I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl-Chapter 325 - 321 – A Morning Without Light

Sylvia woke up without dreams.

She opened her eyes slowly not because of sound, not because of light, but because her own body decided that rest was enough. In the depths of the ocean, the concept of morning and night never truly existed. There was no rising sun. No lengthening shadows. Only a consistent pitch-black darkness, illuminated by the soft, alien glow emanating from the coral walls, sea crystals, and the slow currents of energy flowing gently within Nerys’s temple.

Yet still, there was a different feeling.

Not morning in the sense of time.

Morning in the sense of the first breath after surviving.

Sylvia sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her face with one hand. Her body felt... normal. No lingering pain. No heavy fatigue. The Death Flame within her was stable, calm like a black lake without ripples. The War Sun Flame no longer rebelled either, pulsing gently, as if respecting the previous night’s decision to stay quiet.

She stood, her steps light on the cold coral floor.

Sylvia walked out of her room, moving through the silent corridors of the temple. The walls were alive layered coral glowing greenish moved ever so slowly, as if breathing. There were no guards. No rituals. Nerys kept her promise in the most characteristic way: by not interfering, yet ensuring her domain was safe.

The room where Sofia was resting was not far away.

As soon as Sylvia entered, her steps automatically slowed.

Sofia was still fast asleep.

Her breathing was steady now, no longer gasping or interrupted. Her chest rose and fell in a soothing rhythm. The wounds on her body were still there, but clearly different from before. The conceptual cracks that once looked like cold shadows were now fading, replaced by a thin light enveloping her essence.

Her golden-white wings were neatly folded at her sides; the feathers that had broken yesterday were beginning to grow back short and soft, like the start of a new season.

Sylvia stopped beside the bed.

She stood there for quite a while, simply watching.

There was no panic. No urge to summon power. Only pure relief that descended slowly, like warm water filling an empty cavity in her chest.

"...Good," she whispered, almost soundlessly.

She exhaled softly, her shoulders relaxing without her realizing it. For the first time since the battle against Velgrath, something inside her truly let go of control not control over power, but control over vigilance.

Sofia was safe.

Not fully recovered, but safe.

That was enough.

Sylvia turned to the large crystal window on the side of the room. The glass wasn’t truly transparent like in the world above; it more resembled a solidified layer of water that revealed the outside world with subtle distortion.

Beyond it, the ocean depths stretched vastly.

And there...

The little treant was playing. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Sylvia blinked once, making sure she wasn’t seeing things.

The little treant was leaping from one coral rock to another, its twigs moving nimbly. Around it, several deep-sea creatures moved slowly, not aggressive predators, but ancient entities that rarely rose to the upper layers.

A giant ray-like creature with translucent, shimmering fins glided low, allowing the little treant to hang from the edge of its fin before gently dropping it onto the seabed sand. In the distance, an ancient sea serpent with pale blue eyes merely coiled, keeping its distance neither approaching nor threatening.

The little treant let out a small laugh.

Plop!

(Again!)

And the creatures... let it.

There was no aggression.

No hunger.

Only calm curiosity, like the ocean itself.

Sylvia stood frozen for a moment, then the corner of her lips lifted slightly.

"Nerys..." she muttered. "You really are strange."

But there was gratitude she didn’t voice.

She turned back to Sofia.

The contrast made her chest feel warm and aching at the same time. Outside, alien life that knew no war was moving. Inside, someone who had nearly died was resting, recovering because she had chosen to stand in front.

Sylvia sat on the edge of the bed.

Her movement was very slow, as if afraid to disturb the fragile balance of the small world in that room. She raised her hand, hesitating for a fraction of a second, then gently touched Sofia’s hair.

The golden strands felt warm at her fingertips.

She smoothed it slowly, tucking the strands that had fallen over Sofia’s face behind her ear. The touch was light, almost like a breeze. No energy. No magic. Just a simple gesture born from an old habit, perhaps from a life far before all of this.

"Sleep," Sylvia whispered softly. "I’m here."

Sofia did not wake.

But her brows moved slightly, and her breathing deepened, as if her body recognized that presence even in sleep.

Sylvia let her hand linger for a few more seconds before pulling it back.

She leaned back a little in the chair near the bed, gazing at Sofia with an expression hard to name. There was tenderness there. There was guilt that hadn’t fully faded. There was also a resolve that was now more mature, more careful.

Outside, the little treant finally plopped down onto the seabed sand, then sprang up again with inexhaustible energy.

Plop!

(Fun!)

Sylvia let out a small sigh, this time with a more genuine smile.

For now...

No gods were being attacked.

No laws were being broken.

No world was on the verge of collapse.

And in the ocean depths that never knew morning, Sylvia realized something simple yet important:

She still wanted to protect small things like this and as long as that desire remained, she knew one thing for certain: she had not yet lost her way.

Sylvia stayed seated there for quite some time.

Time in the deep sea offered no clear markers. No shifting light, no moving shadows. But there were other rhythms one could feel the slow flow of energy in the temple walls, the faint pulse of the distant heart of the ocean, and Sofia’s breathing growing ever more stable as the minutes passed.

She clasped her fingers, resting her elbows on her knees, then gazed at Sofia’s face more calmly.

The conceptual wounds hadn’t fully disappeared, but they were no longer aggressive. No longer destructive. No longer trying to expand. They had turned into something passive, like an old scar that would always remain but no longer defined a person’s life. That alone was enough to make Sylvia’s chest feel lighter.

"Your body is always more stubborn than it looks," she murmured softly.

She stood slowly and walked back to the window. Outside, the little treant was now sitting on the back of a giant turtle-like creature covered in crystal layers. The creature moved slowly, steadily, as if understanding that its passenger was fragile yet full of spirit. The little treant raised its twigs high, then waved toward the window, though it clearly couldn’t see inside.

Plop!

(Seen!)

Sylvia shook her head slightly while smiling.

"I see you," she said softly, though she knew the sound wouldn’t reach.

The other deep-sea creatures kept their distance. Some hid behind massive coral formations. Others merely passed by, their eyes glowing briefly before sinking back into the darkness. None approached too closely. None attacked. As if there was a silent understanding that the small creature in their midst was under the protection of something they didn’t want to test.

Nerys protection.

Or perhaps... respect for death itself.

Sylvia turned away from the window and returned to the room. She pulled the chair closer to Sofia’s bed, then sat again. This time, she didn’t just wait. She let her thoughts wander, but not too far ahead.

She thought about Alicia.

Alicia was probably awake now, reorganizing the souls bound to her. There were no more screams, but that was actually heavier. Quiet souls didn’t just leave. They stayed. Remembered. Waited for a decision that one person alone couldn’t make.

"I need to talk to her later," Sylvia thought. "Before she forgets how to stop."

Then Stacia.

Stacia would be fine, at least technically. But Sylvia knew that adjusting power to something resembling Xynareth wasn’t a light process. Space that was touched too often would start asking questions back. She had to make sure Stacia didn’t draw too much attention from the wrong direction.

And finally... herself.

Sylvia looked at her palm again.

No scars. No cracks. Yet the memory of the night when she almost lost herself was still too vivid. She remembered clearly the sensation of the world making way. How easy it would have been for everything to crumble if she had wanted it.

That was what made her stop now.

She didn’t want to become a god.

She didn’t want an unquestionable end.

She wanted to be the last choice not the first.

Sofia stirred slightly.

Sylvia immediately straightened, her attention fully back. Sofia’s eyelids fluttered, then opened a little. Her eyes weren’t focused yet, but she was clearly conscious.

"...Dark," Sofia murmured softly, her voice hoarse. "Are we... still in the ocean?"

"Still," Sylvia answered gently. "And you’re safe."

Sofia blinked several times, then her eyes found Sylvia’s face. She was silent for a moment, as if confirming that what she saw was real.

"You... didn’t leave," she said.

"No," Sylvia replied without hesitation. "I’m here."

Sofia let out a small sigh, then smiled faintly. "Good."

She tried to move, then winced softly. Sylvia immediately raised her hand, stopping her without touching.

"Not yet," she said. "Your body is still putting itself back together."

Sofia obeyed, though clearly unhappy about it. "How long was I asleep?"

Sylvia shrugged slightly. "Long enough for the little treant to befriend half the ocean."

Sofia chuckled weakly. "Sounds... like him."

A small silence followed. Not awkward. Not heavy.

"Thank you," Sofia finally said, softly but clearly.

Sylvia looked at her. "For what?"

"For not going too far," Sofia answered honestly. "I know... you could have."

Those words made Sylvia fall silent for several seconds.

"I almost did," she admitted.

Sofia shook her head gently. "But you didn’t."

Sylvia took a deep breath, then nodded. "Because you called me back."

Sofia smiled again, this time warmer. "Then we’re even."

Sylvia let out a small laugh, a sound rarely heard amid the war of gods.

"No," she said. "We’re not done yet."

Sofia gazed at the room’s ceiling, then back at Sylvia. "I know."

Outside, the little treant jumped down from the crystal turtle’s back and ran toward the temple, its tiny footsteps leaving faint green glimmers in the seabed sand.

Plop!

(Home!)

Sylvia stood up, looking at Sofia once more before stepping toward the door.

"Rest," she said gently.