𝑺𝒎𝒐𝒌𝒆 | 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑲𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒙 𝑶𝑪

Thirty-Seven

HEY YALL 

WE IN PHASE TWO OF THE MSU (MY STORY UNIVERSE)

btw sorry if this isn't that good I'm really sleepy writing this

-

"Shhhhhhh," the male voice in her dreams soothed, "...you'll wake before you truly break,"

She awoke to a bright, bright light shining on her. She attempted to sit up and look around at her surrounding. She tried to take a deep breath of fresh air but found herself coughing and choking on ash that already seemed to be in her throat. The loud sound of her coughing up what felt like an entire lung alerted people nearby to her presence.

The people around her immediately screamed after seeing her. High pitched shrieks from the women and lower-pitched yells from the men, one man did screech in tones similar to the ladies though.

Jolana's eyes quickly widened and she attempted to put her hands up in surrender but couldn't because she was tied down. She looked down at her hands, her nails were longer than she normally let them go, and her hand more slender. She could see the bone in her fingers more prominently, her hands looked like the hands of a privileged countess who hadn't worked a day in her life.

She strained against her restraints for a while before what seemed to be doctors started examining her, shoving lights in her eyes to check pupillary function and doing reflex tests, even drawing blood.

"Where am I?"

"I'm not currently sure if I can speak to you," said one of the meeker doctors. "I need to speak to my supervisor,"

All the doctors removed themselves from her proximity and she strained trying to look around. The room was obviously in the palace but she couldn't tell where. 

"Can anyone here tell me what the fuck is happening?" she asked loudly hoping that would hurry things along. She sighed and laid her head back down when she caught sight of a window in the ceiling. They were observing her from above, when they realized she could see them the two in the front quickly turned their backs so that she couldn't even read their lips.

She gave up trying to actively seek information but some tidbits came to her through a few of the assistants talking right outside the door.

She could hear their hushed conversation and loud whispers,

"This whole thing is so weird,"

"I may be a corporalki and that is of the living and the dead but normally the dead don't become the living,"

"I was just supposed to help prepare a funeral, I never wanted this whole mess," he paused and dramatically sighed, "She always was a bit weird, did she even have friends?"

"She only was really friends with the Sun Summoner, she kinda was weird," his voice got quieter, "Even in death she was weird-"

"Don't speak ill of the dead," a new third voice cut in, it sounded authoritative and seemed to be a superior to the pair who had been discussing Jolana's personal life quite rudely. She couldn't blame them though, because most of it was true.

The corporalki was the first of the two to respond, "She obviously isn't dead,"

"Well, then what the hell is she?" the superior muttered.

Jolana remembered dying, it didn't feel nice to die but death had been peaceful, like a dream. She wasn't even sure if she died because death meant your brain stopped working, the brain no work, no dreams. Yet her dreams had been so vivid. She felt like she was living through someone else, she had fallen in love with a king but it never worked out, and then she blew up. She felt the sensation of being completely obliterated as her surroundings burned. Over and over again.

"CAN SOMEONE UNSTRAP ME FOR SAINT'S SAKE! I CAN HEAR YOU!" Jolana yelled in frustration.

There must have been a silent conversation but the result was a corporalki, she could tell a healer from the kefta. She undid the straps that confined Jolana to the horizontal position on the uncomfortable bed.

She sat up and caught a glimpse of her reflection. She quickly stood up to take a better look, her face was thinner. Her bone structure more defined. She was also paler, making the redness in her cheeks and her freckles appear darker. The part that was weirdest to her was her hair. Her hair had changed hues as well. She had always been a ginger, her hair a light orangey color. The thing is, now her hair was redder and it was darker. It felt nicer.

She looked at a different person in the mirror but it also felt more right.

She could see a large scar across her neck, a reminder of the events of the fete. 

She then turned her head to a new person entering.

"Genya!" Jolana said excitedly, throwing her arms around Jolana without much thought.

"This is so odd," Genya said in a sort of half-laugh

"What happened?" Jolana said as Genya looked at her with a bewildered look on her face.

"A lot, they thought I should be the one to break the news since Alina's not here?"

"Why isn't Alina here?"

"She disappeared, there is disagreement on whether or not she was kidnapped or ran away,"

"Is the General taking care of it?"

"He's certainly doing something," Genya said, Jolana could tell there was more there, from how Genya said it

"Someone needs to help Alina, she wouldn't just leave for no reason,"

"General Kirigan was very upset with what happened at the fete, you dying and Alina's absence,"

"Genya, why am I awake?"

"Short answer we do not exactly know,"

"From what I could tell, you died, burst into flames, and were asleep for a while,"

"Burst into flames?"

"You don't remember?"

"No, I was sort of dead," Jolana joked but did not receive any laughs.

"Our best guess is your a specific type of inferni that has some phoenix-like abilities,"

"I'm a bird?" Jolana joked again but received more no reaction, "Geez, tough crowd,"

"Well, it seemed like you died, burned to nothing, and then reformed," Genya sighed, "We don't know what you are but everyone thought pheonix when told the story,"

"I don't want to be a bird," Jolana sighed

"Good to see you didn't lose your childishness in death,"

"I'll be like a... star. I'm a star," she said proudly

"Star?"

"Stars, they supernova and then all that dust and matter from the explosion form new stars," Jolana face split into a smile, "I'm a star,"

"Fine, you can be a star. You died, you can at least get that,"

As a newly minted star, she found herself drifting to Alina. A soul similar to hers, a specific star the Sun. The Sun was missing, the center of what we consider the world was M.I.A.

She tried to be glad to be alive but it was weird to wake up to a life that has changed so much. From integral parts to even physical appearance.