"You aren't dying on me yet. You've got some questions to answer."
―I need information. And this bastard is going to give it to me whether he wants to or not.
Rynan stomped the ground with deliberate force, his power rippling through the earth like a shockwave of divine will. As the scattered blood and fragments of Xhan's skull began to reform—pieces crawling together like obedient servants answering their master's call—Xhan was dragged back to the land of the living against his will.
But this resurrection came with a price that made Rynan's previous displays of power look like child's play.
This time, Xhan had been stripped of all his limbs, reduced from his exalted position as "the Alcran God's most trusted man" to nothing more than a pathetic, crippled wretch who couldn't even lift his own head. The transformation was deliberate, calculated—Rynan wanted him helpless, dependent, completely at his mercy.
―Perfect. Now he can't run, can't fight back, can't do anything but answer my questions.
For the first time, Xhan's true face was revealed in all its ordinary mortality. He possessed decent features that might have been considered handsome under different circumstances, though such considerations were meaningless now. His hair was as dark as the abyss itself, and his eyes—once blazing with divine authority—were now completely devoid of light, like twin black holes that had swallowed all hope.
"D-DanFransci... Just kill me... Already..." The plea escaped his lips as barely more than a whisper, each word dripping with the weight of absolute defeat.
"Not happening. Answer my questions first."
―Death is too good for you until I get what I need.
Rynan crouched down with predatory grace, his golden eyes burning with cold intensity as they fixed on his victim. One thing was crystal clear from his expression—he didn't have time for games, excuses, or theatrical bullshit.
"How do you know my name. My *REAL* name."
The question hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall. This was the crux of everything—how had his true identity been compromised?
"I-I j-ju-just k-knew...!" Xhan's stutter betrayed the terror that had completely consumed his rational mind.
―Just knew? What kind of pathetic excuse is that?
"Funny." Rynan's voice carried the cold amusement of someone watching an insect try to threaten a giant. "The Strongest Servant of the Alcran God? Cowering in fear like a beaten dog?"
The irony wasn't lost on him. This creature had killed his family, had strutted around with divine authority, and now look at him—reduced to a trembling mess begging for death.
"DON'T GIVE ME BULLSHIT!"
Without warning, Rynan's hand plunged into Xhan's stomach with surgical precision. But this wasn't just a simple wound—he channeled his power directly into the injury, embedding a lingering, excruciatingly painful burning sensation that burrowed into Xhan's neural pathways like liquid fire.
―Let's see how long your loyalty to your precious god lasts when you're screaming in agony.
"AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!! ST-STOP! STOOOP IT!!! I-I'll T-TELL YOU! SS-STOP!!!"
The scream that tore from Xhan's throat was music to Rynan's ears—not because he enjoyed the suffering, but because it meant his interrogation was working.
Rynan withdrew his hand from the gaping wound with the casual air of someone pulling their finger from water. As Xhan lowered his gaze to assess the damage, his pupils dilated in absolute horror at what Rynan had gifted him.
Millions of tiny, grotesque creatures with bulging eyes and gnashing mouths had taken up residence in his abdominal cavity, devouring his surrounding organs with enthusiastic hunger. They moved like living nightmares, treating his body like their personal feeding ground.
―One of my more creative techniques. Let's see how you like having your insides eaten alive.
"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!"
"I-IT WAS LORD AL...CRAN! HE TOLD M-MEEEE!!!" The confession exploded from his lips between screams of pure agony. "AAAAGHH!! H-HE KNO...WS... EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU... H-HE A-AND THE OtHEr GODS W-WANT YOU D-d-()DE3AD! TH3Y5 %SA7y THAt YOu AR3 A4N OuTS!DER! A-AND TH4T Y0U N#3d T0 D13!"
The words became increasingly distorted as pain overwhelmed his ability to speak coherently, but Rynan had heard enough. The information hit him like a physical blow, pieces of a larger puzzle suddenly clicking into place.
―So the gods themselves want me dead. They know I'm an outsider. They know I don't belong here.
Rynan's eyes underwent a transformation that was somehow more terrifying than any display of raw power. The golden light that had blazed within them simply... died. What remained was something cold, empty, and utterly devoid of human warmth. He looked down at his victim, then up at the sky where he knew divine eyes were watching, then back at Xhan with mechanical precision.
―Fine. If they want to play games with me, I'll show them what happens when you threaten someone who has nothing left to lose.
"Servant of Alcran. I have no use for you anymore."
The words carried the finality of an executioner's announcement as Rynan cocked his right arm upward, producing a sharp *crack* that echoed through the air like breaking bones. Before Xhan's horrified eyes, flesh and bone began to reshape themselves into a massive blade of pure yellow light that hummed with barely contained power.
―Let them see this. Let them know what's coming for them.
"Oh, and I give my most honored greetings to you, Alcran, for I know you have listened to this entire conversation!"
The smile that spread across Rynan's face was perhaps the most genuinely terrifying expression he had ever worn—not because it was cruel or sadistic, but because it carried the promise of absolute war against forces that considered themselves untouchable.
―You want me dead? You think I'm just some outsider you can dispose of? Let me show you exactly what kind of monster you've created.
He rose to his feet with fluid grace, and with one swift, almost casual motion that seemed to slice through the very fabric of reality itself, Xhan's head was separated from his body with surgical precision.
As the lifeless form crumpled to the ground, Rynan stood in the silence that followed, his transformed blade still humming with power. The gods had made their intentions clear.
Now it was time to make his intentions clear in return.
_____𖤍_____
To Rynan, the feeling of his body hitting the ground was rather similar to the feeling of his whole world falling apart. The rough tree bark pressed against his back as he slumped down, hot tears rolling down his dirty cheeks before he could stop them. He was rather good at keeping his feelings inside, but once they started coming out his control would soon follow.
"I-I don't know what to do anymore..."
The words came out of his mouth like he was talking to no one. His voice broke on each word, the sound of a young man who had to carry things too heavy for him.
―Mom... Dad... Andrea... If I stay with them, then they'll surely be targeted by Alcran and the other gods...
The truth hit him like someone punched him in the gut, making his shoulders shake as he tried not to cry. Every time they laughed together, every warm hug, every moment of the happy life he'd finally found—all of it would get them killed if he was too selfish to let it go.
"How dare they... HOW DARE THEY RUIN THIS LIFE I HAVE LONGED FOR!"
His fist hit the ground next to him, his knuckles scraping against rocks and tree roots. The pain was nothing compared to the hurt tearing through his chest, the cruel joke of finally being happy only to have it taken away by the gods.
―No, there's no time to feel sorry for myself and break down. If I really care about them... then I should leave them.
The thought hit him like cold water to the face. Cold. Simple. Really, really awful.
―It's the only choice... Mom... Dad... Andrea... I hope... you understand.
Rynan pulled himself up to his feet, his legs shaking like he was just learning to walk. Each breath felt like swallowing broken glass, but he made his back straight and his jaw tight. He looked up at the sky—that same big blue that used to mean freedom—and raised his left hand really slowly.
His fingers curled in one by one, making a fist that shook not because he was weak, but because he was so angry.
"I WILL KILL YOU GODS! I SHALL KEEP MY WORD!"
His voice went through the whole forest, carrying all the anger and sadness of a young man who'd had everything stolen from him twice. Birds flew away from the trees, like they could feel how serious his promise was.
―That sounded way cooler in my head.
Even with everything going wrong, he let out a bitter laugh. Here he was, making big speeches to the sky like some hero from a cheap story. But the words were real, even if saying them felt silly.
After wiping his face with his sleeve—no point in letting them see he'd been crying—he made his feet walk back toward the carriage. Each step felt like walking to his own death.
The quiet sound of leaves covered his footsteps as Rynan hid behind some berry bushes, their sharp thorns catching on his sleeves. What he saw made his heart stop.
The carriage was completely surrounded by royal guards, their shiny armor catching the sunlight like a cage made of metal. They moved around carefully, looking at every spot where he had disappeared. It was normal, really.
―At least they're safe now. The Royal Nobles should be protecting them.
But seeing his family all together in the carriage—his mother's worried face, his father's tight shoulders, Andrea holding her tears—almost broke his heart completely. They looked so small, so easy to hurt, so totally unaware that their son was watching them from the shadows like some kind of villain.
―This is for the best. This is for them. Keep telling yourself that, you coward.
"Everyone... please... wait for me. I will come back."
The quiet words barely moved the air around him, a promise said to the wind that only the trees could hear. With one last look at the family he was leaving behind to keep them safe, Rynan faded back into the dark forest.
In just a few moments, it was like he had never been there at all.
Chapter 1: Reincarnation, in the new world <