He was more of a homebody but somehow he found himself wandering through the woods late at night. The sky held an abundance of little lights burning far off in the distance ever so unreachable. It was on a scale he’d only ever seen once before, a long time ago when he might have gone by a different name. While wandering these woods, his mind felt clear. Clear as the flowing river he stumbled upon.

It was wider than any river he’d ever seen, stretching so far he would have mistaken it for the ocean or sea if not for the trees on the other side. Gentle currents drew his gaze downstream where it went on with no end in sight. He followed it, curious how long it really was. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of creeks and streams stemmed from it, some widening large enough to call themselves rivers as well.

As he took in its unfathomable vastness, a rustling behind him caught his attention. He turned around, scanning the once serene forest for signs of life. Nothing. He saw nothing, yet felt a creeping dread at the back of his mind.

Something grabbed his foot. When he looked down, he saw a black writhing mass of hands crawling out of the water and up his leg. He kicked and screamed but it overpowered him, gripping and grasping until he could no longer move.

It didn’t matter how much he struggled, the hands would hold on tighter. One by one the hands brought him low until it smothered him underneath.

Even as his ears were covered, even as they suffocated him, he heard a sweet, airy voice. It swept away his fear and he saw the black masses dissipate.

Kieran awoke to the sound of a lullaby and the sight of Teal hovering next to his bed. “Why didn’t you just wake me up?”

“I tried everything but it didn’t work. Then I remembered what happened the last time you had a nightmare this bad.”

“Oh…” The last time he had a nightmare that bad was when they had their falling out. Back then, he said things he wasn’t proud of and that embarrassed him to this day. He cleared his throat. There would be time to talk about the past later. Right now, he was behind on time for his last reset.

He explained the details and situation to her while he quickly changed into slightly more appropriate attire. Just like in his past attempts, Teal grasped the severity of the situation with minimal explanation.

In his fifth attempt, after learning about how the castle was attacked, he and Teal waited near the gate. They struck down the garrison troops opening it and were able to retreat with the help of some royal guards. Even though they kept the gate closed for longer, nothing seemed to change in regards to the attack on his family. He had to assume that they either had another way inside or the gate was raised immediately after they retreated.

He died when the royal guards outside the room were overwhelmed and they were attacked from behind.

On his sixth attempt, he began grabbing his mother’s doll. He started looking at everything with Raah active and noticed that it contained some of her Essence, making it a vaear item. When he went outside, he separated the royal guards he knew weren’t impostors, setting a few by the gate to strike down the people who would open them, and positioned a few near the entrance of the keep. He hoped that by splitting them up like that, the ones by the keep could help his family and possibly even evacuate them if things went well.

It partially succeeded with an extra pair of royal guards arriving late to help them fend off the attackers but it also failed.

On his seventh attempt, he started thinking about other possibilities. The number of people assaulting castle walls didn’t match up. Though some strong people were present, like Two Star, they seemed a bit weaker on average. He organized the royal guards as he had in his sixth attempt and set out to find where the group that always attacked the funeral room came from.

They were slow on their execution. Kieran remembered there must be an armory around and picked up a few weapons after a little bit of searching. While it would help him protect himself and would no doubt be useful in future attempts, he sacrificed time that could have been used investigating where the theorized second group may have come from. After securing some weapons, he repositioned the guards and ran inside. He heard the clashing of swords not long after and his theory was also proven right.

While sprinting to inform his family, he and Teal ran across the second group of knights. Instead of chasing them around, they sent a small detachment to deal with them. In the middle of their fight, they were attacked from the rear by another knight by himself.

Needless to say, he died but not without landing a few solid blows. As proven in each of his other failed lives, all the knights seemed to have a rather strong understanding of the royal family, and the rumor that surrounded him was that he was unquestionably weak. Coupling that with Teal’s non-intimidating looks, they almost survived that fight purely on the enemy’s preconceived notion of their strength. Of course, surviving didn’t mean winning.

The eighth attempt was much better. Since he already knew where the swords were stored and which ones were in good condition, that saved a lot of time. He used that time and Teal’s detection ability to figure out where the other group was coming from. Somehow, they appeared in the eastern wing of the building right around the same time the attack on the gate started and split up into various groups according to Teal.

Now he was on his ninth attempt, his last chance to pick a course of action and correct any mistakes. Part of it had already been ruined by his nightmare.

Teal followed after him frantically as he raced outside, fastening his mother’s doll to his belt. He pulled a group of royal guards near and gave them directions, directions that were to be kept secret from anyone else other than another royal family member. “Yes, Your Highness.”

The response was a bit different than he remembered, but then again, he was speeding up on the instructions. “That was easy. Go then.”

“I felt like we’ve done this already,” the guard said to the one next to him before they dispersed.

Kieran saved time by pulling the swords from two garrison troops and tossing one to Teal. She took it with surprise. He shrugged. He wasn’t expecting to do something like that either, but every second counted.

“Aren’t you going a bit too fast?” Teal asked as they went up the stairs.

“It’s a tight schedule. There’s one knight who leaves earlier than the rest. If we can defeat him quickly then take his helmet or something, we might be able to convince my family that we’re in danger.”

“What about telling them directly?”

He shook his head, “I’ve already tried. The closest I got was in my last attempt where I was stabbed in the gut. Unless you’re willing to stab me with that sword, I don’t think we have much choice.”

She looked at him with concerned eyes.

“What is it?”

“How many times have you done this?”

“Eight. Nine if you count this one.”

She shuddered. “And how many more resets do you have?”

“Only one more.”

“...Okay.”

She was quiet the rest of the way.

For some reason, this knight was about a minute earlier than the attack on the castle. It was the opportunity he needed in order to save his family. Fortunately for them, this knight seemed a bit weaker as well. Probably why he wasn’t part of the main force.

Either that or he’d gotten stronger, possibly a combination of both.

Alexandra had once said, ‘I can teach you how to wield a sword, how to defend yourself, how to attack, how to use your Essence and Flow, however, I cannot teach you the most important thing in battle. Battle sense. Your innate ability to read your opponent’s strength, to feel the flow of the fight, and how to strike a decisive blow. We may near infinitely close through training, but it is not the same.’

After eight tries, he felt a slight difference in the way he looked at fighting.

Teal hid behind the wall, twiddling her thumbs while holding tightly to her sword. Kieran ducked into a room and stashed his weapon beside the door. He listened intently for the metal clinking of armor and once he heard it, he pretended to go out.

“Oh shit, I’m late-”

The knight was caught off guard but quickly rushed him. Kieran reached into the room, pulling out his sword just in time to parry a cut. His shadows wrapped around the knight’s feet holding him in place for Teal’s wind blades that tore apart the armor. Kieran followed with a point blank shadow bolt. Everything was going just as he hoped until he felt a shiver on his left side. He tried to block and was thrown into the wall.

The entirety of his arm was numb from the attack. This one might not have been as strong as Two Star or the ones who attacked his father and brothers, but he was more than a match for them in normal circumstances. But this wasn’t a normal circumstance. The knight had already sustained a couple of devastating blows.

Teal’s flurry of wind blades ripped into his armor, halting his attack. Kieran’s shadows tripped the knight and they pelted him with spells until he stopped moving. He wasn’t sure how much Essence Teal could still muster, but he could probably use about eight more shadow bolts.

“Is he dead?” Kieran asked, trying to restore feeling in his arm.

Teal plunged her blade into his exposed neck, “Yes, Young Master. Now he is.”

He recoiled at the sight, although he’d seen a fair amount of death by now. Knowing or even thinking that Teal had no aversion to killing bothered him more than it should have. For the most part, few people in this world were born into a society that condemned killing as much as in his previous world. For them, this was their normal.

There was little time to waste, so ignoring his thoughts and the pain on his left side, he took the knight’s helmet and started toward the funeral room.

Teal stood over the body for a second.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, unable to keep still. “We don’t have much time.”

“I’ve been thinking, will the teleportation circle be ready?”

“What?” He hadn’t thought about it at all. There were a group of knights that went there too.

Fuck.

“How long does it take?”

“I believe Alexandra said they took about a minute to be ready.”

“Did the knights on the east wing start moving yet?”

“Not quite but I’ve sensed a few shuffling around.”

Shit. There was still a bit of time but not much at all. “Let’s split up. Can you start the teleportation stuff while I get everyone else?”

She shook her head, “The crystal and spell circle are meant to only respond to a member of the royal family. Do you remember when you were fifteen, during your scaling? The blood you dripped onto the spell circle and Essence you infused marked you as a member.”

He cursed under his breath and beckoned her to follow. They’d do no good wasting time here. “How about I activate the crystal and whatnot and you get my family?”

“Do you know how to activate it?”

Another curse under his breath.

It was his first time in the teleportation room. It was larger than he thought with a circle just as intricate as the ones in the palace. Three pillars formed a triangle around the spell circle, with a palm sized crystal levitating in the middle of the room with a handful of others scattered about. The crystals were bound to the circle and couldn’t be moved outside unless destroyed or other certain conditions were met.

He grabbed it, “Okay, what do I do?”

“Pour your Essence into it, Young Master.”

“Um, anything else?”

“No, Young Master.”

She watched him while twiddling her thumbs.

His body grew hot and the numbness in his arm intensified. His Essence channeled into the crystal, causing it and the spell circle to emit brilliant purple light. Images of landscapes, villages, towns, and other castles flashed through his mind too fast to recognize. Then, the images stopped. A picture of a forest appeared in front of him with mountains in sight.

“Are you feeling alright, Young Master?”

He flashed a smile though he wondered the same. “Just dandy. How about you Teal? I can’t even imagine… what you’re feeling right now.”

“I was confused at first, but now I understand, Young Master.”

“Great… That’s great. I’m glad. What… now?” he said through gritted teeth.

“Let go of it, Young Master.”

When he let go, the crystal emitted a small pulse of energy pushing his hand away. He fell on his knees as Essence Exhaustion sapped away whatever strength he had remaining. At the other end of the room by the third pillar, a portal opened. He trudged over to get a clearer look as his vision blurred. It was a distorted image of the forest he had seen, twisting and swirling, flowing into an endless void.

“Is… this it? Did I do it right?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Haha… I could have done that alone…” He heard a distinct *click* as he said that. Teal had locked the doors. In the next instant, they shuddered. From the other side, he heard fists and swords slam into the wood. “Fuck…” He knew it was the end of the line and glanced at the portal. No. He shook his head, he still had another reset. Mustering the last of his energy he said, “There’s no need for you to get hurt. If I let them…” he gulped, “kill me quickly, then it’ll be fine.” As he took a step toward the door, he fell on one knee. He tried using the sword as support but...“Teal?”

Teal stood in front of him, her eyes hidden from view. A second later, she embraced him. He was stunned. “I’m sorry for lying to you, Young Master.”

“What? You don’t need to keep apologizing. I’ve already forgiven you so you can let me go… They’re gonna get in soon.”

She didn’t budge. “I know how hard it was for you, living in the palace everyday while enduring everything they said about you. I know how difficult it was for you to see your brothers after your Scaling and see how they looked at you.” Her voice cracked. “I know how much you struggled without anyone to talk to, without anyone who would listen to you.”

A chunk of the door broke apart and he saw their visored helms looking through.

“T-Teal… Why are you saying all of this now? There-There’s no time!”

“I’m so sorry, Young Master,” she said as she held him tighter.

He felt a chill down his spine as he glanced at the portal, “Look, Teal… Teal! I still have one more life, one more chance. You don’t have to do this. I’ll save everyone. I will. I promise, I, I-I swear! Please don’t do this!”

Something warm and wet fell onto his neck, “I know you’ll try again. I know you’ll try to save everyone. That’s why I’m sorry for lying to you.”

“Then… Then at least come through the portal with me!”

“Someone has to destroy the crystal, Young Master.” Her voice broke. “Be safe. No matter what happens, don’t give up, okay? Keep fighting, keep struggling until even… even fate itself grows weary.”

“I won’t. I can’t.” He tried to break free of her hug but his consciousness was fading. Each word took more strength than he had left.

She held him at arms length, looking at his face one more time. “You can. I know you can.”

“I’m telling you I can’t. I can’t! I’m Colorless. I can’t do it!”

A knight stuck his hand through the opening and unlocked the door.

Tears streamed down her face as she smiled, “Colorless? Inside of you, you have the ‘wings’ of a king. One day, you’ll show everyone. I know you will.”

“Teal stop!”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

She pushed him through the portal. He saw her lips move one more time but it didn't register as he commanded all shadows to grab her. Knights dived toward the portal. The air shook and a wind blade cut the crystal in two.

Everything went black.

When he woke up, he was outside in the middle of a clearing. A moonless night graced the world. Within its darkness, shadows took abundant joy in deceiving his eyes. The massive mountains blotted out a portion of the sky and he knew only from the long nights spent staring at them that he was near Tidal Valley in the Vayson Mountains.

“Hello?”

Kieran quickly got up and turned around. Standing there were ten armed men with dying torches. They carried spears and swords. On their chests was the emblem of Kheonyth Kingdom.

“What- What happened? Tell me what happened!” he shouted, grabbing onto the man.

“Slow, down,” the man moved his hands away. They looked like a patrol and he looked like the leader, like the captain. “What do you mean, ‘What happened?’”

“Telash Castle. What happened at Telash Castle. You’ve heard, haven’t you?”

The men exchanged glances and one pulled out a piece of parchment, “It doesn’t look like him,” he muttered.

“Yes, we’ve all heard about the tragic events at Telash Castle, but before we go on. May we ask who you are?”

“I’m-I’m Kieran. I’m the fifth prince, Kieran Reyteour. Now tell me what happened there. Did anyone survive?”

The captain scratched his beard, “I’m sorry, Your Highness. No one survived except for one person.”

“Who?”

“You.”

Two elemental bolts slammed into his body, knocking him over. He scrambled for his sword but the captain kicked it away. They turned him on his back, holding him down as the captain raised a sword.

The thought had been sitting at the recesses of his mind. The more he thought about it, the more credence it had. First thing he noticed was how well the attackers knew the castle. They didn’t bumble around searching for them, they simply blew up the wall to the funeral and their men were set up in the teleportation room too.

In all his lives, he’d never seen a single dead servant even though they cowered in easily detectable places. Similarly, all the garrisoned troops seemed to be impostors. The royal guards as well would have never been so easily ambushed. If they thought it was an ally, another Blessed, they would let their guards down. He remembered when the one knight grabbed him by the hair and seconds later, blood had started flowing as if the knight had razor sharp claws. There were also those who abandoned their shields. It was a fighting style he’d only seen employed by Kheonyth’s forces.

“Don’t look at me like that, Your Highness. Orders are orders.” The captain plunged the sword into his stomach.

Intense pain wracked his body, causing him to convulse and flail even though he knew this wasn’t his end. Even though he knew that he had to die to save everyone at the castle, he fought to escape the pain and the suffering.

The captain took out his sword and wiped the blood against the jacket of one of his comrades. “Let’s go,” he said.

“Shouldn’t we finish him off?”

“He’s already dead. I really hoped we wouldn’t be the ones to find him. I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth now.”

The light of their torches faded into the trees until it disappeared completely. Kieran was left on the ground with a gaping hole in his stomach. He stared at the stars as his body worked relentlessly to stay alive. Blood pooled in his mouth and once the air through his nose was no longer enough, he accidentally inhaled the irony liquid causing him to go into a painful fit of coughing.

“Just… killme. Pleasejustkillme…”

As his vision began to fade he grabbed the pendant and opened it. The number was blurred by the blood staining the glass, the failing of his eyes, and the unsteadiness of his hand. Perhaps it was a gift from whatever cruel gods existed…

The number ‘2’ showed on the pendant.

Faint as it was, the smallest flame of hope kept his mind sane as his body weakened…

When he woke up, he was outside in the middle of a clearing.

Dread.

His whole body was filled with dread.

Then came a voice from behind him, “Hello?”

Kieran turned and saw ten men staring at him. Immediately he grabbed his pendant and read the number. It showed a ‘1’.

He was in a stupor. The captain called out to him again and he picked up the sword by his feet and dashed away. He didn’t know how fast he was going or how long he had gone for but his feet ached and he was dizzy. With the men out of his sight, he dropped to both knees, holding the sword point at his neck.

It was a dream.

That last life was a dream.

His numbed hands, grasping so tightly to the handle, twisting and turning that they started to bleed screamed that it wasn’t a dream.

No, this was a dream.

Right, it was all a dream.

Teal would wake him up any moment.

Teal would sing him a lullaby and calm his thoughts and anxiety right now.

His aching knees, the smell of dirt and soil, the mountain air, screamed that it wasn’t a dream.

It was all fake.

Something happened to him.

Something killed him after the portal.

He had reset and all of this was another nightmare.

His rapidly beating heart, the throbbing of his veins, the grinding of his teeth as he steeled his resolve screamed that it wasn’t a dream.

A nightmare.

A long nightmare.

If he killed himself now, he’d wake up back in his bed at the castle.

He’d get another chance.

He’d save everyone.

He’d save Teal.

With that thought, he plunged the sword into his throat.

He heard the most gentle voice call out to him. He heard the sweet and kind lullaby she always sang.

“Nahariundvass, though the three have split, together, through you, it is not the end. Nahariundvass, we all connect through you, Nahariundvass.”

Then he remembered her last words.

"Please live."

Kieran shot up covered in cold sweat.

He wanted to die.

“Hello?” said a voice from behind him.

He let out a bloodcurdling scream as he realized...

The checkpoint had updated.

~~~~~~~ END OF ACT 1 ~~~~~~~

Please read the Author’s Note at the end.