Prologue

Alexander felt weightless; a jolt of foreign energy surged throughout his nervous system. His fingers twitched uncontrollably; his body filled to the brim with some condensed energy he couldn't even begin to describe.

It hurts. It hurts. IT HURTS SO MUCH!

His mouth opened wide, his lungs trying to make a sound to beg for someone to help him. He didn't- couldn't scream, and the only sound he could make was a high-pitched squeal. He sounded like a dying pig, and from what his peers had often called him- perhaps this sound was ironic.

Please. I don't want to die!

Tears drenched Alexander's chubby cheeks, and saliva dripped from his mouth like a waterfall. It felt as if his nerves were being fried, as if a lightning bolt from Zeus himself had smitten him. He was in so much pain, that all the colours of the rainbow flew past his eyes, even when all he could see was darkness. Then the colours faded, and he felt himself being condensed- becoming thinner than he could ever have been from sucking in his bulging stomach.

It was as if he was being squeeze through a plastic straw, but the straw didn't give any space along his descent through the darkness- all it did was add pressure and pain.

It hurts. It hurts. Please make it stop!

The pressure and paid faded when he felt the phantom grace of a pair of grasping hands. The first pair had slender fingers, and incredibly soft palms. Those soft, girlish hands caressed his chubby cheeks gently for a moment before they paused, as if they were unsure and confused. The very tips of their fingers stayed upon his being for an instant more, before they tentatively pulled back.

He felt lonely for a single instant, before a second pair of hands gripped his cheek. Their grasp was tight, and assertive- and Alexander felt a small pang of fear within his heart. Their hands were just as slender as the first, but the tips were sharp- piercing through his body.

The second pair had long fingers that were just as slender as the first and had smooth palms, that felt far too smooth to be the hands of an actual being. Those fingers dug into him, piercing through his body with little resistance, in what Alexander could only assume was obsession.

"I love you. Love you. Love you. LOVE YOU!"

Alexander stood in confusion as one of the sharp hands left his cheek and plunged through his chest. He opened his mouth to cry out- but discovered that he had no lips. He tried to push the hands away from him but found that he no longer had any arms. He tried to take a few steps back and gain some distance- only to have no feeling in his lower half.

He was an incorporeal form, and Alexander had no clue how that came to be.

The hand in his chest was forced away, and the pain became nothing more than a faded memory. He felt the gentle warmth of the first pair of hands once more- the hesitantly traced a line across his cheek.

"I'm… so… sorry."

A quiet, meek voice filled with sorrow echoed across the darkness.

The hands let go of his cheeks, and Alexander began his descent once more.

Falling. Falling. Falling.

Then gravity took hold of him once more, and his knees buckled. Alexander fell forwards towards the ground, too weak to try and maintain his balance. His cheek harshly greeted the hard floor, and the boy gripped his stomach, groaning as pain as the two-minute noodles he had eaten for lunch threatened to spill onto the floor.

His breath shallow, his body feeling stronger than he had ever been- and yet, so very weak- Alexander laid upon the ground, trying to comprehend what had just happened. The pain in his stomach resided, and his fat fingers grasped the hard surface, discovering small stones stuck to the ground with some sort of cement. Was it called cobblestone? The boy pondered for a brief moment.

"It… doesn't matter."

He whispered, gripping a small stone hard with his hand, using his non-existent muscles to push himself upwards. It was… much easier than expected, especially for someone of his weight and strength.

Shakily, he stood up- feeling the strength of gravity and yet, he persevered. He may be some degenerate that his parents never talked about, but he had some stubbornness.

Gravity can go screw itself, it was never a friend to me.

He heard the sound- voices shouting, voices calling. His ears strained to pick up the noise, and his eyes tried to find where such a sound originated from. He turned around, away from the brick wall that blocked his path, and gazed at the people that passed by.

"Animal ears?"

Some of the people had animalistic features, such as a dog tail or cat ears- it was strange.

"What the…"

Alexander looked down towards his hands, greeted with slender fingers instead of the sausage digits he was used to. Confusion swelled within his heart, with a pang of fear mixed in for good measure. He raised a slender hand up towards his cheek, where those hands are grasped at beforehand. Instead of the fat he greeted with in the mirror every day, he felt smooth skin- with almost no fat stored within. He also noticed that he was wearing a sports tracksuit, of a brand he was unfamiliar with.

"These aren't mine…"

Desperately, he checked the pockets of the jeans he had never owned. He pulled out an old flip phone, and a black leather wallet. His hands shook, the top of his mouth as dry as a Mojave Desert. He undid the small latch that kept the wallet closed, and hesitantly opened it. A student ID with a picture of a boy he had never seen greeted. He had narrow eyes, black hair, and a smile with perfect teeth.

Those creepy hands, and a body that was not originally.

"All leads point to reincarnation-"

Alexander looked up towards the sky, a small smile upon his face.

"So, could this be my second chance at life."

The sun graced him with its warmth for the first time in months, and Alexander felt a budding warmth within his chest. All the confusion, and fear was a faded memory.

"A fantasy medieval world with adventure, cute girls and the odd war or two…"

He looked back towards the people passing by and frowned.

"Let's avoid any trouble and settle down with a cute village girl- that seems like the most carefree life."

With a plan imbedded within his mind, he began to take steps forward, for the first time in years.

"Oi, oi, oi- look what we have here." A nasally voice spoke, and despite the shade concealing them, Alexander could tell that that he was tall and lanky.

"I see 'em too, boss." A tall, muscular brute replied, crossing his arms as he stepped in sync with the lanky man.

"A lost noble, do you reckon he had any change to spare for us?" A short boy questioned, and as they stepped into the light, Alexander could see the sly smile upon his face.

"I suppose he can Camberly. So kid, cough up everything you got if you don't want any trouble!" The leader spoke once more, his hair a horrid mixture of azure and pink.

Alexander could only stand there, his mouth agape and his mind screamed only one thing.

Goddamnit!

When in Re: Zero, the chances of a carefree quiet life are practicalur nil.