It was cold.

That was the first thought that came to mind when Yang Xuetian woke up. The air was crisp and felt like he was in a fog. Everything was murky and white.

“So I died, huh?”

Such words would be unexpected from someone realizing they’d just died but Yang Xuetian was not a normal guy. He’d had many things happen and chose to take them in stride.

Accidentally kissed a girl with a boyfriend who had scary tattoos? Mock him for his trash taste in partners.

Get cut off by his shitty dad? Meh, I already saved up enough to take care of myself years ago.

Attend the funeral of his best friend… Well, he was still working on that one but life was life.

He was born with a charming personality and ended up being the villain in a lot of people's love stories. As if he was to blame for their wives and girlfriends being unfaithful.

“Idiots.” He muttered, not really speaking to anyone.

It was hard to say if he was the idiot this time. He died at the hands of one of his one-night partners. Even now, with her manic expression seared into his mind like a burn, he had no idea who she was.

Had there been that many women?

He didn’t think he was wrong since he was always upfront with his partners but seeing how he’d been murdered in the streets like that, he must have been a bad guy, right?

His thoughts of self-reflection was cut off by a grumpy voice calling out to him.

[Hi, my name is Q but you can call me System Q.] The voice said, sounding distracted as it spoke. [No, actually, I prefer you call me that instead. We’re not close like that.]

“With that kind of attitude, I doubt there would be anyone close enough to call you that.” He shot back, snorting.

[Shut-] Whatever it was about to say was cut off by a loud bang. Before he could question it, the voice continued, its tone a lot less aggressive. [I-I mean, host, please don’t start a fight with me. I’m not trying to get in trouble here. Just answer some questions for me.]

“Fine.” He replied out a habit. He was a polite guy and while this was weird, manners were important. Then it hit him that this was just plain weird. “Wait, this isn't some scam, is it?”

[No, just a quick question: Are you Yang Xuetian?]

“Yes.”

[Absolutely?] It pressed.

“Who else would I be?”

[You’d be surprised what kind of mix-ups happen when you humans die.] It grumbled spitfully. [Sometimes, it's a near-death experience or just some strange turn of events that results in mistaken identities.]

Yang Xuetian, in his mind, cocked a brow. “The afterlife has filing errors?”

[Fuck off! Just tell me who you are so I can make sure you are the right soul.]

“What? Do you want my birth certificate?! I’m dead, I can’t exactly pull out my ID.”

[Grr, this is why I hate you humans. So mouthy despite all my effort.]

“It's not my fault your customer service skills suck.” He retorted, wishing he had arms so he could cross them. “Maybe that's why there are so many mistakes going on.”

[Why you-]

“Look, are you gonna send me someplace or what?” Yang Xuetian cut it off, feeling impatient. “I know how the game goes so just get on with it!”

[You-!] It said through gritted teeth. Yang Xuetian might not be able to see it, but he knew the sound of anger anywhere. He’d lived his whole life hearing the sounds of anger, suppressed or overt.

He had that kind of effect on people it seemed.

Everyone but…

His thoughts were cut off by the system's annoyed sigh.

[RFC-BG-091578-H.]

“Eh?”

Despite his confusion, the system didn’t seem to be paying him any attention anymore, muttering to itself.

[It's a bit of a tight fit but that cannon fodder just bit the dust so it's better than nothing.] It grew bigger, encompassing Yang Xuetian’s view. [If anything, this is too good for such a rude human.]

Yang Xuetian was about to ask what he was talking about but felt himself being pulled away. Whether it was a shove or a pull didn’t matter as his breath was pushed from him and darkness took him.

***

As its would-be host faded away, System Q relaxed. Another human soul was successfully reborn elsewhere. It was sure it would be praised by the boss for this~

[Boss, I sent another host away!]

The god of reincarnation appeared before the system, taking on a humanoid form. In comparison, System Q was just a small ball of light. To be before such a being was hard for lower lifeforms but System Q could endure it for his boss.

[I didn’t mess up this time, boss.] It assured, looking up at the blue-haired god. Considering he looked like a normal 20-something-year-old man, most wouldn’t assume he was a god. Yet when he looked down at the system with a harsh look, it was very evident that this being was a celestial one.

“Did you smack your host into another world?!” He asked, his tone scraping at the system’s being.

Systems were unique creatures that would directly interact with souls as an avatar of their god. Other than the god of reincarnation, only systems could do this.

System Q often used this perk to shove human souls to their new lives since it wanted to be rid of them faster. Could it have been gentle? Sure but why when it didn’t have to?

[I just nudged him a little.] He grumbled like a naughty child found with cookie crumbs around their mouth.

“I told you that you have to be gentle with souls!” The boss scolded, grabbing hold of the system like a stress ball. “They aren’t beach balls you can just smack around. What if you mess something up?”

[The last 2 times were a mistake, boss! I would never-]

“Don’t lie to me, Q. If I find out you messed this one up too, It won’t end with just a beating this time.”

[B-boss-]

“3 strikes.” The boss warned, turning his back.

Q was left to its own thoughts.

Damn dumb humans, messing with me. How is it my fault that they are so weak? The light hand of a system can hurt them? Pah!

Still, if this goes like the last time, Boss will definitely be upset with it. Q might not mind being beaten or insulted but it would never be able to go on if the boss was upset.

[Damn humans, upsetting the boss like this.] It grumbled, trying to think of a solution. The boss disliked rewriting proper stories so the best solution was to make sure the story stayed on track.

The best way to do that is to get rid of the problem.

It might take some time and some backdealing but if Q played its cards right, Boss would have what he wants.

The human might also be obliterated in the process but that was his problem, not Q’s.

Q’s priority was its boss’s happiness after all.

***

Elsewhere, Yang Xuetian was waking up in pain.

“Fuck!” He spat, clutching his side. It felt wet to the touch.

Was he going to die as soon as he was reborn? That would be his luck, wouldn’t it?

He tried to calm himself, breathing deeply and slowly until his heart stopped racing and returned to a normal pace. It took a while and the pain in his side made it harder but after what felt like hours, he had gotten himself settled.

Finally, he could assess the situation he was in.

Looking around, he found himself in a sparsely wooded area. The ground was slated heavily and the ground was wet with moisture but not water. He was surrounded by rocks and a cliff he’d been leaning on since waking up.

Was he in a ravine?

Looking up, the sky was dark but something illuminated the area enough to see clearly. The lack of stars in the sky meant-

“I'm close to civilization then.” He muttered, a voice that was very much not his own echoing in his ears.

Right, he was reborn or something, right?

Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay and check himself out. The fact he was at the bottom of a ravine meant he didn’t have time to waste. He couldn’t be sure what injuries he’d suffered to get down here and he didn’t plan on dying so soon.

He struggled to get on his feet, the pain on his side throbbing spitefully at his actions. Common sense said to wait until dawn before moving around but he had no way of knowing why he’d fallen.

For all he knew, someone had pushed him and was now searching for his corpse. It was cliche but possible.

What made him pause, however, was the strange feeling on his body. It wasn’t bad but it felt foreign. It felt like… he had something extra.

While leaning on the cliff side, Yang Xuetian reached behind to find something fluffy and definitely attached to him. It trembled when he touched it, swaying back and forth when he stroked it.

D-did he have a tail!?

Muscles foreign to Yang Xuetian but moving naturally despite his panic, Yang Xuetian felt bewildered. It was a weird feeling to have an extra muscle/limb. He didn’t know how to move it but he could feel it despite everything.

It was a crazy feeling and Yang Xuetian decided not to think about it too much.

Sure, he now had a fluffy tail but that was something he could freak out about later when he wasn’t possibly suffering from internal bleeding.

He let out a breath, calming himself down.

Once he found shelter, he’d figure out what was going on and how to proceed.

As he walked, he came to realize his steps were not steady. He had originally assumed it was due to the possible blood loss but the lightheadedness he felt was familiar.

Was he drunk?!

That would at least explain how he’d fallen. Heck, there might not even be a second party.

Then again, he had to figure out what kind of wound he had first. Whether it was sustained when he fell or before, he couldn’t know until then.

After following the lights, he found himself on an empty walkway. Looking around, he confirmed that it was in a city. That was a relief, at least. He’d briefly wondered if he'd been transported into a medieval fantasy world considering he had a tail now. Turns out he was in a modern fantasy world.

The revelation was only slightly comforting.

He walked around until he spotted a public bathroom. Walking as fast as his drunken injured self could, he walked into the nearest doorway, relieved to find it empty. The smell of cleaning products tickled his nose upon entering.

Had he just missed the cleaning lady?

Staring into the mirror, he got the first look at his new self and was mildly surprised.

He had the same face. It was one he’d looked at every day for his whole life so the new hairstyle and look did nothing to distract from that. The fact that his face was still the same was so reassuring.

Losing his life was stressful enough. He had a lot of things he had to resolve within himself before the full magnitude of this truly sank in. So having a familiar face staring back at him in the mirror almost brought tears to his eyes.

Everything else about his new body, however, was a bit… strange.

For one thing, his hair was white. Like, pure snow white! Even more shocking was that he had ears on top of his head!

He lifted a trembling hand to the appendages, feeling and seeing them twitch at his touch. The tall ears drooped as he felt dread in his heart. This shouldn’t have been shocking, considering he also had a tail now but he couldn’t help but stare.

Was he… a fox?

Looking himself over, he felt it was way too fitting.

His clothes were filthy, which wasn’t surprising considering he’d found himself at the bottom of a ravine. His style of clothes, however, was very outgoing, if he was to be kind.

If he was being rude, he looked like a flashy and annoying guy. He’d met people who wore ostentatious clothes like this. They were the type to brag about their family or riches like it was something to be admired.

Yang Xuetian had always hated the type, as they made him wonder if he would have become that type of person had his biological father actually wanted him from the start.

Just the thought made him shudder, eliciting a sharp stab of pain. He then recalled he was supposed to be checking if he had been injured rather than checking himself out.

Yet when he lifted his shirt to look at the wound, he found that it wasn’t that bad.

There was a small gash but it didn’t look to be too deep. Yet from the amount of blood on his skin and his clothes, it had to have been a deep wound. He pressed his side, feeling around the wound. If it was a deep wound, he’d feel pain from within yet all he felt was a bit of soreness.

Was it an internal wound that had closed up a bit at the entry point?

He wasn’t a doctor for humans so he couldn’t say for sure. Still, a hospital would be the best place to find out.

Feeling somewhat relieved, Yang Xuetian washed his hands of the blood caking his fingers. As soon as his hands were no longer tinged with blood, he heard a rumble from behind him. It was only then that he looked around the bathroom.

Much to his surprise, there were only three stalls but each was a different size. The largest was the one farthest from the entrance. It was the size of three regular stalls and taller than the others.

Why make them vary in size so much? He wondered, just before he was startled by the loud noise inside the stall.

A low growl echoed from the enclosed space, letting him know that it knew he was there and wanted him gone.

Wary, Yang Xuetian took a small step toward the entrance, watching the stall door shake as something heavy hit it from within.

“...”

Time to leave!

He turned to run, assuming the door would hold long enough for him to turn away and run. Yet before he could, he heard something crash behind the other stall doors and fall from the first stall door.

Instinctively, he dropped to the ground, hearing the mirror beside him shatter just a second later. He waited for everything to calm down, assuming the animal was listening out for him.

After a few moments, Yang Xuetian opened his eyes to look around. The once clean bathroom was in taters. The first and last stall doors were hanging off the hinges. Where the sweet glow of the exit was, there was now a thick long shaft blocking the way.

Yang Xuetian recognized it was a tail but not one he’d ever seen outside of fantasy art.

Then again, he had fox ears so it wouldn’t be a stretch.

To confirm his suspicions, he turned to the first stall, seeing the serpentine creature within. It stared at him gleaming dark eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Long horns jutted from its head and tufts of fur peaked from its crown like a lion's mane. It clung to the wall like a lizard, its neck twisting to keep him in sight. The gleam of the fluorescent lights bounced off its silver fur/scales, making it seem so much bigger than it probably was.

Regardless, Yang Xuetian knew it was a dragon that had trapped him in the bathroom.

He had no idea how it managed to hide itself this whole time but that wasn’t the important part of this situation. The problem was that he was trapped in there with it.

He watched it, avoiding eye contact in case that was a trigger for it. He wasn’t used to dealing with lizards. They were a rare visitor to his office so he wasn’t sure how to handle a larger version.

Moreover, he had no idea what condition the dragon was in. If it was just spooked, he could sneak away once it calmed down but if it were hurt or sick, he’d be in trouble. Weakened animals were much more dangerous as they often felt fight or flight when confronted with the possibility of death.

S-should he try talking to it, then? That was what he usually did with his patients, as a calm voice tended to ease their panic.

He glanced up at the creature, locking eyes with it. It snarled, baring its teeth at him. He froze.

Oh, hey now! Let's not be so reckless.

Yang Xuetian had always had a talent for taking care of animals. Liang Fei had said it was because he had a seductive voice. Yang Xuetian, at the time, had not believed him but somehow it seemed to be the case now.

In spite of him having a different voice now, the creature was visibly relaxing. It was slow but Yang Xuetian could see the tension leave its muscles.

“G-good evening. My name is Yang Xuetian.” He said, holding his hands up. This was usually how he handled wary animals. While they couldn’t understand him, it was only proper that a doctor start by introducing himself to their patient. “How are you feeling tonight?”

Large dark eyes stared back at him, its pupils narrow with wariness. He could see its eyes trembling, looking dazed and unfocused.

Ah, it's weak and scared. If he did this wrong, he’d be mauled by the poor thing.

He let out a breath, feigning calm as he slowly approached the creature one step at a time.

“Everything is going to be fine.” He whispered in a slow and calm tone. While he wasn’t sure it could understand him, most animals tended to calm down when spoken to in this way. “I won’t let anything hurt you.”

He’d dealt with a few feral animals. Animals that had been mistreated and became wary of humans. Violent most times. It made it hard for them to be saved but Yang Xuetian always tried.

He’d failed quite a few times and had to suffer through them being put down. It broke his heart and made him despise those who had done that to these poor creatures. To make them bark and hiss so vehemently even as they trembled with fear at the gentle hand reaching out to them.

He remembered them all and refused to give up just because this creature was a bit bigger.

“I won’t hurt you.” He promised, his voice trembling as he recalled all the animals who had been hurt that he couldn't help. The dogs that would sit close to the entrance of the cage whenever he came by as if waiting for him. The cats that would sometimes lick the bite mark it had given him the day before, silently apologizing for their behavior.

He always forgave them.

His cheeks felt hot and wet, yet he kept talking.

“No one will hurt you, I promise.” He hated that his voice cracked. This wasn’t the time to act like this. “May I pet you?”

He held a hand out slowly, watching to see if it would lunge at him. He’d gotten quite a few animal bites when he’d first started so he was confident in his reflexes.

He stopped just outside the stall, holding out his hand so the creature could get his scent. It watched him, extending its neck warily toward him.

At this range, it’d be harder to dodge if things went south but he remained still. He’d put his trust in the creature as he’d done with all of his patients.

“May I?” He asked again, smiling softly as he saw the usual signs of relaxation in its body.

Dark eyes stared up at him, briefly glancing at his hand before opening its mouth wide. With a mouth that large, he could probably swallow him whole. He was reptilian-like, so perhaps it’d ingest him like a snake. The thought of slowly suffocating to death in a tight space was horrifying. Perhaps he’d suffer from hours of agony as its throat muscles broke and crushed his organs and bones.

He closed his eyes, realizing he’d fucked up. He’d die only a few hours into his second chance at life because he was an idiot! He didn’t regret wanting to help a sick animal but dying at the hands of one was just heartbreaking.

Wasn’t that a betrayal to his animal-loving heart!?

Yet the bite he was expecting never came. He felt something slither up his leg and wrap around his torso, shocking him into opening his eyes once more.

The creature was staring at him, looking… confused?

Yang Xuetian had no words, trying to piece together what was happening when he felt it lick his cheek. It was hot, wet and felt like he was being wiped with a wet rug.

What… what was going on now?!