Alternative Reincarnation

Chapter 8 — Bring Victor Back.

The forest was dense, and lightning kept cracking across the sky. The light was beginning to disappear, leaving the trees swallowed by darkness. There was something about the forest that made Richard feel as though they were being hunted. He kept running with Victor on his back. Victor could barely understand what was happening to his body. It felt as though everything inside him had been neutralized. A strange heaviness settled over him. His ears were ringing, his skin felt as though it had been burned, and his vision kept blurring like a broken screen. Nothing stayed clear for more than a moment. Richard kept asking whether he could hear him and whether he was able to run on his own. Victor refused. "Keep running." His voice was weak. "My powers are completely gone." Victor understood that whatever had been used against them—or whatever ability had allowed them to escape—must have come at an enormous cost. He didn't know what kind of spell or power it was, but his body was paying for it. Richard continued running.

Eventually, they reached the middle of the forest. Neither of them knew where they were. Richard slowed down and looked around. If they continued without knowing their direction, they could easily walk straight into a trap. Worse, they might run in circles until their pursuers caught them. Behind them, Destro and Vezo continued the hunt. More soldiers entered the jungle. More mages followed. Destro gave the order to surround the forest and burn it down. They had the princess's permission. They didn't care what happened to the forest.

Vezo looked at Destro with concern. "If the monsters leave the forest, they could reach the nearby villages." Destro didn't even hesitate. "Then let them." Vezo looked at him. Destro's expression remained cold. "What we're after is worth more than an entire empire." That was all the justification he needed. The mages raised their hands. Fire erupted. Fireballs began pouring into the forest, striking the trees and setting the ground ablaze. Flames spread between the trees as smoke filled the air. Victor and Richard saw the destruction behind them and immediately started running again. Victor couldn't understand it. All of this was happening because of something called GEM 125. "What the hell is GEM 125?" he asked. Richard didn't answer. Victor tightened his grip. "Just keep running. We have to reach somewhere safe." They ran deeper into the forest.

Then the thunder grew louder. The sky seemed to break open. Rain began pouring down heavily, drowning the flames and turning the forest floor into mud. Darkness settled over the jungle, while the wind became so violent that the trees bent beneath its pressure. For a brief moment, it felt as though luck had finally turned in their favor. But Destro wasn't giving up. He realized the fire would no longer be enough. "Send everyone in." Assassins entered the forest. Horses were brought forward. Arrows were prepared. Spears were raised. Destro moved to the front and ordered everyone to keep moving. "Run! Don't let them escape!" The hunt continued.

Victor called out inside his mind. "King." "I'm here." King's voice sounded weaker than before. Victor immediately noticed. "You sound different." "I'm fading." King paused. "If this continues, we may lose consciousness." Victor tried to understand what was happening. "Hold on. Just tell me what's going on." "We don't have time." King's voice became urgent. "More men are coming. You need to move faster." Victor turned toward Richard. "More people are coming." Richard almost laughed. "Do you think I don't know that?" He adjusted Victor on his back. "I can't run any faster with you here." Victor looked at him. *Have I really become this weak that another man has to carry me?* Richard continued running. "You owe me a life anyway." Victor frowned. Richard continued before he could respond. "Although, technically, you were the one who put my life in danger in the first place." Victor said nothing. Richard understood that whatever Victor had done earlier had left his body in a terrible state. So he kept running. He wouldn't put him down.

Beyond the hills, the landscape looked almost peaceful. The moon illuminated the night, casting a strange calm over the mountains. Far away from the chaos of the forest stood a castle belonging to the Imperial House. Inside one of its rooms, a maid stood before a beautiful woman with long white-red hair. The princess was seated comfortably, sipping tea while reading. She looked up. "Has Victor been captured?" The maid hesitated. "He was captured, Your Highness." The princess continued reading. "And?" "He escaped." The princess slowly lowered her cup. She wasn't surprised that Victor had escaped. She had expected resistance. But she hadn't expected it to happen so easily. Victor wasn't a man who could simply be pushed around. She placed the cup down. "Prepare the teleportation chamber." The maid looked surprised. "Immediately?" The princess nodded. "We're going ourselves." Her expression hardened. "I'll find him." The room became silent again. Only the fireplace continued burning as the scent of tea filled the air. The princess returned to her book. Inside her mind, one thought remained. *I will be the one to bring that beast to his knees.* *No matter what happens, I will tame Victor myself.* *And when I do, he will become my weapon.* *With Victor in my hands, this world will become another piece of the empire I intend to control.*

Back in the jungle, Victor and Richard weren't nearly as fortunate. The assassins were closing in. Arrows flew through the darkness. Richard couldn't dodge properly while carrying Victor. He twisted to avoid one arrow and accidentally slammed Victor into a tree. Both of them fell. Richard immediately caught Victor before he hit the ground. "Sorry." He pulled him onto his shoulder and kept moving. Victor's strength was disappearing. His body grew heavier with every step. He struggled to remain conscious. Then Vezo appeared through the trees. A spear flew toward them. Richard reacted instantly, moving Victor out of its path. They barely avoided it. Richard dropped to one knee before quickly standing again. They had no time.

Then Destro threw another spear. This one was different. It moved too quickly. Richard barely had time to react. The spear struck Victor directly through the chest. Blood spilled. A hole appeared through his body. Victor's body went limp. Richard froze for half a second. He couldn't understand what he was seeing. How could someone like Victor have been reduced to this? He had seen the man terrify knights, nobles, and entire families. He had believed Victor was a monster. Yet now he was barely alive. Richard wondered whether this was really Victor's will. Was this how powerful he truly was beneath all the fear surrounding his name? Or was there something else controlling this situation? Something even greater than Victor himself?

Richard kept running. The spear remained lodged in Victor's chest. Victor was unconscious. King's voice echoed weakly inside his mind. "Victor." No response. "Your blood is running out." Victor could barely hear him. "You may have only a few minutes." Victor didn't answer. Richard continued running through the rain. Then they reached a cliff. Richard stopped. He looked behind them. The edge of the forest wasn't far anymore. But there was nowhere to go. He looked down. The cliff disappeared into darkness. Jumping would be suicide. There could be monsters below. There could be nothing at all. Either way, Victor was already dying. Richard tightened his grip on him. Maybe surrender was the only option. If Victor really carried something valuable enough for an entire empire to hunt him, perhaps they wouldn't kill him immediately. Richard turned around. Then the ground beneath them shifted.

The heavy rain had turned the cliffside into mud. The earth gave way. Victor and Richard slipped. Richard managed to catch the edge of the cliff. His fingers dug into the wet ground. "DESTRO!" He shouted for help. Victor's hand was still in his grasp. But the mud made everything slippery. Victor's weight kept pulling downward. Richard struggled to hold him. "Come on!" Footsteps approached. Destro appeared at the edge. He reached down. For a moment, it looked as though he might save them. Then Richard's grip slipped. Destro caught him. Richard was pulled upward. Victor wasn't so lucky.

His hand slipped from Richard's. Victor fell. For a moment, there was nothing. No ground. No sound. Only darkness. He fell through the rain toward the water far below. King's voice began fading. "Victor..." Victor tried to reach him. "King." The connection weakened. "King!" Nothing. Victor's vision darkened. His body continued falling. He could feel the pain. He could feel the cold. And for the first time in a long time, there was no calculation left in his mind. Only one thought remained. "I don't want to hurt anymore." His voice was barely audible. "I want to live." The darkness swallowed his vision. And Victor kept falling.