The theme song for this chapter is Second Chance by Shinedown.

Prologue – Finding Your Resolve
Part 2: Second Chance

Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:47 PM – Columbus, OH, United States of America

Sounds I'm only barely familiar with suddenly crash into the darkness all at once, and unbidden, I open my eyes to find that I'm not dead. Huh… apparently nuclear power isn't all it's cracked up to be. I try to laugh, but it comes out as a strangled cry instead… A baby's cry.

I blink the fluid out of my eyes and suddenly realize what's going on when I see surgeons and doctors hovering over me and in between a pair of legs and notice the whitewashed grid that is the ceiling of the operating room I'm in. Wait a minute… reincarnation is real? And it happened to me of all people?! Surely someone else would've been more deserving of such a great honor, I'm not exactly the paragon of the human race or anything…

Stunned into silence, at least in my own head, I do the only thing babies can do: cry.

A few days later, in the incubation room, amidst the noise made by the other babies crying, I manage to figure out when I've been reborn. Realizing I've been reborn six years in the future automatically ticks off the box that this can't be the same universe I lived in before ‒ something about it has changed for me to be born this late in the timeline. But what universe could this possibly be? And more importantly… how much is the same and how much is different? If enough things are different, I don't have to worry about rewriting history through my actions ‒ especially with the knowledge of some of what happens between now and when I died. But… that also brings into question just how much more difficult things could be. Because when things change like that… most of them aren't good changes. And I need to be prepared for the worst should it come to pass.

I realize that I'm starting to get hungry, and my wailing joins that of the others in the room as I do my best to get my caretakers' attention. Ugh, this is the worst. I hate being this fragile and helpless. Definitely need to commit to actually learning karate this time around once I get the chance.

Eventually, after being fed, I do my best to think about what I'm going to do once I get old enough to start making the moves I want to, but baby brains aren't known for their endurance, and I quickly fall asleep in the middle of my musings.

Friday, February 4, 2005 1:16 PM

Finally, after over a month of observations and tests being run, I've finally been allowed to go home with my parents. I may have let my 'intelligence' slip and caused those tests to drag on far later than I would have preferred. That's my own fault though, so I just have to suck it up and deal with it. Now, though, I know I need to keep my cards close to my chest to prevent my abnormal nature from being discovered. Not like anyone would really believe me in that circumstance, telling people you're a reincarnation usually doesn't go over very well. They'll still figure out I'm a cheater of some sort though, even though I didn't exactly expect this.

I look around at the… rather lavish home I've been brought into. Oh no, don't tell me I'm one of them now… The absolute last thing I'd need right now is to be born into a political family and expected to comport myself in a certain manner. I hate being restricted in how I choose to hold myself and live my life, so being brought up in a household like that would be extremely hindering to my overall plans for my future success.

Over the next few weeks, though, it seems my family just so happens to be a hardworking middle-class family who happened to make some good investing decisions and came out the other side with a profit, which they then cleverly put into savings. More than likely for me later on down the road. What they don't know is that if things go well and this world isn't too different, I won't need that money because I'll already be sitting on a pretty pile of cash myself.

Though in the short term, having that nest egg will definitely make pursuing my current goals much more feasible. I think on this a bit more as the days wear on, trying to come up with plans to get into a dojo as soon as possible. Also to start learning Japanese. No way I'm letting this chance pass me up, I've got a tiny baby brain that absorbs information like a sponge. Not learning a new language when my world never gave me a chance to learn the ones I was actually interested in would be outright criminal.

Oh, wait… I remember telling myself things aren't gonna be that easy… I'm gonna have to push my grades higher than they've ever been too… UGH, school is the worst when you don't get to have fun. But if that's the price I have to pay for this chance, then so be it. Not like I wasn't a good study in my previous life. Just need to learn everything as early as possible so I can move onto getting what I want done.

Goals in mind, I start figuring out how to learn what I need to succeed as soon as possible.

Friday, March 23, 2007 2:17 PM

Turns out my parents thought I would be a prodigy when they caught me reading one of their larger books in the study last year. Ever since, they've treated me less like a baby and more like an actual human being of equal standing. I'm sure I don't have to mention just how many roadblocks fell away after that. I managed to get the books and lessons on Japanese I wanted, and now I'm starting to get somewhat fluent at speaking the language. My English isn't any concern since I was always fairly high-level in my ability to understand my native dialect. Thus, most efforts in that regard are directed at continuing to improve my understanding of Japanese so that eventually, once I move over, I'll have all the tools I need to, if not blend in, at least make myself stand out a little less.

Japanese isn't the only thing I've been learning, though. A fist to the cheek reminds me of that fact rather painfully, but I resist the urge to cry from the pain. Having a toddler's body and trying to learn martial arts sucks, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. How do the characters in all the isekai stories manage to make it look so easy?! There's gotta be some fuckoff explanation that lets them pick it up so quickly!

I refocus on the sparring session my best friend and I are having. I was introduced to James when our family visited one of the neighbors for a cookout last year, and though he's three years older than me, finding out he was also studying karate was exactly the push I needed to convince my parents to enroll me and start me off down that path too. Ever since, he's helped me learn the discipline. "Come on, Damien, stay focused." James gently reminds me as he offers a hand, which I take, and he pulls me back up onto my feet.

"Sowwy…" I say, internally cringing at how high-pitched my voice is. I swear to every deity that does and doesn't exist, I'm gonna be royally pissed off if I grow up and don't have the husky voice I had in my past life. That was the ONE thing I had that gave me confidence in myself when things were going to shit.

James and I begin our sparring session once again, and I correct my stance, prepared to block his incoming strike, only to get hit again. Damn, he's too fast! This is gonna take a while…

Thursday, April 23, 2009 6:56 PM

Preschool sucks, especially when your parents work late-night jobs. Luckily I won't have to suffer through that for much longer, as I've heard that my father intends on quitting his job thanks to his savings and investment portfolio, that way he can focus on making sure I have the knowledge I need to know to survive in the real world. Not gonna mention that I already know half of how the financial system works for fear of losing out on the entire pile. Rather take the chance to learn mechanics as a skill now since my idiot father in my previous life always kept my brother and I away from stuff like that despite it being a skill we absolutely should have been taught. I've been antsy, constantly having my nose in one of my advanced mathematics or world history books to learn and absorb the knowledge as fast as I can. There are multiple reasons for this, but the big one is that I intend on making my journey until I leave for Japan that much easier by placing top of the ranking in every school I attend. No skimping out this time.

Of course, work and play are a delicate balance, which is why I surprised both of my parents with a very detailed explanation of why I should be allowed to have a PlayStation 3, one that they couldn't find a hole in my logic for. Soon after, I got my wish, and now I'm practicing as often as I can with my studies and my karate to keep up with in the one game I'm really good at: Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars.

That's right, when I started making plans to get the money I need later in life, this was the ultimate goal. When Rocket League releases in 2015, assuming it does and the eSport comes along with it, I'm going to be pretty much at the top of the world. I was already into Grand Champion territory when I died before, and that was in 2025. A GC in 2025 is WAY better at the game than a GC will be in 2020, when I'm eligible. Maybe even better than an SSL, though that one's debatable. Unfortunately, if the world takes the same turn I'm already expecting, that's going to be a tough sell to get on a team when no one's going to LANs. Is that whole plan blatant reincarnation cheating? Oh, abso-fucking-lutely. Do I care? Not in the slightest, I need proper setup if I want to be settled the way I want, and that requires getting as much money as possible before the pandemic bends the worldwide economy over its knee, assuming that still comes to pass. Knowing some things would be harder, I was actually expecting the pandemic to be WORSE than in my time, not better.

Of course, sometimes you forget to play a game when you're busy with your nose in a calculus book studying recursive relations. You also forget to be aware of your surroundings, which is why when a kid tried to sneak up on me and spill water on my shirt, and I felt his hand grab my shirt, I dropped my book, eyes narrowed, grabbed his arm and flung him over my shoulder in one smooth motion, my karate practice and training instantly kicking in to handle the perceived threat.

"I said I'm sorry though, mom! Even though he's the class bully and I think he got what he deserved for trying to sneak up on a smaller kid like that!" I complain in the back seat of the car as my mother drives us home.

She gives me a tender smile through the reflection of the rearview mirror. "I know, dear, but there are situations where you have to be careful. Remember, not everyone is going to have your training. You could easily hurt someone who doesn't deserve it, or who didn't mean anything, if you're not paying attention. I'm glad you're taking your studies seriously, especially given how advanced you are for your age. Just promise me you'll be more aware of what's going on around you, okay?"

I sigh and hang my head, turning on the weak act to nullify the blow. "Yes, mother."

"Good. Don't worry, you're not in trouble or anything, I agree that people like that deserve what's coming to them for trying to bully people weaker or less capable. You put the kid in his place and that's a lesson he won't soon forget. It would be very unfortunate, though, if it were someone who had innocent intentions, because then you may have made yourself into a bad guy."

"Right." I nod. The logic makes sense enough that I can respect my mother's opinion. Self-control… I'm lucky I don't seem to have any of the issues that ailed me in my previous life aside from my ADHD, because thanks to intermittent explosive disorder, self-control was… not something I was good at. Mental discipline is ten times harder than it seems when you have a neurological condition that amplifies your response to every negative stimulus to borderline violent extremes.

"So, how does your favorite chicken scallopini sound for dinner tonight?" my mother asks as we pull into the driveway of our house.

My head snaps up from my calculus book as my eyes grow wide in excitement. Even in this life, chicken scallopini is too good a dish to pass up. "Would you really, mom?!"

My mom chuckles as she gets out of the car, helping me out when she gets to my door. "Sure, your father always loves a good dish to help unwind after a stressful shift on the job."

I nod. "I'd love that, thank you, mom! I'm sure dad will love it too!"

As she locks the door, she turns back to me. "Oh, and guess what? James and his parents will be over too!"

"What?! That's awesome!" Yeah, despite the roadblocks I had started running into and the effort I was putting into making sure I was prepared for the future, life was good.

Sunday, January 31, 2010 10:21 AM

Of course, when things feel like they couldn't possibly go wrong, that's exactly when life decides to kick you in the balls. As if to remind me of where I'd come from, the H1N1 pandemic swept across the world, harshly reminding me that I hadn't been paying attention to the state of the rest of the world at all. Not only did I lose my mother in this life, James and his entire family had been taken within a couple weeks of one another. Suddenly losing eighty percent of my support network when I hadn't suffered a major loss in my family since when I was older than this in my previous life dealt a cataclysmic blow to my motivation. I had spent an entire week in my room, crying near-uncontrollably and refusing to come out for anything, even to eat meals. It had gotten bad enough that I had to get put in the hospital due to stupidly giving myself a case of malnutrition. Even after recovering and going back home, it had taken almost another month for me to recover into any semblance of a normal state.

Now, my father and I are sat down at the dining room table trying to figure out what to do next. My father turns to me. "Son, I know you've always been the intelligent sort, even when you were very young, so I want to know what you want to do with your life. All of this… all of this has been very hard on the both of us and it's not likely to get easier anytime soon. I have some ideas myself, but I want to hear your opinion as well." He folds his arms on the table in front of him and patiently awaits my response, sadness now prevalent in the reflection of his eyes.

Even through my grief, I had done my best to process everything happening around me and figure out a game plan. Now keenly aware once more of the fragility of life, I realized there had to be a plan for if something were to happen to my father as well. For the past two weeks, I had locked myself in my room desperately coming up with and scrapping plans until I finally figured out one that, while I didn't necessarily like, I knew was the best way forward to make sure if my father suddenly passed as well, I wouldn't be affected as badly as I would be otherwise.

I turn to my father. "I think… in case you go too, dad," ‒he winces at the implications of the statement‒ "we need to have a caretaker on hand in the house. Someone who can take over your responsibilities full-time. They would need to be someone you trust implicitly, and you would have to grant them access to your and Mom's bank accounts as well as the trust fund you guys have set up for me, that way they can effectively provide for me should they become the only person who can."

I'm glad I can speak to my father frankly like this and without having to restrict myself in some stupid kid way. He had always seen my intelligence for what it truly was, so once I hit the age that a prodigy or someone 'gifted' would be able to eloquently voice opinions and concerns in the way an adult typically does, I used that to my full advantage. As a result, our conversations, such as this one, tended to be more serious and introspective than whenever I used to ‒those two words punched the hole in my heart even wider‒ discuss things with my mother.

He nods. "I'm glad we both agree on at least that path forward, then. In light of everything that's happened, I've also stepped down from my position at my company."

I turn a shocked look from the table back up to him. "What?! But weren't you about to get promoted to regional director?"

My father ruefully chuckles. "You heard that conversation, did you?" I meekly nod. "Well, yes, that was the idea, but I already have a sizable pool of financial stability thanks to your mother's and my own investment portfolio. Before the worst comes to pass, if it ever does, I want to make sure you have everything you need to succeed in life as quickly as I can give it to you. I'm selling all the stocks we have in the portfolio, quitting my job, and opening a long-term savings account to put the majority of the money into so that way I can focus on providing for you full-time. I won't let you grow up the way I did, with parents who were either gone or didn't care enough about their progeny's upbringing."

The logical baseline in that situation comes to me almost as easily as breathing, given how I'd always viewed the US' education system in my previous life since my graduation from high school. "Does that mean you'll be pulling me out of school and teaching me yourself, dad?"

He nods. "Very perceptive, that's my son. Yes, I'll be making sure you have the correct tools, which unfortunately, the modern school system does not provide for in your day and age. As far as I'm concerned, the institution is intentionally rigged to set the future generation, aside from the brightest and most driven of the collective, up for failure. Now that I'm the only one left to help provide a future for you, I won't let them taint your bright mind with their delusions and irrelevancies."

I nod. "I can accept that, though I'm sure the government would have words for you if you told them that."

Despite himself, my father laughed out loud, not having expected my response. "Hah, they can be annoyed that I'm not bending over and paying homage all they want, but they don't get to decide how I parent my child." I ignore the clear double entendre in my father's words ‒he doesn't yet need to know I'm that intelligent‒ as he gets up and pats me on the back. "Come on, son, let's get started now. Anything you think you could use for the future?"

"Yeah, can you teach me how to work on cars when I'm not studying or practicing?" One thing I wasn't happy about was that I would have to give up karate, at least for now. I had managed to make it to brown belt, but karate classes are too expensive to go to for literally a decade with zero income, passive or active. Unless you're rich, which ‒while we're well-off as a family‒ we are not. I'd continue practicing my katas as often as possible, but that alone wouldn't be enough to keep up my skill level. Without sufficient sparring practice against people equal to or greater than my skill level, my experience in that regard would slowly degrade. With this in mind, I chose to replace that lost time by learning how to repair my car once I eventually got one.

"Hah, now that I can definitely do! Good on you to realize one of the biggest things you can do to save yourself money in the long run!" My father, now understandably enthusiastic, walks me out to the front of the house, where we head to the garage. "I had to do some work on my radiator anyway, so this is perfect timing!"

I smile lightly as I follow his lead and we grab the tools needed for the job. Maybe, even when it feels like our whole world has come crashing down, there's still a chance to become better people and do bigger things.