She woke up to confusion in strange place.

 

<I am sure I was one with death. How come I am still breathing? What was my name? How did I die?>

 

Still lying on the bed, her head turned to survey the surrounding darkness. A poorly lit room, not by lamp but by light leaking through openings of a loose door.

 

She rose up. Soreness accompanied every motion, proofs of sleeping on a hard surface. 

 

Leaving the relative coziness of the rough blanket, her body was exposed to the cold air. 

 

The floor creaked with every step as her touch guided the way.

 

The wall was cold. 

 

Drawing imaginary boundaries in her head, the girl charted out the non-rectangular shape of this place. It was not a room, possibly a hut, a windowless hut that allowed barely any clue of day or night.

 

In the blind tread, her touch discovered a few pieces of furniture. A wooden stool stood beside a small round table that had only a half candle on top. Then a wardrobe situated on the opposite side of the bed. Wooden, she believed. It was taller than her, of that she was certain.

 

Done with the little exploration, she turned to the entrance for outside.

 

It took the girl a few moments to understand and unlock the door.

 

Then there was light. the small frame was showered with light, the reigning starlight on the moonless sky.

 

Bringing the hands to eye level, her thought was as quiet as the sleeping night. <These young, thin, bruised, and small limbs… they are not mine.>

 

Paying no heed to the assaulting coldness, she calmly headed back inside.

 

Borrowing the brightness of nature, she searched the wardrobe for anything reflective.

 

The effort was futile, but on the way back, she found more things she had missed; namely, a couple of earthen pots, small bowls, and chopsticks on the floor neatly in the corner. The owner of this hut must have not wanted to step on them in the dark.

 

The stomach growl for her to venture into the tree lines.

 

Her mind was confident there was no easy food nearby. Thus, she decided against searching for fruit trees, shrooms, or wild vegetables. The certainty of a town, a village, or a household nearby was slim. The chance of buying food was non-existent, especially when money was unlikely to be present in the former owner of this body's tattered home.

 

Her objective was a stream or lake. Its water would serve as cushion for the growling hunger and as a mirror to check out her appearance.

 

Despite the cold air, the girl was sweating. The short walk was particularly laborious for the body. She could swear her life flickered with each step. 

<Just how long had it been since this body’s last meal?>

 

Her sense finally picked up the smell of water, and the feet carried the way.

 

Crawling to the very edge of the lake, the weak body lowered its lips. 

 

The sip of cold liquid tasted like dirt. 

 

She would love to drink from further away. Water out there would be much further from the sediment, and clearer. However, submerging into the body of liquid would cost her precious body heat. In this starving stage, she preferred not to get any colder.

 

<This is rough.>

 

Her last life was that of the last and sole heir of her clan. As such, her mother was extremely strict in her upbringing. She was to live away from the clan estate. Earning her own money, taking care of her own needs, those were her duty at a very young age. Her household only covered the tuition fee, and her assigned nanny was only there to ensure she was not dead per her mother’s order.

 

Even so, her former childhood was never this rough. That was taking in account several occasions she ran into wolves during her wood-selling trips.

 

Born strong, she was fully capable of labor works and self-defense. Never once had she allowed herself to be this low.

 

The calm surface depicted the outline of a girl who has been driven onto the ground.

 

She was weak, thin, and destined for death in near future. She wanted to wash this new face but refrained from doing so. 

<I should not get wet, not now.>

 

Spending an hour under the open sky, luck brought her a bit of edible herbs.

 

Returning to the hut, she got flints and dried pieces of wood. 

<These should start a fire.>

 

As the hut has no kitchen or fire place, she searched outside and eventually came across a place that was likely where the previous owner of this body used to cook.

 

It makes sense to not have a fireplace inside. Without a single opening beside the door, a flame inside would be the same as committing suicide.

 

Gathering branches, she made her first meal in this life.

 

When the last bit went down and her belly was full of low-nutrition food, it was time to search for more food and explore the surroundings.

 

As lunch came knocking, she has already secured a more lavish meal with bird meat, shrooms and more vegetables. 

 

While the food was being boiled in the earthen pot, her mind ran through the experience in the last hours.

 

During her hunt, it was clear to her that, in spite of her advanced perception, which was likely inheritances from her previous life, the current body was incapable of keeping up with her commands.

 

The birds she encountered was flapping their wings at speed hilariously slow for her eyes, and yet her small fingers could not wrap them around the feathery animals as she had imagined. 

<I will have to train this body if I want to utilize my power.>

 

Then, there was the settlement to the east. 

 

<That was either a sizable town or a full-fledged city. Whatever the case, time to earn some money and to investigate the native cultures.>