of the world.
(Ethan POV)
I had hoped not for any legendary talent or something that would turn me into an emperor level figure. I had only hoped for a decent talent, good enough to allow me to live a decent life.
But all my hopes were for naught. And as one would expect of a protagonist… I am sure I am since usually protagonists reincarnate; my talent was trash.
For I awakened an extremely weak talent. My talent per se was not weak but the power I could unleash with it was very weak.
I had awakened the talent of GRAVITY MANIPULATION (Iron grade).
--The talent empowers the user to manipulate gravity as per his wish.
The description of the talent reeked of power but I could hardly unleash any power with it. The most I could do with this talent was float small boulders into air for few moments. If only this talent had been gold grade or silver grade, I could have done so much more.
Or even if mine awakened Iron grade talent would have been something else- like plantation or ornament crafting or some other auxiliary talent, I could have lived a better life. But bad luck had seemed to smile a little too much on him.
And it had been two years since I had awakened my ability, i.e., I was currently twenty years of age.
I was about to think about my life more when the sound of a lady started to echo in the forest.
"Ethan" was what I heard echoing from a distance. Hearing the melodious voice, that very same voice I had been hearing for years, a smile tugged at my lips.
I knew that I did not have to worry anymore. My saviour was here. With these last thoughts and in comfort of knowing that my saviour was here, I found my consciousness fading away as darkness again took over me.
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