It took seven years to regain the memory of my old life, and by then, it was too late for me to stop the tragedy that would be the start of a series of hardships for many people in this world.
I'll start from the beginning so that things make more sense.
I had died in one of the most cliche ways possible in my old life after barely turning twenty years old. I was a college student, and a few too many all-nighters spelled my doom. It's odd to think about how an action like sleep can affect us so much; it can be what decides life and death. We're always told how important sleep is to our survival, but that importance doesn't sink in until you experience the consequences. Unfortunately, the consequences are eternal sleep, and there's only so much you can learn once you're dead other than a detailed decomposition lecture. I won't make that mistake twice.
I remember the last few moments before my death like a video stitched into my soul. Whenever I think about it, it feels like I'm returning to the moment I died. I was taking a break from studying; the thralls of midterms sent me into sleepless days, and with what little time I gave myself to relax, I indulged in one of my favorite pastimes, looking through Danny Phantom wiki pages and fanfics. We all have childhood shows that we never let go of; this was one of mine.
A Danny Phantom season 3 synopsis popped up as a suggestion, and my brain went into overdrive. Since I was a kid, I passionately believed that season 3 did Vlad dirty. They ruined a well-constructed villain and semi-anti-hero, making him a total monster. In seasons 1 and 2, he was a relatable character. He was wronged by people he trusted and felt alone. He always came off as someone who just needed to feel understood truly. Finally, he saw hope; once he learned that Danny was a halfa too. Though I admit he tried to get that connection through the wrong means, here's something to remember. He wasn't the best-adjusted person, especially after his accident. While this doesn't excuse his actions, I feel it gave him a lot of room for redemption. Yet, they went in the opposite direction with his character! They just made him downright heatless, infuriating me to no end! They destroyed all that build-up just because he was too relatable. At least, that's the theory I think is most accurate, but who can say what possessed them to take such a drastic 180 with Vlad's character? I want to rant more, but I'll tell you everything soon. It's no fun when the Iseki puts the main character's life before death before the main story, maybe dedicating two chapters to it and never substantially bringing it up again. It annoys the heck out of me, and I know I can't be the only one.
To finish things off, I suddenly felt tired and cold after fuming for ten minutes. Then, finally, my eyes began to blur, my fingers went numb, and as I rested my head on the desk, I drifted into my eternal sleep……………
Well, not so eternal now that I am thinking about it.
Again, I didn't regain any of my old memories until I was seven years old in this world, so I'll try not to bore you with too many of those seven years. But I'll start you guys off with this. With my new life, I got a new name, Desmond Walker.