The world seemed to have paused as silence reigned over the night.
As the weak rays of light from her bulb streaked out she stared into the deep darkness beyond her window.
Was she the only one who was awake?
She asked herself as she strained her ears for any sound.
It was sad and yet peaceful as she sat all alone letting the eerie peaceful silence wash over her.
Her muscles let out a sigh of relief as she laid her back against the seat's cold wooden embrace.
Her lids felt heavy as they slowly shut themselves engulfing her in nothingness.
After experiencing this so many times she was very calm as she felt her spirit lighten and release itself from any tethers holding it down.
As memories of all she had done here flitted across her mind she asked herself a question.
Should she stay?
As soon as this question came up a face quickly filled her mind.
Her previously relaxed body seemed to tense up as she grasped onto the wooden armrests tightly.
Her pale soft arms looked tense as her muscles rippled and her veins perked through as her nails curled against the chair's shiny coat.
None of this was enough to show the ongoing war within her as she tried to hold on to this realm.
But unlike before she could not.
Because someone or something didn't want her here after a long battle she was pushed out.
A moment later a gasp escaped her lips before her eyes shot open.
The wooden seat was now replaced by a black leather chair that made her squirm as she slowly processed what had happened.
After all these years this was the first time she had been forced out of one of her bodies.
Thinking of that invisible force a chuckle escaped her lips just as her seat jolted forward causing her body to fall back from inertia.
Her vision blurred for a while before she found herself in what looked like an empty restaurant.
Lifting up the hem of her dress she stared down at the moles on her chest with a frown.
Every one of her bodies had been marked to enable her to know which one she was in every time she moved.
Wasn't this body supposed to be in a 3rd tier world she wondered.
As if sensing her confusion the massive screen above the counter lit up quickly drawing her attention.
What looked like a game interface appeared in front of her.
[Breech in access and control rules detected.
The violator Zhao Yuan is found guilty and sentenced to specialised punishment]
Reading the words on the screen she frowned as she wondered just what this body had done.
Looking up at the still lit up screen she was about to speak up when the next words came up.
[Punishment begins in 30:00:00]
Seeing these words she patiently continued to stare at the screen only to realise that was a countdown to the punishment.
Staring up at the running timer she couldn't help trying to recall anything she could about this body.
Zhao Yuan, was a woman in her twenties who had always been calm and reserved.
Because the soul fragment she had left in this body was mildly tempered.
But seeing as she was being punished for her crimes she felt shocked and confused as she absent mindedly studied the screen.
Standing up she walked through the empty mess of chairs tables before standing against the counter.
Behind it lay a cold and desolate kitchen that had clearly not been used recently.
Looking up she focused on the massive screen where the timer was still running.
After staring at it closely she finally saw the small icon beneath the timer.
It was shaped like a question mark.
Its pale white colour almost faded into the white background concealing it well.
As a short petite woman Zhao Yuan naturally had to tip toe to tap the screen causing her beige brown top to ride up exposing the soft white flesh on her skin.
Staring up at her slim white hand as she tapped on the screen she felt surreal as she read the new information.
[FAQS
Please tap onto any of the frequently asked questions below or tap the box above to type in your question.]
Reading through the five questions she felt validated as she saw all her questions up there.
[1. Why am I being punished?
2. What does specialised punishment mean?
3. Where am I?
4. How long is my punishment going to last?
5. Will I have a criminal record?]
Tapping on the first question she remained in place as she waited for an answer.
[Zhao Yuan, the violator broke the access and control law by visiting and living in a restricted world.]
Reading her crime she felt like laughing as she realised that maybe her soul fragment was not as mild tempered as she thought it was.
But since it was still her soul fragment and she had just come back from another world she shrugged before tapping the back arrow on the screen.
Seeing the still running timer she stood back on her feet and fixed her top as she walked round the counter staring and feeling it.
Studying it's structure she felt bored at it emptiness as she walked towards other areas of the room touching and feeling everything.
Feeling satisfied with her small tour she looked up at the screen again and sighed.
[Punishment begins in 09:45:56"]
With tenish more minutes to go she didn't delay as she walked up to one of the curtained windows and pulled the heavy dark colored curtains aside and was shocked at the sight outside.
She had not known what she had expected to see but the endless white expanse in front of her made her gape as she wondered if it was snow.
Pulling open the massive windows for a better view of what was outside.
It was silent and warm the whiteness seemed to nothing as she could not see the ground or the far expanse.
Her eyes hurt as she stared out into nothingness.
The more she stared the more her heart raced making her shiver before quickly shutting the windows and closing the curtains.
Patting her racing heart she shot a quick glance at the timer before she froze.
[Punishment begins in 01:05:24]
It was stupefying as she wondered why time seemed to fly by so quickly after she just opened and closed the window.
But after thinking of that enchanted stare into the white expanse she felt a shiver run through her spine as she rubbed her arms hoping to get rid of the goosebumps that had risen.
Feeling the air gently rub against the sensitive skin of her legs she felt her heart pound faster as she rushed to the leather seat and obediently sat down.