Today, a day like any other, yet an important day for me, I couldn't find a reason to keep living, hahaha.
Standing there, staring into the void on a cloudy day about to turn into rain, I decided to jump without even hesitating. But minutes later, I woke up in a dark place with no light at all, and I realized that my body had not materialized.
—Where am I? Is this the afterlife? Is this what comes after death?
Out of nowhere, I hear a voice laughing mockingly. It comes closer; I can't see its face or any part of its body, only its voice—a deeply unsettling yet mocking voice that begins to introduce itself.
—Hehehehe, what an entertaining life. Such a shame it won't continue.
—Who are you? Where am I?
—Hehehehe, this place is where I am imprisoned. Ah, and I am…
—Uhh, I didn't hear your name. Could you repeat it, please?
—Jjejejeje, mortals cannot understand or pronounce my true name, but you can call me Dam. The reason I summoned you to this place is because I want you to do something for me. You will have the life you always dreamed of, and you may even find the girl you were in love with.
Dam begins to tell an entire story in which the gods started to crave power, wanting to become a single, absolute god. The battle has already begun, but he tells me that he will make me reincarnate 27 years before this war between deities begins, with the mission of saving humanity. He also warns me that my companions were summoned under lies by another god, and that I should be careful.
—Why me? Why do I have to save this world?
—I'm sorry, but I don't have much time left. I trust you, Azrael.
Azrael, upon waking up, sees an extremely bright light and several people surrounding him. He realizes that, against his will, he is crying. He can't move freely, everyone around him looks like giants, while he himself is tiny—until he sees his own hands and body. That is the moment when fear strikes him.
'How did I get here? Why are these strange things happening to me?'
Moments later, still confused after waking up, he sees a woman breastfeeding him, and suddenly, he loses consciousness. When he wakes again, it is daytime, and for no apparent reason, he feels intense hunger and starts crying. He doesn't understand it—he can't control it.
'This is another world, just as Dam said, but was it really necessary to send me into a body like this?'
As the days pass, he begins to grow. He learns how to crawl and slowly starts to understand the language of this world. He also realizes that he was not born into a wealthy family—he was born into a family that lives day by day.
As time goes on, he begins to understand this world better. In this world, magic exists, along with humanoid beings who are a mix of humans and different kinds of animals.
When Azrael turns four years old, he manages to say his first words—though they make no sense at all—which fills his parents with joy. Meanwhile, Azrael already possesses fragmented information he doesn't fully understand, but from what little he can piece together, he deduces that there are two main factions of gods served by humans and demons, and that both communities are in constant conflict.
'Ufff, today I finally managed to take my first steps. In a few days I'll turn five, but this is frustrating—I can't read yet. Still, I kind of enjoy it because I don't have to do anything. I've started to grow attached to my parents, something I never managed to do in my previous life.'
And so, as time passed, Azrael grew even closer to his parents and welcomed his newborn little sister. As more time went by, Azrael turned eight years old. However, his maturity did not match his age, though he made an effort to act like a normal child.
'Another day. I'll have to go into the forest to gather some medicinal herbs (hierbas medicinales) to sell.'
Ignoring his father, Azrael leaves the house without permission, determined to help by collecting medicinal herbs. But as soon as he finds some, he is ambushed by a goblin. The creature slashes almost half of his hand off. Panicked, Azrael doesn't know what to do—fear and pain clearly visible on his face.
—Please, I don't want to die! Just when I finally got the life I always dreamed of, why does this happen to me?! Helpppp, help meeeee!
Without realizing it, Azrael notices someone descending from above. He watches them arrive, and for the first time in his life, he witnesses magic being used—but not the kind of magic he had imagined. The mage kills the goblin in the blink of an eye and heals Azrael.
—What are you doing here, kid? These places are dangerous. Where are you from?
—I'm from…
The moment Azrael pronounces only the first two letters of where he lived, the mage's expression turns cold. He looks at him with disgust and contempt. Standing up, he begins chanting a spell meant to kill Azrael. Shocked and terrified, Azrael doesn't know what to do. Desperate, he starts running aimlessly, tears streaming down his face.
'Why do I have such terrible luck?'