A suffocating void stretched endlessly before her . Her body felt weightless, her senses dulled.
Am I dying? finally!!
.
.
"hmm" she moans with her eyes closed when something soft brushed against her skin.
Huh?
She shifted, rubbing her foot against the ground. It was… solid. Grass?
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Lush greenery surrounded her, towering trees stretching toward the sky. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled patterns on the ground. A gentle breeze carried the scent of earth and leaves.
A forest.
Where… am I? This wasn't Tokyo. No skyscrapers, no honking cars, no suffocating crowds. Her heart pounded.
I was supposed to be dead, wasn't I?
Before she could gather her thoughts, a sharp pain jolted through her head.
"Ahh, fuck—my head hurts," she groaned, brushing hair with her fingers .
Suddenly she heard a rustling sound, Kori turned her head to a site which ran her blood cold. A massive lizard, its scaly body glistening under the sunlight, stood a few feet away, flicking its tongue.
"A FUCKING LIZARD!!" she screamed as instinct took over. her body moved before her brain could catch up. She turned and bolted.
Kori's Weakness 101—anything disgusting.
Run. Run. Fast, Kori. Faster! she thought running.
Then—
Something squished beneath her foot.
She glanced down to see the thing under her.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the trees one was of pain and the other was of terror .
Kori stumbled backward, nearly toppling over as she looked down. It was Akiko eyes wild with panic—clutched her stomach where Kori had just stepped on her.
"S-Sorry!" Kori stammered.
"You didn't just step on me—you fucking ran me over!" Akiko snapped, glaring.
"It was an accident!" kori tried explaining
"Yeah, whatever." Akiko dusted herself off, still looking disoriented asked "But… where the hell are we?"
Kori fell silent as didn't had an clue herself. Akiko stared at kori expectantly but instead of reply there was more silence.
"Kori, answer me," Akiko pressed.
"...No idea."
A long sigh. "What now?" Akiko asked
"I don't know."
"You say that like you're proud of it." Akiko angerly remarked.
"This day just couldn't get worse," she muttered when suddenly a low growl rumbled through the air.
"Correction," Kori said with a straight face "It did just get worse. There's a bear and it's coming straight for us."
For a second, neither of them moved
Then "CLIMB THE TREE! NOW!" Akiko shouted.
"YES, MA'AM!"
they scrambled up the nearest tree, clinging to the rough bark as the bear sniffed the ground below. Kori's limbs burned with effort.
She exhaled sharply. "I barely made it…"
The bear paced beneath them, sniffing and growling.
"It wouldn't leave anytime soon" Akiko commented
Kori agreed with her and leaned her forehead against the trunk, catching breath Kori thought Actually… not gonna lie, I kind of wanted to jump.
"...So why don't you?"
A voice—soft yet unfamiliar—whispered behind her.
She flinched. "WHO SAID THAT?!"
Before she could react anymore then that the world around her dissolved into a blinding white light.
The forest was gone, In its place was a vast, empty white room.
She looked around, trying to process what just happened. Her heartbeat hammered in her ears.
"What the fuck?! I asked who you were, not to teleport me!" Kori snapped.
A soft chuckle.
Kori turned sharply.
A figure stood before us—a man with an otherworldly glow, his expression unreadable.
"Who… are you?" Kori demanded.
"Me?" He smiled. "I'm an angel."
Silence.
Akiko and Kori exchanged glances.
"...I'm not gonna go to hell for swearing at an angel, right?" Kori asked cautiously.
He let out a light laugh. "Nope."
"Good to know." Kori sighed in relief and asked "So… where are we?"
"A space I created."
"...Did you teleport us here?" Akiko inquired.
"Yes."
"My dream of getting isekai'd by Truck-kun is officially ruined," Kori muttered under my breath but The angel ignored me.
"How do we go back?" Akiko asked.
"You'll have to complete a job for us."
Kori frowned. "No thanks. Not interested."
Angel confused with Kori's answer raised concern "Don't you want to go home?"
Akiko and Kori exchanged looks.
Then, in perfect unison—
"Why would we want to go back, if we can just stay here?"
The angel was befuddled. "You two are really wei—Wait, what are you doing?"
"Looking for a way out," Kori said, running my hands along the empty space, hoping for some kind of hidden exit.
He sighed. "If I fulfill your biggest wish, will you do it?"
That got their attention and they turned to face him.
"...Explain the details."
"GOD humans are really greedy!" he exclaimed.
Two hours later.
"So… let me get this straight," Akiko said, voice laced with exhaustion. "We have to save someone who got reincarnated into a novel and is doomed to a bad ending?"
"Yep!" the angel chirped. "And look, you even have system windows now."
A glowing blue screen materialized in front of me.
Whoa. That's kinda cool.
The profile displayed information on the person we were supposed to save.
Hatsuko Suzuki—died in an accident at 23. Reincarnated as Azelia Rothschild, the villainess of this world. But unlike the typical "villainess" stories, she still got a tragic ending.
Wait Kori narrowed her eyes and said
"...I have a question."
The angel raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"When authors write a story, does that world actually come into existence?"
His smile didn't waver. "I can't tell you that."
"Why?" Kori questions
"Rules." He tilted his head. "But I can tell you this it's either what you think or they already exist. It's up to you to decide."
That wasn't comforting.
Akiko sighed. "Fine. But one more thing—how do you expect us to survive in this world without magic or aura?"
"Oh! I almost forgot. You'll be granted one, depending on which suits you better. Your weapons should appear in ten seconds."
Kori tensed. Please be something cool…
The countdown ended and Akiko got a staff but Kori got… nothing.
"Huh?" she frowned and asked "Where's mine?"
He looked shocked.
"Wait, let me check…" He paused, studying the air as if reading something invisible. Then, his lips curled into an amused smile. "Ah, you're suited for more than one category."
A flicker of light erupted in front of her, and suddenly, two swords materialized in her hands.
"There. You're qualified for dual-wielding swordsmanship," he announced.
I stared at the weapons, their weight settling naturally in my grip. My fingers curled around the hilts, testing their balance. Not bad it's not that heavy.
"…And the other category?" I asked, intrigued.
"Magic swordsman," he replied simply.
I blinked. Then, after a brief pause—
"…Can I have both?"
The angel chuckled. "Technically, you already do. Try channeling fire magic into your sword."
Fire magic? That sounded cool as hell.
She focused, willing her weapon to ignite.
In an instant, blue flames roared to life along the blade. The heat licked at the air, yet she felt no pain.
"Whoa… It worked!"
The angel nodded approvingly. "Now, There is one more type of sword magic Gensis so imagine a sword made of ice."
A sword? No—swords. Why stop at one?
The moment she thought it, multiple ice swords materialized, hovering in the air around her. Their crystalline edges gleamed, cold mist curling from their surfaces.
The angel sighed.
"I told you to imagine one sword," he muttered.
She grinned. "And I didn't heard it."
His eye twitched. "…Also, I can read your thoughts."
Kori froze "…Damn it."
Beside Kori, Akiko groaned. "Wait, why did I get a staff? I wanted something cool!"
The angel glanced at her, unfazed. "Your attributes lean toward long-range combat. Kori, on the other hand, has high agility and strength, making her better suited for close-range combat."
Akiko crossed her arms. "Fine. Then what kind of mage am I?"
"You specialize in both attack and defense magic," he explained. A moment later, he snapped his fingers, and a thick tome materialized in front of her. "Here. This contains all the spells you'll need."
Akiko caught the book, flipping through its pages. "There are so many…"
"Oh, right." The angel reached into thin air, then casually tossed a heavy bag toward us. "Here's some money."
Kori caught it , the coins jingling inside "thanks"
"That's everything. You can check your attributes in the system window. Good luck, and goodbye!" he said.
"Wait, you didn't even teach me—!"
Before Akiko could finish her sentence, the world around them shifted. A split second later, they were standing in the middle of a bustling town square. The angel was gone. Akiko clenched her fists, her eye twitching dangerously.
"If I ever see that angel again, I will kill him."
Kori stepped back slightly. Yeah, she is pissed.
"Calm down," Kori said, patting her shoulder. "We are catholic."
Akiko took a deep breath, exhaling sharply. "…Fine" she muttered, though Kori could still see the irritation in her eyes.
Well, At least he actually teleported us to a safe location this time