A New Life in Eleceed

How the hell did I get into this mess?

That was the only thought running through my head as I crouched behind a makeshift barricade, my rifle gripped tightly in my hands. The bitter cold of Belarus bit into my skin through my fatigues, but the heat of battle burned hotter. Gunfire crackled like fireworks in the distance, the sound of artillery shaking the earth beneath me. The air was thick with smoke, blood, and the stench of burning metal.

I should've seen this coming.

The moment I was born into a military family, my fate was sealed. There was no escaping it. My grandfather, my father, my uncles, my older brothers—hell, even my mother had served. And those who had retired? They moved on to politics, pushing the same agenda. Discipline. Duty. Honor. There was no room for personal ambition, no space for rebellion. My choices had been made for me the second I took my first breath atleast I had fun in managing one of the family businesses that we had.

I never wanted this.

And yet, here I was, in the middle of World War III, fighting in the European theater because the fucking CCP had decided to invade Taiwan. That set off a chain reaction—Russia jumped in, Europe fell into chaos, Iran also attacked Israel turning the middle east into a warzone, and the U.S. had no choice but to get involved.

Because of course it did.

This was history repeating itself, except this time, I was one of the unlucky bastards stuck on the frontline instead of reading about it in a textbook.

Why couldn't I have been born after World War III? I thought bitterly as I adjusted my helmet. If I had, I could've skipped this whole mess and lived in a world where the nations had finally learned their lesson, where humanity made a united federation like in star trek then discover space travel and find out that we're not alone in this fucking universe. But no, fate had a sick sense of humor, and it had dumped me right in the middle of hell. The meme 'Born just in time and Born too soon' is a reality slap to my face.

A sharp yell cut through the air.

"The Russians are advancing!" someone shouted, panic lacing their voice.

My body moved on instinct, honed by years of drills, training, and expectations. I braced myself, rifle raised, eyes scanning the battlefield. Shadows moved in the fog, silhouettes of enemy soldiers pushing forward.

"Missile incoming!"

Oh, fantastic. What a way to go.

I barely had time to process the words before I spotted the missile. It was coming in fast, way too fast. My first thought? Well, at least I won't have to file any more paperwork. My second thought? Damn it, I never got to play GTA VI! It's now 2027, yet they still haven't released the fucking game.

Time slowed, and I reflected on my life choices. Maybe I should've run away and become a fisherman. Or a baker. Or a professional napper. Yeah, that last one sounded nice.

The missile got closer. I had about two seconds left. Maybe three if I was lucky.

Is this really how I go? I wanted to scream at the universe. I survived years of training, insane drills, my drill sergeant screaming in my face for hours—and I die because some asshole with a launch button decided today was my turn?

The explosion hit. My last words? Not some epic monologue or a heart-wrenching farewell.

"You sons of bit—!"

Boom.

Pain. Then nothing. Just darkness.

And silence.

----

The void was... odd. Neither hot nor cold. Neither light nor dark. It was nothing, and yet, I existed.

"Well, you certainly went out with a bang."

A voice echoed around me, smooth and amused. I turned—well, mentally turned, since I didn't exactly have a body anymore—and saw a figure lounging on what could only be described as a cosmic couch. A Reality Overseeing Being, or ROB, as fiction had taught me to call them.

"Great, I'm dead and meeting a divine couch potato," I muttered.

The ROB chuckled. "Not quite. You've been selected for reincarnation. Congratulations, you're going to the Eleceed universe."

My mind screeched to a halt. Eleceed? As in, awakeners, Kayden, and a ridiculous amount of OP people?

"And because I'm generous, you get one wish," ROB continued, grinning. "Choose wisely."

I thought for a moment before my inner anime fan kicked in. "Can I have the powers of Aokiji's ice fruit?"

ROB tilted his head. "Sure, but you won't get the Logia intangibility. No haki in Eleceed means no phasing through attacks."

I frowned. "What if I can still perform Logia intangibility as a skill not as a passive one, and that it would have an energy cost? So I can't abuse it. How about that?" I reasoned out with myy experience in business negotiation kicking in.

ROB considered this, then smirked. "Fine. That's actually interesting. Deal."

"Wait, wait, wait," I said quickly. "Can I also have a breath taking talent for music? I've aspired to be one back then but my circumstance didn't allow me to?" I asked with a sad voice. Trying to tug his heartstring if he have one in the first place.

The ROB raised an eyebrow but sighed. "Sure, why not."

Before I could say anything else, he waved a hand. "Enjoy your new life, Rheon Lee."

Suddenly, I was yanked away, light filling my vision. Then, pain. Pressure. Oh shit—

I tried to hold off from crying.

I realize that I had just been born.

Through blurry eyes, I saw my mother's face—Asian features, warm eyes filled with exhaustion and love. Voices murmured around me, words I couldn't understand yet. With the lights and voices I kept hearing around me my senses gets overwhelmed.

Then I wailed like a proper newborn.