"Ahhhh!"
I screamed, staring down at myself. The office was dim, only a sliver of light spilling through the blinds, but it was enough for me to see the disaster… my entire body was naked.
"Maya! My clothes, my towel… anything!" I yelped, trying to hide behind the nearest chair.
The semi-transparent holographic rectangle beside me glowed softly, steady as ever. "Welcome back, Miss Seraphina," Maya said again, tone calm and unbothered, as if I wasn't currently having a crisis.
"I heard you… the first time!" I hissed. "Now help me! Give me something to wear before someone walks in!"
"I'm a system, not a magician," Maya replied matter-of-factly. "Generating physical objects is not part of my function."
I gawked at the floating screen. "But you did give me my attire for the engagement ceremony!"
"No, Miss… the gown and all the accessories were already written in the book," Maya explained, her holographic light flickering faintly. "You naturally assumed that form when you… manifested in that chapter."
I blinked, staring at the floating rectangle. "So… I don't actually choose anything? I just… appear in whatever the story says I should?"
"Correct," Maya replied evenly. "Your body, appearance, and circumstances align with the narrative framework. I facilitate awareness and guidance, not material creation."
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "Perfect. So I'm naked, dependent on story logic, and my all-knowing system friend here refuses to get me a towel."
"Your frustration is noted," Maya said, flickering faintly. "But solving material needs is outside my parameters. I can suggest strategic ways to acquire clothing."
I peeked through my fingers, muttering, "Strategic ways? Like… running around the office hoping no one sees me?"
"Hehe… that's… technically correct, Miss," Maya replied, a hint of amusement flickering in her tone. "You might want to try the second lead's office. There could be something suitable to wear there."
I groaned, sinking to the floor. "Of course. Why would the one place with clothes be somewhere I have to sneak into? This is ridiculous."
Maya's light blinked, almost like it was smiling. "Ridiculous, perhaps. Effective, definitely. Consider it… a trial of stealth and wit."
I pressed my face into my hands again. "I swear, I did not sign up to be a heroine with a side of ninja training."
"Correction, Miss," Maya said calmly, her holographic screen flickering slightly. "You are still… a cannon fodder. But… I wish you could change your destiny." The light pulsed, and a wide smile emoticon appeared on the screen, almost cheerfully mocking.
I groaned. "I didn't know you could be this annoying, Maya." I scrambled to cover myself, one arm across my chest, the other below. "Ugh, I wish I had three hands right now—my… um… butt is practically flashing through the dark!"
"I'm sorry, Miss, but your butt is not flashing at all," Maya replied, voice neutral, as if stating a fact.
I froze. "I… I meant metaphorically!" I waved my arms frantically, face burning. "Metaphorically!"
Maya blinked once, the smile emoticon tilting as if in mild amusement. "Acknowledged, Miss. Metaphor noted."
"Lead the way…" I muttered, still hugging myself as I crept toward the faint light spilling from Lucian's office. My legs felt like jelly, like they hadn't quite remembered how to hold me upright after… well, after everything.
Maya hovered beside me, her semi-transparent screen flickering faintly. "Don't worry Miss, the office is empty at this moment…"
"Empty," I repeated, rolling my eyes. "Obviously, the sky is dark…"
Maya flickered, as if processing my sarcasm. "Confirmation: the sky is indeed dark. Time currently reads 1:07 a.m."
I sighed, dragging a hand down my face. "Thank you… Wait. Did you just say one in the morning?"
"Yes, Miss," Maya replied.
"So… that means I woke up… an hour after I… died?"
Maya's screen dimmed for a moment, the edges pulsing a faint blue. "Approximately fifty-eight minutes and twenty-four seconds, to be exact."
I blinked at her. "Wow. Thanks for the precision. Really makes the whole dying thing sound scientific."
"Would you prefer an estimate?"
"No, Maya, I'd prefer not dying in the first place. It hurts like hell…" I rubbed my arms, feeling the chill of the room bite at my skin. "So… I was gone for less than an hour, and now I'm back. Does that mean I just…what… respawned like some game character?"
Maya's cheerful tone didn't waver. "You could say that, Miss. Though in your case, the mechanics are… unique."
I frowned. "Unique how?"
Her screen flickered again, symbols glitching for a split second before she answered softly, "That part isn't written yet."
My stomach dropped. "What do you mean not written?"
"Exactly what I said," Maya replied, her tone maddeningly calm. "You are alive… but your story is no longer following the script."
"Why?" My eyes widened, almost bulging.
"Because you are supposed to die at chapter fifteen, but then you die at chapter eleven."
My mouth fell open. "Excuse me? Chapter what?"
"Chapter eleven," Maya repeated cheerfully, her screen flashing the number in bold glowing text. "Congratulations, Miss. You've officially broken the timeline."
"I broke the what—?!" I hissed, gripping my head. "Maya, I swear, if this means I just messed up the entire book—"
"Technically," Maya interrupted, "the entire book is now… unstable." The smile emoticon blinked twice, almost apologetically. "But on the bright side, you're still breathing!"
I raised my hand, confused. "Wait… so I'll respawn every time I die, right?" In that split second, my mind completely focused on the thought and I forgot, absurdly, that I was naked.
Maya's screen flickered, her tone calm as ever. "Technically, yes, Miss. Your regeneration is tied to mechanisms beyond your immediate perception. The details are classified… or not yet fully understood even by myself."
I froze, blinking at her. "Not fully understood? You mean… no one really knows how I… come back?
"Affirmative," Maya replied, the emoticon tilting faintly. "You are… anomalous. Even systems monitoring phoenix-type entities cannot predict your rebirth cycle with complete accuracy."
"Okay… one last question," I said, narrowing my eyes. "You said the cannon fodder died in chapter fifteen, right? Why couldn't she respawn? She's a phoenix too, isn't she?"
"Her ashes were thrown into the lake," Maya replied, her tone flat, as if stating an obvious fact. "A phoenix's rebirth relies on the presence of its ashes or a closely bonded object carrying its energy. If the ashes are destroyed, scattered, or otherwise inaccessible, the natural rebirth process cannot occur."
I blinked, trying to process it. "So… if her ashes are gone, she's gone for good?"
"Yes," Maya said, her holographic screen flickering faintly. "Without a material anchor, the cycle breaks. That's why monitoring systems flagged her as permanently deceased."
I swallowed hard, a cold pit forming in my stomach. "Even if she was a phoenix… she… can't come back?"
"Correct," Maya replied.
I looked down at myself, panic and disbelief tangling in my chest. Somehow, I was still here. Somehow, against every rule, I had survived.
"But… how did my ashes end up here?" The thought slipped out before I could stop it.
"I do not believe those were your ashes," Maya replied, her holographic screen flickering softly. "The second male lead froze the entire manor, making ordinary rebirth impossible. For now, you need to focus on the object that carries sentimental value to you… something that can anchor you and pull you back. Fortunately, there must be something like that."
"Okay." I nodded, taking a deep breath, my hand finally closing around the doorknob of Lucian's office. "First things first… find any clothes to cover myself."
But the moment I pushed the door open, the siren blared, shrieking through the empty office like an alarm of doom.
"Oh gosh! Great!"