From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Chapter 217: Nana's Trip Back

Nana's eyes fluttered open, the blinding light that had enveloped her finally fading. She found herself in a circular room, its unfamiliarity briefly disorienting. A quick glance at her hands revealed a startling change – they were smaller, almost childlike, signaling her transformation into a more diminutive form.

The air around her was tinged with the scent of smoke, and she could perceive faint wisps of fire beginning to curl into existence.

"What the hell is going on?" she murmured, her voice tinged with confusion and a growing sense of unease. As she scanned her surroundings, the space seemed to morph and solidify into the shape of a small, rustic hut. A chill, unbidden and cold, crept up her skin, making her shiver despite the warmth of the smoldering fire nearby.

Her gaze continued to wander, taking in the oddities of the hut, when suddenly, her foot caught on a small log. She stumbled, the unexpected obstacle sending her tumbling forward. She landed with a thud on a plush red carpet, the impact jarring yet strangely muted. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, the pain real but bearable, a stark reminder of the bizarre reality she had found herself in.

Moments after her fall, Nana heard the gentle crack of a woman's voice, laced with concern. "Oh dear, are you okay?" The speaker was a woman in a white dress, though it was smudged with dirt and mud, suggesting a life of labor or travel. She bent down to one knee, her eyes filled with maternal concern, and asked softly, "Are you okay, baby?"

As Nana looked up, the light illuminating the woman's face faded slightly, revealing long, light blue hair cascading gracefully down her side. Tears began to well up in Nana's eyes as she stared at the woman, her heart caught in a tumult of emotions. "I know it can't be you," she stated shakily, disbelief and hope warring within her.

"This has to be some trick, right?" The woman, looking mildly confused, replied gently, "What has to be a trick, sweetheart?"

Nana's voice was barely a whisper, burdened with uncertainty. "I'm sure this is all some kind of memory," she murmured, trying to make sense of the surreal situation.

Just then, a bulky man with dark black hair entered the room, his arms laden with a hefty load of firewood. He addressed the woman with a casual, affectionate tone, "Hey dear, what's going on?" He glanced around, noting the peculiar scene. "Just got some firewood to help us out for the winter.

There's been rumor that the rebellion is moving toward the center of the capital, so I want to make sure we stay clear of it for a while."

With a practiced ease, the man casually tossed the logs into the fire pit, arranging them in a precise triangular formation. He then snapped his fingers over the woodpile, and small sparks magically ignited, creating a growing fire that crackled and danced, casting a warm glow throughout the hut.

Meanwhile, the motherly figure turned her attention to Nana, patting her gently on the head with a reassuring touch. "Wait one second," she said softly before rising to join the man by the fire, leaving Nana to her tumultuous thoughts.

Nana, still seated on the plush carpet, placed a hand over her head in a futile attempt to quell the storm brewing within her mind. "This is all fake, I know it's all fake," she whispered to herself, the conviction in her voice wavering as the vividness of her surroundings tugged at her senses.

"But damn it, it all feels so real." She gripped her shoulders tightly, a physical anchor to steady the swirling chaos of her thoughts. She pondered her next move, wondering how to end this surreal experience. "Perhaps the only way is to just play this out right now and—"

As these haunting images of her parents' tragic fate flashed through her mind, Nana was jolted back to the present with a heart-wrenching scream. "Mother, no!" she cried out, scrambling to her feet in a state of panic. Her eyes darted to where her mother stood beside the bulky man — a man she instinctively felt was her father, though his face remained elusive in her memory.

Desperately, she reached out, her small hands clutching at her dirt-stained white dress, pulling her back towards safety.

But in that frantic moment, the window above the fireplace shattered with a violent crash. An arrow, its aim lethal and precise, flew past them, missing Nana by mere inches before embedding itself into an image frame on the wall.

The room was suddenly barraged by a storm of arrows, each one slicing through the air with deadly intent. The bulky man reacted instantly, his protective instincts kicking in. He lunged forward, scooping up both Nana and her mother in a swift, protective embrace, hitting the ground just as the arrows whistled overhead.

Nana, her voice laced with urgency and fear, pleaded with the man pinning them down. "We have to get out of here and do something!" she implored, her eyes wide with terror. The man nodded, his eyes scanning for a route of escape, his mind racing to formulate a plan.

Before they could move, the door to the hut burst open, revealing a menacing figure clad in a dark vest and mask. His presence exuded danger and malice. "I knew some worthless people would be out here," he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

The bulky man, acting with a courage that belied his pain, took an arrow hit to his shoulder without faltering. With a grunt, he launched himself at the attacker, ramming into him with full force. The two men crashed through the doorway, tumbling into the snow outside.

Nana, her emotions in turmoil, let out a desperate scream, "Father, no!" Despite not recognizing his face, her heart knew him as her father.

In a burst of panic and determination, she ran towards the door, her mother's hand reaching out in a futile attempt to stop her. Her mother's grip only managed to rip Nana's small pink shirt slightly before she wriggled free and rolled outside into the cold, snowy ground.

Nana, desperate to help, attempted to snap her fingers at the man, hoping to unleash some unknown power, but nothing happened. Meanwhile, her father, despite his injury, managed to deliver a rough punch to the masked man's face, momentarily staggering him.

At that critical moment, a spear gun fired from a distance, the projectile speeding through the air with lethal precision. It struck the bulky man, tearing through his flesh and leaving a grievous wound. Nana's eyes widened in horror as she realized the urgency of the situation.