《A wizard's humble story.》
A second chance.
¡°Get your ass up, slug!" A rough shove sent Tom sprawling, his forehead scraping against something coarse. Was it concrete? He couldn''t tell. His breath hitched. The air was thick, causing him to choke on his own saliva as he tried to take in as much air into his lungs as he could, only to find that he couldn''t. He coughed. Darkness pressed against his vision. He blinked hard, trying to activate his AUI. Nothing. Just black. Panic twisted in his gut. Another shove. Harder this time. His forehead dragged over the ground again, fresh pain blooming across his skin. A sliver of light cut through the dark. "Oh no, I think he''s bleeding out. We have to get the heck out of here!¡±
A boot connected with his ribs, sending pain lancing through his side. Tom gasped, his body instinctively curling in on itself. The coarse ground beneath him felt unsteady, like gravel mixed with something wet. Was it mud, maybe? Blood? His? Someone else¡¯s? Again, he couldn''t tell.
His body rolled over to the side, his vision momentarily spinning before colliding with a rough wooden object, causing him to puke up a mouthful of blood as he gasped for air, pain flaring through his ribs like searing flames.
Screams¡ Though the voices themselves sounded distant.
¡°Someone called the ambulance! I think he¡¯s dying!¡± a voice shrieked, barely audible over the pounding in Tom¡¯s skull. Footsteps scuffled nearby, as a few hands grabbed him, dragging him aside as his vision blurred.
"Oh no!!! He¡¯s bleeding!!" Another voice, this one closer said, "God, there¡¯s so much. What do we do? He¡¯s barely moving!¡±
Eventually, everything faded away into darkness. The sounds of countless people screaming overhead at him faded away into the back of his mind as his body took its last breath.
Was this¡ really the end?
"Hey, don''t close your eyes! Come on, stay with me!" Tom tried to move, to respond, but his body wouldn¡¯t listen. His chest burned and his limbs felt like dead weights. He wanted to hold on, to fight, but the pull of unconsciousness was relentless. His eyes turned to the person who had spoken to him, his blood-soaked hands reaching upward towards the sky.
His ribs ached, his lungs burned, and his vision blurred at the edges, consumed by an encroaching darkness that swallowed the world piece by piece. The shouts and frantic footsteps around him became distant sounds that faded into the lower spectrum of his mind, as even the pain he was feeling all over his body became completely dulled to his senses.
His heartbeat slowed, and with his eyes widening in shock, it became completely still.
and he die.
¡°Haaah!"
It was dark... and silent, and very... very tight. The air was stale and musty, filled with the scent of old wood and damp earth. Tom''s eyes fluttered open, but there was nothing to see... in fact, he couldn''t see at all, as the only thing that greeted his vision was an all-encompassing blackness that seemed to press against his eyelids. Panic settled tightly in his chest, and attempting to move was a mistake that he quickly regretted, as the action caused his head to hit something above, and blood poured out of his head. It was then that he realized he was lying on his back, confined in a space that was far too small for him to move.
¡°No. No, no, no¡ª¡± Tom wheezed, his fingers clawing at the wood, splinters jabbing under his nails as blood slowly trickled out of his fingers. He kicked out, but the space was too tight, and all he ended up accomplishing was getting his knees jammed against the inside of the coffin, which further fueled his feeling of entrapment.
He was trapped.
That much was obvious to him, and he was trapped in the worst way possible. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. His lungs burned, but¡ªwait. His lungs? He froze. Shouldn''t he be dead? Memories of his old life began to pour back into his head, and the scene of him dying quickly nestled itself tightly among the various vast memories that lingered in his mind. Realization dawned on him. He was dead. Yet here he was, panicked and very clearly alive.
But it was only now that he began to feel the cold chill that swept through his body. It wasn¡¯t the natural cold of the air, nor the biting chill of winter, but something that went through even the protective layer of his skin, completely failing to shield him against the cold, as his whole body shivered. Which was quickly followed by a whisper at the edges of his mind, but it was not so far as to be imperceptible.
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It was soft, kind of like a mother''s voice.
"Open your eyes," it said. "Not the physical ones you had, but your real eyes.¡±
He tried to do as the being said, and feeling a slight tug on his eyelids, he opened his eyes. Immediately, his surroundings shifted with only a whisper to highlight the change, he was no longer in the coffin but now in a vast, expansive land with trees towering as far as the eye could see.
Strangely, water covered everything, and floating above the water was a deer that had a bonobo''s face, the feet of a donkey, and the tail of a lizard that resembled a dragon he had seen in one of those fantasy novels. It smiled at him, which oddly looked human but had a warmth to it that reminded him of his mother, who had long passed away and left him to fend for himself.
Oh, he so wished he could see her right now.
¡°Who are you?¡±
The creature regarded him with a gaze, its human-like smile being strangely comforting despite its bizarre mishmash of features. The water beneath them shimmered, reflecting a sky that pulsed with a swirling mix of colors. After a while, it finally decided to speak.
"I get asked that question a lot," the being spoke, its voice a harmonious blend of multiple tones, as if an entire chorus of sounds spoke at once. "But the answer never seems to please those who hear it." Tom was about to say something in response, but he was quickly interrupted by the creature as it continued, "After all, my call is a sign of bad luck. Nevertheless, it is my duty. I am Death, and you are dead," it finished.
Oddly, he didn''t have the reaction that he should have had. The being just looked at him, watching and waiting for a reaction, but was a bit surprised that it didn''t get one.
The being released a sigh, its head turning to a flower that had bloomed near its neck. ¡°I will take that as you being shocked. It''s been three years since you''ve died, and your family, or the lack thereof, has already moved on. The world continued without a hitch, even though you were supposed to have a significant moment that changed it, even though it would have only been a little.¡± Death hummed, the sound resonating through the water as it smelled the flower. ¡°Even I was profoundly disappointed in your performance.¡±
His fists clenched at his sides as he looked at the creature before him. The words it had spoken weren''t necessarily cruel, but the judgmental tone had kind of ticked him off. Normally, as long as someone was just throwing around shoddy insults at him, he wouldn''t care, but when they started getting personal, that''s when they crossed a line.
¡°My performance? The hell do you mean by that?¡±
Death tilted its head, its lizard-like tail swaying in the air. ¡°Exactly what was said. You were meant to have a child with a woman called Alyssa who would have¡ª¡± tight golden metal binding slammed on its neck, its eyes widening in shock as its mouth was covered up so as not to speak.
¡°Enough!¡±
A loud voice said.
Death''s body ripped itself apart as its blood and intestines fell onto the floor, its eyes bulging in pain as it died. No, it wasn''t dead. A black fog floated just above the body of the highly mutated deer before reforming itself back into its physical form.
¡°Ah¡¡± Death sighed, shaking out its limbs before rolling its shoulders as if what had just happened had been merely an inconvenience rather than a violent punishment for what was just a loose slip-up from the creature. ¡°It seems I¡¯ve said too much.¡±
Tom just watched the whole scene in shock. He could barely formulate a word as he stared at the deer, his muscles feeling a bit tense as he looked at the creature. "I believe I''ve wasted enough of your time, Tom Marilyn Kaczynski. I have a proposal for you.¡±
He took a step back, his feet splashing in the water as he regarded death with a gaze. ¡°A proposal?¡± he asked, not at all trying to hide the suspicion in his voice. ¡°What kind of deal does Death itself need to make with a living being?¡±
¡°A simple one,¡± it said, chains appearing around its arms and legs as it settled down on the ground, its face never leaving his as it tried to make itself as comfortable as it could. ¡°In your former existence, you were... well, I hesitate to use the word ''simple,'' as that might unintentionally offend those true paragons of simplicity out there. Let¡¯s just say you were a standout among the unremarkable crowd and a real character, if nothing else. Yet, when the final curtain fell, your family didn¡¯t shed a single tear or even a dramatic gasp of sorrow at the news of your death. No, they barely lost a wink of sleep upon hearing the news of your untimely demise, only showing a keen interest in the trivial belongings you left behind.¡±
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Tom yelled, his shout rippling across the water like a stone was tossed into it. His body trembled, but whether it was from rage or something else, he couldn''t tell.
Death merely watched him, unflinching, the chains around its limbs rattling softly as it shifted its weight. ¡°You heard me,¡± Death continued. ¡°They did not mourn you. They did not grieve. Your passing was an inconvenience at best and an afterthought at worst. The world kept spinning, unbothered by the absence of Tom Marilyn Kaczynski.¡±
¡°If you accept my invitation, you will be reincarnated, perhaps as a spirit, a monster, or a human. But it is much better than the alternative." It looked to the left, and immediately the space around where it was looking broke apart and opened, revealing a never-ending pit of burning fire and lava, whose inhabitants screamed inside in agony as they were being burned. ¡°If you refuse, you shall be thrown into the lake of fire, and that will be the end of your story.¡±
¡°And what if¡ª¡±
¡°This isn''t a matter of ''ifs'' or ''buts.'' I cannot say anything more beyond what I''ve already revealed. The high Wills want to hear your answer now and are not willing to bargain on it.¡± It laid its head near its foot, its eyes going gray as if it were dead, though it still occasionally twitched here and there, indicating that it was very much alive.
There was no debate, really. It was either he denied it and ended up suffering for it for eternity, or he accepted it and avoided absolute destruction along the way. Such an offer, though, seemed highly suspicious to him. He had nothing to gain from choosing the latter and even less to gain by choosing the former. There was just something that was not right about it, but he didn''t have the time nor the opportunity to ask.
¡°Okay¡ I accept,¡± despite his better judgment telling him not to. But he felt like this was the right option, so he went with it.
"Good," Death said, though his voice sounded oddly distant. The world began to phase out right before his eyes as his body fell to the ground. "I gave you a second chance, and please, for the love of all that is dear, don''t waste it this time," was all he heard as he once again, probably for the second time, died.
¡°Haaah!¡±
The world spun, a whirlpool of colors and sounds merging into a dizzying blur as Tom¡¯s body hit the ground, the sensation of his body quickly returning to him as he desperately tried to breathe. It was as though he had been yanked from one reality and thrust into another, the sensation reminding him of the first time he''d tried to swim. His thoughts were scrambled, but slowly, the darkness at the edges of his vision began to lift. Attempting to move his body, he quickly realized that it went limp, completely unresponsive to the commands that his brain sent to it.
He couldn''t see, and the world around him was almost completely silent, save for the occasional sounds of panicked voices shouting all around him. But little by little, his sensations slowly came to him, and his memories quickly followed soon after. For what was most likely less than an hour, his sense of hearing came back to him, and soon after were his taste and then smell and then sight.
¡°What the hell.¡±
Awakening.
"Oh, there you are," Anna said without looking up, her gaze fixed on the worn manuscript that was spread open on the table before her. A quill pen rested lightly in her hand, its tip scratching softly against the aged parchment as she carefully copied the delicate script. By its appearance, the book was of the old kind, and judging by the way she eyed it, it definitely gave him the impression that it was on the magical side. So focused was she that she hardly gave him a passing glance as he grabbed a seat next to her.
"I didn¡¯t expect you to be this early, so you caught me a little off guard," she said, her voice trembling slightly despite the confident front she put up. "But I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. Do you... do you have the books?¡±
"Yes, I have them," Lye replied. He placed the heavy satchel gently onto the table, the sound of its contents shifting inside as he tried not to break anything from within it. "I made sure to gather everything you requested, all from the texts, the scrolls, and a note from House Benjen in the nearby village. He would like to arrange a trade between his village and yours."
She set the quill down with a soft clink against the inkpot and gently closed the manuscript, her fingers lingering on the edges of the book as if reluctant to part with the knowledge it held. Gathering all the other piles of books and scrolls that she had resting on her desk, she set them aside before standing up, the sound of her chair scraping softly against the floor. Crouching to meet him at eye level, she gave him a warm smile as she grabbed the satchel from the desk. "What business does he want with me anyway?¡±
He shrugged at that. "Well, have you considered what your father will say?" Lye shifted in his seat, crossing his arms as he studied her. "I haven¡¯t spoken to him yet," he admitted, "but he''ll find out I''m here soon enough." Grabbing one of the books from the satchel''s side pocket, she examined it, picking up another one on her desk to compare it to the new one she had. "Well, in any case, you should really consider becoming a swordsman. You know how much that means to him. The sword arts has been passed down from generation to generation in your family, so it''s best you keep it that way, Lye.¡±
"You''re part of our family too, you know?" Lye muttered, though more to himself than to Anna, really. Anna, on her part, only paused at that, her expression softening for just a moment. Then, as if catching herself, she quickly shook her head and let out a small chuckle. "I know," she murmured, setting the book down and carefully undoing the rest of its ties from the satchel to examine its other contents. "But sometimes I can''t help but feel like an invader.¡±
"Well, you''re not!" he shouted, way louder than he really meant to, but he couldn''t hold himself back from doing it. Thankfully, though, before the situation could escalate, a knocking sound came from the door.
Knock knock knock knock!!!
¡°I will get it,¡¯¡¯ Lye said, getting up before casting one last glance at Anna as he walked toward the door. He took a breath, a bit worried, as he unlatched the door and pulled it open. Standing on the other side was a man wrapped in a heavy, travel-worn cloak, the hood drawn a bit low over his face. The dim candlelight flickered against his features, casting a deep shadow beneath his eyes that made his expression a bit hard to see. Beside him was a maidservant, the one attending to Thalos.
"May I help you?" he said to the man before turning to the maidservant, his eyes glaring at her as she averted her gaze from him. "And who gave you permission to leave Thalos unattended?" She didn''t meet his gaze, opting to stay quiet as the man beside her took over. The man standing at the door did not respond immediately, his gaze lingering on Lye for a moment before he spoke. "It''s about Anna''s son. I can hardly believe that such words are coming out of my mouth, but he''s awake.¡±
And the whole scene escalated into chaos from there as Anna hastily ran out the door.
Haaah
"What... is going on?" Tom muttered. He fought against the overwhelming exhaustion that threatened to pull him back under, pushing himself up onto his elbows as he grabbed at his head.
"Young Master Thalos, please do not push yourself too hard," a hand reached out to steady him, but he swiftly swatted it away. "Don''t touch me!" he snapped, and the odd woman immediately pulled away.
"You need to rest, young master. It¡¯s not safe to overexert yourself," the woman insisted, her voice surprisingly calm despite his outburst. "Your body is still recovering from the curse, and you must allow it time to heal," she said, the panicked voices all around him growing more insistent as more people rushed in and out of the room he was in.
Memories rushed in and out of his mind, the timeline of the events disjointed as he could barely grasp some of their meanings as they passed by. The bits and pieces he picked up, though, gave him some insight into his new life. He was Thalos Valemont, son of Edric Valemont and Anna Valemont, and he just happened to be a noble who was meant to inherit the title of heir to House Valemont in the forest of the elves. But that was all he could manage to figure out, as there was a huge gap in his memory that prevented him from learning anything more.
That was a bit frustrating, but it was not something that he cared about much. What he did care about, though, were the implications that followed from what had just happened to him. He had really been reincarnated. He couldn''t believe it, but despite its absurdity, it actually happened, even though he had spent his years as a devoted atheist.
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But he was alive now and an elf too, though he didn''t really know what that entailed.
But being an elf came with its own set of perks. For one, his vision had sharpened considerably. The woman who had attempted to help him, however, seemed unsettled by his resistance. Still, she held her ground, her presence more a lingering shadow than a source of comfort. He couldn¡¯t fault her for it, though. From the way she carried herself, it was clear she was little more than a servant. Comfort, after all, wasn¡¯t something likely to be expected from someone in her position.
Unless..... he shook his head, swatting those thoughts away from his mind before they could fully form.
"Give me your hand," a man demanded, seizing his wrist before he could refuse. More and more people crowded around, their hands reaching out to examine him. Struggling was useless, as their grip was unrelenting, ignoring his protests and commands to let him go. "His mana reserves have tripled," one of them said. "And his brain isn''t showing any cognitive or processing issues," another added. "The bad blood in his veins has mostly gone away, so he should be fine within a few weeks," the last one said.
They were everywhere, as if a moth drawn to a light. "Let him go!" a voice shouted above the others, and immediately the weird-looking creatures that were examining him backed away, bowing their heads down to the ground as a gruff, old-looking man stepped up to examine him.
"Are you okay?¡±
¡°Yeah¡±
"Good, give me a bit. The curse you have been under is a pretty big deal, and we rarely have anybody waking up from this kind of ordeal. You wouldn''t mind if I examined your soul, would you?" He asked, and he hesitated. He was afraid that his cover was going to be blown and that he might be killed for taking control of the boy''s body. So many possibilities of how this could blow up in his face played out in his mind, but after a while of him not responding, the man took his silence as a no.
¡°Ok, well that''s understandable. Soul mages kind of have that effect on everyone," he said with a tired sigh, rubbing the back of his neck before he turned to the others. "Well, let his mother in, guys. We''re done here, and she''s been very eager to see her son, and we have to leave soon since our service won''t be required anymore.¡±
The door creaked open, and Anna rushed inside before anyone could say a word. Her breath came in short gasps, and her golden eyes shimmered with tears that she quickly smothered away as she took in the sight of him, giving him that loving, motherly smile that made him feel both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.
She slowed her steps as she neared the bed, almost as if afraid that getting too close would cause him to suddenly disappear. "Thalos..." she whispered, her voice cracking and her fingers trembling as she reached out toward him. Another boy stood beside her, though he was considerably shorter than she was. Based on his appearance, he was probably around 15 or younger. Unlike her, he had a sour expression on his face, not meeting his eyes as his ''mother'' gave him a hug.
¡°Everyone, you''re dismissed. Get out of the room,¡± the young man beside Anna said. The gathered attendants, healers, and scholars hesitated for a moment, exchanging glances among themselves before slowly filtering out of the room. Some muttered among themselves, and a few cast wary looks at Thalos before vanishing through the doorway.
The last of them to leave was the gruff old man, pausing at the threshold of the door as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be nearby if you change your mind about the examination,¡± before stepping out and shutting the door behind him.
"I¡ I''m fine," he said, though the words felt strange coming from his mouth. His voice was softer, smoother than what he was used to, lacking the deep timbre he had once possessed in his old life. That, too, was something he had yet to adjust to.
Anna let out a choked laugh, swiping at her eyes before she sat at the edge of his bed. "Fine? You were on the brink of death, and now you''re awake as if nothing happened. You scared me, Thalos. Do you... do you... ugh, never mind. I''m just so relieved to finally have you back," she hugged him tighter, which only furthered his discomfort. "I was so scared that I was the only one around. I... I¡ªI thought I lost both you and your father after the dragon attacked our village.¡±
He squirmed under the affection. In his past life, he had never been one to receive such love from his family, save for his mother. He had long given up on anybody after she had died and had isolated himself from his father and the rest of his family, who either blamed him for the reason his mother died or only saw him as the bastard that his father was¡ªan abusive alcoholic who didn''t even care about him nor her. He hated that man with all his being, but he also hated the rest of his family. Perhaps it was because he was so used to being resentful and bitter that he was never capable of forming much in terms of relationships.
So receiving this kind of affection was odd. He liked it, but he knew it wasn''t really directed at him.
Anna pulled away slightly, holding Thalos at arm¡¯s length as she studied his face. Her golden eyes were bright with emotion, but they were also filled with uncertainty. Who wouldn''t be, after all? Their child had just gotten out of a seemingly near-comatose state, so the reaction was not unexpected. He could feel her fingers trembling where they rested lightly on his arms. "You don¡¯t remember much, do you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tom hesitated. He could lie. He could say yes and pretend everything was fine... but the poor mother of this child had no idea that her son''s body had just been hijacked by an outsider, and the least he could do was reassure her that her son''s memory was still there, even though the boy himself had long passed away. So, deciding not to lie but not reveal the truth entirely, he settled for something in between. "Bits and pieces," he admitted. "Things feel¡ a little disconnected.¡±
The other boy in the room, the one who had dismissed everyone earlier, shifted uncomfortably. His arms were crossed, and when he gave him a look, he tightened his jaw. He looked like he wanted to say something but was biting his tongue. Tom had no idea who he was supposed to be, as he didn''t have any memories of him, nor did he bear any resemblance to Anna.
Anna, noticing the tension, turned to the younger boy and placed a hand on his arm. "Lye, you¡¯ve been quiet this whole time," she said softly. "Do you have nothing to say to your half-brother?" Lye¡¯s expression hardened. He uncrossed his arms, his fingers clenching into fists at his sides. "What is there to say?" he muttered, his tone clipped. "Your boy is awake. That¡¯s¡ good." His gaze flickered toward Tom but didn¡¯t linger.
Anna¡¯s gaze softened as she placed a reassuring hand on Lye''s shoulder, though she could sense the unease in his stance. ¡°Lye, he''s just woken up. You know it''s going to take time for him to adjust to everything, and... well, this is new for all of us¡±
Lye didn¡¯t respond immediately. Instead, he looked away as if trying to avoid the conversation altogether. His fingers twitched, and he seemed to struggle with the emotions churning inside him. He was clearly bothered by the situation but was afraid to say so. Instead, he decided to excuse himself before leaving the room, closing the door shut behind him. Anna, for her part, could only sigh.
That was Lye Tinsel, the only son of Paul Tinsel and the heir to this house. I''m not his real mother, but I have known him ever since he was a baby. Shortly after I married his dad, he was probably 2 or 3 by then, and we had gotten pretty close. Be nice to him, okay? And treat him as you would a real brother.¡± Tom nodded quietly, unsure of what to really say as he watched the door. He was definitely going to have a headache in the future regarding this whole family drama, but he hoped he could get through it without a hitch.
Anna only watched Lye leave, not saying a word as her brow furrowed with concern. Then, she turned back to Tom, her eyes softening as she gave him a kiss on the forehead. ¡°I''ll be back soon, okay? I can''t tell you enough how happy I am to see you, but for now, just stay put. I''ll write a letter to your half-father in the capital, and we will arrange a festival with the funds we have to celebrate your Awakening.¡±
She exited the room, two maidservants entering shortly after as he leaned back on his bed. They had a pretty bizarre appearance, the first one looking like a lion-woman hybrid, with a scorpion-like tail, and a fox-woman who looked more fox than human. He didn''t comment on that, though, since it would most likely have been seen as rude by this world''s standards.