Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Risa sank into the warm water, letting the heat seep into her aching muscles. The exhaustion that clung to her like a second skin finally began to ease, if only a little. She tilted her head back against the tub's rim, exhaling slowly. From the other room, the quiet crackling of the fire filled the silence, steady and soothing.

Her fingers brushed over her face, stopping at her eyes. 'Red'.

They were red now—not black, the color she had known her entire life. The sight of her own reflection earlier had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. It was just one of many things that felt wrong.

First, there was the group that had tried to take them in the barn. Then the zombie-like creatures she encountered in this cabin. And now… this.

But even stranger than all of that was the one thing she couldn't ignore—she remembered dying.

A mission gone wrong. She had died. Yet here she was.

A dull ache throbbed in her skull as she tried to make sense of it. None of it added up.

She let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing her face with her hands. 'What the hell was happening?'

—System Activated.

Risa froze.

The voice didn't come from outside. It didn't echo through the cabin walls. It was calm, mechanical, and disturbingly clear.

—Family Secured. Loading…

Her breath caught in her throat. She whipped her head around instinctively, scanning the empty bathroom, but there was no one there. 

"What the fuck, I'm going crazy," Risa muttered, gripping her head with both hands.

Yes, she's going crazy. There was no other explanation. The red eyes, the zombies, the voice in her head—she was either losing her mind or trapped in some elaborate, twisted prank show.

Maybe she'd been drugged. Or maybe she'd taken a hit to the head and was hallucinating. There was no way this was real.

She let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Yeah, that's it. I've finally lost it."

—The System assures the host is not going crazy.

Risa froze again.

—Diagnostic scan complete. No abnormalities detected. The Host's cognitive and physical functions are stable.

The voice was calm. Too calm. Like a machine. Cold. Detached. Unshakable.

She squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply through her nose. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away. Maybe she just needed sleep. Food. Something real to ground her.

"...What the hell is happening?" Risa muttered. 'Am I hallucinating right now?'

—Cognitive functions stable. The host is not experiencing hallucinations.

The voice was too real to be a hallucination.

[SYSTEM BOOTING…]

[INITIALIZING HOST INTEGRATION…]

[PROCESS COMPLETE.]

[Primary Directive: Ensure survival and safety of designated family unit.]

—Welcome, Host.

—You have been selected by the Central Governing System. Your skills and potential were deemed too valuable to be lost. Upon your death, your soul was extracted and successfully integrated into this world and body, taking the place of its original occupant.

"Okay, what the fuck is happening?" Risa muttered, shock and confusion twisting in her gut. None of this made sense.

She stiffened. "Wait… what do you mean by 'taking the place of the original occupant'?"

—The original inhabitant's survival prospects were minimal. Your integration ensures a higher probability of success in navigating this world's dangers.

Risa's stomach twisted. "So, you just... put me in someone else's life?"

Her jaw clenched in anger. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" her voice sharp and venomous. "Why would you do that to someone? You're telling me you just decided she wasn't good enough and—what? Replaced her? Like she was nothing?"

—This system assures the host that this was the optimal decision.

"Optimal?" Risa let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "She was a person. And you—what, just erased her?"

—This world has already played out once and failed.

The cold, clinical tone of the system only pissed her off.

—The original occupant of this body was destined to perish in the abandoned barn. Her survival probability was 0.0041%. This intervention ensures a higher chance of success.

Risa barely knew the woman who had owned this body before her, but hearing it laid out so matter-of-factly—that she was just meant to die, like some disposable character in a rigged game—it made her stomach churn.

"So you just decided she wasn't worth saving?" she spat.

—The original occupant lacked the necessary skills. You, however, possess the required capabilities. This world requires a variable capable of breaking the predetermined failure.

Risa wasn't buying any of it. How was she supposed to? Everything the system said sounded like something ripped straight out of a sci-fi novel.

"You're telling me this world has already played out once and failed," she said, voice laced with skepticism. "So if it fails again… does that mean it'll restart again?"

—Negative. Each system-designated world is permitted only one reset.

'One?' Risa frowned. "So if it fails this time, that's it? The world just… ends? What does 'end' even mean in this scenario? Does everything just cease to exist?"

She didn't expect an answer, but the idea unsettled her. If this world was doomed to fail, would everyone here just disappear? Would it be wiped from existence?

Her mind drifted to her own death.

Her eyes narrowed. "Wait. If I died in my previous world, does that mean someone else is going to take over my body there? Will my world restart, too?"

She didn't know why the thought unnerved her. Maybe because the idea of someone else wearing her face, living her life, sent a strange, foreign chill down her spine.

—Negative. The host's original world is classified as a Control World.

Risa's brows furrowed. "Control World?"

A brief silence followed before the system responded.

—Insufficient Host Level. Information restricted.

She blinked. "What?"

—Certain data requires a higher host level to access. Please proceed with survival objectives to unlock further information.

Her fingers clenched against the rim of the tub. "Are you kidding me? You're telling me I've been thrown into another world, and I don't even get to know why?"

—Affirmative.

Risa let out a slow, frustrated breath, pressing her fingers against her temple.

"You said something about system-designated worlds only having one reset… so I'm currently in a system world. What does that even mean?"

—Insufficient Host Level. Information restricted.

"Motherfu—" Risa clenched her jaw, inhaling sharply through her nose. A muscle ticked in her temple as she exhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay calm.

"Fine. Then tell me this—why me?"

—The host was selected based on genetic potential, mental resilience, survival adaptability, and strategic efficiency. You met all necessary parameters.

She gave a humorless chuckle. "Great"

She hated this. Hated the feeling of being chosen for something she never agreed to.

"And what happens if I fail?"

—Failure is not an option.

The words sent a chill down her spine. The system didn't elaborate, and somehow, that was worse.

She exhaled sharply, tilting her head back against the tub. None of this made sense. She died. She was supposed to be dead. And yet, here she was, in a body that wasn't hers, in a world she didn't understand, with rules she wasn't allowed to fully know yet.

Her stomach twisted.

"…And my original world? What happens to it?"

—Insufficient Host Level. Information restricted.

Risa scoffed, dragging a wet hand down her face. "Of course it is."

—The host is advised to focus on the upcoming missions.

She let out a slow, steady breath. There was no point in arguing. Whatever this system was, whatever game it was playing, she wasn't getting answers yet.

But yet meant she could.

And Risa wasn't the type to let locked doors stay closed.

Her eyes drifted to the pile of dirty clothes, where her gun rested on top.

"Wait… if only my soul was integrated into this body, then why the hell do I still have my gun?" glanced down at herself. "And why does this body look exactly like mine… yet somehow, it feels different?"

—The system has permitted the host to retain one personal item for survival. A weapon was deemed necessary.

That answered one question, but not the most disturbing one.

—As for your appearance, the host and the original owner were counterparts in alternate universes. While facial features remain similar, the original owner's body structure differed. Upon integration, the body adapted to accommodate the host's soul, ensuring compatibility with both the host's soul and this world's unique laws and dynamics.

Risa tensed. Adjusted? That explained why she felt the body she had now felt like her own, yet it feels different.

But it also meant that the original owner, whoever she was, had been… overwritten.

Her jaw clenched. "So you changed her body—my body—without asking?"

—The original owner was deceased. Adaptation was necessary for optimal performance.

Risa let out a slow, shaky breath. Her grip on reality was already hanging by a thread, and this wasn't helping.

"Fine," she mumbled. "I'll play along. For now."

—Acknowledged. System integration confirmed.

The voice echoed in her mind again, precise and mechanical.

—Designated System: [System Code-017: Sentinel] activated. The host is now bound to this unit. All necessary directives and functions will be provided for optimal survival and mission execution.

She exhaled sharply, dragging a wet hand down her face. "Great. Just what I needed—some AI in my head dictating my life."

—Correction: This system does not dictate but assists. The host retains autonomy within operational parameters.

She scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Sentinel."

Risa leaned back against the tub, arms resting on the rim as she let out a slow breath. The warm water did little to ease the tension creeping into her muscles.

Risa leaned against the tub, arms resting on the rim. "Alright, Sentinel. What the hell happened to this world?"

—Acknowledged. Initiating historical data transfer.

—The X-Variant was a military-engineered virus meant to enhance soldiers. Instead, it erased self-preservation, turning the infected into relentless predators.

Risa let out a humorless laugh. "So, Classic military experiment goes wrong, world goes to shit. Am I in a bad sci-fi movie or something?"

—The infected are categorized into five levels based on their mutation.

Level 1. Slow, loud, and mindless. Easy to avoid, easy to kill, but overwhelming in numbers.

Level 2. Silent stalkers. They wait, lurking in the dark, relying on sound rather than sight.

Level 3. Fast. They don't shamble—they sprint.

Level 4. Bigger, stronger, able to tear through barricades and rip apart anything in their path.

Level 5. The worst. Smart, strategic, and capable of calling hordes. Worse still, their spores infect without a single bite.

'So basically, I'm in a horror game?' It was almost laughable—if it weren't her reality.

—The X-Variant spreads through bites, scratches, and bodily fluids. However, the most dangerous method of transmission comes from airborne spores, which are only produced by Level 5 infected.

Sentinel's voice remained cold and clinical as it continued.

—Bites from infected individual poses an immediate risk. Airborne contamination is less common but highly lethal. Enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces increase the probability of exposure.

Risa exhaled sharply. "Great. So not only do I have to avoid getting torn apart, but I also have to worry about breathing near the wrong one."

—Correct. Please note that this world has already undergone one reset. No further interventions will occur.

She ran a hand through her damp hair. No second chances. If this world fell, it was permanent.

"So what's my role in all this?"

Sentinel processed her questions before responding.

— The host's primary directive is to ensure the survival of their designated family unit. The X-Variant has no cure.

Risa scoffed. "So no miracle cure, no grand solution—just survival?"

—Correct.

She let out a slow breath, her fingers tapping against the tub's rim. "Then why was I with them? The mother and the kids. One of the men called the woman my wife."

—That is correct. The original owner was married. They are now designated as the Family Unit.

Risa stared blankly, her mind struggling to process the words. "What?"

A dull ringing filled Risa's ears as she stared at the empty air in front of her, waiting for Sentinel to continue.

—Family Unit Identified.

Spouse: Amelia (Lia)

Offspring: Airi and Rika (Twins)

Risa's fingers tensed against the tub's rim. "Wait. What?" Her voice came out hoarse, disbelieving.

—The original inhabitant of this body was legally bound to Amelia due to an unplanned pregnancy. The offspring, Airi and Rika, are direct biological descendants.

Risa's heart pounded. "You're telling me I have a wife and kids now?"

—Affirmative.

Her breath caught, her pulse hammering in her ears. This had to be some kind of sick joke. A wife? Kids? How the hell was she supposed to process that? She had never been a parent, never even thought about it.

Her mind reeled, scrambling for something—anything—that made sense. "And what, we were just… a happy little family before all this?"

—Negative. The original inhabitant displayed cold and indifferent behavior toward the Family Unit. Historical records indicate emotional detachment, frequent absence, and potential infidelity.

She blinked. "What the fuck?"

Risa's mind reeled. Her thoughts were already spiraling, but this—this was a whole new level of what the fuck.

"Wait." She exhaled sharply, trying to wrap her head around it. "How the fuck did they—I mean, WE—have kids? We're both females"

—The reproductive process in this world differs from the host's original reality. Alphas and Omegas possess the ability to conceive regardless of gender.

Risa blinked. "Excuse me?"

—The original owner of this body was an Alpha. Amelia is an Omega. The twins were conceived during Amelia's heat cycle.

Her mind blanked. For a second, all she could do was stare at the rippling water in front of her, as if it might somehow make sense of the absolute nonsense Sentinel was spewing.

"Heat cycle? Alpha? Omega?" Her voice rose with each word. "What the actual fuck does that even mean?"

—The designations of Alpha, Beta, and Omega categorize individuals based on biological and hormonal traits unique to this world. Alphas possess enhanced strength, heightened senses, and the ability to impregnate Omegas regardless of traditional reproductive constraints. Omegas—

"Okay, stop. Just—stop." Risa pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes squeezing shut as if that might somehow block out the sheer absurdity of what she was hearing.

—This world follows a distinct reproductive structure optimized for survival and population stability. The host—

"Did I not just say stop?" She let out a dry laugh, bordering on hysterical. "Nope. Nope. I'm not doing this right now."

She sank lower into the tub, submerging herself up to her mouth as she exhaled a long breath, bubbles rippling across the surface. This was too much. Too fucking much.