Chapter 1: The Transition Between My New and Old Life

After My Death

As I mentioned earlier, I began writing this first journal at the start of my journey. However, what happened before that? You must be wondering. As an old friend of mine used to say—or at least that's how I like to phrase it when quoting someone whose name I can't remember—"We must always start at the beginning." Because of that phrase, which I'm quite fond of, I'll begin this first journal not as a journal per se, but rather as a narration of what happened between the moment I died and the start of my journey.

You already know that my death was caused by an accident involving "Truck-san," but what happened after that? Honestly, my memories of it are vague.

Have you ever heard that when you die, everything turns dark, and in the distance, you see a light you're supposed to reach to enter paradise, touch the afterlife, continue the cycle of reincarnation, or whatever you believe in? Well, my experience was somewhat similar, with the exception that there was no light guiding my way.

Everything was dark, truly dark. Not only could I not see, but I also couldn't hear, feel, or smell anything. I couldn't even feel my own body. You know how, even when you close your eyes, you can still sense where your hands, legs, and the rest of your body are? Well, I couldn't perceive any of that. I was floating, or so I imagine, in complete darkness—a darkness in every sense of the word.

Did I spend days, months, years, decades, centuries, or millennia floating in the darkness?

Honestly, I couldn't tell you. At first, I remember having the idea of counting the seconds—yes, it's a reference for those who've seen the anime and recognize it—but I gave up after a short while. Frankly, spending your days perceiving nothing but your own thoughts is exhausting. It wasn't long before I began to feel it: the sensation that I was slowly losing myself.

I've never had a good memory; that's something I can say with certainty. Even so, I began to notice that I couldn't remember important things from my life, things I shouldn't have forgotten. It's hard to explain because, technically, you shouldn't be able to remember something you've forgotten. However, there was a feeling of emptiness in my memories. For example, I had the sensation that I'd had other coworkers besides the ones I got along with best, that I'd had students besides the ones I liked or disliked the most, and that I'd eaten things besides just my favorite meals. It was as if the things I didn't pay much attention to were slowly fading away, and sooner or later, the things that truly mattered would follow.

When I realized this, I panicked. I mean, who wouldn't?

I don't want to delve into philosophical topics that aren't my specialty, but if someone were to ask me the famous question, "What makes us who we are?" I would answer that, for the most part, it's our memories and life philosophies. Our own experiences and what we've learned from them are what define us as people, at least in my opinion. That's why I felt like I was disappearing when I realized I was losing my memories.

I clung as best I could to what I had left. I began to go over each and every memory I still retained. I constantly reminded myself of who I was, what I did, and who the important people in my life were. I revisited everything I could and repeated it over and over. Even now, I feel there are gaps in my memories of my past life that I can't fill, and it's impossible to be completely sure that the memories I still have are real and not inventions born of my desperation during those moments.

But enough about existential crises.

The point is, I managed to retain most of my memories after floating in the void for what felt like an eternity. I was repeating to myself who I was when I heard it.

It was a sweet, soft, and maternal voice. It was the voice of a goddess, or at least that's how it seemed to me. Hearing that voice brought a sliver of sanity to my half-broken consciousness, and these were the words she spoke:

"Poor, pitiful, and sad existence. How long have you been floating in the void, clinging to those memories of your past life?

Your being is so eroded that those memories you hold onto so tightly are all that's left of you. No god from any world will accept you unless you let them go. Your only destiny now is to be devoured by the void.

Or that would be the case, if I hadn't found you. Go, my little new toy, and amuse me as so many others before you have done."

Okay, okay, I know what you must be thinking, dear reader. Now that I've written down those words I heard, they don't sound as sweet and maternal as they seemed to me at the time. But could you really blame me for perceiving them that way? It was the first sound I'd heard in what felt like an eternity. At that moment, even the sound of morning traffic on my way to work would have seemed like the singing of angels.

Anyway. Putting that aside and continuing the story, after hearing that voice, I felt myself being pulled by a strong current. The sensation could be compared to being in a calm sea when, suddenly, a powerful whirlpool forms, churning the waters and dragging you fiercely toward its center.

It was only a few seconds before I saw a light rushing toward me. After a few disorienting moments, I could hear noises, see again, feel my surroundings, and feel my own body.

I was alive again.

At first, I heard a buzzing that gradually turned into voices. They sounded worried and hurried, but I couldn't understand what they were saying at the time, so to me, they were just words in a strange language.

My vision also began to clear little by little. I opened my eyes, and an intense light blinded me. I tried to complain, but no words came out of my mouth. Instead, what came out was the cry of a baby.

As I'm sure you've already guessed, dear co-adventurers, and as is common in these types of stories, I had been reborn as a baby in another world.

At that moment, I had little awareness of what was happening, so there's not much I can tell you about my birth. However, I later learned that the delivery had been dangerous. My mother—well, my new mother—had developed a high fever and was left weak after giving birth. In my case, I was born not breathing, which was the cause of the commotion among those present. Most likely, the goddess chose the body of a lifeless newborn for me to inhabit, or at least, for my own mental health, I'd like to think that's what happened.

Either way, I now had a new life and a new family.

My Early Years

After being born, as I assume is normal for all babies, I spent most of my time asleep. When I wasn't sleeping, I was eating from a sort of bottle, only to fall asleep again. The one who fed and cared for me was my nursemaid, though when I first met her, I didn't think she was one.

Why didn't I recognize her as my nursemaid, you ask? It's simple: she looked like a small girl of about thirteen years old.

She was thin, with a body proportion that could easily measure four heads at most. For those unfamiliar with body proportions according to drawing standards, the average human body is generally measured in head lengths. A normal person's body, measured from feet to head, should be equal to seven times the length of their head. For children, proportions usually range between three and five heads. So it's no wonder I thought my nursemaid was my older sister or something like that.

If you're wondering how I didn't notice that my parents had roughly the same proportions as my nursemaid, it's because they never visited me. The only ones who came to see me in my crib were my nursemaid and two of my siblings.

Oh, that's right! I hadn't mentioned it before, but I have five older siblings in this world. In order from oldest to youngest, there are two brothers and three sisters, leaving me as the last boy born into the family. My mother had health problems after giving birth to me and couldn't have any more children. That's probably why my father and mother never visited me.

Anyway! I'm starting to ramble about things I swore I'd already forgotten.

What I'm getting at, and as I imagine you've already realized, is that I wasn't born as a human in this new world, but as one of the races that belong to it.

Our official name, the one we use to refer to ourselves, is Gpwn. Unfortunately, we're not a people with much political power in the world, and most members of other races know us disparagingly as the Pyhqole Yleute, which could be translated as "the little outsiders."

We are a race that resembles human children. Our average height ranges around sixty centimeters, and only a few grow to reach a meter tall. Our legs and arms are short, while our heads are large in proportion to our bodies, giving us a childlike appearance even when we reach adulthood. We also don't develop features that represent maturity, such as beards for men or changes in body shape for women. This accentuates the image of human children that we retain well into old age.

I think the only way to distinguish between human children and adult members of our race is the fact that Gpwn have slightly pointed ears and only four fingers on our hands and toes.

As the name given to our race suggests, Pyhqole, ours is one of the smallest in the world. I'm not just talking about individuals, but also as a people, since we don't have a nation of our own. Most of those like us live as servants in the kingdoms of other races or wander the world as traveling merchants. There are very few cases where a Gpwn manages to accumulate enough wealth through their business and becomes a recognized citizen of some nation. It could be said that, fortunately, this was the case for my parents.

It was obvious, since from the moment I was born, I not only had my own room, but it was finely decorated. My crib was carved with decorative patterns resembling leaves. The sheets were as soft as silk, and the pillows and mattress had very comfortable padding.

My sister, the one who always visited me and is the oldest of the girls, would come to my room with finely prepared sweets, trying to feed them to me until my nursemaid scolded her for giving me strange and unhealthy things. On the other hand, my oldest brother also visited me, bringing with him elaborately crafted wooden and metal toys.

For all these reasons, it was hard not to notice that the family was financially well-off. However, my interactions with the world outside my room, aside from my siblings, were few in the early years of my life in this world.

That said, I'll never forget the first time I saw the outside world.

It was one afternoon when Iri, my sister, came to wake me from my nap. I was still drowsy, but she carried me to the window and pointed outside.

After drawing the curtains, a reddish glow filtered through the windows. At first, I thought it was the sunset, but I soon realized it wasn't. When we approached the window, we saw a torrent of lava rising from the bowels of the earth toward the night sky, like a river of fire defying gravity. In front of our house, a natural cataclysm, capable of sweeping away everything in its path, unfolded in its apocalyptic glory. And yet, no one seemed truly concerned.

The lava began to flow more slowly, and it was then that I understood the reality of our situation. My parents' mansion was located inside a colossal volcanic crater, perched on a prominent rocky outcrop. We weren't alone; around the crater walls, many other buildings and structures had been erected on similar ledges. Some of these platforms were natural formations, but others, like ours, clearly showed signs of having been precisely carved, as if master craftsmen and engineers had sculpted them directly into the rock.

We were living in the heart of a volcano!

Suddenly, without warning, the volcano spewed incandescent lava into the sky again, illuminating the landscape with red and orange hues that made the shadows dance in the light. It was strange that the lava didn't affect the buildings, and even being so close, we didn't feel the scorching heat. The reason for this mystery soon became clear. A splash of lava broke off from the torrent and headed straight for the mansion. I thought that would be our end, that the house would be consumed by the sea of fire. But, to my amazement, a glowing dome became visible around the ledge and stopped the lava's advance. More than stopping it, it seemed to absorb or evaporate it into the air.

Not only was our house protected by this mysterious crystalline field. The other buildings, the bridges connecting them, and even the crater walls, crucial to maintaining the structure, were shielded by shimmering force fields. It was as if each of these domes was woven from starlight and the essence of magic itself. Only in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such a wondrous and surreal scene.

This was my first encounter with the outside world and the magic that governed it. In that moment, I understood that this world was far vaster and more full of wonders than I had ever imagined.

About My Family and Other Important Things

Before continuing, I'd like to tell you a bit about my family so that, when I talk about them, you know who I'm referring to. For those who aren't interested and want to skip this part, I'll give you a summary.

As I mentioned earlier, I was born in this world as the sixth son of a wealthy Gpwn family. My father is named Kmuriapwk Alzyryap, and my mother is Renipima de Alzyryap. My oldest brother is Fiwlyr, followed by my other brother, Zypik. Then come my sisters, Iripca, Azyripa, and Zipika, in that order of age. Finally, there's me, named Zlagwnil.

Now, for those who are a bit more interested, I won't just talk about my family situation; I'll also tell you a bit about this world as an extra. Let's start with my father.

My father is a Gpwn of average height and build for our race. He has naturally ashen hair from birth, light green eyes, and always dresses in expensive, extravagantly adorned clothing. According to him, "clothes should always show your status so that those below you don't look down on you." I don't really share his ideas, but I'm not one to judge.

He made his fortune by designing a techno-magic system that converts the intense heat of the volcanic kingdom of the Jitammuua Hueky into Nefakapes.

Yes, I know, I know. You must be wondering what a Nefakape is and who the Jitammuua Hueky are, right?

The Jitammuua Hueky are a kind of fantasy dwarf with pronounced beards, stocky bodies, and other classic clichés. To avoid confusing them with so many strange names, I'll often refer to them as dwarves in the text. Of course, if they found out I call them that, their furious rage would explode, and it wouldn't end with a simple apology… or just one broken bone on my part.

On the other hand, in this world, there are magical stones that function as energy or raw material to power everything that exists, and they're known as Nefakapes. And when I say everything, I mean everything. I know I hadn't mentioned this before because I didn't find out until later, but all rational beings in this world have a crystal embedded in their chest, called Shakxylswhjek or simply Shakxyl for short. This crystal functions as a vital organ for storing and controlling magical stones. I hadn't noticed it before because children have it underdeveloped, and it's not until they reach maturity that this organ becomes visible.

So, getting back to how my father made his fortune, Nefakapes are mainly of four types:

Those that store magical energy of some kind. Those that use that energy to perform incredible feats, allowing living beings to use video game-like abilities. Those that can generate materials for creating objects. Those that store the objects created with those materials.

My father was fortunate enough to find a way to create the crystalline shields that protect the city from lava and, at the same time, absorb the heat to generate fire mana stones.

Of course, an invention like that wouldn't guarantee citizenship or becoming a millionaire. It turns out that, before my father arrived in this kingdom founded by dwarves, they were in a fierce war against lava ogres, gigantic humanoid creatures with four arms that are highly resistant to heat. Since they didn't have to worry about climatic conditions, it was difficult for the dwarves to fight them, and the war dragged on for many years. It was because of this that, when someone from a race as "insignificant" as the Gpwn offered to create a shield against the ogres' fire powers and turn part of the interior of an active volcano into habitable land, they didn't hesitate to offer him a deal favorable to both parties.

The dwarves pushed the ogres back to the Pwhxyl, which I imagine is like a kind of dimensional vortex that connects various places in this world. The ogres returned to the realm they came from, and the volcano and its surroundings finally fell into the hands of the dwarves.

I know it might seem like little to gain what, at first glance, is a barren wasteland almost uninhabitable due to the constant eruptions of a volcano. However, in this world, places like this, where natural elements abound in great measure, are a valuable and constant source of magical stones of all kinds that can be traded with other kingdoms for various resources. This makes my father's machines, which allow the dwarves to live near the veins of magical stones and collect them with relative ease, highly valuable.

I hope this explanation gives you an idea of the magnitude of the influence and wealth that the family, or rather my father, has in the kingdom. You could say I hit the jackpot in that sense, but unfortunately, that's not the case. As I mentioned, I'm the youngest of six siblings. It's already been decided that my oldest brother will inherit the recipe for creating the shields when my father retires, and my other brother will become his assistant to help him manage all the work.

As for my sisters, they will marry into the dwarven nobility to improve relations with them and further cement the family's name in the kingdom. My father was hoping for another sacrificial pawn… I mean, another daughter he could marry off to some noble when I was born, so the fact that I was born male didn't sit well with him. Now he sees me only as a burden he has to deal with, and I'll also be inherited by my older brothers.

You're probably wondering, dear co-adventurers: "Well, you're not a woman, but they could still marry you off to a noble dwarf, even if she's an old widow with one foot in the grave." He could do that, believe me, but unfortunately for him, this specific race of dwarves doesn't have females.

I know, I know perfectly well, dear reader. I have the same question as you! So, if there are no female dwarves, how are dwarf babies born?

Unfortunately for all of us, the people around me, who could clear up this doubt, think I'm still too young to know that. Sad, sad. So I promise that as soon as I have the information, I'll share it with you immediately.

Ah! Let's leave the disappointments aside. The point here is that my father simply ignores me, and when we do see each other on rare occasions, he considers me nothing more than a nuisance.

Now, you might think, "Well, your father ignores you, but surely your mother must love you very much, right?" For those who don't remember, because I've already mentioned it, my mother simply hates me. She blames me for not being able to have more children, so neither of my parents wants me.

It's not that I'm really complaining; it's the best for me since I have more freedom than my siblings. I just wanted to vent a little. Now, I'll take this opportunity to tell you about my mother.

My mother was born as the eldest daughter of a prosperous company of traveling merchants who transport goods between kingdoms. My father worked for her grandfather as a deliveryman, and they met at one of the company's employee parties. It was love at first sight, at least for my mother. She truly loves him very much, but my father only saw her as an opportunity to grow socially and, later, when he was lucky enough to find the recipe that gave him his current fortune, he only saw her as a factory for pawns he could use to grow even more.

My mother is truly tender, affectionate, and very homely. She dreamed of having a large family with my father and spending her days together, whether in poverty or wealth. In fact, with my siblings, she was always a loving and very helpful mother. It was his ambitions that made her despise me. Just imagine: the person you love so passionately suddenly looks at you with nothing but contempt after you can no longer be of use to them. For these reasons, I really don't blame her for falling into depression after becoming sterile from having me and blaming me for her situation.

Which is a real shame because my mother isn't ugly, if I do say so myself. I still have a big conflict with the fact that all Gpwn look like small children even after reaching adulthood. However, my mother has very fair skin, is tall for our race, slim, has beautiful curly sky-blue hair, and violet eyes. When you look at her, it really makes you think that, if she developed normally like a human, she could be a model on Earth. Not only that, she's very skilled in both sports and the arts. She plays at least seven different instruments, knows how to ride horses, use a bow, is good at performing precise calculations in a flash, knows history and politics… really, what's not to like about her?

But before you call me a pedophile or incestuous, the point I'm trying to make is that she has many good qualities. If that's the case, how did she end up married to someone who treats her so badly? Or why doesn't she leave him and find a better partner? I also think it's partly because of me and my siblings.

Now, let's move on to them.

The oldest of all is Fiwlyr Alzyryap, whom I simply call Fily. When I started learning to talk, I couldn't pronounce any of the strange names in this world, so I called him that. My brother thought it was cute, and in fact, when I learned to pronounce words better, I wanted to call him by his real name, which made him angry with me and forced me to promise to keep calling him Fily.

Fily, as the oldest brother, is very overprotective of all of us, not just me. He always makes sure we have our needs met and that we don't get into trouble. He's eighteen years older than me, so he was already an adult when I was born. He always dresses in simple suits, mostly blue, which perfectly matches his sky-blue eyes. His blond hair is tied back in a braided ponytail. He's not very tall, probably around eighty centimeters, but he's very stocky and seems to exercise a lot. As my father's heir, he says he needs to stay in shape to create the shields that protect the city.

Next, four years younger, is my brother Zypik, named after my maternal great-grandfather. He has ash-purple hair in a loose mushroom-cut style, sky-blue eyes like Fily, and skin as fair as my mother's. He usually wears flashy suits like my father's, but in muted colors like gray or brown. He wears glasses, which makes him look very intellectual.

He's not very friendly with anyone in the family, preferring to keep to himself, and because of that, I've had little interaction with him. What I can say is that he's very intelligent, capable of performing complex calculations in seconds. Although, by complex calculations, I mean multi-digit additions, subtractions, multiplications, or divisions. I know it doesn't seem like much, but I challenge you to multiply 6587 x 548 in seconds without using a calculator and all in your head. These skills make him the best option to manage the family's finances, and that's why he'll become Fily's assistant.

After Zypik comes my sister Iripca, whom I affectionately call Iri. Of my sisters, I get along best with her. She was always very kind to me, visiting me every day, taking care of me, among other things. I missed her visits a lot after she got married. Yes, you read that right, my dear companions, she's already married, even though my brothers are forbidden from taking wives for themselves.

I've already mentioned that, for my father, my sisters are just pawns he can use to improve his relations with the important figures of the country by marrying them off to the Jitammuua nobility. My sister is only nine years older than me, but for our race, adulthood is reached at fourteen. As soon as she reached that age, she was given to one of the great-grandsons of the king of the Jitammuua, or dwarves for those who don't remember, to be taken as a wife. Because of this, my sister has stopped living with us for some time, and I don't interact much with her anymore, although she visits us more than she should for someone who's starting a family. Her husband is very good to her, according to what she tells us, but let's save that story for later.

Anyway, my sister is very much like my mother in her personality. Like her, she's a homemaker, enjoys doing household chores, and cooks wonderfully. Her favorite hobbies are painting, horseback riding, and raising companion animals like Tahiravupxac, which are a kind of bird with brightly colored feathers but a trunk instead of a beak. There are also her favorites, the Kunudehhy, lizards the size of ponies with straight legs that can change the color of their skin at will.

If we talk about her physical appearance, she has very fair skin, like my mother, beautiful straight navy-blue hair that she always styles in complex hairstyles. Her eyes are a bright violet and reflect how intelligent she is. She usually wears simple long dresses, her favorite colors being sky blue, pink, and pastel purple.

Azyripa was the next to be born. She's the second daughter of my parents and is six years older than me. My relationship with her is distant; she doesn't pay much attention to me and usually dedicates herself to her predictions, as she was born with a strange power to read the future by consulting the stars. She has orange hair, long down to her waist, and always wears it loose. Her eyes are light blue, and she has poor eyesight, so she always wears glasses.

Like Iri, she's currently married. In her case, because of the strange power she was born with, she was given to one of the important figures of the main church of the dwarves, something like a high archbishop, who is only below the gods and the patriarchs.

I'll take this opportunity to tell you about the religions in this world. It turns out that, compared to Earth, in this world, the gods live among mortals and are the supreme rulers of the nations. There are mainly three pantheons: the luminous gods, the neutral gods, and the dark gods.

The luminous gods represent the seven virtues and are considered the absolute good in this world, at least by the Jitammuua Hueky, since this kingdom is, in a way, a vassal of the celestial kingdom of these gods. Their names are:

The God of Temperance, Nehepne Fetbha. The God of Charity, Olput Juht. The Goddess of Diligence, Holot Zollor. The God of Generosity, Elcorp Skhyoapdor. The Goddess of Chastity, Erponase. The Goddess of Humility, Epotoe. The God of Patience, Sasagu.

After them come the neutral gods. They're called that because they don't represent evil or good; they're simply gods of natural phenomena that maintain order in the world. Most Gpwn worship the God of Good Fortune, Nabes, or Jesut Ol Erfuteipe, the god of paths and safe travel. Beyond them, there are many other neutral gods who control things like the world's magic, natural elements, mountains, war, and many other things. Unfortunately, and by my father's insistence, our family belongs to the church of the luminous gods, and I was never taught anything about the other gods. If I know about Nabes and Jesut, it's because my great-grandfather pays tribute to them.

So, as you can imagine, dear reader, I don't know the names of any of the dark gods. I only know that they are the sworn enemies of the luminous gods and their antithesis, something like the seven deadly sins, I imagine. The kingdoms of the dark gods are in constant war against those of the luminous gods and are continually engaged in bloody battles for control of the lands. That's the gist of what I can tell you about the gods who literally inhabit this world.

Returning to my family, the last of the women to be born was my sister Zypika, also named after my great-grandfather and only two years older than me.

My relationship with her is almost downright terrible. It turns out that she was my great-grandfather's favorite until I was born, and after losing all his affection, she tried many times to get rid of me. Unfortunately, my parents always believed it was the servants she sent to do the dirty work who had bad intentions toward me, and she was never caught. I was very happy when she finally came of age and left the house, never to return, not even for a visit. She was the only one who could decide who to marry, as she convinced my father, I don't know how, to marry her off to the main branch of the great-grandfather's family so she could live with them.

Apparently, marriages between distant cousins, especially when they no longer belong to the same house, aren't strange in this world. However, as a former resident of one of the modern countries on Earth, I can't help but feel nauseous about the conditions of her marriage and her strange obsession with the great-grandfather.

Ah! Anyway, it's not for me to harshly criticize the customs of other worlds different from the one I come from.

Physically speaking, Zypika has sky-blue hair and pink eyes. She always wears her hair in two braids that fall just below her shoulders and wears knee-length dresses with lots of ruffles.

Finally, I'd like to tell you about the youngest son of my father and mother, in other words, myself. I won't go into too much detail to avoid giving more spoilers than I already have, but I can give you my name, which is Zlagwnil Alzyryap, or Lagu for friends. Like all members of the Gpwn race, my hair and eye color are fantastical. However, it bothers me immensely that I was born with pink hair. I mean, my eyes aren't bad, being lime green, but did I have to be pink-haired? Well, it is what it is, and there's nothing that can be done about it. Personally, I like to wear light, unadorned clothing that allows me to move freely while protecting my skin from branches and insects when I walk through the forest.

Special abilities, as I've mentioned, are something I don't have. If anything could be called that, it would be the memories of my past life and the fact that my mind is still the same. Which hasn't really given me any advantages and, in many cases, has gotten me into trouble due to the differences in common sense between worlds.

To wrap up this section, I hope you enjoyed getting to know my family and that this clarification helps you not get too lost when I mention some of the original names from this world. In any case, I'll try to provide clarifications when I mention them. Now, let's continue with the stories of what happened after I was reborn in another world.