second chance

In the early morning on a quiet day, a young man in his 19th year woke up with a groan, the sound of a clock ticking relentlessly. "No… I just closed my eyes. How is it already time to get up again?" He dragged himself out of bed, fighting every inch of his body that begged for just five more minutes.

His apartment was a mess of cheap furniture and bare walls, but at least the rent was low. He stared at himself in the cracked mirror, taking in his bruised body and the familiar ache of exhaustion. His muscles were toned, a leftover from countless hours of grueling work. Black hair, dark eyes, no facial hair, just a face that looked too tired for its age. Fairly handsome. He didn't have time to care about anything else other his new job.

A quick change of clothes, and he was out the door, stepping into the streets that never seemed to change. He caught a cab, paying in silence, his thoughts wandering as the world outside blurred by.

Everyday the same routine, no ambition, no skills, nothing to aid him in his life, just a lonely young man with no family to care about him, and no girlfriend to ease his pain.

The construction site was as noisy and chaotic as ever, but Axel was used to it. The day stretched on as he stood in line with the others, most of them older, bigger, harder. They all carried their tools, their hammers .

The foreman shouted orders, and the workers scattered to their tasks. Axel didn't hesitate, walking to one of the walls that needed work. His hammer swung down with brutal efficiency, smashing bricks, sending pieces flying. It was a beautiful kind of destruction, but Axel wasn't in the mood for beauty, his dole job was to remove some walls that needed to be replaced.

"Hey, Axel... didn't expect you to show today. After that extra shift last night, most of us barely dragged ourselves here."

Axel didn't even look up as he spoke, his voice dry. "If I don't show, then who the hell's going to pay the rent next month, do you want me to sleep on the street ?"

The voice behind him sighed. "You've got to stop burning yourself out. There are better jobs out there, fir a young man like you. Why keep doing this?"

Axel paused, wiping sweat from his brow, but didn't turn around. "Better jobs? Like what? This is the best I can do, besides, I don't like sitting in an office for the rest of life."

The foreman watched him for a long moment, pity flashing in his eyes, before walking off without another word.

The workday eventually ended. Axel didn't care much about the payment, but he was still glad to get it. After that, there was only one thing left to do.

The bar was crowded, just like always. Axel pushed his way through the sea of people, found his usual spot, and ordered his drink. And drink he did, until the world became a blur and his thoughts started drifting into the usual numbness.

But this time... this time was different.

Before he knew it, his vision swam, his head spun, and the next thing he knew, he was thrown out onto the street. The cold air slapped him awake, but just barely, fainting in the bar was same as asking for trouble, after modt people in there are much older.

He stumbled, trying to get his bearings. What was it this time? How many drinks had he had? It didn't matter. He was walking drunk not knowing where he's going until he found himself in the middle of the road. A car hit him, people screamed, and then. There was nothing.

The world went black.

When Axel woke up, it wasn't the familiar streets of his city, or the loud noise of traffic, hospital or even the feel of rough pavement beneath him. It was…nothing more like void.

He blinked, confused. "What the hell…?" His voice echoed into the nothingness, but no one answered.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

And then, the voice came.

"Welcome, traveler. You were the lucky one to be selected among countless people who died at the same moment, to be able to leave your mother world and manifest in a new you. This is the Second Chance Platform."

It wasn't male. It wasn't female. It wasn't anything Axel had ever heard before. It was... strange. A mix of both, and yet neither.

Axel's confusion only deepened. "What the hell does that mean?"

Before he could process anything, the fog around him morphed. The void turned into a strange stage. In the middle of it all, a massive screen appeared, displaying two words: Race and Soul.

"Please, choose a race you want to manifest in."

Axel took his time to think it's not wise to choose something other than what I already am, no one knows if being one of the other race is more shitty than being a human. "Human. I choose human."

The screen blinked, the word "Soul" lit up, and a list of strange objects flashed across it. Weapons, tools, random items. His eyes skimmed the list until one word caught his attention. "Grim Scythe."

Axel felt a strange pull, like the weapon called to him, and before he could question it, the voice came again.

"Congratulations, you have successfully completed the transfer."

"Transfer? What transfer?" Axel barely had time to question it before his mind went blank, and everything faded out.

Axel woke up again. This time, he was at the bottom of a high cliff, blood pooling around him, pain shooting through every inch of his body. His surroundings were unfamiliar, but that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was when he looked down at his hands. He wasn't the same person, Pale skin, sharp crimson eyes, and messy black hair.his muscles had shrunk, his body was smaller, weaker. He felt pain all over his body as if beaten to death.

And that wasn't all. A figure stood above him. A young man, just about his age, Medium height, wiry build. Short, messy silver hair. staring down at him with sharp blue eyes.

"You… I thought you were dead, hahaha, glad I found you, Eliza is mad as hell, if you're lucky she will only beat you, nothing more " the stranger said.

Axel blinked, his mind a swirl of confusion. "Who the hell are you?"

His mind suddenly turned into a storm of memories from before his life before crossing into the new world, and the memories of the person he has just become. The impact was too strong that he passed out again before he could get an answer.

When Axel woke up again, he was in a church, surrounded by children. They were playing, laughing, eating. It felt wrong. This wasn't his life. This wasn't his world. Lot of Memories, someone else's memories flooded his mind.

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Axel… Thank the gods you're alive."

He looked up to see a woman with blonde hair, dressed in a simple but high-quality gown. her blue eyes, however, held an exhaustion, Axel recognized all too well.

"I told you not to go to the inner gates of the city. It's not safe for people like us." She sighed, like she'd given this speech a hundred times.

Axel didn't even have the energy to argue. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again." His voice was quiet, apologetic, but his mind was already elsewhere.

The woman, Elizabeth, just shook her head, muttering something about nature's blessing before placing her hands on him. Axel felt a rush of energy, green and soothing, flow into him. The pain in his body slowly faded.

After a moment, she let go, her face pale. "Promise me, Axel. No more reckless stunts."

Axel looked at her as if lost in thoughts"Yeah, yeah. I promise."

But deep down, he knew the promise wasn't for her. It was for him, he has lived a colourless life before but now it seems different.

According to the memories he got, this place is his home and he has to blend in, he wasn't going to be that same guy again.

Three weeks later, Axel was napping under a tree, his thoughts cloudy. He didn't care about the passing days. The world had changed, and so had he. But before he could sink too deep into his thoughts, a small voice broke through.

"Big brother, Mat is having his Awakening!"

Axel's eyes snapped open. He was already running before he even realized it.