Strawberry Devil in a Fantasy World

Fatigue.

Drowsiness.

My mind was all hazy and groggy as if I had been in a dreadfully long slumber.

As soft light entered my vision, I tried to absorb the scene before my eyes.

Where am I? What happened?

In my mind, flashes of fantastical visions indulged my curiosity.

No, not yet.

I tried to lift my fingers. Expectantly, they were extremely heavy as if moving rods of lead.

This body which likely hadn't shifted for years was like an abandoned machine collecting dust without a hint of maintenance for decades.

"Ughh..." I groaned.

My voice was never beautiful like a songbird but I didn't think I was much a croaker. No, if I just moistened my throat, I'm sure I would have sounded a tad more agreeable.

There is so much to do. I need to exercise my muscles, my voice, my mind, my everything.

Yes, that's right. I was on my way to deliver a Seed of Life. I can't be resting here. Not yet.

Footsteps rushed into my chamber.

A female attendant came to check on me. To be precise, it was an artificial intelligence in the form of a female attendant.

Although artificial intelligences are centralized, each android is normally assigned their own personalities by their owner. Speaking of which, I used to own an android.

Strictly speaking, I didn't own an android. Androids aren't that different from humans or whichever form they took, be them cats, fishes, or lizards. Moreover, given that they are all connected to the quantum supercomputer, their real intelligence or computing capability is second to none. This is the main reason they are treated as equals to those born organically.

"How is she?" I asked the attendant as reviewed my health status.

"She is no longer with us." She answered with a gentle smile, "Dear client, please remain calm. You have just woken from a twenty year coma. How do you feel at this moment?"

"I feel like I just acquired a huge medical debt."

"While you were unconscious, the medical system has been revamped. You currently owe no debt."

"For real? I feel relieved... My body, twenty years?"

I guess it's too late. It can't be helped.

Artificial intelligence couldn't lie as far as I was aware of. Hence, there was no reason not to trust their answers.

"Please advise me when you are ready receive your rehabilitation sessions."

Speaking was exhausting.

"I'm tired."

"Understood, permission to initiate our standard protocol?"

"Explain."

"We currently have the technology to fully revitalize your bodies within half an hour. In the first session, both your physical body and non-physical bodies will be synchronized and fully healed. You may be wonder why this procedure wasn't completed immediately after retrieval of your physical body. The reason was because your non-physical body was fractured and unstable. We deemed the procedure to be risky to your psyche thus delayed this procedure."

So they have advanced this much already? I guess there's nothing to lose.

"Start."

"Initializing. Please close your eyes. I shall advise you upon procedure's completion."

"Thanks."

A gentle white light enveloped my body, initiating the healing process.

With what felt like only a few seconds, the android spoke once again, "Dear client, it is done. You may rest or do whatever you wish for the rest of your day. I will check with you tomorrow morning if you have no other requests or questions for me."

After that, she left the room.

I tried to move my body once again. However, there was a stark difference compared to before. My strength had returned and my mind was crystal clear. I was able to raise out of my bed, stretch my limbs and jump around.

Of course, I didn't forget that one thing that bothered me earlier.

I tested my voice, "La! La... La!! Do, re, mi, fa, so la!"

"Amazing! My voice is back!" I exclaimed with renewed vigor.

My room was just a regular room with a medical bed. This medical bed wasn't just a regular bed but rather one of the many ancient medical inventions that revolutionized the medical system. With it, there was no injury or illness it couldn't fully cure. Furthermore, with the recent upgrade, it seemed to be able to perform healing on the soul level as well, truly a miraculous lifesaving device.

After a week of checkups and rehabilitation, I was finally discharged from that medical facility.

I was given a new home, and some time to gather my thoughts before I was permitted to rejoin the society.

"The next dispatch order should arrive soon."

Within me, I still held onto a Seed of Life.

That world of fantasy was still lingering in the back of my mind.

I wonder, was that truly a dream?

Maybe keeping a dream journal isn't a bad idea. Let's go with that. Now, what should I name it?

blanksphere

This concludes the story. Congrats to readers who managed to reach the ending! Hopefully you liked it. There's no sequels or extras planned as of now.

blanksphere

Afterword, I guess? I can say I tried my best and had fun I suppose. I started the story on a whim to enter the competition. There was no planning or anything (aka impromptu) as you could probably tell from reading. I just wrote stuff and hoped they were okay! I certainly messed up quite a bit and didn't bring out the story's full potential but well... I'm learning. Since I'm a self-proclaimed avid reader I'm giving this story a rating of 3/5 or 3.5/5. If there's a next time, I'll aim for higher!