Chapter Text
**Chapter 1: The Rebirth of Light**
Darkness engulfed his memories, a void that seemed eternal. Light Yagami was certain he had died, that he had been defeated. He could still feel the agony of his last breath, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, and Ryuk's cold eyes watching him as he sealed his fate with the pen that condemned him. But now... something was different.
A flicker. The sound of pencils scratching paper. And sunlight streaming through the window.
Light's eyes snapped open, his breath ragged. He found himself in his classroom, surrounded by classmates who paid no attention to his distress. Confused, he looked at his hands—intact, steady, with no signs of the suffering he remembered. Everything seemed normal, but he knew it wasn't. His mind was overwhelmed by memories of a tragic fate, memories that couldn't be mere dreams.
"Am I... alive?" he thought, feeling the dizziness of doubt take hold of him.
He looked around. Everything was just as he remembered before finding the Death Note, before his life took a devastating turn. A chill ran down his spine. Confusion dominated him, but little by little his analytical mind began to take control. "Something has happened. This isn't a dream. I died... but here I am."
His attention was drawn to something beyond the confines of the classroom. He turned his head towards the window, and then he saw it. The black notebook, slowly falling, just like that time. The Death Note.
Light remained motionless, watching as that fateful object descended from the sky, and suddenly he understood everything. Somehow, he had been reborn, at the exact point where it all began. The notebook hit the ground with a soft thud, a sound that echoed in his mind like the reverberation of fate.
The class ended, and without saying a word, he got up and left the room, walking slowly toward the spot where the Death Note lay, waiting to be picked up. As he bent down to take it, he felt a mix of revulsion and temptation. The power of that notebook had consumed him before, ruining not only his life but also his humanity.
"Do I really want to go back to this?" He thought about the plan he had followed so fervently, about how his desire to cleanse the world had led him to an uncontrollable obsession. But now, having seen how far that path would take him, he hesitated. "Is it worth it?"
In that moment, his mind drifted to L. That person who, without even intending to, had shaken his world. During their confrontation, Light had begun to feel something deeper. It wasn’t just rivalry; L had been the only one who challenged him, the only one who made him feel alive in a way no one else could. The first human who awakened something in him beyond cold calculation. Something he had never wanted to admit: he loved him.
That belated revelation caused him more pain than anything else. The notebook had destroyed not only his relationship with L, but also with his family, with everything he had once valued. The ideal of absolute justice had blinded him, turning him into a monster.
With a growing sense of nausea, he picked up the Death Note, staring at it. "This is nothing but a tool of destruction." His hand trembled as he held it. The weight of the notebook seemed much heavier now, as if it carried all the suffering and decisions that had torn him apart.
In the end, unable to bear it any longer, he walked to the nearest trash bin. Without a word, he dropped the notebook, watching it disappear into the darkness of the container. A part of him felt relief; another, uncertainty. "Did I do the right thing?" He didn’t know, but he had made a decision.
As he walked away, his mind was still clouded by doubt, but for the first time in a long while, Light Yagami felt that he had a chance to rebuild his life. This time, without the weight of the Death Note.
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The way home felt long and heavy. With every step he took, Light was bombarded by doubts. Had he made the right choice by getting rid of the Death Note? He could still feel the weight of the notebook on his fingertips, as if its essence lingered on him. But beyond that, he felt something deeper, something he had long forgotten: everyday life, the simplicity of what used to be normal.
When he opened the door to his house, the familiar sound of his mother’s footsteps in the kitchen came to him like a distant echo, almost unreal. He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching the scene before him: the warm light of the kitchen, his mother busy with her tasks, and his sister Sayu talking loudly as she studied in the living room.
—Light?—his mother’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts—You’re home early today, everything okay at school?—.
He looked at her. He had seen his mother thousands of times, but never like now, with a mix of nostalgia and guilt. In his previous life, he had ignored her in his quest to build his utopia. Now, after losing everything and being given this second chance, something inside him broke. Without thinking twice, he walked over and hugged her.
—Huh?—His mother stood still for a moment, surprised—What’s going on, Light?—she asked, trying to hide her confusion, though a soft smile appeared on her face.
Light sighed, trying to keep his composure.
—It’s been a while since I hugged you, that’s all—he murmured, not wanting to reveal the true feelings that were crushing him inside.
His mother looked at him tenderly, but before she could say anything, Sayu appeared from the living room, raising an eyebrow.
—What’s up with you, brother? —she asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of concern in her eyes. It was strange to see him act this way, and it unsettled her.
Light observed her for a moment before walking over to her, raising his hand to gently ruffle her hair. Sayu frowned, annoyed but slightly uncomfortable with the unusual gesture.
—Hey, what are you doing? I’m not a kid,—she protested, pushing his hand away.
He just gave her a small smile before patting her on the head. The bitterness still lingered in his chest. He remembered how he had endangered his own family for his mission, how he had been willing to sacrifice everything. Now, with them so close and alive, that memory felt like an open wound that wouldn’t stop bleeding.
—It’s nothing—Light replied in a low voice. — I just felt like doing it—.
Before anyone could continue asking him questions, he went upstairs to his room. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, letting out a long sigh. The feeling of confusion and chaos overwhelmed him. It was as if the weight of two lives was pressing on his mind, crushing any attempt to think clearly.
He let himself fall onto the bed, closing his eyes. Everything had changed. He had once held unimaginable power in his hands, and now he was here, in his room, as if nothing had happened. He turned on the TV, looking for a distraction, but the thoughts kept haunting him. Several channels showed news about crime and politics. Corruption and injustice were still there, just as he remembered.
"Everything is still the same..."
For a moment, his mind wavered. "What if... I took the notebook again? What if this time I did it better?" But immediately that thought was followed by a wave of disgust. No. He couldn’t fall into that trap again. He already knew where that path led: to loneliness, despair, and ultimately, death.
He turned off the TV and sat at his desk, trying to focus on something more trivial: his homework. The contrast was almost ironic. After playing judge and executioner of the world, here he was, doing math exercises.
"This is so absurd..." he thought, staring at the pencil in his hand. However, for the first time in a long while, that absurdity felt almost welcome. Compared to the monster he had become, this was... human.
Even so, the doubts persisted. "What should I do now?" He knew life wouldn’t be easy, nor normal, but maybe, just maybe, there was a way to start over. And although he didn’t have all the answers, he knew one thing: he didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes.
With the sound of the clock marking the passage of time, Light focused on his homework, letting his mind wander through memories, mistakes, and the uncertain future that awaited him.