Chapter 6: A Divine Awakening

A magnificent hall stretched before them.

Every aspect of its decor, from the intricate carvings adorning the walls to the elaborate floor tiles and the carefully placed statues throughout, exuded an aura of unparalleled luxury and grandeur.

A long, white carpet unfurled down the center aisle of the hall, leading to a solitary figure who stood with their hands clasped behind their back at its far end.

“Lady Aethelwulf…”

Before her, another figure knelt on one knee, urgently relaying information.

“Our connection to the Cycle has been completely severed…”

“What of the formation?” Aethelwulf interrupted, her voice laced with urgency.

“For reasons unknown…” The other hesitated for a moment before continuing, “The formation remains active; it doesn’t appear to have failed.”

“How can this be?” Aethelwulf exclaimed, utterly bewildered. “Without the support of the Cycle, it should have failed entirely!”

She found it incomprehensible, for the Cycle was the absolute core of the entire formation, an indispensable element.

Yet, the current reality continuously defied her understanding.

“Furthermore, its operation remains entirely unaffected; everything is proceeding normally.” The reporter continued their strange account, seemingly unsure how to even process the situation.

“This is truly astounding!”

Aethelwulf pondered for a moment, then, as if having reached a firm decision, issued her command.

“Regardless, you must hold your ground! You are to persevere until the very end, no matter the cost.”

****

‘Where am I?’ I wondered, gazing out at the vast expanse of white that surrounded me.

‘Hadn’t I been drunk…?’

Though I seemed unable to move, being enveloped by this brilliant white light brought an unexpected, profound comfort.

It felt akin to being submerged in a warm spring, an exquisite sensation that made me long to let out a series of soft groans.

Yet, it seemed I couldn’t even utter a sound.

By all rights, such a predicament should have plunged me into sheer panic.

Instead, I felt utterly devoid of thought, as if remaining in this state forever would be perfectly fine, free from desire or want.

After an indeterminate stretch of time, the white radiance finally began to wane, growing progressively thinner.

It was as if a veil of mist had settled all around me, slowly starting to dissipate.

At last, I could perceive my surroundings.

My hearing was the first sense to return, and a growing cacophony of sounds flooded my mind.

I seemed to catch the urgent murmur of voices, yet the language they spoke was utterly incomprehensible.

‘What in the world is that gibberish?’

Swiftly, however, a torrent of information abruptly surged into my brain, leaving me momentarily unable to process it all.

Suddenly, I realized I could understand their words!

“We can’t hold out much longer! What do we do?”

“Tell everyone to retreat immediately!… Retreat now!”

****

‘What could this mean?’ Even though I understood the words, I was completely disoriented.

It sounded like two women talking.

‘Was this coming from a television?’

My eyelids still felt incredibly heavy.

At this point, I sensed only darkness around me, managing to force open just a narrow slit to peer out.

Frankly, I struggled to find any words adequate enough to describe what I saw.

Through my hazy vision, I perceived myself hovering in the air, not far from the ground.

This was certainly no familiar KTV private room.

The earth beneath was etched with countless shimmering, golden, intricate patterns.

Moreover, numerous naked maidens drifted around me.

Yet, the shock did not end there.

Though it was but a fleeting glance, I was certain that each of these maidens had a pair of snow-white wings extending from their backs.

The scene… it was utterly bizarre!

The air was thick with an incredibly seductive aura, yet it was inexplicably mingled with a faint touch of sanctity.

My gaze was cut short because, in the very next instant, a colossal shadow descended from the sky.

A massive boulder hurtled past my eyes, crashing heavily onto the ground.

In that fleeting moment, a sudden, violent upheaval occurred.

The world seemed to tremble, and an intense pain flared in my head, nearly causing me to black out.

The chaotic torrent of information that had been rushing into my brain ceased abruptly, leaving behind only countless fragmented snippets.

Amidst the throbbing headache, I kept my eyes tightly shut, feeling as if I were plummeting rapidly on a roller coaster.

Soon, however, someone caught me from below, and then my ears were filled with the howling wind and a ceaseless chorus of screams.

Before long, I lost my support once more and began to fall again.

This time, I plunged into complete unconsciousness.

When consciousness finally returned to me, I was surrounded by a chorus of chirping and twittering, as if hundreds of birds were flitting past, their calls rising and falling in an unending symphony.

‘How annoying!’ I thought. ‘The birds downstairs always chirp like this every morning, but today is truly excessive.

It feels like there are at least several times more than usual.

Do they run a zoo down there?’

Infuriated, I wanted to curse aloud.

I opened my eyes, but what greeted me was not my familiar ceiling.

A few white clouds drifted idly across the clear sky, while the faint outlines of treetops were visible on either side.

The air carried the distinct scent of decaying leaves.

‘Ugh,’ I mumbled, jolting fully awake from my daze. ‘Where am I? Wasn’t I at home?’

A series of bizarre images flashed through my mind, feeling utterly surreal.

A slight headache pulsed, making me wonder, ‘Was all of that just a dream…?’

I tried to push myself up, but as the palm of my right hand touched the ground, it encountered something incredibly soft and plush, a wonderfully comfortable, furry sensation.

‘What is this?’

Just as I was about to lower my head for a closer look, a searing, tearing pain erupted from the right side of my back, piercing me to the core…

“Ahhh—!”

The violent shriek, like the mournful cry of a cuckoo echoing through the heavens, stunned me.

‘What was that sound?’ I wondered.

But that wasn’t all.

Perhaps I no longer had the presence of mind to even consider the sound, for in the instant I had glanced down, I noticed two distinct mounds on my chest.

And, it seemed I wasn’t wearing any clothes?

When I directed my gaze there again, it seemed to pull at the injury on my back.

“Hiss—!”

Fortunately, this time my movement wasn’t as abrupt, allowing me to suppress a cry.

Yet, the pain still caused my face to contort violently.

‘I’m injured? What’s wrong with my back?’

So many questions suddenly assailed me, leaving my scalp tingling.

I couldn’t decide which one to address first.

One thing, however, was undeniably clear: what I had just seen!

Those were undeniably breasts, a feature exclusive to females.

How could they possibly be on *my* body?

Though they were only a modest, hand-sized measurement, I was absolutely certain I hadn’t been mistaken.

Furthermore, I distinctly felt no clothing on my body; I must truly be naked.

‘This is utterly insane!’ The sheer volume of information was overwhelming; my brain simply couldn’t cope.

Deciding to address the issue of my back injury first, I slowly raised my right hand to feel along my back, already envisioning a gruesome, even bloody, wound there.

In reality, however, I felt no injury at all.

Instead, my hand inadvertently brushed against something peculiar.

Crucially, I could *feel* this thing; when my hand touched it, I could also feel it being touched by my hand.

‘How utterly bizarre!’ It was like… my left hand touching my right.

And it was soft, furry, and warm, reminiscent of stroking a cat’s back.

‘This is…’

A sudden realization flashed through my mind.

In an instant, I recalled the strange sight I had witnessed while floating in the air earlier.

‘Could this be a wing?’

Indeed, my guess was correct.

After tracing its edges up and down several times, I finally acknowledged this truth.

It was then that I fully understood the reason for the pain in my back: an entire wing was spread out on the ground, and when I had placed my hand on it to sit up, I had naturally pulled at my back.

So, there was no injury at all!

‘My entire worldview is crumbling,’ I thought, desperately wishing someone would appear and explain what had happened.

‘Hadn’t I been at a high school reunion in a KTV just before?

How did I wake up after a nap and suddenly find myself in this desolate wilderness?

Have I… transmigrated?’

‘What about everyone else? Xu Qianran, Ren Yunkong, Mu Xueyan, and my other high school classmates?

Where are they?

Am I the only one?

And even if I’ve transmigrated, why have I turned into this?

With a pair of wings on my back… if it weren’t for those annoying protrusions on my chest, I’d almost suspect I’d transmigrated into a bird!’

Now that I understood what was happening, things became much simpler.

Carefully avoiding the feathers scattered across the ground, I easily sat upright.

Only then did I finally behold the full extent of this new body.

Despite having braced myself mentally, I was still rendered speechless by the shock.

Indeed, this was no longer the familiar form that had accompanied me for over twenty years.

In its place was a lithe and graceful body, skin like creamy jade, delicate and slender limbs, and a cascade of blue hair falling from the back of my head…

Everything about it was like a precious, flawless work of art.

Trembling, I slowly reached out, still wanting to touch *that* area, truly unable to believe my own eyes.

Sure enough, nothing was there!

It was all gone!

Not a single hair remained!

Yes, apart from the hair on my head, there wasn’t a single hair elsewhere!

I didn’t know whether to mourn the good companion that had been with me for over two decades, or to scoff at its disappearance, considering it had never once been put to good use.

In any case, one thing was clear: I had become a girl.

Clutching the hair that now cascaded down to my thighs, I managed a wry smile.

It was aquamarine.

Aside from anime and two-dimensional fiction, this was the first time I’d ever seen such a hair color, and it just so happened to be growing on *my* head.

‘Wait, then what about the wings on my back?’

‘So, I’ve become an angel?’