Little Baby Steps

Chapter 1

Luke’s eyes snapped open, and the first thing that filled his vision was the sky—an endless, rich blue stretching far above him, dotted with large, soft clouds that drifted lazily as if they had nowhere important to be. For a few seconds, he didn’t move. He simply stared, his mind blank, as though it hadn’t quite caught up with the fact that he was awake. A gentle breeze passed through the area, cool and refreshing, brushing against him in a way that felt almost deliberate. It slipped through his hair like careful fingers, soothing and familiar, like the comforting touch of someone who cared. The sensation settled something deep within him, a quiet calm that he hadn’t experienced in a very, very long time. It was strange—too peaceful, too gentle—and yet he didn’t want it to stop.

He remained like that for a while, just breathing and staring upward, before finally deciding to move. Slowly, with effort, Luke tried to raise his upper body from the ground. It should have been simple. It was simple—something he had done countless times before without a second thought. But the moment he pushed himself even slightly, a sharp, overwhelming pain shot through him. It was sudden and violent, like a bolt of lightning tearing through his entire body. His breath hitched, and before he could even react, his muscles locked up completely. He froze in place, unable to move, unable to do anything except endure it. The pain lingered for a few agonizing seconds before finally fading, leaving him limp and shaken.

“…What… was that…?” he muttered weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.

After a moment, he tried again, slower this time, more cautious. But as soon as he attempted to move, the pain returned—stronger, sharper, as if punishing him for trying again. It tore through him even worse than before, doubling in intensity and forcing another gasp from his lips. His body seized once more, refusing to obey him. That was enough. Luke gave up and let himself fall back onto the soft grass beneath him, breathing unevenly as he stared back up at the sky.

“Okay… bad idea… definitely a bad idea…”

He stayed still after that, not daring to test his limits again just yet. The grass beneath him was soft, almost unnaturally so, cushioning him in a way that felt more like a bed than the ground. The quiet around him was equally strange. No distant hum of traffic, no faint buzz of electronics—just the sound of wind brushing through leaves and the occasional rustle of something moving far off in the distance. It was peaceful… but unfamiliar.

With nothing else to focus on, his thoughts began to drift.

Memories of his old life slowly resurfaced, filling the silence. Luke had been just an average twenty-five-year-old man, living a life that wasn’t particularly exciting, but not entirely miserable either. He worked long hours for a company he didn’t care much about, pulling twenty-hour shifts that left him drained more often than not. The only way he managed to push through those exhausting days was by downing cup after cup of strong coffee, each one keeping him going just a little longer. It wasn’t a life he had dreamed of, but it was the one he had.

“…Yeah… sounds about right…” he murmured to himself.

Even so, he hadn’t hated it. Not really. There were small things—simple things—that made it bearable. In the little free time he had, which was usually no more than four hours, he found ways to enjoy himself. He would practice his art, lose himself in movies, or sit down and write fan-made stories based on shows he had loved as a child. Those moments, brief as they were, meant something to him. They gave him a sense of freedom, a chance to reconnect with a part of himself that the world often tried to bury.

His dad had been the same way. Back when Luke was younger, he never quite understood why his father would spend time doing things that seemed so… childish. But now, he got it. There was something comforting about those activities—something that made you feel lighter, younger, as if the weight of responsibility didn’t press down quite as hard. It was a small escape from reality, but it was enough.

“There was that one show…” Luke mumbled, his brow furrowing slightly as he tried to recall it. “I was gonna rewatch it…”

He had been looking forward to it, actually. It had been one of the few things he was genuinely excited about. All he had to do was get through his shift, clock out, and finally sit down to watch it again.

But that never happened.

The memory hit him suddenly, like a jolt.

He had been sitting at his desk, staring at his screen, going through the motions of another long shift. And then—pain. A sharp, crushing pain in his chest that came out of nowhere. It had been intense, unbearable, like his heart was being squeezed tighter and tighter with every passing second.

“…Ah,” he whispered, his eyes widening slightly.

That was it.

That was how it ended.

The pain had only gotten worse from there, spreading through his body until it felt like everything inside him was about to burst. He remembered struggling to breathe, his vision blurring, his thoughts scattering. And then… nothing.

Silence.

Darkness.

“…So I died,” Luke said quietly, the words leaving his mouth with an odd sense of acceptance.

It should have been terrifying to admit something like that, but strangely, it wasn’t. He didn’t feel panic or regret. If anything, there was a faint sense of peace. His life hadn’t been perfect, but he had made the most of what he had. In his own way, he had been content.

“…Guess that’s not the worst way to go,” he added with a faint, dry chuckle.

His thoughts slowly faded as his attention returned to the present. Carefully, he began to move again—this time not trying to sit up, but simply turning his head. To his surprise, the pain from earlier was gone. Completely gone. Encouraged by this, he moved a little more, testing his limits, and found that his body responded without resistance.

“…Huh… that’s new.”

With growing curiosity, he began looking around, taking in his surroundings for the first time. What he saw immediately struck him as… different. The world around him was far more vibrant than anything he remembered. The colors were brighter, richer, almost exaggerated. The leaves on the trees were a vivid green, each one standing out clearly, while the bushes seemed fuller and more defined than they should have been. Everything had a kind of smoothness to it, like it had been drawn rather than grown.

“…Why does this look so… weird?” he muttered.

There was something oddly familiar about it, though. Something that tugged at the back of his mind, just out of reach. He couldn’t quite place it, no matter how hard he tried.

As his gaze wandered, something else caught his attention—a small pile of wood lying a short distance away. Next to it was something else… something that didn’t quite look right. It was a shape, a form, but from where he was lying, he couldn’t make out the details clearly.

“…What is that?”

Curiosity pushed him to move again. This time, when he tried to get up, his body responded without pain. Relief washed over him as he slowly lifted himself and began to move forward. At first, everything seemed fine. But as he took a few steps, a strange feeling crept in.

Something was off.

“…Why does this feel so weird?” he said under his breath.

His movements didn’t feel natural—at least, not in the way he remembered. The way his body shifted, the way his weight distributed itself—it all felt… wrong. Even something as basic as walking felt unfamiliar, as if his body wasn’t built for it anymore.

He took a few more steps, frowning as discomfort grew.

“This isn’t right…”

The sensation became more noticeable the longer he continued. Walking on two legs felt awkward, unbalanced, like he was forcing his body into a position it didn’t want to maintain. A faint strain began to build, like a cramp threatening to form.

“…Okay, nope.”

Without thinking, he dropped down onto all fours.

The change was immediate.

“…Oh,” he said, blinking in surprise.

It felt… better.

Not perfect—but better. More stable. More natural.

“…Why does this feel normal?” he questioned, a hint of confusion creeping into his voice.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it, though. As he began moving forward again, it quickly became clear that this wasn’t going to be easy. Each step was clumsy, uncoordinated. His limbs didn’t move the way he expected them to, and more than once, he tripped over himself and stumbled forward into the grass.

“Seriously…?” he groaned after one particularly awkward fall.

There was no one around to witness his struggle, which was the only small comfort he had at the moment. Pushing himself back up, he tried again. And again. Each attempt was just a little better than the last. Slowly, he began to figure it out—how to shift his weight, how to move each limb without throwing himself off balance.

“…Okay… I think I’m getting it…”

It wasn’t graceful. Not even close. But it was progress.

With each shaky step, he inched closer to the pile of wood and the strange shape beside it, his curiosity growing stronger with every passing moment. Whatever was waiting there, he was determined to find out.

Even if everything about this situation felt completely, utterly wrong.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***