Rebirth.

At exactly midnight, the heavy rainfall hasn't ceased. Stars began to fall from the sky. Yet, these celestial events were invisible to the naked eye, hidden from human sight. At the cemetery, strange noises began to emerge, the sound of locks breaking, followed by guttural growls from unknown creatures.

Inside her coffin, Scarlett gasped sharply, her eyes snapping open. Darkness enveloped her. She couldn't see, and a suffocating silence pressed down on her. Am I in hell? she wondered, panic surging through her as she tried to move but felt herself confined. She quickly tore at the cotton wools blocking her nose and ears, casting them aside.

Is this what hell looks like? Desperation clawed at her thoughts. Scarlett's heart pounded as she began pounding on the coffin lid, her hoarse voice barely managing to shout for help. Her strength was fading fast, but sheer will pushed her to keep hitting the wood, hoping someone... 'anyone'... would hear.

I'm not dead yet, am I? Her eyes widened in terror as tears flowed down her cheeks. I came back to life? But it didn't matter if she was alive. The coffin was her deathbed now. She was running out of air, gasping for breath in the stifling darkness. Every passing second drained her of the little strength she had left, and her thoughts began to blur.

Then, just as her last hope began to fade, a faint, ethereal glow pierced the darkness. A holographic display flickered to life above her.

Ding!

{System Activation: "Rebirth Protocol"}

{Congratulations, Host. You have awakened the Echo System.}

Host: Scarlett Jenkins

Status: Critical

Oxygen Levels: 2%

Health: 1%

The soft, melodic voice echoed in Scarlett's mind.

{You have been revived, but your situation is dire. Oxygen levels are critically low and need immediate attention.}

Fear seized her, but Echo's calm tone sparked a faint glimmer of hope.

Ding!

{Your revival is due to an anomalous energy signature. Stabilizing your vital signs now...}

Scarlett's vision blurred, but her determination flared to life. "Help… me… get out…" she managed to whisper, her voice raspy.

{Affirmative, Host. Initiating Coffin Breach Protocol. Hold on...}

Creaking sounds filled the small, enclosed space as the system worked to free her. Wood splintered and metal screeched as the coffin began to open.

Ding!

{Vital Signs Stabilization Engaged}

Oxygen Levels: 30%

Health: 20%

A surge of energy coursed through Scarlett's frail body, allowing her to breathe steadily once more. Her mind cleared, her panic subsiding.

{Coffin Breach Protocol: 90% Complete}

The creaking grew louder, and finally, the coffin lid cracked open. Rain-soaked air rushed in, and Scarlett inhaled deeply, filling her lungs. She blinked against the darkness, staring out into the stormy night.

{Coffin Breach Protocol: Complete}

Scarlett stumbled out of the grave, her legs weak but functional. She took in her surroundings—the cemetery was eerily quiet, save for the patter of rain. But then she noticed something unsettling: other coffins had also been unearthed. The soil over them was disturbed, as if more corpses had risen, just like her.

"What's going on?" Scarlett murmured, bewildered. "Did others come back to life too? Dead people?"

Ding!

{Host should explore around.}

Scarlett frowned at the system's cryptic response but hesitated no longer. She hurried toward the cemetery's exit, her mind racing. Once outside, her heart pounded as she tried taking in the scene around her but couldn't identify anything. The street was eerily quiet and dark, sending fear down her spine as she has always been afraid of the dark.

Her legs buckled as terror took over. She walked back weakly into the cemetery and crouched behind a row of bushes, trembling, her body unable to stop shaking.

{Welcome to the monsters apocalypse.}

Scarlett's eyes widened in horror. "Monsters? What do you mean?" she whispered, her voice shaky as well as her curiosity piqued. The system's faint light was able to relieve the fear in her heart a bit, hence the reason why she was still interested in communicating with it.

{Yes, host. You've been transmigrated here.}

Scarlett couldn't help but burst into laughter at the word 'transmigrated.' She doesn't even watch movies that much. It's either she truly woke up from the dead, which kind of feels impossible and hard to believe, or better still she's in hell and not back to life and the system is just from hell too.

Whatever it is, she's waiting for the system to clarify. The word "monster" and "apocalypse" were just too funny to her.

{The sins of humanity have reached their limit. Dead souls, both recent and ancient, are to be awakened and turned into monsters. The creator is angry, and now the goal is simple: to wipe out all of humanity.}

Scarlett's mind spun. Dead people? Wipe out humanity? Turned into monsters? The words echoed, sounding even funnier, but the system seems to be getting serious, and with each seriousness, it sent fear down Scarlett's spine.

{You were once dead, Host, but you're awakened and saved from turning into a monster. You've been given a second chance at life. Your survival now depends on you. Will you give up, or will you bind with me and learn the truth of this world?}

The system paused, its countdown starting.

{The choice is yours: Bind within 10... 9... 5... 3...}

"Are you for real?" Scarlett raised an eyebrow.

{2...1...

"I bind with you, of course. I do," Scarlett blurted out, the words tumbling from her mouth before she even realized it.

Suddenly, a glowing blue hand materialized from the system, reaching out toward her in a gesture that mimicked a handshake.

{Sign the deal, host.}

Scarlett hesitated for a moment, her heart racing. She stared at the ethereal hand, unsure of what would happen next. But then, with a shaky breath, she extended her own hand to meet it. As soon as her skin made contact, a piercing scream escaped from her lips, and then three symbols began to burn themselves into her skin. The first mark was blue, in the shape of a droplet of water. The second, red, took the form of a flickering flame. And the third, black, was carved in the shape of solid stone.

'What are these?' Scarlett wondered as she stared at the symbols. She could still feel the burning pain of the symbol that was carved on her skin.

Ding!

{Binding successful.}