In a crystal-lit cave, a girl with short pink hair, wearing a white hoodie and jeans, faced a man with tan skin and a crew cut; a gun lay between them.
The girl, Wyatt, dove for the gun, but her opponent, Dios, having a speed ability, got to it first and jumped to his feet while Wyatt collided with the ground. The bullet tore through Wyatt's skull, her eyes wide open as she stared at the man whom she had helped rise to power using her healing ability. Standing at Dios's side was Wyatt's older sister, a gentle woman with ivory skin and long, slightly curly pink hair that reached the middle of her back.
"Is this bitch dead?"
Dios kicked Wyatt's lifeless body and murmured a gentle. "Mhm."
Emma, Wyatt's sister, flipped Wyatt's corpse on its back and held a green crystal over Wyatt's heart. Emma's lips twitched. The witch told her that this gem could steal others' abilities if placed near them as they took their final breath.
Observing the dull colour, Emma sighed.
"It didn't work?" Dios asked.
"No. She died too fast."
Dios said, "We'll steal another ability for you. Sorry, I ruined your plans. If I hadn't reacted quickly, she might have killed me instead."
Emma touched Dios's cheek. "It's okay. What matters is you're safe. Besides, she was planning to leave our team and steal our cash. She got what she deserved."
*
Wyatt's entire body was hurting. There was a burning in her chest like fire was devouring her from the inside out. Her skin was bathed in sweat, which helped to cool her down. Was this what death felt like? Had she been so evil that God sent her to hell? She panted. When the pain abated, Wyatt opened her eyes. She was in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by flames.
Her heart raced. Did the world want her to die twice in a row? Wyatt screamed for help, but no one came. The fire dancing across her sheets, though hot and destroying everything else, didn't burn her. As her emotions calmed down, so did the flames. Wyatt's body convulsed as a stream of strange memories filled her head.
The people and voices reminded Wyatt of a book she once read while guarding one of their group's bases. She had woken as the useless second 'son' in a fantasy romance novel she had found in a treasure chest in one of the team's raids.
Now she knew why no one had responded to her screams; she was the illegitimate child that the marquess had been unwilling yet forced to accept after Wyatt's mother committed suicide on his doorstep and cursed him.
Wyatt gripped her hair, thinking of how she had died. She had been planning to leave Dios's team for a month, secretly stealing more than a hundred coins from the team's treasury to buy her way into a better community. One where she didn't need to fight gigantic monsters or zombies and could just focus on healing patients rather than exhausting herself playing both roles every day.
She had been so close to escaping.
Until her sister overheard her call. Next thing Wyatt knew, Dios cornered her, and they wrestled for the gun.
Why had she been reborn here?
Wyatt glanced at the golden ring that had masked her true gender and twisted it. In stories like this, the cross-dressing girl was always a stunner once her true form was revealed. Too bad her current body was disliked by everyone for its immaturity, homosexuality, and arrogance. Even if she showed up as a beauty, no one would like her. Compared to this version of Wyatt, the female lead was a strong healer with water magic valued by the entire country.
People in distant villages sang of the female lead's praises.
According to Wyatt's memories, in the current timeline, the original owner of the body, Wyatt Kass, had been shut in her room to reflect after being found at a gay club, trying to have a fling with a male sex worker. That night, Wyatt's older brother had sent men to follow Wyatt out of concern and had them tie her up like a dog and take her home after catching her with the man.
Angered by the news, Wyatt's father removed Wyatt from her decorative position as junior accountant of the manor and removed her name from the will. Following that, Wyatt's allowance was frozen. She went from having a small amount of power to none at all.
Wyatt wished she had a system that gave her benefits like the original female lead, rather than having to depend on her half-developed brain for survival. She glanced at the charred cloth and furniture, and the layer of soot that touched everything. Her palm held a glowing fire emblem that faded into a set of pale lines.
Wyatt's stomach churned. This body hadn't eaten anything in a few days and had perspired so much that it would perish of dehydration if she didn't find a way to replenish the lost fluid. Wyatt, who had been given the gift of life, didn't want to waste it.
As she moved, ashes stirred, filling her nostrils alongside the lingering smoke and making her cough. Her weak body made the ten steps to the door feel like a lifetime. She knocked on it. "I need water… please." After using the last bit of her strength, Wyatt slumped against the wood with a thud.
*
The guard on the other side, hearing Wyatt's pleas for water, reported it to his superior, the marquess's eldest son. While Wyatt had ivory skin and curly pink hair, his older brother had warm ivory skin and red hair. Grant's slender fingers tapped the desk, then, finding the situation odd, stood and followed the men out.
No matter how desperate Wyatt was, he was not known for gentle words like please. Had he suffered so much after being locked away for three days that he had calmed down? Upon arriving at Wyatt's room in the right wing of the second floor, where the décor was noticeably older and covered in dust, Grant motioned for one of the guards to open the door. A ring of keys was removed from a guard's waist. He inserted one and unlocked the door. However, as he pushed, there was resistance. He paused and looked at his boss for further instructions.
"Harder."
With a grunt, the guard gave a strong shove, and the obstructing object shifted. As they entered the room, everything was covered in black ash and smoke. The bed and surrounding furniture had been partially consumed by fire. Tucked behind the door was Wyatt's unconscious form.
Grant's eyes narrowed. It seemed the hos brother's powers had advanced overnight. Grant's fingers curled into tight fists.
He sensed his men looking at him for more instructions.
"Move him to another room, and have a maid clean him. Tell my father his second son has been blessed with an advancement."
*