I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

Hot water vapor continued to rise gently around Sylvia’s face, forming a thin mist that danced in the damp air of the eternal skeleton’s chest cavity. The beacon that had once burned at the edge of the crater had gone out completely, leaving only a faint scent of cinnamon and herbs lingering in the air. The empty teacup lay tilted on the rib bone that served as the pool’s edge, the remaining thick black tea drying at the bottom. The warmth of the water seeping slowly into every muscle fiber, combined with the mental exhaustion that still clung even after physical regeneration was complete, gradually pulled Sylvia’s crimson eyelids downward. The air inside the hollow of the giant ribs felt damp, heavy, and strangely comfortable, a sharp contrast to the dry miasma wind that always gnawed at the skin beyond the sanctuary’s boundary. The faint light from the residual mana of the eternal skeleton reflected on the water’s surface, creating a soft pale-green shimmer that soothed, as if the skeleton itself was still breathing slowly.

Without realizing it, her breathing slowed. Her head, which had been resting against the edge of the crater in a relatively flat curve of the rib, tilted slightly to the side. Her jet-black wet hair clung to her cheeks and neck, while the crimson eyes that were usually always vigilant were now fully closed. Sylvia fell asleep inside the hot spring she had created herself, in the middle of the chest cavity of the eternal skeleton that had become their sanctuary. For the first time in a very long while, the Queen of Death allowed herself to completely drop her guard. No domain calculations, no attack-range calculations, no shadows of Colossi spinning endlessly in her head. Only warmth, steam, and a silence she rarely felt since they entered this region.

Time passed in an almost sacred silence.

Some time later perhaps ten minutes, perhaps more a strange sensation appeared on her chest. Not pain, not a hard pressure like a punch or a grip, but the touch of fingers slowly probing, pressing, weighing, as if comparing texture, density, and shape. The fingers were warm, careful, yet clear enough to awaken the survival instinct embedded deep in her bone marrow. Sylvia’s eyes snapped open. Her undead reflex made her body tense instantly. A small abyss chain was already ready to appear at the tip of her right finger, prepared to tear apart whatever had touched her without permission. The air around her trembled faintly with death mana that automatically responded.

But what she saw was not an enemy.

Stacia.

The eldest among the three of them was kneeling at the edge of the crater, her right hand still resting on Sylvia’s chest. Stacia’s face, usually filled with cold analysis, was now flushed all the way to her ears, her blue eyes wide because she had been caught. Her long ash-gray hair fell messily over her shoulders, still slightly dirty with bone dust and residual Colossus ash. Her robe, already torn in several places, was wet at the bottom and clung to her pale skin. She looked like a child caught red-handed stealing something, even though in terms of soul she was the oldest among the three.

Sylvia exhaled a long breath, then lightly slapped the back of Stacia’s hand. The soft splash of water sounded as her hand moved.

"Ouch!" Stacia pulled her hand back, rubbing the reddened back of it. "That hurts, Sylvia..."

"What are you doing?" Sylvia covered her chest with both arms, her face flushing faintly something that rarely happened to the Queen of Death. She felt both annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. The hot water that had been soothing now felt too warm against her skin, as if every touch still lingered there. "I fall asleep for just a moment and already get disturbed."

Stacia sat at the edge of the crater, her legs slipping into the hot water up to her calves. She lowered her head, her ash-gray hair falling to partially cover her face. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. "I... was just curious. I woke up first, saw you weren’t in place, then followed your tracks here. And... well. I saw."

Sylvia furrowed her brows. Steam still rose between them, blurring part of Stacia’s expression. "Saw what?"

Stacia took a long breath, then looked down at her own chest, still covered by the tattered robe. Her still-wet hand pointed toward her own chest with her index finger. "Ever since I evolved into a Fallen Angel, my body changed into that of a teenage girl. But... this part," she pressed her own chest lightly, "didn’t develop as much as both of yours. Alicia has been big since long ago, and you... are quite noticeable. I’m the one with the oldest soul among us, yet I’m like this. A bit... envious."

Sylvia fell silent for a moment. She knew Stacia had always possessed a strange childish side, even though behind it was a genius mind capable of calculating Titan attack trajectories in fractions of a second, predicting domain weak points, and even devising regeneration strategies in the middle of battle. Her former tsundere nature had changed a lot after so long together, but that childish curiosity still remained. In the middle of all the cruelty of the Primordial Zenith, in the middle of a bone tomb filled with mad Colossi, a moment like this felt absurd and... human. Almost as if they were still ordinary girls who could tease each other about their bodies without the shadow of death constantly chasing them.

"So you groped me to compare?" Sylvia asked, her voice still a little annoyed but already softer. She relaxed her shoulders, allowing the abyss chain that had briefly appeared to sink back into her skin.

Stacia nodded slightly, her face flushing even redder down to her neck. "Sorry. I didn’t mean to be weird. Just... curious. I saw you sleeping here, and... yeah. I couldn’t resist. Your body looks... different. Even in a regenerative state, that part is still... prominent."

Sylvia exhaled again, then moved her hand, making space inside the pool. The water swayed gently, creating ripples that reflected the mana light. "Just get in. The water is still warm. Don’t sit on the edge like a weirdo."

Stacia looked surprised for a moment, then smiled a small smile, one that rarely appeared on her usually calculating face. She removed the remains of her torn robe, placed it on the bone edge, and carefully entered the crater. The hot water enveloped her body up to her shoulders. The two sisters were now soaking side by side in the artificial pool in the middle of the giant ribs. Steam rose between them, blurring parts of their faces and creating an atmosphere that was both intimate and strange. The faint light from the residual mana of the skeleton made their skin look pale silver, as if they themselves were part of this tomb.

A comfortable silence enveloped them.

Stacia moved her fingers across the water’s surface, creating small ripples that reflected the faint light. She stared at the rising steam, as if thinking about something distant. "Four days... it feels like a year. I can barely remember what it feels like not to calculate data continuously. Every second, every trajectory, every weak point... my brain almost exploded. I even started seeing numbers in the air when I closed my eyes."

"Same," Sylvia answered while leaning against the edge of the crater. Steam rose between them, carrying the remaining scent of tea and a faint smell of ancient bone that had become familiar the scent of dust, death mana, and something even older, as if this skeleton had once belonged to something far greater than any Colossus. "If it weren’t for this place, we might have truly gone mad. Mother Persephone really doesn’t play around with her trials. Four days without stopping, eighty-seven Colossi, bodies that broke repeatedly... I even almost forgot what it feels like to be still. Every time regeneration finished, I immediately had to move again. No pause."

Stacia nodded. She sank deeper into the water, letting the heat cover her up to her chin. "I checked the radar briefly before looking for you. The Colossi outside are still moving, but they still don’t dare approach. The aura of this skeleton really suppresses them. It’s as if the creature that once owned this skeleton is still alive in its residual mana. I can feel the pressure of an ancient domain... something far older than any Titan we’ve ever faced."

Sylvia sank deeper as well, letting the hot water cover her up to her chin. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying how the warmth seeped into her spine. "Good. Let them wait. We need it today. If we’re forced continuously, even my regeneration will reach its limit. I’ve already felt small cracks in my domain several times earlier. If left alone, it could break in the middle of battle."

They remained silent for a while, simply enjoying the warmth of the water. Stacia occasionally glanced toward Sylvia’s chest, then quickly looked away when caught. Sylvia only shook her head with a thin smile that rarely appeared on her face. That smile was not the mad grin that usually appeared amid bloodshed, but something softer, almost like accepted exhaustion.

"You really are strange," Sylvia murmured. "In terms of soul you’re the oldest, yet your personality is still like a child curious about everything. Even in the middle of a bone tomb, you can still think about something like that. I can hardly believe you’re the same person who can calculate the attack trajectories of eight Colossi at once without blinking."

Stacia snorted softly, her cheeks still red. She poured hot water over her own hair with both hands, letting the steam warm her face. "Better than you who likes to laugh like a maniac in the middle of bloodshed. At least I don’t make Alicia worry excessively. I still remember how she almost panicked when you were nearly swallowed by one of those Colossi with crazy regeneration. Her domain almost broke because she tried to hold two Colossi at once so you could get out."

"Alicia always worries about the two of us," Sylvia replied. Her voice was softer now, almost like a confession. "That’s an older sister’s nature. Even when her domain was nearly breaking, she still thought of us first. I... appreciate that. Even if it’s sometimes annoying. She always tries to protect us as if we’re still the weak girls who were just raised from death."

Their conversation flowed slowly, without pressure. They talked about the levels gained over the four days how every Colossus destroyed provided dense mana, how Alicia’s domain nearly broke multiple times from holding too many attacks, how Stacia nearly overloaded from continuously analyzing attack patterns, and how Sylvia herself had almost lost control several times when her Death Flame became too excessive. There was no strategy, no war calculations. Just two exhausted sisters soaking in an artificial hot spring in the middle of a bone tomb, enjoying a pause they rarely received.

Stacia poured hot water over her hair again, letting the steam warm her face and neck. "When we go out later... are you sure we can continue? Level 256 is still far. And Mother... she won’t be satisfied with half-hearted results. I still remember how she looked at us the last time before sending us here. As if she already knew we would almost die multiple times."

Sylvia opened her eyes, gazing at the bone arches above them. The faint light created strange patterns on the bone ceiling lines of ancient cracks, worn carvings, and something resembling faded runes. "We have to continue. Level 256 is still far from 400. And Mother won’t let us return with half-hearted results. But at least... today, let us stay still. Tomorrow we can go mad again. I don’t care how many Colossi are waiting outside. Today, let our bodies rest."

"I know." Stacia exhaled a long breath. She leaned against the edge of the crater, letting her head rest on the cold bone. "But at least today... let’s stay quiet first. I almost forgot what it feels like not to see analysis screens every second. I even started dreaming about numbers and attack trajectories."

Sylvia nodded. She reached out, took the empty teacup still on the edge, and refilled it from her storage space. Thick black tea appeared from the void, still warm. She handed one cup to Stacia.

"Drink. Don’t just go around groping people."

Stacia accepted the cup with a red face, then laughed softly, a laugh rarely heard from her lips. "Alright, Queen of Death. Next time I’ll ask permission first before comparing. Or maybe... I’ll ask Alicia to compare too. So it’s fair."

Sylvia shook her head, but the thin smile remained on her lips. "Don’t. Alicia will panic. Or worse, she’ll try to ’analyze’ it in a more scientific way and make both of us embarrassed for a week."

They soaked together in the warm silence. Outside the boundary of the eternal skeleton, the rumble of Colossi could still be heard faintly, waiting. The sound of giant footsteps shaking the ground, the clash of bones, and the breath of miasma that always gnawed. But inside the small pool in the middle of the giant ribs, two sisters enjoyed a brief peaceful day before hell called them again.

Time continued to pass slowly. Steam kept rising. The water remained warm thanks to the residual Death Flame still working at the bottom of the crater, keeping the temperature stable. Stacia occasionally laughed softly when recalling how Sylvia cut down Colossi with a mad smile, while Sylvia only shook her head. They talked about the still-dark future, about the possibility of meeting stronger Titans, about how the three sisters had changed far from the girls they once knew. About how death, regeneration, and Persephone’s trials had shaped them into something more than ordinary undead.

Stacia sank even deeper, letting the water cover her up to her nose. "You know... I’m sometimes afraid. Not afraid of dying, we already died once. But afraid... that we’ll lose the parts that are still human. Like this moment. If we keep fighting continuously, I’m worried that one day we’ll only become killing machines that can no longer laugh or feel embarrassed."

Sylvia looked at her for a long time. Steam blurred part of Stacia’s face, but her blue eyes remained clearly visible. "We won’t lose that. As long as we can still bother each other like this... we’re still human. Even if our bodies have long since stopped being ordinary human bodies."

Stacia smiled faintly. She reached out and gently touched Sylvia’s shoulder this time without any intention of comparing anything. Just a sister’s touch. "Thank you... for letting me in. And... sorry about earlier."

Sylvia only nodded. She didn’t answer with words, but allowed their shoulders to touch beneath the water’s surface. That warmth was more than just hot water. It was a warmth they rarely felt outside this sanctuary, the warmth that came from mutual trust, from shared exhaustion, from the knowledge that outside the world was still waiting to destroy them, but here, at least for today, they could be still.

They soaked longer. Conversation flowed slowly about small things: about how Alicia always saved regenerative food rations for the two of them, about how Stacia had almost cried from being too tired calculating data, about how Sylvia herself had almost given up when her Death Flame nearly completely controlled her. Nothing was dramatized. Just simple confessions between two sisters who had lived too long on the edge of death.

When Stacia finally yawned softly, Sylvia wiped her wet face. "Just sleep. I’ll keep watch for a while. Or... we can take turns sleeping. The Colossi won’t come in here."

Stacia nodded, her eyes already half-closed. "Alright... Queen of Death. Don’t let me start groping again in my sleep."

Sylvia laughed softly, a laugh rarely heard, low, almost like a whisper. "I’ll hit you harder next time."

Steam continued to rise. The water remained warm. Outside, the rumble of Colossi still waited. But inside the small pool in the middle of the giant ribs, two sisters closed their eyes, letting exhaustion carry them into a rest they so rarely received. For the first time in four days that felt like a year, the Queen of Death and the Fallen Angel allowed themselves to be truly still truly still in the middle of the bone tomb that had become their temporary sanctuary.