The smell of burning wood and flesh, one I knew well enough from my past life, filled the air. It was as if I was looking at hell itself. The village, the same village I had lived my entire second life in was burning. The smoke rose high into the sky, making it seem darker than it was. And then there were the screams of the wood elves, some running away from the attackers others trapped beneath debris and others sill inside their burning homes.

"What's going on here!?" my father yelled as he took in the gruesome sight before us.

My gaze fell onto them, the ones doing all this, the ones destroying our village. Knights, or at least that's what they looked like. All of them wore plated armour with a strange symbol on the chest plate, a throne surrounded by seven stars. Their silvern armour reflected the light from the flames that raged around some of them and their war cries nearly drowned out the cries for help.

"Kill all the heretics!" one screamed from atop his... steed? It looked like a reptilian horse.

But I didn't have much time to think about the mount, his words struck me like lightning. Kill us? Heretics? In my past life, I had read about what the old Christian church had done to those they considered heretics. My body began shaking.

"W-What is this?" I asked.

My eyes were still fixated on the man on the strange mount. His armour was black, like the metallic looking scales of the fish I had killed years ago and out of whose scales some of our weapons were made, that's what his armour looked like. On his helmet was a golden crown-like decoration.

"The hunters came back!" the man yelled from atop his mount.

Multiple of the knights turned around, some had spears and others had two-handed swords while others had a shield and sword and some even just shields, shields with sharp spikes attached to them.

All of them charged at us. My father grabbed me by the shoulder and looked me in the eyes. His brown eyes were filled with dread and concern.

"Look for your mother, and take your friends with you. Once you find her run to the goblin cave, alright?" He looked at me with eyes I simply couldn't refuse.

"Y-Yeah," I said.

My father smiled and nodded before getting back up and turning to the attackers.

Alyra and Ilmar were already by my side and so we ran towards where my home was.

"What about your parents?" I asked.

"Our father will be fine and our mother will be with him," Ilmar said confidently.

"Alright," I said before activating my mark and [Predator's Agility].

I burst towards my home, part of it was burning but most of it was still intact so I had hope within me that everything was fine. But life just wanted to prove me wrong. I ran inside the smoke-filled house, ignoring my coughing and began searching. And there, on the ground in the main room of our house, of our home, there she lay. My mother, her limbs either bent in unnatural ways or missing, her skin more red than light brown, her scarlet eyes filled with dread, her long white hair had a slightly pinkish tone to it and her throat was gaping wide open.

Standing above her was one of the knights, he had broad shoulders and wielded a weapon that was part mace and part blade. My eyes widened and I felt something boiling up within me. My magic mark began tingling as it spread even further due to [Blood High]. I felt power I had ever felt before when I burst forward and struck the knight in the back with all my might while screaming.

"You bastard!"

The only thing that was louder than my scream was the cracking of the knight's armour and eventually his spine as I drove my fist deep into his or her or its body. When the knight fell to the ground I raised my foot over their head and stomped on it, turning it into a mush of blood and bones and squished brain matter.

I let out a deep breath as I turned to my mother, still on the ground, my eyes becoming wider and wider as I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I got on the ground beside her and lifted her up slightly, still not believing what was happening, drowning out my surroundings completely.

"W-Why... why... how... why us?"

I looked up to the partially destroyed ceiling.

"Why!" I yelled loudly.

Anger, rage, confusion, hatred, fear, anger and more anger build up within me. I was snapped back to reality by a loud scream. When I turned my head I saw Ilmar standing before a knight, Ilmar's hand deep inside the knight's chest.

"Alt, we need to run away, now," Alyra said.

She sat behind me, holding me tightly.

I could only let out a weak, "Right," as an answer. My head was spinning and my entire body felt numb. All I could do was to let the tears run down my face. I got up slowly with the help of Alyra and I trailed after them clumsily. We quickly made our way towards the edge of the village, dodging some arrows or falling debris, listening to screams from others. I looked around. I saw knights hunting down wood elves everywhere, fire, smoke, dead bodies, a hooded person in the woods, burning trees, more fire, blood, left behind weapons and so much more I couldn't quite make out.

I suddenly heard a gasp. My gaze snapped to Ilmar who had a sword stuck in his shoulder as he was fighting off one of the knights. Before I could do anything I felt something hard, blunt and heavy hit my side and before I knew it I found myself crashing into a tree. I coughed up blood as I lifted my body up from the ground and looked over to Ilmar and Alyra who were fighting with two knights.

I need to do something...

But what?

What can I do?

My body felt weak and numb my head was spinning and I had trouble staying awake. At that moment I heard a loud crunch and saw the knight that had attacked Ilmar stomp on his back.

"Ilmar!" I called out but the only response I got was a scream from Alyra as now two nights were attacking her.

The rage within me grew larger. And then, when I saw a blade approach Alyra's head I snapped. I let out the loudest scream I could muster and time slowed down suddenly. My entire body was burning with rage when a soft voice drowned out all other sounds.

"Fall to wrath, grasp the power, kill them all!" the voice said.

I had no idea what the voice wanted or what it was offering but I also didn't care when I nodded. It felt as if someone was embracing me from behind, two invisible hands worked their way up to my face where they touched my cheeks.

"Good," the voice said as it became clearer. It was that of a woman. "Your body is not yet ready for this blessing... you have a minute," she said.

I could now see two pale hands in the corner of my eyes. But I didn't care about all that, I just wanted to save her.

I felt a sudden rush of pure power. My strength was heightened and I was overloaded with so much mana that it was beginning to leak out of my body, forming a large blue flame-like energy around my entire body, which seemed to grow with my anger. When I burst forward this time I hadn't even activated any of the magic techniques yet but the tree behind me still fell over from the sheer force. When my foot made contact with the knights head he flew into the nearest house and was immediately crushed by burning wooden beams.

The other one let out an audible gasp and jumped back. It was strange how well they could move in these armours. I approached the knight, mana still raging around me, visible, blue, powerful. The pressure of my mana forced the knight to his knees. I activated [Predator's Strength] and saw mana bursting out of my body even more violently. But I didn't feel like my mana was depleting in any form or way. I had never really been depleted before but I still felt that I had less after using a technique. But this time it felt more like I was gaining even more with every second.

When I struck the knight the body didn't fly backwards or anything, the head simply splattered and left behind nothing but blood.

I turned around to Alyra and ran to her. She seemed fine but unconscious so I grabbed her and looked around for somewhere to run to. But everywhere I looked, were knights looking for any survivors. I saw the dead bodies of neighbours, family friends, my father... More tears ran down my face but I knew that I had to at least save her, that it was the only thing I could do now.

I saw the village chief, Alyra's father charge at a few of the knights but he was struck down just as quickly. I turned Alyra's face away from the sight.

Where can I go?

Where?

Where?

My head suddenly turned, as if forced to by someone. It was forcibly turned towards a spot where no knight was currently patrolling.

There! Must have been that voice lady...

I ran towards the spot my head had turned to and didn't stop. Tears still running down my face, making my cheeks burn a little, guilt sinking deep in me, the guilt of leaving behind every potential survivor, the guilt of leaving behind Ilmar, the brother of the one I loved. But there was no other way. I ran and I ran, mana still raging around me. I ran so fast that sometimes the trees seemed more like a blur of colour than an actual tree. With one hand I supported Alyra's neck so it would not break and I ran until the screams were gone and the only thing I could smell was the forest instead of the flames. For a while, I had heard pursuers but they were gone now as well.

I need to get out of this forest!

That was the only thought in my head, I had no idea what was beyond it but I also had no other choice. By the time I reached an opening It was already night. The moon shone down on us and I saw no more trees in front of us, only... clouds... in my rush, I had not noticed that the mana had stopped surging around me.

I laid Alyra down in the grass and sat down beside her, supporting myself with my hands as I leaned back a little. My breathing was heavy, my face wet and sticky from sweat and tears, my head still numb and spinning and my magic mark was still burning.

I couldn't even open my mouth to say something when I saw Alyra's eyes open, filled with tears. A weak smile was on her face, which was illuminated only by the light of the moon.

"I love you Alt," she said.

"I love you too," I responded, a little confused.

"I won't make it," she said.

What? No way...

I looked at her and just now noticed the gaping wounds on her. My eyes widened yet again, but no tears were coming, I had cried them all already. My body was shaking as I leaned over her.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Not you too! You can't! I won't let you!"

"Alt, please-" she said, putting one hand on my face.

I grabbed it gently and rubbed my cheek against her hand. She was cold, no sign of her usual warmth.

"Why... why in this life too," I said quietly as tears eventually started to form and roll down my face. They burned.

"I'm sure this one will be better," Alyra said.

"What?" I asked, even more confused.

"No matter how many lives you live, always hold on to hope."

"You knew?" I asked.

"You should learn to hide that book of yours better;" she said with a smile on her face.

But that smile was wrong to me, she was dying. I knew that but her smile... her smile made it seem like everything was going to be alright.

"Please don't leave me alone," I said.

"I'm sorry," Alyra responded.

"Please... please don't let it end like this."

"Live a good life, don't let your-" Alyra began. Her body became limp and cold mid-sentence.

I began screaming and sobbing loudly. I didn't care if they would find me... they had already taken everything. I heard rustling in the bushes just a few meters away from me.

"We found the ones that ran sir!" one of the knights that emerged from the dark forest said.

In his hand, he was holding a lantern. Its light blinded me a little but I didn't do anything. There was nothing I wanted to do. This life was already over for me, I had lost everything, I had lost everything before I could even appreciate it. For some reason, I began chuckling.

"Why did this all happen? Is there some god laughing at me?"

"Why don't you ask your god you fucking heretic!" one of the knights yelled.

I didn't answer. I had no idea what he was even talking about but I noticed that my body didn't have the strength to even allow me to continue talking now.

"What are you doing?" the voice that had suddenly presented itself to me and was now inside my head asked.

Nothing, I responded.

"Then run away!" she said.

No. Why should I?

"Oh, stupid child!"

I felt a sting in my head and suddenly it felt like my body was on autopilot.

"Better than nothing I guess," my body said as it slowly got up, leaving behind Alyra's lifeless body.

What! No! Stop this!

"Shut it boy!" my body said as it walked away from the knights.

"Hey, stop!" a knight yelled as he put a hand on my body's shoulder.

"No, you should stop!" my body said.

Mana suddenly surged out of it, and the hand of the knight cracked when my body's hand crushed it and almost immediately after turned into a lump of metal with blood leaking out of it. The knight let out a scream of pain.

Before the others could do anything my body began sprinting away, but not for long. After just a minute we reached the edge of what seemed like a cliff.

"Now this... this I didn't expect. Something like this didn't exist during my time..."

Around us were only clouds, above, in front, below.

"This entire place is atop a massive mountain pillar!" a knight said. "You can't escape!"

"I hope you survive this boy," my body said calmly, leaning forward slightly.

I suddenly regained full control and tried to balance myself out of instinct. My heartbeat fast once I fully noticed that there was nothing but clouds beneath. The vail I had seen when I climbed the large tree, clouds, the entire forest was surrounded by clouds. Who knew how deep this fall would be? Despite having given up on life just minutes ago I now feared losing it... so is the frail determination of mine.

But I couldn't save myself, I fell.

Guess this really is it...

The world disappeared around me and became a blur of colours as I fell towards the clouds beneath me.

At least this life was better than the last.

I closed my eyes and accepted what would happen next.