Code X woke to the blinding sunlight, her eyes blinking as she gazed blankly at the cloudless blue sky. Her entire conversation with the hooded figure felt like a lifetime ago. And even now, although she felt the world so vividly around her, she could barely believe that this was not a mere daydream.
For whatever reason, she was sprawled on all fours, lying flat on the ground. This body felt foreign to Code X, but she didn't care about it right now. All she could think of was that she was alive. And for the first time in years, she wanted to spend a few moments doing nothing other than living.
The little sparrow singing in the tree. The scent of flowers in the air…
She didn't know how long she lay on the floor, but basking without sunscreen under the noon sun was taking its toll. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, sliding into her eyes in stinging pain. Her throat grew parched, protesting for water.
Code X tried to sit up. Her body gave out.
She tried again. And she collapsed once more. It felt as if she had no ounce of muscle.
Sit-ups had been a regular for her workout routine, and her well-defined eight-pack had been her pride. So she had no idea why it was so hard now.
Maybe she was just weak from the encounter with Death, she reminded herself. Or maybe this body that Death had provided her in the past life was not a fan of working out.
Mustering all the strength she could, she propped herself upright with shaky arms. Coughing and feeling every single muscle ache with protest, she struggled to catch her breath.
She tried to bring her arm up to wipe the sweat from her face, but even this was a more challenging task than usual. Looking down, she let out a gasp of horror.
Gone were her slender fingers. Replacing them were wrinkled hands sprinkled with dark spots, so skinny that the green veins were showing from underneath.
Trying to not panic, Code X grabbed at her chests. There was nothing, absolutely no ounce of fat at all, much less her proud full breasts. If anything, this body was a living skeleton, not an extra pound of meat anywhere in sight.
Her breathing grew heavier, the panic sending a course of adrenaline down her bloodstream as she stood up to look for a mirror.
Every frantic step felt weighed down, and although she tried to move as fast as she could, she was hardly walking fast at all. Finally, she stopped in front of a large water-filled jar sitting in the courtyard.
Debating whether to take a look, she prayed that the face would be somewhat comparable to her former one. "No," she reminded herself. "I am happy to be alive and to get a second chance at life. Even if the face is ugly, I should be happy."
But nothing prepared her for the reflection she would see… absolutely nothing at all.
Hollowed cheeks that outlined her bones. Large eye bags that obscured most of her eyes. Snowy hair with the occasional strand of gray. A face full of a maze of wrinkles. Yellowing eyes that lost every bit of their gleam.
She was old. Very old. A grandma that could be expected in a room full of grandchildren, if anything.
She froze, wondering if fate really had a wicked sense of humor after all.
Judging from her surroundings, it appeared to be a classical courtyard set in previous age. And seeing her own outfit, something told Code X that this was for sure no longer in the modern times. When Death mentioned sending her back in time, she had been expecting a few generations ago at most. But this? This seemed to be at least centuries into the past.
Looking at her patched robes, more like rags if anything, she hunted for anything that could identify herself and clarify the situation.
But she had little time to reflect on her current predicament before a short man, more so of a boy than a man really, raced to her, panting as he dropped to the floor. The figure in front of her doubled, as a clone of the little man materialized alongside the actual.
She blinked again, shaking her head as the image of the man reformed properly. "Curse these old eyes," she thought to herself.
"Nanny Rong! The Empress! The Empress wants to speak to you!"