Creak!
A nurse entered, opening the hospital room door.
Beep~~~
!?
The nurse rushed over and pressed the call button.
“Doctor! Doctor! Please come quickly!!”
About 40 seconds later.
Creak!!!
A doctor burst in, swinging the door open forcefully.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Meanwhile.
“One, two, three, four.... Doctor!?”
The nurse performing CPR on the patient.
“I’ll take over!”
The doctor taking over for the nurse.
“One, two, three, four······.”
A moment later.
Thump!
Thump!
“Doctor!? The heart is starting to beat again!”
“We can’t relax yet. We’re moving to the emergency room immediately!”
“Yes!”
★ ★ ★
Rustle.
I opened my eyes.
But I couldn’t see anything.
‘Where... am I?’
My mind was hazy.
Sounds reached my ears.
“Doctor! We have an emergency patient here! Please hurry and check their condition!”
“The condition is critical!? I think we need to operate immediately.”
“Then, we’ll move them to the operating room!”
“Doctor, please look at this patient too. They’re suffering extreme pain!”
“Please administer more painkillers to Patient 3! This one is more urgent right now!”
“Doctor!”
“Nurse!”
“Patient! Please come to your senses!”
‘Why is it so noisy?’
“Doctor, the patient opened their eyes!”
“Patient, I Nayeong. Are you conscious?”
‘I Nayeong is me? Why are they calling me?’
“Patient. No, Nayeong, wake up!”
‘This voice? Ah, I see.’
It’s the voice of my favorite doctor.
“Nayeong, wake up! Nayeong!”
‘Why is the doctor calling my name like this?’
“Nayeong, can you see me? Nayeong!”
‘Strange? Why can I only hear the doctor’s voice... but not see them?’
“Doctor. The numbers are dropping!”
“This won’t do. We need to move to the operating room!”
“Yes!”
Rattle! Rattle!
I had no sensation in my body.
Even so, I could tell I was being moved somewhere.
“D-Doctor······.”
“Nayeong!? Yes, it’s me, the doctor!”
Still, I couldn’t see anything.
“Wh-where... where are we going?”
“We’re on our way to the operating room!”
“Ah, surgery······.”
‘So the final moment has finally come?’
It didn’t feel real at all.
Hazy mind.
A situation where nothing could be seen.
“Finally... it seems the time has come?”
“Yes, that’s right... there’s no more time to delay!”
“I... I’m going to die, right?”
“Who said anything about dying!!”
“It’s okay. I know my body’s condition better than anyone.”
“Don’t worry! The doctor promised, didn’t they!”
“Promise······.”
“I’ll definitely make you better!”
“Thank... you, D-Doctor······.”
My hazy mind grew even fainter.
!?
“N-Nayeong!?”
“Patient, please come to your senses!”
“We must hurry!”
“Yes!”
A moment later.
The operating room.
The surgery was proceeding amid tension.
Beep~~~
Beep~~~
“Doctor, the patient’s condition!?”
“No, no, Nayeong, don’t give up like this!!”
★ ★ ★
“Huh? My body!?”
My heavy body felt incredibly light.
At the same time, the pain disappeared.
The pain I had grown accustomed to from living with it every day for 16 years.
Liberation had come far too simply.
Looking around.
I looked around.
“Where is this? It’s all black?”
Then.
A voice resonated in my head.
[Come this way.]
!?
“Who is it?”
Looking around.
I couldn’t see anything.
It was merely a dark space.
[First, come to where I am.]
“Even if you say that? It’s so dark I don’t know where to go?”
At that moment?
Flash!
A ray of light appeared in the darkness.
“Light?”
[If you follow that light, you will be able to come to where I am.]
Staying like this would just leave me in darkness.
So for now, I moved following the light.
Strangely enough?
The closer I got to the blinding light, the warmer I felt.
Soon the darkness disappeared and bright light enveloped my surroundings.
“What is this feeling?”
It felt like someone was embracing me in a very warm bosom.
[You have come well.]
“Where are you?”
[Yes, I am right before your eyes.]
“Where?”
Flash!
Only then did another brilliant flash appear before my eyes.
“Is this flash the one speaking?”
[It is so.]
I approached the flash a bit more.
“Who are you?”
[You call me God.]
“God? Do you mean the omniscient and omnipotent God I know?”
[That is correct.]
“C-come on, lies!”
[Are you mocking God right now?]
I tilted my head.
“Mocking?”
‘Is this some kind of surprise event?’
[Do you not know the meaning of the word mocking?]
“I know the meaning. But it’s my first time seeing someone use that word.”
[Indeed, though you have lived 16 years, you must have spent most of that time in a hospital.]
I took a step back.
“!? H-how... do you know that?”
[This body is God. There is nothing I do not know.]
‘Is it really God? There wouldn’t be any merit in lying in the first place, right?’
“Then, why did God call me?”
[You have died, and your soul is here in this place now.]
“My soul?”
[Yes, look at your body.]
Only then did I look all over at my current state.
It was white and transparent.
Like smoke, as it were.
“As expected... I really am dead, aren’t I?”
[That is correct. The surgery failed, and your soul is here now like this.]
‘Ah, the surgery failed... I hope the doctor doesn’t blame themself······.’
“Then? What happens to me now?”
[You must be judged.]
“Judged? Do you mean the sins from when I was alive?”
[That is correct.]
“So it’s true that when you die, you are judged and pay for your sins?”
[It is a law that no human can escape.]
“Let me see~”
I closed my eyes and thought carefully.
‘If that’s the case, my sin... would be sloth, right?’
‘Since I was always lying in the hospital?’
[What are you thinking so deeply about?]
Only then did I open my eyes.
“M-my sin would be sloth, right?”
[Are you not afraid?]
“Of what?”
[Of the price of judgment.]
“Well, it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t afraid.”
[You are honest.]
Grin!
I smiled.
“There’s no merit in lying here!”
[I know not how long it has been since I saw one smile brightly before me.]
“What does that mean?”
[It is nothing.]
“Yes.”
Flash!
[Then, I shall pass judgment.]
“Yes!”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Strangely nervous.
‘If I receive punishment, next... will I be reborn or something?’
[Lee Nayeong, who has lived in pain for 16 years. Your sin is sloth.]
“Well, I guess it can’t be helped... as expected, right?”
[To you who have lived a slothful life, I shall pass a punishment befitting your sins.]
“Yes!”
[The name of the punishment is ‘Sincerity.’]
“Sincerity???”
‘Huh? Sincerity? What does that mean?’
Flash!
[Live your next life with sincerity!]
‘Next life?’
“U-um······.”
[Why do you hesitate?]
“Even if you say sincerity? How exactly am I supposed to live sincerely?”
Flash!
[I am giving you your next life.]
“Ah, I am very grateful for that. But······.”
[Is there a problem?]
“No, what exactly is living with sincerity?”
Flash!
[This is a punishment.]
“Yes, it was a punishment?”
[Then realizing and repenting for that punishment on your own is precisely your punishment.]
“Ah, yes······.”
‘I really don’t understand at all?’
Flash!
[You will live a life completely opposite to your previous one.]
I tilted my head.
“Is that so? Can you tell me more specifically?”
[I shall make your unhealthy body into a healthy one.]
“Oh~ that’s very appealing!”
[A very short life. This time, I shall give you a very long life.]
“Oh~ that sounds good!”
[Therefore, live with sincerity to your heart’s content.]
“Oh~ thank you very much!”
[This is a punishment. It is not something to be happy about.]
“Is that so?”
Flash! Flash!
[There is no time.]
“No time?”
[Yes, there is no time. Enter the door you see over there.]
“Huh? There wasn’t a door like that earlier?”
It was a massive door.
Like looking at a great castle gate.
[Pay for your sins by living your next life. Therefore, go quickly!]
Bow!
I bowed politely.
“Understood.”
I turned around and headed for the door.
Creeeak!
The door opened on its own.
At the same time, reality came to find me.
★ ★ ★
Hard.
Damp.
Sticky, sticky······.
‘Huh? It’s dark again······.’
The strange thing is, it feels warm.
The meeting with God from just moments ago.
‘It wasn’t a dream, right?’
Thump! Thump!
I could feel the sound of my own heart beating.
Apart from that.
Other sounds could be heard.
Wriggle~
Wriggle~
“Oh my!?”
“It’s moving, no, it’s wriggling.”
“Really!?”
“It seems it will wake up soon!”
“A birth after 500 years!?”
“Hurry and inform the Elder!”
“Yes!”
‘Is someone there?’
I tried to reach out my hand, but...
“Huh? I have sensation... but why can’t I?”
It’s like something is blocking me.
“Huh? You moved?”
Moving my body on my own?
I don’t know how long it’s been.
Still, the fact that I could move made me very happy.
This time, I put strength into my legs.
‘Hup!’
Again, something blocked me.
‘Again? What keeps blocking me!’
This time, I stretched out my hands and feet simultaneously.
I put all my strength into it.
Rip!
‘Huh!? What’s that sound?’
Rip!
A ray of light shone down from above.
At the same time, a voice was heard.
“Just a little more strength!”
‘Alright!’
I put all my strength into my hands and feet.
Rip!
Riiip!!!!
Pop~~~
‘Ugh, so bright!?’
An enormous amount of light poured down on me at once.
“Wow~ It’s been born!?”
“How~ can it be so pretty!?”
“Now is not the time to be admiring!”
“That’s right, we need to remove the membrane first.”
‘Why is it so noisy?’
Lick~ lick~
Lick~ lick~
!?
‘What? This sticky yet hot feeling?’
‘Ugh!? Kuk!? I-I can’t breathe······.’
Something?
I felt something wrapping around my entire body.
“Good, keep licking like that.”
“Soon, the membrane will come off!”
“Krrr!!”
‘Hoo~······.
Wow~ I can finally breathe!’
“Done~~”
“The membrane finally burst!”
“For now, with this, we can rest assured.”
“Congratulations, Lady Arisia.”
“Congratulations.”
“To think we’d see a new birth after 500 years!”
“So cute!”
Huff! Huff! Huff!
‘What? What are they saying?’
‘I can barely breathe right now... I’m out of it?’
Only then did my surroundings begin to come into view.
!? !? !? !? !?
?????
‘Th-this!?’
Thud!
“Krrng.”
‘Owowow······.’
“Oh my?”
“Even the way you fall is so cute?”
“You were just born, so everything must be unfamiliar?”
“Looking over here again?”
“Your eyes are so pretty too!”
‘Wh-what!? These huge figures!?’
Blue and red, green······.
“Krrr!?”
‘What the heck are these creatures!? These aren’t even in the animal encyclopedia!?’
One step, two steps.
I gradually stepped back.
‘S-scary!? It’s scary!?’
Tremble~ tremble~ tremble~
Shiver, shiver, shiver.
My whole body shook violently.
“It seems cold?”
“Then, shall we shoot a breath to make fire?”
“Wouldn’t that scare it instead?”
“Then, wouldn’t it be better to create flames with simple magic?”
“Krrr?”
‘What are they saying? Breath? Fire? Magic?’
“That trembling seems like fear.”
“Fear?”
“A dragon is afraid?”
“It’s still young!”
“Everyone stand aside!”
Flash!
Along with light, one massive creature gradually shrank.
Soon, it transformed into a human form.
‘A human!?’
It approached me and lifted me up in a flash.
Squeeze~
It even hugged me.
Warmth was conveyed intact.
At the same time, my tense body relaxed.
“I am your mother.”
“Krrr?”
‘What? That ‘krrr’ just now? Was that sound coming from me?’
The woman smiled brightly.
“Oh my? Are you answering?”
“Krrr?”
‘What is this situation? More importantly, what do I look like right now!?’
“Ah, you want to see what you look like?”
The woman snapped her fingers.
Then.
A transparent piece appeared before my eyes.
The piece reflected our current appearance.
A woman and a reptile??? cradled in her arms.
No, th-this... I could tell instinctively.
It was a small dragon.
“Krrr???”
‘N-no way!? I... was born as a dragon!?’