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Chapter 1: I Died Hungry. This Feels Personal.

Some people die saving lives. Some die peacefully in their sleep. And then… there's me. Died because of hunger. I’m Kazuki Mwansa. Seventeen. Introverted. Too careful for my own good. I hate drama. I love horror movies. But I didn’t think I’d be cast as the main character in one. --- It was just a regular Zambian afternoon. Sun blazing. Dust everywhere. I was heading home from school when hunger hit me. Naturally, I stopped for a shawarma near Kamwala and a cold orange Fanta. Holding my treasure, I started across the infamous footbridge. You know the one—held together by hope and rust. Then it happened. I stepped on one of the metal plates. CRACK. It gave way beneath me. “Huh—?” I didn’t even have time to scream. One second I was upright. The next, I was falling. Midair. Confused. Then— BAM. Hit by a speeding car. The world flipped. Glass shattered. I hit the ground like a badly thrown tomato. People screamed. I couldn't move. My Fanta rolled away, untouched. Is this it? Is this how I die? Like this? I didn’t even take a bite… I never kissed anyone. I’m dying a virgin? This is— “Do you want revenge?” “Do you want a second chance?” “Do you want to rewrite your fate, Lushomo?” …Who? “Wait—who’s Lushomo? You’ve got the wrong guy.” A light appeared above me, shining like a portable sun. A glowing man in a white robe floated down like he was late to a wedding. “I am Lumino,” he declared. “You, Lushomo, have been chosen. A second life awaits. A world with no rules, no systems, no explanations. Just survival. Do not waste it.” “Sir, this is Kazuki. Not Lusho—” FLASH. Everything vanished. --- I woke up to the sound of murmuring voices. Then— THWACK! Something hit my head. “WENA! You daydreaming or what?” someone muttered. I sat up, heart pounding. Desks. Students. A whiteboard. A teacher writing notes. I was in a in some sort of school. But something was wrong. My hands… were bigger? My clothes fit weird. I didn’t recognize anyone. I looked around. No one stared at me like I didn’t belong. Like this was… normal. Except it wasn’t. Not for me. My heart raced. I checked my reflection in the window. That wasn’t my face. That wasn’t my body. I was in someone else’s skin. Whoever Lushomo was… …I think I’d just taken his place. --- To be continued…

Chapter 1: I Died Hungry. This Feels Personal.

Chapter 1: I Died Hungry. This Feels Personal.

Some people die saving lives. Some die peacefully in their sleep. And then… there's me. Died because of hunger. I’m Kazuki Mwansa. Seventeen. Introverted. Too careful for my own good. I hate drama. I love horror movies. But I didn’t think I’d be cast as the main character in one. --- It was just a regular Zambian afternoon. Sun blazing. Dust everywhere. I was heading home from school when hunger hit me. Naturally, I stopped for a shawarma near Kamwala and a cold orange Fanta. Holding my treasure, I started across the infamous footbridge. You know the one—held together by hope and rust. Then it happened. I stepped on one of the metal plates. CRACK. It gave way beneath me. “Huh—?” I didn’t even have time to scream. One second I was upright. The next, I was falling. Midair. Confused. Then— BAM. Hit by a speeding car. The world flipped. Glass shattered. I hit the ground like a badly thrown tomato. People screamed. I couldn't move. My Fanta rolled away, untouched. Is this it? Is this how I die? Like this? I didn’t even take a bite… I never kissed anyone. I’m dying a virgin? This is— “Do you want revenge?” “Do you want a second chance?” “Do you want to rewrite your fate, Lushomo?” …Who? “Wait—who’s Lushomo? You’ve got the wrong guy.” A light appeared above me, shining like a portable sun. A glowing man in a white robe floated down like he was late to a wedding. “I am Lumino,” he declared. “You, Lushomo, have been chosen. A second life awaits. A world with no rules, no systems, no explanations. Just survival. Do not waste it.” “Sir, this is Kazuki. Not Lusho—” FLASH. Everything vanished. --- I woke up to the sound of murmuring voices. Then— THWACK! Something hit my head. “WENA! You daydreaming or what?” someone muttered. I sat up, heart pounding. Desks. Students. A whiteboard. A teacher writing notes. I was in a in some sort of school. But something was wrong. My hands… were bigger? My clothes fit weird. I didn’t recognize anyone. I looked around. No one stared at me like I didn’t belong. Like this was… normal. Except it wasn’t. Not for me. My heart raced. I checked my reflection in the window. That wasn’t my face. That wasn’t my body. I was in someone else’s skin. Whoever Lushomo was… …I think I’d just taken his place. --- To be continued…

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