Whispers and a stir of echoes surrounded Sayko. The blinding lights faded into softer shades of gray as the world came into focus.

As her eyesight returned, she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling that definitely didn’t resemble her own bedroom, let alone a hospital or any medical facility she had ever visited. It was a combination of intricate wood and stone tilework that seemed more fitted in a fantasy setting than reality.

Her gaze shifting downwards, she realized curtains surrounded the bed she was lying in- something that DID resemble a hospital or clinic. The bed itself was extremely plain; the sheets were beige, not particularly soft, but enough to keep a patient warm, the frame supporting the mattress white and unremarkable, with a single pillow to support her head. There was no comfort to any of it, serving only function over form.

Sayko's brain began buffering as it processed her whereabouts, pinching her arm to ensure she wasn’t dreaming. Although her memory felt hazy, like distant islands on the horizon enshrouded in fog, the two things she still had vague recollections of were an explosion that had maimed her, and a dreamlike conversation with a strange being while floating through the stars.

Wiggling her toes and fingers, checking to make sure all her faculties were still intact and responding, she slowly sat up in bed. Although everything seemed to be functioning as it should be, her body felt exceedingly stiff, her limbs somehow weaker and not correctly proportioned like she thought they should be.

Maybe it’s my imagination? Sayko thought to herself, shrugging it off as disorientation after the night she had.

It was at this point that she realized several things about herself were off.

Not only was her hair longer than it should be, let alone braided, but her vision was superb, her hands awkwardly fumbling at her own face to confirm she no longer had glasses on.

Looking down, she noticed that the bed must be fairly high off the ground, because her legs didn’t quite meet the hardwood floors below; or was she maybe somehow shorter? With this, she slowly rose to a standing position, doing a quick double take to ensure there weren’t any IVs in either arm to catch on.

Aside from a nightstand with a notebook on it, there were no medical machines or hospital equipment of any kind to speak of. Not only that, the usual sterile fluorescent lighting and its familiar hum were missing. Instead, there were strange, ornate fixtures that radiated a warm, yellow light that felt vaguely reminiscent of soothing natural daylight.

Trying to take a step forward, she found that her legs were shockingly thin, trembling as she took each step forward. A quick glance around the space for a cane or walker of some kind yielded nothing, with the bed and nightstand being the only objects within reach of the bed. Sighing, she shook her head and gingerly took a curtain in her hand and pulled it to the side as she stepped out into the room beyond.

Scanning the room, she found herself in an artificial corridor between two rows of similar makeshift “rooms” sectioned off via curtains. Although she could hear distant footsteps and conversations, it seemed that no one else was currently in the room, at least, none that were awake. To her right, the path bisecting the rooms lead to a pair of solidly built oaken double doors, to the left, a bay window and what seemed to be a makeshift nurse station that held various supplies and boxes.

Turning her head forward, she parsed the curtains across from hers with a hand, seeing an identical layout as the space she just emerged from. Inside was the same bed and nightstand combo with matching sheets and frame, although this space had a figure lying in the bed.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she crept towards the seemingly sleeping figure, her bare feet barely making a sound on the wood floors. Nearing the patient, she bent down towards their motionless form, searching for signs of life.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The patient appeared to be a woman no older than her early twenties, with long aqua blue hair pulled into a neat side bun to not disturb her head or neck. Her breathing appeared shallow, so soft that Sayko had to put her ear nearly to the woman's mouth to confirm she was still breathing. Despite this, her face seemed healthy, with no signs of distress present whatsoever, a peaceful expression drawn across her face.

Sayko pulled away from the woman, more puzzled than she already was.. She quietly tip-toed out of the space and pulled the curtain back to where it was before to give the sleeping woman some privacy. At this point, feeling a bit lightheaded and her legs quivering, she decided it was time to return to her own bed to sit for a moment.

Laying back on the mattress, she stared at the ceiling once more.The truth began to dawn on her that this body may not be her own, and more important still, neither was this world. The initial haze of waking let her shrug off these glaring issues, but now that some of her mental fog was clearing beneath the sun of a new day, she was having a harder time ignoring the truth.

I vaguely remember a dream that I was going to be reincarnated again!? Am I someone new? Why wasn’t I reborn as a baby!? What the hell is happening?!

About fifty other thoughts questioning her circumstances and whereabouts fired off immediately. Dread and panic filtered into her lungs and heart, swiftly carried away to every corner of her body. Waking up in a ward full of seemingly comatose people made her wonder what was truly real anymore and whether or not she was currently dreaming, or if her life before was the real dream.

However, trying to untangle the increasing jumbled web of thoughts in her mind would have to wait, as her attention snapped back to reality from the sound of one of the double doors opening reached her ears.

After a few seconds, the sounds of a pair of nurses entering the room greeted her, pushing some kind of cart with them as they moved further towards the makeshift station. They were chatting casually, although she couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Paralyzed with indecision of whether to feign sleep or seek their aid, Sayko wrestled with her own indecisive thoughts as to what the appropriate choice should be.

If they’re hostile, they’ll probably figure out I’m not really asleep anyways! I might as well take my chance to get help! Her thoughts racing, frantically trying to commit to a plan of action.

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm her now pounding heart, she stepped off the bed and threw aside the curtain, setting foot into the makeshift corridor once more. Turning to face the nurses, she watched as they turned away from their conversation to the newly awoken patient standing before them, their smiles swiftly fading and being replaced by an expression of shock.

Feeling a lump of pure anxiety swelling inside her throat, she found herself unable to speak, only awkwardly sputtering out a few noises that vaguely resembled words. As she strained to clear her throat in front of the nurses, the world began spinning, dizziness overcoming her as she tried to remain standing confidently in place.

The curtains, the poles supporting them, and everything else suddenly skyrocketed in height as the floor graciously caught her frail body as she landed particularly hard on her right shoulder. Wincing as a sharp pain arced through her upper body, she watched helplessly as one of the nurses leapt forward to carefully shift her onto her back.

“Abby! Grab Matron Lowell and any cleric on duty! Tell them one of the sleepers has arisen! Tell them it’s Celica Lorenz's daughter!”

Nodding, Abby leapt away and ran out of the room, slamming into one of the doors with considerable force as she left.

Turning back towards the girl on the ground who’s eyes now filled with tears, the nurse put a gentle hand onto her cheek and tried to whisper kind words to the girl.

"There, there, sweet girl. Let me make sure it's safe to move you and I'll get you back into bed."

Although the shoulder pain was negligible compared to everything else that had happened, it was the final straw that broke her proverbial camel's back: she really was dead and lost in some foreign world with a frail new body.

Wasn't twelve years of public school plus fifteen years of slowly dying inside working a dead end job not enough punishment?! My only reward was a violent death, why do I have to do it all over again?!

What happened next surprised even Sayko, having lived by the motto of "momma didn't raise a bitch". She had built up every wall possible to prevent herself from feeling too much hurt, wearing it like an armor, yet nothing couldn't stop the pent up emotions from bursting forth.

Against her own will, tears poured down her cheeks and she started to sob.