I opened my eyes and looked around. My vision was blurry, but I could hear people talking. Their voices sounded happy and excited, though I couldn't understand a single word. What was happening? Hadn't I just died?

I died at the age of seventy due to cancer. I could still remember the excruciating pain I endured in my final months and the sweet release that death brought as my salvation. It wasn't that I wanted to leave my loved ones behind, but holding on had become unbearable. My last memory was of my children, a son and a daughter, their faces filled with tears. My wife had passed away a few years earlier. Still, I had lived a decent life and left behind considerable assets, so my kids would be well taken care of.

Back to the present—I was slowly getting my bearings. As I looked around, I found myself in what seemed like an ancient room. There was a massive window with the moon shining through, white curtains fluttering in the night breeze. The ground was made of polished white marble, and I noticed large double doors intricately decorated with mystic patterns. The doors were open, with people bustling in and out hurriedly.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I realized I was lying on something soft, warm, and incredibly comfortable. It was so cozy that I didn't even want to move. I felt a pair of gentle hands patting me, and when I finally mustered the willpower to shift, I looked up and saw a woman.

Perhaps she was an angel, I thought, for she had white hair and striking white eyes. I also realized that the soft surface I was resting on was her chest, her warm embrace making me feel secure. She was looking at me with such a loving gaze that I was momentarily mesmerized. Then, she spoke:

"@%$* &~@$)@) &^#@$"

I couldn't understand a word she was saying.

I tore my gaze away from her and looked around the room. There was an elderly woman standing nearby, along with a burly man who also had white hair and eyes, his expression visibly joyful. A little girl was watching me with a mix of excitement and anticipation. Other people were coming and going, but they didn't seem noteworthy.

I began to understand what might be happening. Was I reincarnated? Or perhaps transmigrated? I was never too good at remembering the right terms. But the key point was that I had somehow been given a second chance at life.

That is, if I was understanding things correctly—and if this wasn't some form of hell.

Suddenly, I realized something else—I was feeling incredibly thirsty.