Man Or Woman?

The chill crept in first. Sharp, biting, persistent. I shivered, curling instinctively as I rubbed my arms, the sensation dragging me out of unconsciousness. My skin felt…different. Softer, delicate, like finely polished wood instead of the rough-hewn stone I'd grown used to. As I rubbed my eyes, the world swam into focus, and I froze.

My arm was tanned, smooth, and slender.

The faint light of a strange, glowing forest filtered through gaps in the canopy above, painting everything in an ethereal glow. Trees stood like giants, their trunks woven with bioluminescent vines that pulsed gently, like veins carrying blood. In the distance, small creatures darted and hopped across a grassy field—horned rabbits, deer-like creatures with crystalline antlers, and slimes with a soft, translucent shimmer.

I blinked slowly, the absurdity of it all sinking in.

Yawning, I stretched, only to hear a melodic, soft sound escape my lips. My jaw tightened as I caught the tail end of the sound.

"What the—?" I clamped my hand over my mouth. The voice wasn't mine. It was lighter, smoother, with a strong yet melodic quality that almost sounded feminine. Definitely not my voice. My original voice had been coarse, worn down by shouting commands and coughing up blood on the battlefield. This was…wrong.

Something was wrong.

I stretched again, trying to shake the odd feeling, only to glance down mid-motion—and everything stopped.

There were…breasts.

No. That couldn't be right. My head spun as I stared, my mind fumbling to grasp the situation. My chest had always been flat. Muscular, scarred, tough—but flat.

I reached out, hesitated, and then pinched myself. Hard. The sharp jolt of pain confirmed what my instincts already knew: this wasn't a dream.

"What the fuck is going on?" I muttered, louder this time. My voice—still that unfamiliar, melodic tone—cut through the quiet air.

Before I could process it, a sudden ping echoed through my mind, and a holographic screen flickered into view in front of me.

+

Quest: [Man or Woman?]

Objective: Explore your new body.

Reward: Obtain [Emblem Awakening].

+

The words floated in the air, transparent yet tangible, like a projection of light made solid. My breath caught. A quest.

The moment of disbelief passed as I scanned the surroundings again, this time with sharper focus. Everything around me looked…alien. Beautiful in a surreal, dreamlike way. Ethereal white whales glided lazily through the sky above, glowing faintly, their haloes casting soft light around them. The grass shimmered faintly as if made of starlight, and I could hear the faint ripple of water behind me.

I stumbled backward, and my heel splashed into something cold. Startled, I jumped back, nearly losing my footing. My head whipped around to find the source: a small lake, the surface of which gleamed like polished glass.

My heart pounded, but not from fear. The pieces were clicking into place, slow but certain.

The glowing creatures. The quest. The name of the reward, [Emblem Awakening]. The realization hit like a hammer. I'd made it. I wasn't just alive—I was back. Back in time.

The body was different. The place wasn't familiar. But none of that mattered. I'd made it back.

I glanced at the quest again, almost laughing. [Man or Woman?] issued by Alterra—the will of this world. I remembered it from before, its voice woven into the very fabric of the Millennium War. The World itself seemed amused, as if this was some cosmic joke at my expense.

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to calm down. First things first. I needed answers, and the lake offered an opportunity to see just how much had changed.

Walking over to the edge of the water, I peered down.

The reflection staring back wasn't mine. Not his. It was a stranger—a lithe, athletic woman with tanned skin and long, wild white hair that fell in unruly waves past her shoulders. There was strength in her build—lean muscle and a faint outline of abs—but it was balanced by a delicate beauty that bordered on unsettling. Large, sharp eyes, full lips, and a face that could have belonged to a warrior or a goddess.

It was the face of someone I recognized.

"No way," I whispered, the words catching in my throat. My voice, melodic and unfamiliar, sounded wrong coming from this stranger's mouth. Except…she wasn't a stranger. She looked like someone I'd known, once. An old friend. A female version of my species, from long before everything had gone to hell.

My stomach turned, nausea roiling up from somewhere deep. I stumbled back from the lake, clutching my head.

"Fuck this. What the actual—"

Ding!

+

Quest Complete: [Man or Woman?]

Reward: [Emblem Awakening] is undergoing activation…

The words burned into my vision like searing light, and the nausea intensified. My knees buckled.

"Are you kidding me?!" I gasped, the edges of my vision blurring.

The world tilted. My limbs felt heavy, useless. As my body crumpled to the ground, the last thing I managed was a groan of disbelief before darkness swallowed me whole.