Leo opened his eyes.
White. Bright white. Way too white. His first thought: Great. This isn't the kingdom. Not even close. Where am I?
A woman was kneeling beside him, sobbing like someone had just set fire to the sun. Her hands shook as she held his. Behind her stood a man in odd, very clean clothes, staring like he was trying not to faint.
Leo blinked. Okay. Alive. Good. Alive is good. But… why is there crying? And why is my mom here? Wait… my mom's… dead. Dead, dead, dead. I saw it happen. Landslide. Not supposed to be here. Nope. This is confusing. Maybe I'm dreaming.
The woman sniffled and said, "Leo… it's me. Your mother. Michelle Harrington. Do you remember me?"
Leo's brain screamed internally: No. Definitely no. You're not my mom. My mom's dead. This woman is some… clone? Witch? Time traveler? Maybe my old life is finally messing with me.
He forced a small, awkward nod. Don't make her cry more. Just… nod. Pretend this is normal.
Her sobs became louder. Wow. Okay. Nodding makes it worse? Maybe nodding is a crime in this world.
The man behind her said softly, "Leo… do you remember your name?"
Leo paused. I mean… yes? No? My brain hurts. Just nod again. Good plan. Nod and survive.
Another careful nod. Perfect. Acting like I know stuff when I really don't. Classic Leo.
The man straightened. "He should rest now. We… we'll talk later."
Leo's mind exploded. Rest? Right. Sure. But rest where? Who are you people? Is this heaven? Some weird castle? Did I steal someone's body? Am I… reincarnated? No… that can't be… or can it?
He lifted a hand and ran it through his hair. Long. White. Pale. Still cursed-looking as ever. Yep. Definitely me. Definitely white-haired disaster. Nice. At least something stayed familiar. Maybe I look fancy now? Probably not. Whatever. Let's roll with it.
The woman, Michelle, continued crying. Leo leaned back and muttered, She's crying again. I should say something… but what? "Hey, don't cry, it's awkward"? Nah. Too honest. Maybe just… stare blankly. That always works in my old life.
He glanced at the man in white. He's judging me. Or worried. Or both. Good. People should always be slightly afraid of me. Keeps them alive.
And then Leo's mind wandered like it always did when faced with stressful situations
Okay, new life. Strange people. White walls. I have no idea how anything works. Cars? Roads? Houses? Weird clothes? Everything's weird. But hey… free life, maybe I can do what I want. Maybe I can eat weird food, sleep too long, annoy people… maybe even figure out love or… whatever that is. Or fail spectacularly. Probably both. Always both.
With that, Leo Sol Harrington made his first decision: I'll survive. I'll figure this world out. And finally got to bed.
Leo Sol Harrington opened his eyes again the next morning. His head felt heavy, but he was alive. That alone was a win.
Michelle Harrington was standing nearby, calm now. No tears. Just her hands folded in front of her, waiting.
"Leo… you've been in a coma for three weeks," she said. "After the car accident. But you're awake now. Everything's fine."
Leo tilted his head, still trying to make sense of the words. Coma… three weeks? And they're acting like it's normal?
"So… car accident," he muttered, frowning. "Does that mean some kind of horse-drawn carriage ran me over, or…?"
Michelle blinked. Not quite.
"Some metal beast," he said, nodding as if that explained everything. Yeah, that sounds right. Dangerous, fast… probably evil. Good thing I survived.
"And your full name," Michelle added, "is Leo Sol Harrington. You'll be staying here with me until you've fully recovered."
Leo twirled a lock of his long white hair. Leo Sol Harrington… fancy enough. Sounds like someone who survives comas and doesn't panic too much. That's me.
He looked around the room. The walls were smooth, bright, and featureless. No tapestries, no guards, no candles—nothing familiar. Definitely not my old kingdom. Fine. New life. Let's see what happens.
Michelle held out a small glowing rectangle. "This is a cellphone. You can use it to talk to people, send messages… even pictures."
Leo squinted at it. Tiny glowing rectangle… okay. Magic window? Maybe. Dangerous? Probably. Fun? Definitely.
He tapped it a few times. Lights flashed. Words appeared. Not sure what I just did, but cool. Magical rectangle works. Maybe I'll break it later… or figure it out. Probably both.
By the end of the day, Leo had figured out a few things:
1. He was alive. Check.
2. His full name was Leo Sol Harrington. Check. Fancy. Check again.
3. His mom was alive and calm. Check. Confusing, but okay.
4. The world was… very different. Cars, streets, buildings, strange clothes, and magical glowing rectangles. Check, chaos incoming.
Leo leaned back on the bed, smirking. Alright. Leo Sol Harrington, Life 2.0. Same disaster magnet energy, new world. Let's see how much trouble I can get into before anyone dies—or before I figure out how these glowing rectangles work. And if I accidentally help someone along the way… bonus points.
And with that, he decided: this life was going to be confusing, But it was his life, and he was going to live it.
Next Day
Leo Sol Harrington crouched behind a chair, waiting for the right moment. Michelle was busy in the kitchen, humming and clattering with some strange tools. Perfect. Stealth mode: activated. Totally invisible. Definitely a master at sneaking.
The hallway was tricky. Smooth floors, doors that didn't creak, and paintings on the walls that seemed to stare at him. He tiptoed past, muttering, Humans have weird rituals. Paintings are aggressive. Must stay alert.
Then came the stairs. Leo tested each step like it might bite him. By the time he reached the bottom, he was sweating. Victory. No bones broken. For now.
At the lobby, a silver box with buttons caught his eye. What sorcery is this? A teleportation cage? A magical trap? He pressed one of the buttons. The doors slid open. Lights flashed. The floor hummed. Leo flailed slightly.
When the doors opened again, he was… still inside the building. Just the first floor. Ah. So this isn't a magical escape to the outside. Fine. Step one of many, then.
He peeked around the first-floor corridor. Guards were distracted, arguing over something trivial and waving their hands. Perfect. Leo grinned. Luck favors the sneaky. Progress: imminent.
He crept along the hall, trying not to trip over anything—or anyone. The building smelled weird, like plastic, cleaning fluid, and… something faintly like burnt toast. Survival challenge accepted. Let's see how far I can go without breaking anything too important.
Reaching the main exit.
Leo grinned to himself. Okay. Elevator conquered. Guards distracted. Stairs survived. Doors… mostly survived. Now, for the final challenge: step into this chaos and see what happens.
And with that, Leo cautiously pushed open the main door, stepping outside for the first time.
Leo finally stepped out the building. The sunlight hit him in the face, and he blinked. Ow. Bright. Not gentle like my kingdom's sun. He shielded his eyes with his hand and looked around.
The street was full of moving metal beasts—cars, he decided. They were shiny, loud, and extremely fast. People walked on the sidewalks, staring at tiny glowing rectangles in their hands. Some bumped into others without noticing. Leo raised an eyebrow. Humans are fragile. Definitely confusing.
He wandered slowly, taking everything in. A small coffee shop caught his attention. Smells of something warm and bitter drifted out. Leo sniffed cautiously. Liquid fuel for humans, I assume. Worth investigating.
Inside, he accidentally knocked over a display. "Oops. Not my fault. Shelves are cursed," he muttered.
The clerk stared. "Sir… be careful."
Leo shrugged. "Yeah… the world is tricky. Survival first. Shelf safety second."
He grabbed a small snack and nibbled it while leaning against the counter. Okay… food acquired. Not poisoned… so far, so good.
Back outside, a little kid struggled with a heavy bag. Without thinking, Leo grabbed it and handed it over.
"Thanks!" the kid said, surprised.
Leo shrugged. "Eh, someone has to survive this chaos. Can't let humans fall victim to… groceries or whatever else."
He moved along the street, dodging the cars and observing traffic lights. Red meant stop. Green meant go. Metal beasts obey magical rectangles. Makes sense.
A man bumped into him while staring at his glowing rectangle. Leo muttered, "Watch it. These streets are dangerous. Metal beasts everywhere, humans are fragile, and apparently some are blind too."
The man blinked, confused, and walked on. Leo smirked. Perfect. Chaos survived. Humans mildly warned. Survival: ongoing.
He wandered further, noticing stores, restaurants, and more strange machines that hissed, flashed, or moved by themselves. Every so often, he poked his glowing rectangle—the cellphone—tapping and swiping at random. Words appeared. Tiny lights flashed. Buzzing noises went off. Leo jumped a little.
It talks back. Definitely alive. Probably plotting against me. Fascinating.
By the time he wandered into a quiet side street, he realized something: this world was strange, loud, confusing… and kind of fun. He could explore, eat, dodge metal beasts, poke at glowing rectangles, and maybe, accidentally, help people along the way.
Leo Sol Harrington smirked to himself. Alright, Sneak-out:
successful. Exploration: ongoing. Confusion level: high. Fun factor: moderate to excellent. Let's see what else this chaos has to offer.