Alex's consciousness appeared in Raser's body, waking up in Anna's bosom.
The first thing that greeted him was the smooth, soft feeling of her chest. He instinctively placed his hand on her breast and gave them a hard squeeze, his face still between her breasts.
The feeling of weight from his lungs considerably reduced. Though his chest still felt a little heavy, the previous difficulty in breathing due to fluid had significantly decreased.
His neck, mouth, and nostrils were clear. He took a large breath, experiencing a euphoric feeling, as if addicted to air.
Previously, he had been receiving very little due to blockages in his respiratory system, but now that the drainage had cleared, the sensation of weightless air caused him to sniff hungrily.
The scent of roses permeated his nose.
Anna's heart raced, pounding against her ribcage. The sudden revival of the young man, whom she had just confirmed as dead, left her momentarily shocked.
Her eyes widened, pupils dilating with a mixture of fear and disbelief, yet there was a certain degree of familiarity in this extraordinary situation.
"Again?" Anna mumbled. "What the hell are you doing!? If this is a prank, stop it!" then throwing him.
She took a breath and worry filling her heart, her hands shaking in anxiety as she spoke with a stuttering voice, "Is-is everything okay? L-Let's check your vitals. How are you feeling now?"
Alex gained his senses. "I can do it again, but can you please calm down?"
Hearing Raser's words, Anna turned fearful.
"No, no, don't do it. Just rest for now."
_Why the hell am I so calm?. I need to know about this boy—his date of birth, the country he lives in, name, the city, the name of his father and mother _Alex thought.
"Anna, listen carefully. Can you tell me the name of this country? Do you know my birthday? My parents—do you know anything about them? Please tell me in detail."
Suddenly, his vision turned blurry. He yelled, "I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME."
"Countries, what are they?" Anna, absorbed his words. Her eyes betrayed a mixture of fear and curiosity.
"Anna , a country is a place where a certain group of people live under the same banner, in the name of nationalism."he explained in hurry..
"You mean country like zones?"
"Shit, fuck!" Raser body fell into Anna's bosom, who quickly dodged his incoming figure, causing the body to fall on the ground.
Thud!!
She had learned her lesson previously and had no wish to repeat her mistake.
****
Alex opened his eyes in his world earth, his head resting on the keyboard. Moving back, taking the edge of the chair, he stared at the screen blankly—without any word, without any movement—as if contemplating the choices to escape his sudden demise.
*Cough.*
The occasional coughing reminded him of his eventual death; if his guesses were right, this might be his last time appearing in this body.
The word he had heard from Anna echoed in his mind...
_What did she mean by "zones" instead of "country"? Does that mean Anna and Raser are in another world?_
He often imagined scenarios of transmigration or reincarnation, but it was nothing more than a momentary false wish—born out of the surge of dopamine that comes after watching a movie where we often envision ourselves as heroes.
But everyone knows better; that was just to make our lives easier, using the protagonist's cheat ability to do our chores, like shooting webs to close the door, flying high to reach the school, and becoming invisible to cheat in exams or peek at a crush or maybe steal some money from the bank.
Everyone desires these aspects of the protagonist, not his struggle.
Who would want to endure the third-degree torture that the main character often goes through to gain power?
*Cough.*
The philosophical thoughts, blocked by a cough, reminded him of the severity of his condition that had turned from bad to worse.
"Am I crazy?" his expression showed that just producing these three simple words had taken a toll on his very being.
*Cough.*
Alex vision was blurry, like a veil of water had shrouded his eyes, blocking his sight from clearly seeing anything.
The screen in front of him turned unreadable, the words appearing jumbled up.
*Cough.*
"Sirika, one last message for my mom."
The virtual assistant responded, its mechanical voice carrying a cute, innocent tone, [What would you like the message to say?]
"Hello, Mom, it's been a hectic day. Or rather, I should say a night," he said in a self-deprecating laugh, interrupted by a *cough*.
"Dad, I am sorry for not living up to your expectations,"
*cough*.
Alex remembered the days when his father supported him at every step of life, and how his mother cheered for him from behind.
"You both are the best parents a child can have."
*Cough*.
"I love you both... and yeah, also *cough* tell brother he can have my PS5."
The flashes of Alex time with his younger brother played in front of him, displaying the banter, the fights, and how he also supported him in his life, just as he did the same.
"I don't know what to say."
*Cough* *cough* *cough*.
Multiple topics surged in Alex mind, like what he wanted to tell his best friend, his teacher. Alex wanted to tell them about his life, describe his parents' roles in it as the firm roots of a tree. Alex wanted to explain how his brother was like a flower, how his ex was a thorn, how his crush was a sweet fruit.
He wanted to share stories of his life and learn about his parents' lives when they were toddlers, but alas, he didn't pick any of those. Instead, he grabbed the most important thing...
"And my browser search history.*"
*Cough*.
"It's for research purposes; I would have cleared it. But *Cough* *cough* I can't see."
"I can't move."
*Cough*.
"I can't breathe."
"It's like someone is choking me."
*Cough*.
"I am afraid."
His coughing stopped.
The room filled with sinister silence, the air from the fan flowed calmly, echoing in the entire room. The dim glow from the laptop screen fell on Alex, illuminating his pale white skin. His eyes opened wide, devoid of life, his pupil failing to give his face any light.
[Message sent. ]
The overwhelming weight of his unspoken words hung in the air, increasing the emptiness that engulfed the place as his consciousness faded away.
****
Alex's eyelids moved up, revealing eyes full of life and enthusiasm. The light revealed the familiar ceiling he had witnessed before from Raser's body.
"So! I come back," he said, even though he wanted to just murmur. Unknowingly, his voice echoed in the entire nurse's room, then reached Anna, who sat beside him.
"Yes, you did, Raser. You again came back from death."
He turned toward the voice, already aware that it could be none other than sweet, innocent " Anna, the nurse."There was happiness in her demeanor upon seeing the familiar event she had only encountered once in her life.
He ignored her, standing up from the bed.
"Ah..." Inhaling and then exhaling, he realized his entire body had become healthy. Almost like an athlete, he could even discern that Anna had changed her scent from rose to cherry.
"Thank you for your help," he said, Anna moved her red hair locks behind her ear, her eyes brimmed with curiosity.
"Are you an invocar?" she asked.
Alex stared at her silently without any word, without any gesture, and answered,
"I don't know."
He didn't have the curiosity to understand the meaning behind 'Invocar.' He was also not in the mood to learn about this new world. He ignored Anna and exited the room.
He wanted to walk indefinitely.
He wanted to calm his messy mind.
He wanted to block his distressing thoughts.
He wanted to be just... Alone..