Benjamin Mark had always believed death would be quiet.
Instead, it was the never-ending beep of monitors, the sterile smell of disinfectant, and the hollow ache of knowing no one would notice he was gone. A very painful point for a short-life-span human.
At thirty-five, cancer had finally won the long war it waged against his body. He lay alone in his tiny Seattle apartment. He moved there after the hospital discharged him with the comforting words.
There was no wife or children. No lover to hold his hand. Only just a lifetime of extra hours, frozen dinners, and spreadsheets that no one would ever thank him for.
As his vision dimmed, a single regret burned brighter than the pain: *I never knew what it felt like to be wanted. To touch someone… or to be touched.
Then darkness took him.
But just as suddenly, light came. Warm, golden, impossibly real. But it flooded into him.
Benjamin gasped awake on a bed of soft moss. Sunbeams pierced a cathedral-like canopy of leaves hundreds of feet above.
The air was thick with the scent of blooming flowers, damp earth, and something sweet he couldn't name.
Birds sang in melodies he'd never heard. His chest rose and fell without the familiar rattle of sickness. He sat up slowly, staring at hands that were no longer thin and veined, but strong, tanned, and steady.
"What's going on? A dream?"
He stumbled to a nearby stream and froze at his reflection.
Yes. The face staring back was his, yet not.
Sharper jaw, fuller lips, piercing ice-blue eyes framed by dark lashes, hair that fell in tousled waves. He looked like the kind of man women glanced at twice on the street. Of course, the kind of man he had never been.
"What the hell is this face?" His voice came out deeper but smoother.
A translucent blue panel shimmered into existence in front of his eyes, letters glowing with soft light.
[System Initialization Complete]
Host: Benjamin Mark
Title: Reincarnated Soul (Divine Favored)
The gods of Elyndor have selected you for a second chance. Your previous life was deemed tragic yet pure of heart. Objective: Live fully, love freely, and regret nothing this time.
Starting Skills:
- Enhanced Vitality (Passive): Infinite stamina, rapid recovery, heightened senses.
- Charisma Aura (Passive – Lv1): Subtle pheromone and presence boost. Nearby females feel instinctive trust and attraction.
No forced quests or timers. Enjoy your new world, Benjamin Mark.
Benjamin waved a hand through the panel.
It rippled but stayed. "Elyndor? Gods? This… this is isekai, right? Like those light novels I skimmed during lunch breaks." He laughed, the sound shaky. "I'm dead, and this is heaven's joke on me."
The System pinged cheerfully. Location: Whispering Wilds – Border of Verdant Spire Territory. Caution: Predators active. Civilization 3–5 days west.
He stood, testing his body.
Simple leather trousers and a fitted tunic clung to his new frame like they were tailored. No shoes, but his feet felt tough against the moss.
Afterward, hunger gnawed at him, but not the desperate kind he remembered from chemo days. This was healthy hunger.
He then began to walk.
Days blurred into a fever dream of emerald forests. Trees towered like mini-skyscrapers, their trunks woven with glowing vines.
He foraged sweet purple berries that burst with honey-like juice, drank from streams clearer than glass. His body never tired the way it should have—Enhanced Vitality kept him moving long after his old self would have collapsed. But loneliness crept in all the same.
At night he sat against massive roots, staring at stars that formed unfamiliar constellations. "Am I really alone again?" he whispered. "Was the second chance just a prettier cage?"
On the fifth day… or was it sixth?
He'd lost count. His legs finally buckled and his vision swam. He was running on empty—there was apparently so far Enhanced Vitality could take him.
He collapsed beside a fallen log, breath ragged. "Not… like this," he rasped. "P… Please, not again."
Later, there was rustling. Soft footfalls on leaves.
A woman emerged from the foliage like a vision from legend.
Tall, nearly six feet, with sun-bronzed skin and long auburn hair braided with flowers.
Her eyes were vivid emerald, sharp and kind at once. She wore armor of supple leather and woven leaves that left her toned midriff bare and accentuated generous curves.
A recurved bow hung across her back, quiver at her hip. Every movement spoke of power and grace.
She knelt beside him, fingers gentle against his throat checking for pulse. "By the Goddess, a man this deep in the Wilds?" Her voice was melodic, warm honey over steel. "Easy, stranger. You're burning with fever from exhaustion."
Benjamin tried to speak, "What… language is that…?" but darkness claimed him again.
"My name is… Sara…"
When consciousness returned, he was swaying gently in a woven hammock high above the forest floor.
Sunlight filtered through walls of living leaves and vines. The air smelled of herbs, spiced wood, and something faintly floral.
He was clean, dressed in a loose tunic of soft green fabric. A cool compress rested on his forehead.
The woman—Sara, he remembered—sat nearby grinding herbs in a stone bowl. Up close she was even more breathtaking: high cheekbones, full lips, a scattering of freckles across her nose.
Her armor had been replaced by a simple halter and shorts of the same woven leaf material, revealing long, powerful legs and the gentle swell of hips.
"You're awake," she said, smiling with genuine relief. "Good. I was starting to worry the forest spirits had claimed you."
Benjamin sat up slowly. His body felt restored. Even better than ever. "You saved me. Thank you. I'm… Benjamin."
"Sara of the Verdant Spire." She offered a carved wooden cup filled with sweet, cool nectar. "Drink this. It will finish the healing."
He drank gratefully, eyes never leaving her beautiful face.
The System then flickered in the corner of his vision.
Affinity Detected: Sara (Amazon Scout)
Current Disposition: Curious / Protective
Charisma Aura Effect: Moderate attraction increase.
Sara watched him with open interest. "You're no ordinary wanderer. Your scent is… different. And you're the first male to cross our borders in many cycles."
"Male?" Benjamin echoed. "You mean there are no men here?"
She shook her head, a strand of auburn hair falling across her face.
"We are the Amazons of Verdant Spire. Daughters of the Great Mother. We live apart, train as warriors, tend the sacred groves. When the time comes to continue our line, we journey to human or elven settlements, choose worthy mates for a night, and return. Our blood ensures only daughters are born."
Her gaze lingered on his chest, then lower. "But a man who stays… that is unheard of."
Benjamin felt heat rise in his cheeks. In his old life, women rarely looked at him twice. Now this goddess of a woman was eyeing him like he was treasure.
"I'm n-not from this world, though," he admitted. "You might not believe me but… I died, I think. And woke up here. With… this." He gestured vaguely at the System panel only he could see.
Sara's eyes widened. "A god-touched soul, then? I believe you. and the Queen will wish to meet you."
She leaned closer, voice dropping. "But first, you must regain strength. And I…" She brushed a thumb across his lower lip, the touch electric. "I am your attendant until you are well. It is my honor and pleasure to care for you."
The hammock swayed as she rose, hips swaying with natural grace. Benjamin's heart pounded. This second chance was already more than he'd ever dreamed.