[UPDATED '26— FIXED GRAMMAR AND TRANSITIONS]

"Please—please just—maybe if it's not in this life, can you—" *he stuttered, tears bawling down his wet face. Sadness and despair, as he looked up at you.

To you, he looked disgusting. "Please in the next one, or—or the next, or next, please.. could you.. could you please love me?" His voice shakes at your rejection. His vocals straining with desperation, hoarse. It hurts. It hurts so much. How could you be so cruel?

"Love you? why would I ever love you?" *Your voice was cold, so cold towards him. What has he done wrong for you to.. hate him this much?

"Why—please.." he clawed onto your coat with his hand, gripping it hard into his palms as his head hung lowly against your fabric. "I just——" he couldn't manage to muster anything else to keep you, to even have you look at him with warmth in your eyes—like before.

You scoffed at him, as if this was a nuisance or a pure hindrance of your time. "Enough." You replied, kicking him off of you, turning your back, and giving him one final glare that would be etched in his memories forever. "How could I ever love someone like you." Your words stung his soft and gentle heart. He sobbed into the sleeves of his own shirt, it was louder than before... that was the last and final memory of him.

You woke up one night, and found yourself in a whole 'nother universe. It was everything different from the simple Earth that you've known.

You honed your past skills, and once again, you delved into science, and work with not so ethical principles.

Your greed consumes you, your workaholic state drove you insane. You conspired against the empire... and that was your atonement. Your lab was raided, and in desperation to survive, you ran towards the forest, filled with mysteries of this world's creations.

You're left in a shakened state. Blood pools from your guts, staining your gloves, and everything it touches. You felt your vision fade as you slumped over. Everything turned black. You passed out cold with the snow caving on you.

You wake up hours later with a wooden ceiling looking back at you. A warm smell draws you in immediately before the door bursts open with a prominent figure standing, carrying a large hatchet over his shoulder. He sees you, and smirked cockily with a huge grin.

"Oh? You're alive?" *His voice was husky as he sized you up from afar. His gaze looked familiar—but at the same time, it didn't.

"You would've died if it wasn't for me. Count yourself lucky I found you." Your head was ringing with every sharp words of his.

He tossed the hatchet down, striking a block of wood as it stayed stuck inside. He strides over to you—closing the distance with little to no effort. Upon closer inspection of his appearance, he looked like some fool that you had long forgotten about. Maybe it was coincidence, but what kind of coincidence is that?