From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

As Jade attempted to sit up, her gaze wandered, taking in the details of her surroundings. The room was distinctly medical in nature, marked by its pristine white walls and checkered flooring, a sterile environment designed to promote healing.

At the end of her line of sight, a sign loomed, clearly marking the space as the infirmary. This realization brought with it a flood of questions and concerns—about her own well-being, the fate of her companions, and the aftermath of their confrontation with Erebos.

The infirmary, with its silent, impersonal efficiency, seemed an odd juxtaposition to the turmoil that still raged within Jade.

As she lay there, trying to piece together the events that led to her current state, the absence of familiar faces only heightened her sense of isolation and vulnerability. The urgency to understand the situation and reconnect with her allies gnawed at her, fueling a determination to overcome her physical limitations and seek answers.

Moments earlier, Jade had been struggling to remove the patches that confined her to the bed, eager to rise and closely examine her surroundings. Just as she made her move, the door burst open, revealing three nurses shrouded in protective garments. They maneuvered an unidentified individual on a stretcher into the room, while one of them, evidently the leader, clutched a tablet firmly in hand.

"We need to get him into surgery within the next 30 minutes," she began, her voice trailing off as her gaze landed on Jade. The sight of Jade, now sitting upright and wearing a look of utter confusion, caught her off guard.

"You're awake?!" the lead nurse exclaimed, her tone a mixture of surprise and urgency. She quickly directed her colleagues, "You two, prepare the patient for surgery. I'll inform the Director that she has awoken."

With a mutual understanding, the two nurses nodded briskly and hurried off, leaving the unknown patient in the center of the room. The head nurse, meanwhile, extracted a phone from her pocket and began to dial a number, her actions swift, signifying the gravity of the situation.

As Jade grappled with the confusion and disarray around her, she began piecing together a possible explanation for the commotion. "Maybe I've been out for a while?" she pondered, the realization dawning on her that her prolonged unconsciousness might have been the cause for the nurse's surprise and the lack of constant supervision.

Her train of thought was interrupted when an elderly man, exuding an air of authority, appeared at the door.

He was dressed impeccably in a sharp black suit complemented by a white tie. Jade felt a flicker of recognition upon seeing him, yet she couldn't pinpoint exactly where she knew him from.

Struggling to muster a semblance of politeness despite her discomfort, she greeted him, "Good morning, Sir, whatever time it is," her voice weak as she attempted a smile, the residual pain still weighing heavily on her.

The man approached her bedside with a solemnity that filled the room. "It is good to see you are still alive," he stated, his voice carrying a mix of relief and seriousness.

Attempting to inject a semblance of optimism into the conversation, Jade responded, "Yeah, you and me both, sir. I can't say I recognize your face, though. But your voice, it's familiar to me." Her words hinted at a recognition deeper than mere visual memory, suggesting a connection forged through experience or shared moments rather than faces.

The man, revealing himself as the director of the entire program, elaborated on his position and the extraordinary circumstances that had led to their meeting. "I usually don't make visual appearances to just anyone. But after reviewing the footage of the incident involving the creature that managed to breach our barriers, I felt compelled to come.

This entity is not like the usual monsters we've encountered; it represents a unique threat. I'm frankly amazed that a human, one who hasn't even undergone the baptism ritual and possesses no powers, managed to hold her ground against it, if only for a short while."

As he shared these insights, the gravity of the situation and Jade's unwitting involvement became clearer. The mention of a baptism ritual hinted at a world where humans and supernatural forces intersected, with Jade finding herself at the nexus of this conflict.

Brushing her hand through her disheveled hair, Jade reflected on her motivations, grounded in the faith someone named Ash had in her. "Well, Ash believed in me to help any way I could, and that's all I was really trying to do."

Concern etched into her voice, Jade inquired about the well-being of someone close to her, perhaps the same Ash she had mentioned earlier. "How is she doing, anyway? I feel like I've been asleep for a while," she stated, her curiosity and concern for her friend apparent.

The Director, upon hearing Jade's question, paused momentarily, a hand covering his face as if to brace himself for the explanation that followed. "She managed to swim all the way back to shore after she was teleported away," he began, the tone of his voice reflecting a mixture of disbelief and admiration. "According to her, she was about 40 miles off the coast, which, honestly, is hard to believe.

But she has always had a habit of making the impossible possible since we found her."

The Director's tone took on a more serious note as he disclosed Ash's current predicament, being chastised for her decision to involve Jade in such perilous circumstances. "She is currently being reprimanded a bit for even allowing you to go. Taking a human to an event like that could have scarred you for life, given how jarring of an event it was.

But I'm happy to see you came out of it in one piece."

Jade, trying to lighten the mood amidst the gravity of the situation, managed a slight joke. "Yeah, you and me both," she said, nervously rubbing the top of her head where she had been injured by Erebos, the mention of her encounter hinting at the dangerous confrontations they had faced.

The Director acknowledged her attempt at humor with a nod, a brief silence enveloping the room as the weight of their conversation settled around them. It was a moment of reflection on the events that had transpired, on the resilience shown, and the costs incurred.

Breaking the silence, he continued, his voice carrying a somber undertone. "Tyree and Waddell weren't so lucky."