Renher's mind spun in tightening circles.
There was no memory of a beginning—only the suffocating sensation of existing without context. No sky. No ground. No sound. No sensation. No memory.
Just darkness stretching endlessly around him, thick and absolute, as though the universe itself had forgotten to grant him form.
Thought came first.
Then pain followed.
Not ordinary pain.
It felt as if his very soul were being torn apart—stretched thin by invisible hooks that dragged at his consciousness from every direction.
His spirit screamed, not with a voice, but with raw instinct.
Something fundamental was breaking, grinding against him with merciless pressure, as if his very existence were being forced through a space too narrow to contain it.
What… is happening?
His thoughts fractured, splintering into jagged fragments.
I was… fighting.
Yes.
A battlefield.
A battlefield soaked in blood of the Gods.
A massive tentacle—no, many—ripping through the ground.
Then someone appeared.
A man.
He helped me.
Renher strained, clinging to the memory as though it were the last thread anchoring him to himself.
He asked me something.
Something important.
But the moment he reached for it, the memory dissolved like mist under sunlight.
Then—
The darkness lurched.
A violent wave of dizziness surged through him, followed by a nauseating sensation—as if all the blood were draining from his veins at once.
Sharp, crushing pain bloomed above him, dragging him violently toward awareness.
His soul slammed into something solid.
A body.
It took time—far too much time—but gradually sensation returned.
Weight.
Cold air.
The rough, uneven pressure of earth beneath him.
So… this is it, he thought, clarity piercing through the haze. Reincarnation. A second chance.
A bittersweet ache formed in his chest.
Kaileen… she'll be devastated.
With immense effort, Renher forced his eyes open.
The world that greeted him was neither gentle nor forgiving.
Blood.
Everywhere.
The metallic stench struck him first, thick enough to clog his lungs.
His vision swam as shapes slowly came into focus—towering trees, their bark splattered with crimson, broken branches littering the forest floor, and scattered supplies half-buried in trampled soil.
He groaned, his body protesting the movement.
From what he could tell, the body he now inhabited was young—perhaps eighteen years old. Lean. Unfamiliar. Yet undeniably alive.
Then pain flared.
A blinding agony erupted from his head, forcing a hiss from his lips. He raised a trembling hand, brushing a swollen bruise near his temple. Sticky warmth coated his fingers.
Not fatal, he assessed grimly. But close enough to cripple someone permanently.
His senses continued to stabilize, and with them came understanding.
He was lying in a forest clearing. Several bodies—human—were strewn nearby, their lifeless eyes staring blankly at the canopy above.
Torn armor, shattered weapons, and broken shields told the silent story of a desperate struggle.
"A battlefield…" he whispered hoarsely. "But against what?"
The answer did not come.
Instead, something else drew his gaze.
Ten rings lay scattered around him.
Each glowed faintly, radiating a different hue—crimson, sapphire, emerald, violet—like fallen stars resting upon the blood-soaked earth.
Their surfaces were etched with intricate symbols that seemed to shift when he tried to focus, as though resisting comprehension.
Against better judgment, Renher gathered them one by one.
Cold metal pressed into his palm.
Then instinct screamed.
If there's blood… and I was knocked unconscious…
"Where's the enemy—"
A voice sliced through the air.
"Above you."
Renher reacted instantly.
Thought vanished. Training took over.
He dropped low as something massive tore through the space where his head had been moments earlier.
A claw slammed into the ground, cracking earth and splintering roots.
Renher rolled away and looked up.
His breath caught.
A grotesque beast clung to the branches above—a monstrous, monkey-shaped creature, towering and broad, its arms thick as tree trunks, muscles coiled like iron cables.
One hand gripped the branch effortlessly, while the other dripped with blood.
"This…" Renher whispered. "This isn't any beast I know."
His vision blurred again from blood loss.
Then he noticed something else.
A man floated nearby.
Not standing.
Not flying.
Floating.
His form was translucent, as if he existed half a step out of reality. Panic twisted his youthful face, lips moving frantically as he gestured.
The beast remained still.
Watching.
Waiting.
Renher forced himself upright, legs trembling.
If I fall here, I die.
The floating man drifted closer, his voice finally breaking through the ringing in Renher's ears.
"RUN—RUN, YOU IDIOT!"
Renher didn't look at him.
"No," he muttered. "Running won't work."
"You can't beat that thing! You'll die!"
Renher inhaled slowly, steadying his breath despite the pain. "Then tell me how to kill it."
The translucent man hesitated, then blurted out, "It's poisoned! I injured it earlier—deep poison. It looks fine, but it's dying slowly!"
Renher's eyes flicked back to the beast.
No limping.
No wounds.
Yet… a sliver of hope is still hope.
"There's a sword behind you," the man continued urgently. "If you can reach it—"
Renher didn't wait.
He turned and ran.
Branches snapped as the monster launched after him, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
His lungs burned.
His legs screamed.
The sword lay ahead.
He glanced back.
Too close.
The beast raised its fist.
Death.
Renher lunged forward.
At that instant, the monster coughed violently, blood spraying from its mouth.
Its punch froze midair.
The floating man shouted, "The poison! It's working!"
Renher seized the sword, forcing himself upright despite the agony tearing through his body.
The monkey staggered, fear flashing in its eyes for the first time.
Rain began to fall.
Cold droplets soaked the forest, darkening the blood-stained ground.
Renher felt something stir in his chest.
A faint warmth.
Power.
He raised the blade.
"Imperial Strike," he whispered.
"First Form—Deep Slash."
Steel flashed.
The beast was cleaved in two.
Silence fell.
Renher collapsed to his knees.
Completely exhausted without any energy nor spirit.
He laid lifeless around the body of the monkey , still thinking about the battle.
And somewhere beyond the forest, another battle was being fought.