Alternative Reincarnation

Chapter 7 — I will Survive.

The night was dark. The trees stood tall around the camp, their branches moving beneath the wind. Fires burned throughout the area, their smoke rising into the sky and making the entire place feel more oppressive. Beyond the trees, mountains disappeared beneath the dark sky while thunder rolled in the distance. In the middle of the camp, Victor and Richard remained seated, both thinking about how they could escape. Victor broke away from his thoughts and began studying the surroundings. The camp seemed almost endless. Soldiers moved throughout it, resting and preparing for whatever operation was taking place. Victor still couldn't understand what was going on.

Richard kept watching him. Victor looked calm, but Richard noticed that something was different. His eyes constantly moved around the camp. He was curious, restless, searching for a way out. This wasn't the Victor Richard remembered. The camp remained active as if the two prisoners weren't even there. They were being treated like any other prisoners, almost completely ignored. But Richard noticed something else. Something important was happening here. Inside one of the tents, a soldier entered and informed the man in charge—the same man who had knocked Victor and Richard unconscious—that the prisoners had awakened.

Destro stood immediately.

"I'll go myself."

He couldn't shake the feeling that Victor wasn't the man he had been told about. He had sent twenty of his best assassins expecting Victor to wipe them out almost instantly. Ten of them had died. Yet Victor hadn't killed a single one. The only thing he had done was catch an arrow. Destro couldn't determine whether Victor was genuinely weak or hiding something. Either possibility was dangerous. This was the man everyone feared. The man numerous people wanted dead. Destro needed answers before reporting back to his patron. He began walking through the camp, and soldiers lowered their heads as he passed. Eventually, he reached Victor and Richard.

The two were sitting there talking almost casually, as though they weren't surrounded by armed men. Richard's remaining hope rested on Victor. He still believed Victor had a plan. He had to. But as Destro approached, the atmosphere changed. The smoke seemed heavier. The air became difficult to breathe. A powerful presence was drawing closer. Victor noticed it. For an instant, panic rose inside him. The person approaching was no ordinary man. Even without understanding exactly what he was sensing, Victor could tell that the presence was intimidating. Yet his expression didn't change. To everyone watching, he looked as calm as ever.

Inside, however, Victor was asking himself what was happening. Why couldn't he feel anything? Was this body really that capable? Or was something abnormal about it? Victor's expression seemed almost made for situations like this. No matter what happened, his face barely moved. His eyes remained dull and lifeless, giving everyone the impression that he was completely composed. Even some of the words that came out of his mouth didn't feel entirely like his own. Victor wondered how cynical the original Victor must have been. Perhaps he could get into character. If everyone already believed Victor was fearless and ruthless, then acting like that might be enough to keep him alive.

He just had to make sure he didn't show them fear. Victor asked King if there was anything he could do. King's answer wasn't reassuring.

"Everything depends on you now."

King was busy trying to restore whatever powers he could. He explained that Victor currently possessed enhanced senses and a body that was superhuman in certain ways. But there was something else. Some of Victor's emotions seemed to have been cut off. Anger. Fear. Even joy. Victor asked if that was really true. He wanted to know what had happened before. Was he still the one controlling the body during those moments? King wasn't certain. It was possible that some of those reactions had actually come from Hayes. The consciousness within the body might have been reacting while Victor remained strangely detached. The brain reacted.

The body reacted. But Victor's face barely changed. Destro finally reached them.

"Stand up."

Victor didn't move. Instead, he looked at Richard.

"Should he go in my place?"

Richard immediately refused.

"I'm not your servant."

Destro watched them carefully. Richard's eyes betrayed panic and confusion, while Victor remained seated. None of this made sense. How could Victor remain so calm while facing an obvious death sentence? Destro wondered whether Victor genuinely believed he was still in control. Victor knew what everyone was seeing. Inside, he was nothing like that. He wanted to stand. He wanted to fight. He wanted to run. He was screaming inside his own head, trying to understand how he had ended up here. But his body wouldn't show any of it. So he used it.

"They severed my limbs. I can't stand."

His voice remained steady.

"They're going to pay for this. I won't let it go."

Destro stared at him.

"Don't you understand the situation you're in? Do you think you're the one who should be making decisions? You should be begging for mercy."

Victor looked directly into his eyes.

"Mercy?"

Then he fell silent. Destro understood what Victor wanted. He called for a man dressed in black robes. The man stepped forward reluctantly.

"I'm not a healer. I won't use my powers for this anymore."

"Vezo," Destro said. "Calm down and do as you're told."

Vezo obeyed. When the healing was finished, Destro looked at Victor.

"Now you can stand. Come."

Victor didn't move.

"He needs to be healed too."

Richard was taken aback. Vezo healed him as well. When they were finally able to stand, Destro told Victor that Richard wasn't coming with them. Victor immediately answered.

"Then I don't need to go either."

Destro frowned.

"He's an extension of my limbs. He's my sword. He's my knight. If one of us dies, the other dies too."

Richard stared at him. *When did I become your knight?* Victor knew exactly why he was saying it. If he went alone, he would probably die within seconds. But if the people who had hired these assassins wanted information from him, Richard might be useful. More importantly, Victor doubted they wanted Richard dead. And Victor knew something else. Richard hated him, but he wouldn't simply stand there and watch him die. It was a gamble. Richard, however, had no idea he was being used as a shield. After reaching the tent, Victor asked for a moment alone.

"And I don't want to be tied."

Destro looked at him.

"Do you think this is some kind of picnic?"

Victor didn't react.

"If you do anything to me, there will be consequences."

Destro told him that he didn't care. But he had already begun taking Victor seriously. He ordered the others out and told them to take Richard with them. Victor looked at Destro.

"I want you to leave too. Untie me."

After a moment, the restraints were removed. Victor sat down.

"Water."

King immediately questioned him.

"What are you doing?"

"Resting."

Victor was using the opportunity to think. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter he had taken from his father's office. He examined the seal carefully. It was important. After reading it, he realized that it had come from Princess Lysandra Isar. Victor wondered how he could use the letter. Could a single letter save him? Could it save Richard too? Even while detained, Victor studied everything around him. This place hadn't been prepared by accident. It was an operation. Someone had planned for him to be ambushed after leaving his family's territory and traveling toward the Imperial capital. There were multiple assassins.

The twenty men they had encountered might have been sent to scout the situation and make sure Victor couldn't suddenly change his plans. And it had worked. If Victor hadn't kept changing his departure dates, he would probably be dead already. For once, his lack of a schedule had worked in his favor. Victor sat inside the tent for a while before calling out.

"Destro."

Destro entered. Somehow, Victor had begun to look as though he were the one controlling the situation. Destro and Vezo couldn't understand it. Why did this man act like the master of the camp? Was it his reputation? Or was there something else behind the legendary stories surrounding Victor? Destro asked what he wanted. Victor looked at him.

"I know you want to kill me."

He paused.

"I'll give you a chance."

Everyone outside the tent became uneasy when they heard him. Victor didn't care. The more he understood about the situation, the more certain he became that this camp wasn't meant to transport him peacefully to the Imperial capital. Something else was happening. He needed information.

"Bring me a pen."

Destro brought one. They sat across from each other. Then Destro spoke.

"My turn to ask questions."

His eyes narrowed.

"Where is GEM 125?

Victor hadn't expected that question. He immediately asked King.

"What is GEM 125?"

King didn't know. Victor thought carefully. Why would these people risk defying orders from the Imperial capital for an object? Whatever GEM 125 was, it had to be valuable. More valuable than money. Perhaps more valuable than Victor's life. That realization made the situation even more dangerous. Victor didn't know how to answer. He had no memory of GEM 125. No knowledge of the object. No idea why everyone was searching for it. He finally decided that the safest answer was the truth.

"I don't know what that is."

Destro's expression changed. He stood so quickly that the chair flew across the tent. An assassin outside barely managed to stop it. Victor didn't move. Inside, his thoughts raced. *I'm next.* *How am I supposed to survive this man's strength?* Destro's power was monstrous. Victor's plan to use the princess's letter suddenly seemed useless. Promising money wouldn't work either. These people weren't after money. They wanted something far more valuable. Destro accused Victor of playing games. Victor told him he wasn't. He explained that he remembered everything except GEM 125. Then he gave him the only explanation he could.

"I have amnesia."

Destro stared at him.

"You don't remember anything?"

"I remember exactly what happened to me. Except GEM 125."

Destro couldn't understand it. Could a spell have damaged Victor's memories? Was Victor lying? Or was something much stranger happening? Destro knew that directly engaging Victor could be dangerous. There was no way a man who had made enemies throughout the Empire could simply be an ordinary criminal. He kept wondering what GEM 125 actually was. And why Princess Lysandra Isar had taken such an interest in Victor. What was she trying to accomplish by sending him here? What exactly was she trying to make him reveal? Destro sent a telepathic message.

"We have him. But he doesn't know anything about the object."

Lysandra's response came quickly.

"Then make him reveal it."

Destro hesitated.

"Whatever method you use, I will accept it. And I will protect you."

The message ended. Destro turned back toward the tent. Victor was gone. Richard opened his eyes. He was in the jungle. For a moment, he couldn't understand what had happened. The world around him seemed strange and almost beautiful. Sparkling elements could be seen throughout the vegetation. Sunlight seemed to exist beneath a night sky, while distant mountains rose against the darkness. Thunder continued rolling overhead. Richard panicked. How had they escaped? Victor regained consciousness. Richard was carrying him while running through the jungle. Victor looked around.

"What happened? Where are we? How did we escape?"

Richard looked at him.

"You should know."

Victor frowned.

"What?"

Richard continued running.

"It was your doing."

Victor had no idea what he meant. Back at the camp, Destro realized what had happened. Victor was gone. Richard was gone. His expression changed completely. If Victor escaped, the consequences would be enormous. Destro immediately ordered the entire camp to mobilize.

"Find them!"

His voice echoed through the camp.

"We will burn this forest if we have to. Call for every available force. Tell the princess."

He looked toward the dark forest.

"Victor isn't alone."

His expression hardened.

"That man knows where GEM 125 is."

Somewhere deep within the jungle, Victor continued moving without knowing why he had escaped—or what had truly allowed him to do it.