My Blessed Second Life

"U-uwaaaaah-!!"

She let out a frightened shriek at the very unfamiliar sensation of her soul being squished. She felt herself get s.u.c.k.e.d into a tiny crack in the brick-coloured path and, to her surprise, slipped through with no resistance.

She, the ghost of a 60-year-old woman, landed on her two feet a few seconds later. Her sunken cheeks were hollowed more than usual as she panted in shock. Her beady, unhealthily red eyes darted around the… she stood in an intimidatingly large hall. Unlike the cave-like interior of wherever she had just been, the ground, the walls, the ceiling looked like they had been polished to perfection. The cold gleam was threatening, and the female ghost swallowed nervously. It even looked… futuristic.

The giant promising her a second life was nowhere to be found.

"H-hey! Where am I?! Give me my second life!", she started in an insecure stutter but with every second the volume of her voice grew louder and angrier. Finally, she even stomped her foot in a small tantrum and roared: "GIVE IT! IT'S MINE! I DESERVE IT!!"

Her dead eyes burned with fury as she glared into the mocking emptiness around her, but they had also grown moist with brimming tears. She was that desperate.

Nothing.

Then, a deep, rumbling voice spread through the endlessly large hall. It was a laugh that should belong to a cute child's voice, a giggle but it was clearly the giant from before. A chill ran down her spine.

"FuFuFu~ So impatient. Good. I like it. Now, don't fret little human."

The female ghost turned sharply, trying to find the source of the voice but it seemed to be coming from all directions simultaneously.

"Don't bother trying to find me, I haven't left my post."

He laughed again and she in reaction came to a stop. Unsure where to look, the ghost decided to glare up at the ceiling. She waited, her left fist clenching and unclenching nervously.

"I will give you another life, a life where you can be whatever you like. In exchange- …"

He hesitated.

"In exchange, you will be my wife."

'What?'

The 60-year-old woman squinted at the ceiling, convinced she had heard wrong. Her brows twitched in irritation. The giant couldn't have said what she thought he had said. She must have misheard.

"I have need of a wife. If you consent and take that position I will give you the life you d.e.s.i.r.e."

She hadn't misheard. Her mouth became dry and the tension in her body shot up. What could she say to such a mindboggling proposal? All of a sudden, she felt personally threatened. Her mind was spinning. There were far too many things shooting through her mind to be able to form a comprehensive sentence.

"Y-you- what-... why??", was all she could stutter. She truly did not understand. She was old. The decade long drug abuse had made here a sore on the eyes, and her figure too unhealthy to be desirable.

Another bone-chilling laugh echoed through the abandoned hall.

"Why? I know you have sold yourself before, little human. Sell yourself once more to me. The honour of being my bride will come with the second life you so crave."

He was mocking her. Every word if his oozed badly hidden contempt, and it both fanned the woman's anger as well as crushed her spirit. How could she keep her cool with the shame of her past thrown in her face?

Her thin, stick-like figure started to shake, more tears burning in her eyes but… and she hated herself for it… her heart was racing with excitement. Her self-worth was non-existent. A fat, glistening tear spilt from her left eye, rushing down her hollowed cheeks. It was soon followed by another, and another.

'Sell myself once more? For a chance at a new life…? Y-yes! What is a marriage if I can break free!'

Her body and her mind were screaming 'no', how could she lower herself again? However, her heart was too broken. She had no pride. Selling herself once more to regain that pride was worth the sacrifice to her. She wanted to reclaim all the things she had lost and given away.

And so, she nodded her head.

"I will! I will give myself to you as a wife, but not before you give me what I want!"

The old woman couldn't see it, but she could feel the giant's cold sneer and shuddered. She could feel his contempt for her. He thought she was weak. Well, she was going to show him.

"BUT. I have three conditions! First, all my requirements and wishes regarding my new life have to be fulfilled. Second, my new life will be completely my own. You cannot influence it in any way along the way. Third, the marriage will be in name only and won't be consummated!"

The giant laughed lightly. He was laughing at her, she could tell but she didn't care. She wanted a second life and not even marrying a giant was going to stop her from getting it.

"Done."

The moment that one, crucial word was spoken her environment warped. The walls had lit up to a light, pleasant grey and a small boy appeared before her. He had bright golden hair and was dressed like an ancient Chinese emperor. When he smiled she saw two sharp fangs. Equally sharp nails elongating his petite, slender fingers. It was a strange combination: A cute appearance, the imposing garb and the feeling of danger he emanated.

"Welcome!!", he burst out into a cheerful smile and she found herself being dragged towards him. She finally regained control of her body when she was two meters away from the strange figure and stopped.

"Aren't you going to say something, old lady?"

Her brow twitched. Her hands were itching to teach the midget a lesson but the dark glint in his orbs held her back. Everything and everyone here made her skin crawl.

"Who… are you? What happened to the giant?"

The boy laughed. Her irritation grew.

"Okay okay, old lady. Don't get mad~", the boy said while wiping an obviously fake tear from the corner of his grass-green eyes. "I'm the cutest god of reincarnation! Yay!" He struck a pose after he finished, puffing out his cheeks and cupping them with his little hands. It might have been cute if not for the menacingly long and sharp nails.

"That big guy asked me for a favour so here I am~! Ready to give you a new life! Who would you like to be~? What world would you like to go to~? A princess?? A queen?! Tell me quickly I can't wait to make a new life from scratch!!"

He genuinely seemed excited, bouncing up and down and clapping his hands like a child. She was infected by his mood, her eyes flashing with hope and resolution.

This was it! The beginning of her real self! 'That day' wasn't going to hold her back any longer!

Her body shook. She clenched her fists in an attempt to calm herself. It didn't work.

"I want to go to a world full of magic. A world where the strong rule."