I stared at the empty glass in my hand, the faint smell of whiskey burning my nose. The bar was noisy, but I didn't hear any of it. Laughter, clinking glasses, the bartender yelling at some idiot who spilt beer—it was all distant static, like a radio off frequency.
She had left me. Again.
I ran my thumb over the rim of the glass, thinking of every stupid, wasted second I'd spent on her. Two years of late-night calls, endless weekends sacrificed, all the dinners I didn't want but went to because she asked me to. All the stupid gifts, the favours, the compromises…
And for what?
She broke up with me over… some ridiculous excuse I couldn't even remember now. I think it was something about "needing space" or "focusing on herself." Bullshit. After all this time, I deserved more than some lame-ass line and a shrug.
I slammed the glass down. The liquid sloshed over the sides. The burn of alcohol was welcome, numbing me just enough to forget. Another shot. Another. And another.
I could feel my vision blur, my head spin. The world tilted, and the laughter of the bar faded into something muffled and slow. My chest felt tight. My legs… I couldn't tell if they were under me or not.
Why did I give so much of my life to someone who didn't care?
My heart raced, my body screaming at me to stop. But I couldn't. I didn't want to. Every shot was a little rebellion against her, a little revenge, a little "I don't care."
The bartender shouted something, probably my name, but I couldn't respond. My hands slipped, glasses clattering to the floor. Warm liquid pooled around me, but I didn't notice.
Then everything went dark.
No pain. No light. Just… nothing.
I opened my eyes in a jerk as the pain coursed through my back. I realised I was on the creaking wooden floor.
I sat up, which again coursed pain through my spine and buttocks, but still looked around to recognise sitting in a small decapitated hut.
I tried to stand.
Every joint screamed in protest. My knees buckled like dry twigs under my weight. My back ached as if centuries of wear had settled into the bone. My hands trembled when I lifted them, the fingers stiff and crooked. I stumbled. A sharp pain shot through my hip. I gasped and swore under my breath.
This… this isn't me. This body… it's… old.
I was no longer Arun, the young man with a broken heart. I became Arun, the old man.
I sank onto the ground, hissing through my teeth. Breathing was harder than it should've been. Every muscle throbbed. My entire body felt like it was warning me: "You aren't meant to move. Stop."
But I couldn't. Curiosity clawed at me.
A small panel appeared in my vision. A soft chime, floating letters:
[System Activated]
Life Remaining: 00:30:00
Your existence is fading. Complete tasks to extend your life.
I blinked. Frowned. Rubbed my eyes. Blinked again.
I thought I gained a system that would help me like every transmigrator, but something about life remaining prompt ticked me off. I put aside my thoughts for the system for the latter event, as my focus was more on the outside.
So I wandered outside. The land stretched grey and barren under a pale sun. Rocks and dust as far as I could see. The wind whispered through cracks in the ground, carrying nothing but silence.
I kicked at a small stone. It rolled lazily down a slight slope. My eyes followed it. I walked further, exploring the edges of the old man's plot. The hut, a broken well, some scattered tools—everything seemed normal in its own way. I could get used to this… maybe.
Thirty minutes, huh? Timer? Yeah, yeah… I'll deal with that later.
I wandered, inspecting the cracked soil, the barren trees, the skeletal remains of plants long dead. My heart, surprisingly, was calm. For the first time since… forever, I wasn't obsessing over her, over the life I lost.
Five minutes passed. Maybe ten. I lost track. The timer quietly ticked somewhere in my vision, but I didn't care. Curiosity had won over panic.
"Well," I said aloud, voice croaky and weak, "this old man's life isn't exactly glamorous. But hey… maybe I can make it interesting."
I didn't realise then how foolish I was.
Every second wasted… could be my last.
But that thought… I shoved it away. For now, I had land to explore. And for the first time in a long time, I felt… alive.