《Returned》 Prologue Prologue Ragged breath escaped my lungs as I ran through the knee high grass, metal armour weighing me down and sapping my strength with every step. The sword in my hand threatened to drop as the moments passed. A tall, ginger bearded man in front of me barked orders but my ears recognised no sound except for the ones in the distance. The battlefield rang with the final cries of soldiers and monsters alike, the smell of iron and smoke heavy in the air. Another hail of explosions rang out as flashing lights in the distance caught my eye. Why the fuck are Returned at a small outpost skirmish? I thought to myself. A hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder and the large man in front of me yelled, ¡°soldier! Get the fuck down!¡± before he wrenched my body down towards the ground. I closed my eyes tight and pulled my body tightly into a ball. Another moment later and a chill ran down my spine as the world around us exploded in light while thunderous booms tore the ground around us apart. Pain instantly exploded along the left side of my body, my eyes shooting open in panic and meeting the lifeless face of the man who had just saved my life, mouth agape as blood trickled out from his nose. Fuck, fuck, fuck! My thoughts incoherent as I rolled onto my feet, pushing up from my¡­ oh fuck. I looked down at what was formerly my left arm, a now mangled mess of molten metal, flesh and bone. I felt nothing, no panic, no pain, I couldn¡¯t even recognise it as my own body part. A groan escaped my lips and I pushed my sword into the dirt to balance myself as I stood. I¡¯m dead, I¡¯m dead, I¡¯m dead. The thoughts swirled my mind in a panic as I looked around for anyone else and saw only death on the field. I stumbled forward, not knowing where I was going but only knowing I needed to move. My legs struggled with every step, my left side now burning from my wounds and the heat, lungs expelling shallow breaths. Don¡¯t panic, find a healer. I looked up again and took in the surrounding area, looking for any sign of life. Two humanoids in the near distance collided with enough force to flatten part of the ground around them, one with a large sword and the other stopping said sword with an armoured fist. Two Returned!? I froze for a second, this is just a border skirmish, why are the kingdoms sending Returned out here!? The pain in my arm grew worse. My knees buckled and I again steadied myself with my sword. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t see anyone. Both forces have been wiped out by those two!? I straightened and looked again at the two figures in front of me, finally making sense of what I was seeing as their weapons collided again. A large goblin equipped with a pair of gauntlets caught the large sword of their combatant: a human. The collision of their power was enough to shake the ground around them. I watched almost hypnotised as their blows met, the slender figure of the human belying their weapon of choice as they wielded it effortlessly, kicking off the goblins fists and flipping back to pull their sword free. The human thrust their sword into the ground before stepping back and clapping their hands together, light now forming around their hands. Anger rose up within me as it came together, the one who¡¯d laid waste to this battlefield, it was them¡­ My hand tightened around my sword. The human gently cast their hands out to their side with an almost cocky confidence and I watched the goblin in front of them thrust their arms forward as runic circles manifested from their now glowing gauntlets. The ringing in my ears made it hard to make out but I knew instinctively what was happening, magic was being cast. Another chill ran down my spine and I turned away, covering myself up as much as I could with my mangled arm. Even with my eyes closed I felt as if I could see the blinding lights in the distance as the explosions of thunder shook the ground around the two combatants. My knees buckled slightly but I stood firm, mostly paralyzed from fear more than anything. I was afraid that if I moved I¡¯d be more vulnerable than I currently was. The destruction was ceaseless, my ears felt as if they¡¯d long stopped working, all I knew in that moment was the ringing in my ears and the shaking of my body. Then it was over. The explosions stopped and for a few seconds I¡¯d wondered if I¡¯d died, if the world had stopped. The sound of my heartbeat in my ears let me know I was still alive as I opened my eyes, a storm of dust covering my immediate vision. I couldn¡¯t hear anything else but the ringing and the sound of a gentle breeze flowing through the grass. The dust settled and I could make out the two figures in the distance. The human stood over the remains of the goblin, the destruction around them had destroyed its body nearly beyond recognition. It could only be described as a twisted, gnarled mass of flesh and bones. My body hurt, my ears rang and my legs refused to move. I looked down and then at the human in front of me again and felt a rage building within me, a fire lit deep inside my heart. They¡­ They killed everyone. They killed everyone. They killed¡­ My thoughts were nothing but a blur of rage, disgust and hatred. I stepped forward and my legs erupted in agony, my body being spurred forward only by a singular thought now¡­ I must kill you. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. My hand gripped the sword in my hand tight. The distance between us closed and I could make out more features on the human in front of me, a slender figure with short black hair in a black leather and gold-trimmed uniform. I took another step towards them before they turned their head slightly to me and spoke. ¡°Not another step.¡± My world froze, my heart filled with ice, my mouth refused to open. Am I not even worth looking at!? I gritted my teeth and stepped forward in defiance. ¡°I will not warn you again, stop where you are,¡± their voice was firm, leaving no room for misunderstandings. My mouth opened and no words came out. No! No! Look at me! Acknowledge my existence! I cried out in my mind, I pushed the words through and no sound followed. I stepped forward again, they were only a few steps away from me now. I pulled my sword up and pointed it at them as they finally turned to face me. ¡°You would raise your sword at a Returned?¡± The woman in front of me turned away from me and pulled her sword out of the ground before sheathing it in a single fluid motion. ¡°I¡¯d have thought there¡¯d be no survivors after that, you¡¯ve done well to make it this far soldier.¡± Am I nothing but a fucking joke to you!? Do you feel no threat from me at all!? ¡°Sadly, my orders were for no one to make it off this battlefield,¡± she paused her words as she instantly closed the distance between us. I had no time to think and heard the sound of my sword hitting the ground, along with my hand. I felt no pain this time, my body was now frozen in fear at facing such power. ¡°You even survived a Diffusion?¡± she grabbed my left arm and yanked on it, the pain exploded before it almost instantly vanished. I heard the heavy sound of what was left of the mess that I called my arm hitting the ground. ¡°Under different circumstances I¡¯d have considered letting you live, maybe even make an interesting pet of you but the King¡¯s orders are absolute.¡± She stepped back and clapped her hands, light forming around them as she placed both hands on my face, ¡°I¡¯ll let you pass gently to the next, beloved soldier.¡± She spoke through a smile that had a complete lack of soul. I felt heat building in my head, agony unlike any other, a searing pain in my mind grew and encompassed my entire being from where her hands made contact. My body, soul and mind lit aflame as the light flooded my eyes. It¡¯s unfair. Why? The King? Why is she doing this? What did I do to deserve this end¡­ My body flooded with pain and then the darkness came, a nearly comforting darkness encroaching upon me. It was soothing, as if being wrapped in a warm bedroll beside a fire. It felt like falling asleep from the greatest exhaustion. The final image that crossed my eyes was the eyes of the woman in front of me, her soulless smile. And then I died, alone on the battlefield. Just another soldier. _____________________________________________ ¡°Hello? Ret, are you awake?¡± Huh? ¡°Open your eyes.¡± What? ¡°Do you want revenge, Ret?¡± My eyes opened and I looked upon what looked like an endless sea of stars. A gentle woman¡¯s voice filled my mind again. ¡°I can help you get revenge, Ret. I can give you power. You just need to promise me that no matter how hard it gets, how many painful decisions you have to make, how difficult the road may be, you will keep moving forward.¡±I tried to speak and found myself unable. ¡°I will give you only one chance to answer and sign your contract, Ret. You will be taken to the point in your life when everything began to change. Through my power you will be allowed to do it again, to try to correct the insidious wrongs of the world. It will be a hard road filled with trials for you and those in your life.¡± The woman¡¯s voice sounded as if it was close to crying now, pain filled words filled my mind again. ¡°You will bear burdens only few will ever know. Your road will be paved with suffering, the choices you make will change the course of history as you know it¡­ But you will have the chance to make right that which was done wrong to you.¡± I looked around, I couldn¡¯t see anyone but the endless expanse of lights in darkness. ¡°Or you may choose to forgo this chance and instead pass peacefully to the eternal slumber beyond, where you won¡¯t suffer, you won¡¯t have to fight.¡± A familiar rage built up inside me, a fury unlike any other¡­ A chance to have revenge on those who did wrong by me? Flashes of the female Returner on the battlefield and the King filled my mind. I could only choose one answer. ¡°Ret, I will ask you again¡­ Would you like revenge?¡±As if conjuring from the aether itself, my desire manifesting an ethereal body to speak with I could barely muster out one word. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Contract complete. I, Mystheri of Time and Space will be henceforth acknowledged as the Patron of Returned, Ret Shoredeep.¡± A familiar sensation washed over me¡­ As if I was dying once again but I didn¡¯t struggle against it and instead fell willingly into it. The comforting darkness came again.