Struggling to kick out the heavy casket with her legs, running out of breath, and realizing someone had burried her inside of a lead casket, she would say she struggled for a stupid amount of time.

Idiotic perhaps, she wanted to slap her own forehead. Maybe, it was twenty minutes until she realized there was a panel filled with buttons. Most people would have found that panel sooner, but she had to admit, with the panel being in the middle section of her body, it made it hard to see.

She found no reason to panic anymore. It was… oddly comfy in here, as if she slept on top of a cloud. She never thought she would say this, but being in a casket was never this comfy.

With that get out of the way, how did she end up in a casket? That one moment, she was driving her Accord out of the university hospital parking lot, then, suddenly, a mushroom cloud appeared in distance. The next thing, she was burned alive by the blast. So… did she die?

Shit… Her existence just ended? Just right after she passed the board exam? So… her years of studying was just gone thanks to a stupid monkey pressing the red button? Fucking hell…

They said, when you were about to die, your whole life flashed just right before your eyes. Too bad for her, though, the only thing that flashed before her eyes was the nuclear bomb that exploded just five miles away from her own car.

She didn’t think of her family. She had no doubt they died too. As far as covering dissappointment went, being put in a coffin somehow worked greatly. She then closed her eyes again, sinking herself into the… mattress? She wasn’t sure, it was very soft.

What’s my name?

How could she forget her own name?

Her name. She forgot her own name. Her mind was so blank. Every memory that contained her name ended up blurry in her mind, and she didn’t have any memory of people calling her by name. Paper, documents, she tried thinking on places where her name should appeared. However, those were gone too.

Second, the coffin. Out of all places, why a coffin? Not that she preferred darkness, but why the alternative was not that much different, symbolic-wise? Odd, she thought. She then realized something was attached into her mouth, some kind of gas mask, presumably? And what was the cuff on her arm? A blood-pressure cuff? What was this coffin? A high-tech sleeping pod?

Third, and the weirdest one, whose body was this?  Her body was gone, evaporated by the power of atom. This was not her body, she could feel it. Everything was out of place. She didn’t remember having hair as long as her chest, or having such smooth hands, her hands were callous from years of holding scalpels.

The second question was answered, specifically, by an overlay display on her eyes.

[Deathbed]

Thank you. She thought, sarcastically.

It didn’t answer her third question. Only then, a diagnostic screen then appeared in her eyes.

Ok?  She took her time to engulf the information displayed in the diagnostic screen. Not that it made much sense to her in any way, but it answered all of her questions. Mainly, her name. Her name was Alice, or so what the diagnostic told her. Why the diagnostic screen was so RPG-like? Second, OS? As in operating system? She was an organic being, right?

The screen answers three of her main questions, but she had more than three now. Like, why a vampire?  And those three things below her level, what did it represent? It also gave her penalties on her perks, so, what were those penalties?

Let’s just start with Duty

■■■

♦Duty♦

Your current duty is IRRESPONSIBLE. You haven’t done any task in restoration, you are irresponsible worthless bloodsucker. Your life serves no purpose, and thus, death is a preferable alternative in accordance to A.U.R.A. protocol.

[Heart Defect Added: Death in 180 Days, 50% Reduction to Vitality, 75% Reduction to Endurance]

■■■

The hell?

So, her heart was flawed? That wouldn’t be good, for any reason. Maybe this was the purpose of the pod, to keep her alive as long as she wanted. Wait, would it mean that she could stay here as long as she could? She wouldn’t really mind.

The information inflicted an odd emotion in her, despite her past memory, it felt like she had done nothing in her life. Her achievement from her past life felt like nothing, because she served nothing in this new world, just a husk in a coffin.

Alice shook her head. Was it really the time to mourn? She was still stuck in the coffin, a comfy coffin. She still felt unsettled by heart defect, but another screen appeared again.

■■■

♦Oath♦

Your current oath is NONE. You are alone, a nobody. A vampire without any servant is no better than regular human. You don’t have any followers either. Your existence is a disgrace to your race. Thus, in accordance to A.U.R.A. protocol, death is a preferable alternative.

[Heart Defect Added: Death in 180 Days, 50% Reduction to Vitality, 75% Reduction to Endurance]

■■■

Servitude. The word alone sent a chill down her spine. So, someone should serve her? How to make someone serve her? She did everything alone before the nuke dropped, she didn’t have any maid, ever. The thought of making someone submit disturbed her, greatly. Should she do that? How would she do that? With magical spells? She had no idea.

[Countdown Started: 180 Days Left]

The pod then opened. Alice then sat down on the pod from her sleeping position. The pod was indeed shaped like a coffin and located in the middle of a white room with only one source of light, alongside with a backpack and clothing lying down on the corner of the room itself.

The blood cuff on her hand took off by itself, alongside with two tubes connected straight to the side of her torso. Alice then took off the gas mask before stepping out of the pod. She felt her feet were tingling, probably from the muscle atrophy. 

Was this a forbidden lab? Like, a top-secret government-owned one? Alice shook her head. The air around her was cold, and she only wanted clothes to wear. She walked towards the backpack, revealing the neatly folded clothing, a dark cargo shirt and a dark cargo pants. There was also a ballistic vest there. She wore those clothings before the air of the lab froze her. After wearing the clothes, a question appeared on her mind again.

“Where am I? What’s this place?” The previous answer, which was simply a coffin, was not enough. Alice then looked at the backpack. An assault rifle was attached right at the side of that backpack. She picked up the assault rifle.

The weight of the rifle in her hands triggered an odd sense of familiarity, despite never having held one in her entire life. The weapon was no ordinary assault rifle; it was enhanced by magic. However, in terms of weight, it felt just like any regular one. After slinging the backpack over her shoulders, Alice approached the imposing metal door that stood before her, only to find it securely locked.

"Now, how do I open it? Should I try shooting it?" she pondered aloud.

"Hey," a voice chimed in, causing Alice to turn around and search the room for its source.

"Name's Aura. I'll be your assistant. Do you need a guide, ma'am?" the newcomer, Aura, introduced herself warmly.

"Oh, yes, that would be wonderful," Alice replied, feeling relieved to have some help.

"Great, let's get going. I can see you have plenty of questions, and I'll do my best to answer them all," Aura assured her. As she spoke, the metal door obediently slid open, revealing a striking woman with silver hair and bright red eyes. She wore a sleek black suit, the tie missing, giving her a confident and casual appearance. "You have a significant assignment ahead of you, after all."

With Aura leading the way, Alice followed her down a narrow metallic hallway, most of its doors remaining locked. The situation raised numerous questions in Alice's mind. Was this woman the one responsible for giving her the heart defect? As curious as she was, Alice hesitated to ask, unsure if Aura would provide a direct answer.

"Could you please tell me what I must do here to avoid my demise?" Alice inquired, securing her hair with a ribbon she found on her cargo shirt. "You know, considering my heart defect."

"For that, you'll need a med-bay, I'm afraid, and it's locked behind 2,000 KP," Aura explained.

"KP? How can I earn that?" Alice asked, determined to find a solution.

"You can start by helping people. We're surrounded by a forest, so reaching out to the local village might be a good way for you to earn points," Aura suggested.

"And what about PP?"

Aura arched an eyebrow in response. "You don't have any, do you?"

"I have zero, that's why I'm asking."

"Oh, you meant Pragmatic Points?"

"Yes, what else could it be?" Alice replied, unsure why Aura was surprised by the question.

“It’s earned in the same way as EXP, by killing monsters and creatures, but I prefer you not to kill intelligent life, if you get what I mean, humans and alike,” Aura added.

“So, how do I level up?”

“Helping people will get you to level up, too, if that is what you’re asking,” Aura added, before she opened another door. The door led to a forest, an open forest. “Best of luck.” She then kicked Alice out of the door and immediately slammed it close, leaving Alice in her brand new world.