The sky was dark, but not completely black. It had an orange hue to it, which gave off a strange feeling. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, giving it a dim light. Two figures could be seen conversing under the night sky. One was a young woman wearing a pink dress with a pair of white gloves, while the other was a man wearing a dark robe.
"I don't like it," the woman said as she stared at the clouds above them. "It's too bright. Not even the dark of night is enough anymore"
"You're probably just tired," the man replied calmly. "Come on, let's go back home. We can talk about this another time, right?"
"No, I want to stay here for a bit longer. This is where I belong. Besides, there are no clouds up there anymore."
"What do you mean?"
The man looked up and saw the clouds beginning to move away from the moon. He also noticed that the moon itself was becoming larger and brighter. It was almost as if the moon was growing bigger every second. As he continued watching, the moon grew larger than ever before, until it was almost the size of a Mountain.
"That's impossible," the man said in disbelief.
"Don't you see. This is what we deserve." The woman exclaimed excitedly before turning to face the man as the moon rapidly increased in size behind her. "This is our reward for being together for so long."
The man with fear in his eyes paused for a while before turning his gaze on the woman.
He stared at the beautiful figure before him. She was so perfect, yet so cold. He knew that she was the most beautiful person he'd ever laid his eyes upon, but something was off. There was something about her that made him uneasy. Something that felt familiar, like he had seen her somewhere before.
"We've been together for centuries," the woman continued. "And now we finally get what we wanted all along. We can live eternally in happiness, together. Forever."
"Eternity? What do you mean" The man asked, backing away ever so slightly.
"Just as I promised. Our souls will become one, and we'll be able to live forever together. No more worries or sorrows. Just us."
"But why me?"
The woman smiled as she turned around to face the man.
"Because that is how it has always been"
"Why do I feel so afraid?" The man asked himself. “He couldn’t bring himself to strike down the women. It was as if his body wouldn’t allow him to harm her.
He was a talented practitioner of the dark arts and had never felt such fear from another being in his life. All he could do was stand still, unable to move his body.
"It's because you know that this isn't real. That this is just a dream. You can still wake up from it. She isn't like this, she was never like this, right?"
The man tried to calm himself down as he looked into the woman's eyes. He knew that she wasn't lying. They were meant to be together. Their souls have always been intertwined since the day they met. Even now, he couldn't stop himself from finding her beautiful. As if something was forcefully pulling them together.
"I know that this just can't be real," he whispered to himself. "But why am I feeling so scared?"
The woman slowly walked towards the man. Her movements were graceful and elegant. It was a breathtaking sight to see how brightly she shined under the ever increasing moon's light.
"You're the only one I've ever loved," the woman said as she placed her hands on the man's shoulders. "You're the one who has always protected me. The one who has always been there for me. through each reincarnation I have always found you. And you have always found me."
"But...why?"
"Because I'm your destiny. Because I am the one who will save you. That is why we are destined to be together."
The man's heart began to race. His head started to hurt as he felt the blood rush to his temples.
"Stop!" The man shouted." This doesn't make any sense. Th- this isn't you!"
"Yes it is! I've always been here for you. I've always been the one who loves you. I've always been the one who wants to protect you. I've always been the one who is willing to die for you." The woman's eyes turn cold as she approaches. "I've always been the one who is willing to sacrifice everything for you."
The man was frozen in place. He could feel his body tensing up. All he could do was watch as the woman approached him.
"This is the reason why I've waited for so long," the woman continued. "For you to finally come back to me. For you to finally realise that I'm the only one for you. For you to finally remember. But it seems as if we will need to start over once more. Because of you. Because you've forgotten, as you always have!"
The woman then pulled out a knife from her sleeve and held it against the man's neck.
"Now. Let me remind you."
***
A few hours later, the man awoke from his sleep. He looked around to find himself in a small room. He had no idea where he was. All he knew was that he was in a place that he had never seen before.
The room was completely white except for a large screen spread across one of the walls. On top of the screen was a projection of the night sky.
"What is this?" the man asked himself.
"Welcome to the future," a voice came from behind the man.
The man turned around and saw a tall figure standing in front of him. The figure was dressed in a black robe with a hood covering its face.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"My name is Albrecht. I am the keeper of this place."
"How did I end up here?"
"Your soul was brought here after you died. I am the one who sent it here."
"Why?"
"To fulfill your destiny. You will be reborn as you always have"
"What destiny?"
The man stood there, unable to move. He was confused. He didn't understand anything that was happening.
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you will live again. In this world, and in this life, you will be reunited with your eternal lover. This is the cycle that you have lived through time and time again. And time and time again you have failed to complete your objective." Albrecht shakes his head in disappointment. "This is the last time. The final time."
"What do you mean?"
Albrecht turned around and began walking away.
"There is nothing more that I can say to you. It is time for you to embrace your newest life. I hope you do not waste it like all of the others."
A bright light shines from beneath the man as he is sucked through the floor. "Wait!" the man called out after him. "Where are you sending me?! Explain yourself! What did you mean?!"
"It doesn't matter anymore," Albrecht replied. "I have fulfilled my purpose. Now it is time for you to fulfill yours. "Albrecht stood there, motionless. Until the man disappeared into thin air.
"Make the most of this chance, It may be your last Cyrus." Albrecht Mumbles before vanishing from the room.
Cyrus opened his eyes to see that he was no longer in the bright room and was now stranded in the middle of nowhere. Panicking, he runs around frantically, looking for a way back before falling to his knees. "Why me?" He cries hopelessly. Feeling defeated, he lays down on the grassy plains. A few moments later he decides to get up. "Well, I might as well try and make the best of it." He reasons. Walking over to one of the nearby tree's, he climbs to the top before sitting on one of the branches. Looking out, he sees several figures walking through the forest heading towards the same place. They look different than normal humans, each having unique features that set them apart from everyone else. Some wore animal skins, others dressed in robes whilst some appeared to wear armor. There was no doubt that most of these creatures weren't human. Even further out, was a noticeably large city. Buildings rose high into the sky reaching hundreds if not thousands of meters. A massive wall
Gratefully accepting the chance, they both make their way to the nearest Inn. Inside, Cyrus looks down at the menu of unfamiliar foods before looking back up to the girl. "uh, excuse me lady""My name is Hannah,"she answers him gently.Smiling sheepishly, he introduces himself as wellHannah smiles warmly at him."So Hannah, what exactly does this menu say anyway?"Hannah giggles softly at his question. "You must not have been given the ability to read this world's writing, huh?"He blushes embarrassingly. "yeah... Sorry."Hannah chuckles fondly. "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure to pick something good for you. What kind of food did you want?" She inquires curiously."Umm, I really don't mind. Whatever you think tastes best.""Alright then, let's go with this one. It has meat in it." She suggests.After ordering, the pair sit together awkwardly while waiting for their meals. Whilst enjoying the meal, they talk more about the tournament.Cyrus learns that the rules are simple: the
A few hours later, they arrived at a sort of training ground near the main city gates. Walking inside, Cyrus notices that most people are wearing either leather armor or simple cloth clothing However, there is one group standing apart from everyone else. They're all dressed differently, mostly in full plate armor with various types of swords strapped to their backs. Most of them are young men with facial hair and wild expressions on their faces. Cyrus stares in wonderment. "Who are those guys?" Hannah looks towards the group respectfully. "Those men are members of the Royal Guard, they train daily to protect the kingdom from harm. You should get used to them as they will probably see you often during your year here." Cyrus blinks surprised by the news. "Royal guard huh.." He thinks aloud. "Now let us begin." A voice calls out from within the crowd of guardsmen. Everyone immediately gets quiet and turns to look at whoever spoke. Standing amongst the others is a tall muscular ma
Three months pass as Cyrus continues to work with the company. Finishing his training period, Cyrus receives his silver pendant and is now ready to go on his first mission. During this period Cyrus had managed to meet up with Darius and along with Hannah had become quite the trio. Taking on requests together and growing closer as a team. Hannah had shown her expertise in support magic, while Darius had shown his skill in battle, providing Cyrus with advice and tanking for the group. All the while Cyrus worked on improving his skills in both magical and physical combat. Taking up a few jobs here and there, they had earned enough money to buy some basic supplies. Having made a small fortune over the last few months, Cyrus had decided it was time to upgrade his attire to something that could provide a bit more protection. Returning to the shop that he had bought his rod from. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the same man was working here once more. "Well hello there, You've s
Cyrus sighs tiredly, leaning against a nearby building for support as he catches his breath.Hannah and Darius are sitting beside him as he rests.They all look exhausted as they catch their breaths."Man, we really got the short end of the stick on this one." Darius sighs as he looks up at the beast in the distance. "We did everything we could but the damn beast just won't go down.""You don't have to remind me," Hannah replies sarcastically. "That thing was brutal."Cyrus stands up straight and looks at the beast in the distance."But... I feel like there has to be something we can do about it. Nothing immortal."The group watches as the beast roars angrily while continuing to rampage across the town."We need to figure out a way to take care of this thing. Before it gets even worse than it already is."Darius nods in agreement. "We can't give up yet. We have to keep trying. That's what being a soldier is all about."Hannah nods in agreement. "And if anyone can do it, it's us.""Agr
Over the course of the next few days, Darius and Hannah help the townsfolk with their repairs, while Cyrus tries to come up with a plan alongside the mayor on how to capture the demon.Hearing a knock on the door, She motions for the guards to allow the visitor entrance.A Blonde haired woman with tanned skin steps through the doorway carrying a satchel.Cyrus notices that she is the same woman who had saved him previously."Hello, My name is Eryn. I'm a member of the royals sent to assist you alongside my team. I apologize for the short notice, but I figured it would be best to get started as soon as possible."Eryn greets the group as she steps into the room."Thank you for coming so quickly, I appreciate it." The Mayor says."Don't mention it. We weren't aware of the situation until a few days ago." Eryn responds."It's alright, we understand. I'm just glad you were willing to come all this way to help us out. Honestly, we're lucky to have you." The Mayor says."I'll take that as a
"So what do you plan on doing now?" Darius asks."I'm not sure honestly. I know that we are going to need a Lot of help if we are going to put a stop to those beasts. And we need to do it quickly before they spread out too much." Cyrus replies."Hopefully we can contact someone who might be able to help us." Darius says. "We should head back to the city. We can tell the guild leaders what happened and see if we can gather enough soldiers to take care of this mess." He says."Sounds like a plan." Cyrus nodded. "Let's speed up the pace then."The group quickly picks up the pace as they make their way towards the city.The group traveled through the night nonstop until reaching the gates of the city.Upon returning to the capital the group quickly informs the guild masters of everything that has happened."Well, this is a mess." The guild master says after hearing the full story."Do you have anyone in mind who might be able to lend a hand?" Darius asks."Unfortunately, we don't. All of
"Don't worry. We will be out of this place sooner rather than later." Darius assures them.As the group is walking out of the village towards their carriage, they notice a woman sitting on the top of the hood."You guys are really starting to get on my nerves." She says.She jumps off of the hood and lands in front of them."Akuji! What are you doing here?" Cyrus asks."pffft, Nice tail!" Akuji snickers. "I'm surprised that you are still of sane mind even after being infected."What do you mean?" Cyrus asks."I mean, you haven't changed into a monster. You've maintained your humanity while still reaping the benefits of my work. If you weren't the one who murdered all of my pets I would have given you a comfy spot on the winning team. But alas, I have to deal with you pesky humans. You need to pay me back somehow." Akuji says."So what, are you going to take care of us yourself now? Cyrus says."That is exactly what I'm going to do. You four have made a mockery of me among the rest of