Chapter 2 Regaining Sanity (Part Two)

Being outstanding at work would always invite others' envy and jealousy, especially when people competed for a position that meant greater authority and wealth. And Austin, much as he was remarkable and hardworking, was still not experienced enough to sense that something ominous was about to happen. At a competition against the other Deputy Director for the position of Executive Director, he was framed and brought significant losses to the company.

As a consequence, he not only failed in the competition, but he had been terminated from the company as well.

His bad luck did not stop there. Shortly after, his girlfriend dumped him. Unable to resist the temptation of money, she started to neglect Austin and became acquainted with some wealthy people.

At length, when a rich man offered to move her to the US and promised to get her a green card, she broke up with Austin and became that man's mistress.

Failing in both his career and love, Austin changed overnight. He completely lost his passion for life and sought comfort in alcohol every day. Sometimes, when he was sober, the pain would be so immense that he would crouch in the corner of his room and sob all night.

Something terrible would inevitably happen to him if this wretched state continued. One night, completely inebriated, he left a bar and crossed the road on shaky legs.

A car hit him. All he could remember before he lost consciousness was a shrill sound as the driver hit the brakes and the feeling of his body soaring through the air after the car crashed into him.

He had no idea how much time had elapsed before he woke up. In a daze, Austin heard someone calling him Tin. When he opened his eyes, Austin found himself lying in a bed in a shabby cottage.

All the things in front of Austin seemed like a dream to him. Studying the vulgar man from his head to feet, Austin asked in wonder," Did you just speak to me?" He had a vague feeling that the man looked familiar, though he could not recall where he had met him.

Evan rejoiced when he saw that Austin had woken and was energetic enough to ask him questions. He nodded his head gaily and cried, "Who else would it be? You finally woke up, Tin. I thought you were going to die..." Thinking of death, tears began to trickle down Evan's face again.

Puzzled, Austin rubbed his aching head and asked awkwardly," Who are you? I don't seem to know you.

Ouch! My back!" Austin felt a stream of electrical pricks flowing through his body. His eyes fell on the arm that he tried to stretch and relax after three days of being motionless.

To his astonishment, he felt as though he was looking at a stranger's arm and hand. Startled, he lowered his eyes to study the rest of his body. The clothes he was dressed in were not the clothes he had worn the night of the car accident. And his legs seemed longer while his chest was more muscular.

He held out his hands to feel his face and found that it was more angular and shapelier.

It was clearly the body of a young man, aged fifteen or sixteen years old. But Austin was almost thirty years old. 'How the hell did I change into this? Was I reborn after the car accident?'

As Austin fought to figure things out, the sturdy young man continued," I... I am your friend, Evan. Don't you remember me, Tin? They seem to have hit your head hard. You sound even sillier."

Evan lifted his arm and brushed his ruffled, askew hair with his fingers. He wondered why Tin who was now awake, seemed to be speaking so oddly.

'Unwise as he was, at least Tin had never forgotten me. But now, he doesn't seem to recognize me.

Looking at his reaction, he doesn't seem to recognize himself either. Matias, you bastard! How much harm did you cause Tin?' Evan felt a twist of sorrow and fury in his heart at the thought.

Suddenly, an intolerable pain coursed through Austin's head again. He could not help but hold his head tightly in his hands and scream. The pain was so severe that Austin felt as though his head would explode any minute.

While struggling with the pain, Austin had a distinct, clear view of what was happening in his mind.

He could see that eighteen shiny, glowing balls were battling against each other in his head.

Among them, ten were bigger, and the others were smaller. It was as if two opposing armies that were struggling with each other. The fight between the big and small balls was so fierce that neither side seemed to give up until their opponents were swallowed.

At a subconscious level, Austin felt that the ten larger balls represented his life force.

He felt no particular attachment to the remaining eight smaller balls. They seemed to be despicable intruders, and he felt a certain eagerness to eliminate them.

A thought struck him. Perhaps if the ten bigger balls won, then he would be safe, and his memories would survive and endure.

On the contrary, if the eight smaller balls won, then his spirit would be lost, and he would lose his conviction to live.

After some moments of fierce fighting, the difference in the strength and the weakness of the balls became clearer.

Inferior in both, number and size, the eight smaller balls gradually ran out of power and retreated into a corner.

Huddled firmly with one another, the small balls trembled violently and whined in fear.

Showing no mercy, the ten bigger balls swooped in and swallowed them all in an instant!

The way they conquered the small balls made it seem like the bigger balls were fierce, ruthless predators that were enjoying their victory over their prey.

After devouring the eight smaller balls, the bodies of the ten bigger balls grew. They were about five times bigger than their original sizes now, and they looked even more dazzling and bright.

Sparkling in strong light, they looked like warriors that had returned victorious from their battle.

Relief spread through Austin's heart. It was as if he had just been rescued from a horrible disaster. He drew a deep, luxurious breath of the cool, fresh air of the forest.

Probably because of the battle that had just happened in his mind, in which the bigger balls devoured the smaller balls, Austin began to recall memories of incidents that he had not experienced before.

Through these memories, he learned what had happened to him.

The collision with the car detached Austin's spirit from his body. The accident coincided with another incident where a man was beaten severely by others and rendered unconscious. Somehow, Austin's spirit passed through the tunnel of time and space and drifted into this younger body. The ten bigger balls were Austin's spirit that was trying to occupy that young man's body against his spirit.