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Chapter 2 – The Drunken Vexin Awakens
Sara's new body felt wrong.
Too short. Too light. Too fragile. Every step made her stumble like she was learning to walk for the first time.
"Ugh. I swear if I trip one more time, I'm throwing myself back into the afterlife," she muttered, steadying herself against the cave wall.
Her reflection shimmered faintly in a pool of water near the entrance. The sight made her pause.
The girl staring back at her had hair as black as obsidian, streaked with faint silver strands that caught the light unnaturally. Her eyes were sharp, but her left one glowed faintly, as if some hidden mechanism lurked inside. And across her arms and collarbone, blue tribal lines pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat—like veins of living light.
They were… unnerving. Pretty, yes, but also alien.
"Great. I'm basically a glowstick now."
She forced a breath and muttered, "Clothes first, freak-out later."
As if in answer, golden light flickered around her hand, coalescing into a small glowing bag. A neat little note dangled from the strap.
Starter Pack – Don't Die Too Quickly.
Sara groaned. "Oh, how thoughtful."
Inside, she found a rough tunic, a belt, and boots far too big. She wriggled into them anyway. The boots clomped awkwardly, but it was better than walking around in bandages.
Experimentally, she tried summoning the glowing dagger again. She imagined it sharp and sleek, a weapon forged for gods. Her palm tingled. Light sparked. A half-formed blade flickered into existence—then fizzled out like a dying firecracker.
Sara's shoulders slumped. "Great. So my almighty god-cheat is basically a discount lightsaber right now."
Still, even a broken weapon was better than nothing.
She pushed out of the cave.
The world that greeted her was not Earth.
The sky stretched violet and deep, streaked with drifting silver clouds. Towering blackstone trees loomed in every direction, their leaves glowing faintly as if lit from within. Their massive roots broke the soil like veins, twisting through the earth. Strange bird-like creatures with crystalline wings cawed from above, scattering motes of light as they flew.
It was breathtaking—until the smell hit.
Sara gagged. "Ugh, what died out here? Oh, right. Me. Almost."
She stumbled down a dirt path toward distant voices. Eventually, the forest thinned, opening into a small town ringed by crude stone-and-wood walls. Smoke rose from chimneys. Market stalls crowded the streets, hawking sizzling meats, strange fruits, even glowing shards of crystal.
It looked almost cozy.
Until she noticed the stares.
Everywhere she walked, people's eyes followed her. Their whispers trailed behind her like a bad perfume.
"Vexin…"
"Look at her markings."
"Why isn't she hiding her face?"
"Look she even has the fox like ears and tail"
"I must admit she is kinda cute"
"Yeah later if we have time we will rape her before selling her for some extra cash I'm sure the guards won't do anything she is a vixen after all hehehe"
Sara frowned. She glanced around. No one else had glowing tribal lines crawling across their skin. The stares weren't curiosity. They were disgust.
A child pointed at her openly. "Mama, why does that bug-girl walk in the open?"
The mother yanked him away without a word.
Bug-girl. Lovely.
Sara forced a smile. "Okay. So I'm basically the cockroach of this world. Awesome. Thanks, gods."
Her stomach growled loudly enough to turn heads. She ducked into a side street, face burning.
"Alright. Food first, existential crisis later."
She spotted a stall where fat meat skewers sizzled over an open flame. The smell was divine. Her mouth watered instantly. She reached for her pocket. Empty. Of course.
Sara sighed. "Figures. Reborn into a trash race and broke. Classic isekai starter pack."
The stall owner noticed her hovering. His face twisted. "No freeloaders, Vexin. Get lost before I call the guards."
Her eye twitched.
She didn't know the limits of her powers yet, but she wasn't about to starve. She stared at his hands as he flipped the skewers. Something inside her left eye clicked—like gears locking into place.
A flood of information surged into her head.
Sara grinned. "Huh. Neat."
Before the man could react, she snatched a skewer with shocking precision, twirling it exactly as he had. She blew on it once, then took a huge bite.
The stall owner froze. "H-How—? That's my—!"
"Thanks for the meal!" Sara laughed through a mouthful of juicy meat, bolting into the crowd. She darted between stalls, grease dripping down her chin.
"Okay. Eye power? Totally awesome."
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By sunset, Sara sat on a barrel at the town's edge, licking her fingers. Her belly was half-full, her dignity nonexistent, and she had no clue where she'd sleep.
"Step one: don't starve. Step two: level up god-cheat. Step three: profit. Easy."
A low growl cut her off.
This time, not from her stomach.
She turned. From the treeline beyond the walls, glowing eyes blinked into existence. Then more. Six in total.
Shadows slinked forward, low and fast. Wolves.
"Of course it's wolves," she muttered.
They emerged—sleek beasts with black fur and silver-glowing teeth, saliva dripping from snarling maws. The largest padded forward, growling deep enough to rattle her chest.
Sara's hands trembled. She had no real weapon, no money, no allies. Just her imagination.
"Okay, brain. Don't fail me now."
She pictured a sword—long, gleaming, unbreakable. She forced the image to life, fingers clenching until her knuckles ached. Light flickered, shimmered… and solidified.
A crude glowing sword hummed in her grip. Jagged edges. Awkward hilt. But real.
Her lips curled into a shaky grin. "Alright, doggos. Let's dance."
The first wolf lunged. Sara swung. Sparks flew as the blade connected, knocking the beast sideways with a pained yelp. Her arms screamed from the impact, but adrenaline drowned out the pain.
The others circled. She slashed, stumbled, cursed. Clumsy—but alive.
One wolf lunged for her throat. Sara's left eye blazed, filling her vision with lines of movement. Her body responded before she thought, mimicking the wolf's own claw swipe. Her blade turned at the perfect angle, deflecting its fangs with the flat.
Her grin widened. "Ohhh, I really like this eye."
The fight blurred. Teeth. Claws. Sparks. She screamed, laughed, swung with everything she had. By the time the last wolf fled limping into the trees, Sara was panting, bruised, and shaking with adrenaline.
But she was alive. Victorious.
She collapsed onto the grass, laughter bubbling out of her chest. "First fight as a Vexin… survived. And I even leveled up from broke beggar to broke bug-girl with attitude."
The sword flickered out of existence. She groaned, rolling onto her back to stare at the alien sky, violet and endless.
"…I need a drink."
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