Cold. Too cold. Why is it so cold? Where am I? Who am I?
Wait a minute—I know who I am. I'm still me, Noah. At least I hope I am. So what is this, a dream or something? My memory is coming back now. Everything is pitch black, by the way. I don't know why I can't open my eyes. Yeah, probably just a dream. Wouldn't be the strangest one I've had.
"One more? In the middle of October? These people are absolutely abominable! Oh, you poor thing, you're so cold! Let's get you warm, my dear. What's that? Noah? So that's your name, you little pumpkin. Well, at least they gave you a name. Parents of the century, for sure." A woman's voice dripped with frustration and sarcasm.
Well, this dream is more interesting than I thought. Good job, subconscious—you're really outdoing yourself.
My vision is slowly returning, I think. I remember reading that babies don't really start seeing clearly until after a week, which would mean I'm about a week old. This feels way too real for a dream. The last thing I remember from my previous life was the ground shaking violently and a concrete column falling toward me. Did I actually die? And now I'm a baby... maybe reincarnation is real?
Ha! HAHAHAHAHA!
Reincarnation? What am I even thinking? That kind of thing only happens in fantasy novels. The most logical explanation is that I'm in a coma, and this is all some elaborate brain-generated scenario. Well, I just hope the hospital doesn't pull the plug on me. Being an orphan was hard enough the first time around, you know. At least I lived in a country with decent healthcare. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade—even if those lemons come with a side of existential crisis. Dream or not, here I come.
(Five years later)
Well, apparently reincarnation isn't just fiction after all. Either that, or my subconscious is a far better storyteller than any author I've ever encountered. I never had the chance to read the Game of Thrones books in my previous life, and wow—they're incredible. Same goes for the Star Wars Legends series.
But here's the really important part: I'm a certified genius now. And I mean way smarter than I was before, which is saying something. I just won an academic prize for a book I wrote on advanced mathematics. Did I mention I'm five years old? I'm FIVE! And somehow, nobody thinks this is remotely strange.
Seriously, come on people! I was half-expecting to have fallen into the world of My Hero Academia or something, but nope—just plain old 21st century Earth. Well, looking on the bright side, this could've been the Berserk universe, or Doom, or Emperor-help-us-all, Warhammer 40K.
The silver lining? It's still 2005, and I have perfect knowledge of future stock trends. Oh yes, my financial genius is about to absolutely demolish Wall Street. Thank God I was such a nerd in my past life, because I'm going to be FILTHY RICH!
(Ten years later)
I just finished negotiating a deal with the President of the United States of America, and it wasn't even the most surprising thing I accomplished today. God, I love being a genius.
What kind of deal, you ask? Well, I've always been fascinated by space exploration—like every kid with half a brain—and now I'm finally going there. That's right, I just secured a trillion-dollar budget for a manned mission to Mars. The Red Planet, here I come!
Oh, and I also invented a revolutionary new rocket fuel that's tremendously safer, cheaper, and more energy-dense than anything currently in use. It could completely transform the oil industry, but I don't feel like picking a fight with that particular lobby just yet. Wars are expensive and wouldn't provide any real strategic advantage since the government now knows how to manufacture the fuel themselves. Maybe later—right now, it's time to fly, baby!
"Elizabeth! I got the funding! Tell the team we're going to Mars!" I called out excitedly to my dear friend and secretary, Elizabeth. She's been with me since our orphanage days, and she's a brilliant mind in her own right. She's also absolutely stunning, though she's never accepted any of the countless romantic proposals she receives. Maybe she's just not interested in men—or maybe she has impossibly high standards.
I immediately threw myself into rocket construction, with the full backing of NASA behind the project. This was now a matter of national prestige, and they spared no expense. We started with the blueprints, which took weeks of meticulous design and revision, then moved on to scale models and countless iterations. Being human, we made our fair share of mistakes along the way, causing delays, but eventually our rocket design was ready for full-scale construction.
Day by day, our iron colossus rose from the launch pad. This was classified as a black project—the government wanted the launch to serve as both a shock to the world and a demonstration of American technological supremacy. I didn't particularly care about the politics as long as they kept the funding flowing, which they had to if they wanted access to my other innovations. I also revolutionized every other aspect of the mission, from the food systems to the spacesuits themselves. Most of NASA's equipment was still using technology from the 1960s—seriously, it's 2016, people!
According to our timeline, we'd begin testing in October 2017, and if everything went smoothly, I'd become the first human being to set foot on Mars on July 4th, 2018.
This was going to be incredible.
(One year later)
My beautiful, majestic rocket was finally complete. I christened her Hermes, inspired by Andy Weir's The Martian—though the mythological connection to the messenger of the gods didn't hurt either. My Hermes stood thirty meters tall, with only half of that height devoted to fuel storage. The remainder housed all the equipment and raw materials needed to establish the foundation of humanity's first Martian base. Just the foundation, mind you—I'm far too valuable to be stranded up there for an extended period.
I'm proud of all my inventions, but this rocket represented nothing short of a technological miracle. Consider the scale: the Saturn V stood over 100 meters tall and barely managed to reach the Moon. My destination was nearly a thousand times more distant, yet I'd achieved it with a fraction of the size.
Conclusion: I am absolutely amazing.
As the months flew by, the rocket systems underwent final preparations for flight. I could barely contain my excitement. Mars—I was actually going to Mars! I would be the first human being in history to set foot on another planet.
Finally, launch day arrived. The crew consisted of myself, Elizabeth, and my old friend Arthur, with the entire Houston ground control team providing mission support. The only real challenge would be the communication delay—roughly twenty minutes each way due to the finite speed of light—but we'd find ways to work around it.
"Five!" "Four!" "Three!" "Two!" "One!" "Launch!"
The launch proceeded flawlessly as we broke free from Earth's gravitational embrace. Even with my revolutionary rocket design, the journey to Mars would take several weeks, meaning Arthur, Elizabeth, and I would be confined together in relatively close quarters. I noticed Elizabeth had been blushing almost constantly since we boarded—I hoped she wasn't coming down with something. She seemed to be showing all the classic signs of being in love. I wondered who the lucky guy was; she truly was magnificent.
I spent the transit time binge-watching television series and publishing several research papers. Thanks to our constant acceleration providing artificial gravity, life aboard the ship felt remarkably normal. Arthur and Elizabeth initially tried challenging me to various games, but I proved so consistently superior that they eventually gave up in frustration.
As our entertainment options dwindled, we finally reached our destination. The retro-thrusters fired to slow our descent, and we braced ourselves for landing.
And there it was: Mars. The Red Planet in all its alien glory.
I maintained an outwardly calm demeanor, but internally I was practically vibrating with excitement. I was about to inscribe my name in the annals of human history with letters of pure gold. The words I was about to speak would echo through the decades, possibly even centuries.
I had rehearsed this moment countless times, and I was ready. The pressurized airlock cycled open, and my boots made contact with the rust-colored Martian regolith.
"Today, mankind finally outgrows its cradle. Today, standing on the shoulders of giants, we pierce through the sky we once called home and reach beyond the stars themselves. As Neil Armstrong declared half a century ago: 'That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.'"
Twenty minutes later, the cheers from Earth reached us through the communication system. Arthur and Elizabeth followed me onto the planet's surface. With Mars' gravity at only 40% of Earth's, movement felt surprisingly light and effortless—not quite the bouncing gait we'd experience on the Moon, but definitely easier than terrestrial locomotion. We methodically unloaded our cargo and collected geological samples. My newly designed spacesuits incorporated diving suit technology, leaving our faces completely visible through the transparent faceplates.
As our work day concluded, we paused to witness something truly spectacular: a Martian sunset, tinted blue by the planet's unique atmospheric composition. My eyes met Elizabeth's through our helmet visors, and suddenly I felt like the biggest fool in the solar system. Actually, I was the biggest fool in the solar system. I was in love with her—had been for years—and she clearly felt the same way. It had taken leaving Earth entirely for me to finally recognize what was right in front of me. Brilliant deduction skills, worthy of mankind's supposedly greatest genius.
Well, better late than never.
"Elizabeth... will you be my girlfriend?"
She froze at my words. So did I. Before she could respond, Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt this moment, but Noah... you're still broadcasting on the general communications channel." Both Elizabeth's face and mine turned crimson beneath our helmet visors. I had just confessed my love live on international television, probably reaching every corner of the globe with internet access. SHIT!
"Yes," Elizabeth whispered, so quietly I could barely hear her through the comm system.
"Could you please repeat that?" I had to ask—her voice was almost inaudible.
"YES! I will absolutely be your girlfriend!" she practically shouted. A tsunami of pure happiness crashed over me. So this was what love felt like—strange and wonderful and completely overwhelming in the best possible way. I pulled her into an embrace. Our bulky spacesuits prevented any kissing, but that could wait. I had already mortified myself in front of the largest possible audience, so what did I care at this point? Let them watch—I had a girlfriend now.
The lone genius was lone no more.
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AN: Hello again and here is the origin story of Noah Light. I know this is kinda late but I changed a lot of things so I delayed it a bit. This and the next chapter will be the things that made Noah Noah. Anyway have a freat day my friends and good night to all