A static void.

That's how I would describe the 16 years of life I have lived if I wanted to put it in a poetic way. I was born with a curse, an incurable disease that got me into an hospital in the first few months of my life and kept me there up until now. The room where I slept was all my eyes had ever seen; I knew every single inch of its white walls, all the scratches on the nightstand by the right side of the bed, the exact position of every drop of water that got out of the hardly hygienic bathroom on the other side of the room; I’ll spare the details on how I actually use that bathroom, for everyone’s sake.

The disease I contracted made my body completely useless: I couldn't move, couldn't eat, damned me, I couldn't even breathe without a machine helping me. Reading was the only thing this cursed body of mine was good at, so that's what I had been doing for most of my free time, and I had a LOT of free time. Luckily, my mother brought me a new book every time she came to visit.

She was a young woman, still in her thirties, but the elegant and dignified aura she brought in the room had put under pressure more than one doctor. Her long black hair and piercing eyes that seemed to be made of sheer darkness only helped making her look more menacing. Still, whenever I saw her face, I immediately felt at ease. She had never smiled at me, not even once, but she was the only person that came to talk with me, the only one who knew I existed, the only one who cared about me. Or at least that's what I had always thought.

 That night I couldn’t fall asleep, probably because of the book about Greek and Roman mythology I had just finished reading. I was imagining how beautiful it would be to visit the places where these ancient stories were set, to explore that mythical world full of superb gods and evil monsters, when the door slowly opened.

 I was accustomed to nurses going in and out of my room at any given time, so I didn’t even bother to open my eyes to look at my new guest; instead, I continued my daydreaming session.

I had finally decided it was time for me to actually fall asleep, when I felt a lump in my throat. In an instant all the oxygen was sucked out of my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. No matter how much I tried, there was no air in the mask that was supposed to keep me alive. I desperately opened my eyes and tried to scream for help at the nurse that had entered a few moments before, but the words died in my mouth. My mother, the only person I thought wanted me to be alive, was right in front of me, a beautiful smile crossing her face.

In her right hand was the socket of my breathing machine.

Before I even had the time to process what she had just done, I heard those words, the last words my body would ever listen to: “finally, now I’m free, I’m totally free…”

As life slowly began to abandon my cursed body I felt no pain, no anger. No one wanted me to be alive, no one wanted me to be happy, no one was happy to see me. It is only right, I thought, a useless human being should not bother those who can actually live a full life.

 One single tear dropped from my left eye, along with one last thought: "If only I could have been free too."

I was hurtfully blinded by a POWERFUL LIGHT. Am I in heaven? Wait, how can I be in heaven if I’ve never been in a church?

As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, I noticed I was in a huge wooden room. Well, it can’t be hell either, or this place would be burning like crazy with all this wood. A titanic figure picked me up, and fear made me momentarily forget about the fact that I had just died. A giant?! What is going on here?! The mysterious person started speaking a strange language and, in my confusion, I could only make out one word: “Ignis”. They repeated it so many times I almost thought it was some sort of demonic spell. Yea, a titan who can cast spells. Who am I kidding? This must be some sort of death-dream or something like that.

Once I managed to calm down a bit, I gave the strange creature a proper look and noticed she was a woman. So, she is a giantess, not a giant!

 Right when I was about to ask her where I was a powerful sleepiness took over my body and I slipped in the world of dreams without even realizing it.

I had been reincarnated in another world.

 I still couldn’t believe it, but that was the only possible explanation. In my previous life, I hadn’t read many fantasy books. I had preferred studying history, mythology and geography; but, as much as I can recall, in those stories people were reincarnated with a purpose, like becoming a hero or defeating some evil demon lord. However, I was pretty sure that was not the reason I was there. Am I just being pessimistic? Maybe, but if I really am to become the hero that saves the world, then why the hell am I just a newborn baby?!