Reece stood at the edge of the battlefield, cloaked in shadows, his presence masked by both a silence spell and a powerful shadow veil. He watched the chaos unfold before him—the war, the bloodshed, the clash of spells and steel. His focus, however, wasn't on the broader battle, but on two figures at the heart of it all: Nia and Jack.
The two were fighting side by side, just as they had trained to do. They worked in perfect tandem—Jack casting precise spells from a distance while Nia, ever the agile martial artist, danced through the melee, taking down beasts that came too close to them. It was almost beautiful, the way they moved together. And yet, Reece knew how tragically this would end.
Just a few moments from now, Nia and Jack would be dead—victims of a twisted scheme set in motion by the arrogant rich kid who had manipulated Lorna into joining the war. He had sent an assassin to ensure that both Jack and Nia died, framing the beasts for their deaths to cover his tracks. All this was meant to tighten his control over Lorna, to isolate her and drive her deeper into despair. The bastard was playing a long game, using her grief to break her spirit.
In any other situation, someone with the power of regression—someone who cared about the people they loved—would intervene, would save them. But Reece had no such luxury. As much as it tore at him, he knew that Lorna had to experience this loss, had to feel the crushing weight of grief and pain. It was one of those painful truths the intricate web of existence demanded. It was the catalyst for everything that followed in her life.
The difference this time, however, was that Reece could cheat fate. He had learned how to walk the line between preserving the canon events and rewriting the aftermath. He could ensure Lorna felt the grief, but make it temporary. He could resurrect Jack and Nia—truly resurrect them, not as undead or twisted echoes of their former selves, but as whole, living beings.
That's my gift, Reece thought, a grim smile forming on his lips. And if I'm good at anything after all these lifetimes, it's cheating death.
The events unfolded as expected. Nia and Jack fought valiantly, their coordination nearly flawless. They had each other's backs, their bond unbreakable. Nia would leap into the fray with her fists and kicks, and Jack would rain down precise spells from the rear, neutralizing the greatest threats. They were formidable, but the real danger wasn't the beasts. It was the assassin lurking in the shadows.
Reece's eyes narrowed as he sensed the dark magic being cast. A necromancer's spell, one that controlled the mind of the frenzied beasts. Normally, these creatures would rush blindly into battle, easy enough to dispatch. But now they moved with purpose, their rage carefully directed by the unseen hand of the assassin.
One of the controlled beasts—a catacly wyrm—burrowed beneath the earth, heading straight for Jack's position. It was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Right on schedule.
The wyrm erupted from the ground, its massive bulk splitting the earth beneath Jack's feet. He leapt into the air, avoiding the deadly trap—but that was what the assassin had been waiting for. The eclipsae, a dark cloud of blood-red ravens, swooped down from above, attacking Jack in midair. He was forced to divide his attention, flinging spells at the ravens to fend them off, which left him vulnerable.
And then it happened—the poisoned shuriken. Reece saw it, the dark gleam of the blade slicing through the air, aimed perfectly at Jack's exposed side. Jack noticed it too, deflecting it with a spell just in time. But the shuriken was enchanted. It detonated upon impact, sending a wave of dark magic toward Jack, throwing him off balance and hurling him toward the pit created by the wyrm.
"JACK!" Nia's scream cut through the battlefield as she saw him falling. Without hesitation, she abandoned her position and rushed to his side, her eyes wide with panic.
"NIA! No! I'll be fine! Go back!" Jack shouted, trying to stop her from making a fatal mistake.
But it was too late.
The assassin, seeing his opportunity, threw another shuriken—this one aimed at Nia. She dodged it, but like before, the enchanted blade detonated, the force of the explosion throwing her off course. She crashed to the ground, her body tumbling dangerously close to the pit.
Reece clenched his fists, his heart pounding in his chest. As much as he had seen this play out before, as much as he knew it was necessary, it never got easier. The rage boiled within him, threatening to break free.
Why did it have to be this way? he thought bitterly. Why does she have to suffer?
The assassin watched from a distance, satisfied that his plan was working. He had positioned himself far from the chaos, safely observing as Jack and Nia fought for their lives, their strength fading. But he had underestimated who else was on the battlefield.
Reece stepped out from the shadows, silently moving toward the assassin. The man didn't notice him at first, too focused on ensuring that his targets were killed. But the moment Reece's presence registered, the assassin's eyes widened in shock and terror.
"Reece Elroy…" the assassin stammered, taking a few shaky steps back. "You… you don't need to do this. You don't need to make an enemy of my true clients. I'm just doing my job—"
His words were cut off as Reece's hand shot out, wrapping around his throat. Reece's expression was calm, almost serene, but his eyes burned with a cold fury.
"Your backer," Reece said softly, his voice barely more than a whisper, "Hoffman Augur, will wish he were never born. As for you, you'll die a swift death… because I don't have time to deal with you properly."
The assassin's face twisted in fear, his hands clawing at Reece's grip. But it was over in an instant. Reece moved with terrifying speed, snapping the man's neck and letting the body fall limp to the ground. With that loose end tied up, Reece turned his attention back to Jack and Nia.
They were both on the verge of death. Nia had a chunk of her arm bitten off, the blood pooling around her in a sickening puddle. Jack's face was pale, his breathing labored as he clutched his side, trying to stop the bleeding from the wound in his torso.
Their strength was gone, their bodies giving out, but they still stood back-to-back, fighting with every last ounce of willpower. Even as their lives slipped away, they held each other's hands, accepting their fate together.
But Reece had other plans.
The beasts surrounding them were frozen in place, their primal instincts recognizing the overwhelming power of Reece's aura. They trembled, their frenzied minds overridden by pure terror. One by one, they fell to the ground, decapitated by the swift movements of Reece's ice blade, their heads rolling at his feet as he approached the dying couple.
Nia's eyes fluttered open as Reece knelt beside them. Her face was twisted in pain, her body barely hanging on.
"Ree… Reece…? Is that… you?" she asked weakly, her voice shaking.
Reece didn't answer immediately. He gently laid them both on the ground, ignoring the gruesome wounds that marred their bodies.
"Just rest, Nia," Reece said softly, his voice calm despite the storm of emotions raging inside him. "You and Jack will be fine now."
"I… I'm glad," she whispered, a faint smile on her bloodied lips.
And then, slowly but surely, their vitals dropped, and both Nia and Jack died.
For most people, this would be a moment of unbearable grief, a time to mourn the loss of loved ones. But for Reece, death was just another phase. Another step in the process.
With steady hands, Reece arranged their bodies, laying them side by side. He could feel their souls lingering, hovering just above their bodies, unsure of where to go. He had done this countless times before, but it never ceased to amaze him how fragile life was, how easily it could be taken—and yet, how easily it could be returned.
Reece raised his hand, casting a complex series of runes in the air above their bodies. These runes were part of an ancient soul spell, one that allowed him to extract their souls and preserve them. It was a process he had perfected over countless regressions, a technique he had learned from his third wife—a technique that defied the natural order. Two ethereal forms appeared above the bodies—Nia and Jack's souls, their transparent faces frozen in shock and confusion. They looked down at their lifeless bodies, then back at Reece, their expressions a mix of horror and disbelief.
Reece chuckled softly. "Don't worry. You're not undead. I'm just keeping your souls safe while I prepare new bodies for you. It'll take a little time, but when you wake, you'll be as good as new. Maybe even better."
Nia and Jack exchanged a confused glance, still too stunned to speak. Reece didn't give them the chance to ask any questions—there would be time for that later. With a simple gesture, he completed the spell, drawing their souls into a safe storage within his secondary soul, where Prima would eventually take over their care.
Now, all that was left were their lifeless bodies.
Reece stood up, his expression cold and detached as he looked down at the corpses. The beasts that had surrounded them were still frozen in place, their primal instincts screaming at them to flee. But Reece wouldn't allow it. He snapped his fingers, summoning a sharp blade of ice that hovered above his palm. Without a moment's hesitation, he moved swiftly, decapitating every last beast within a hundred meters, leaving behind a field of dead bodies.
The air was thick with the scent of blood and death, but Reece paid it no mind. His focus was on the task at hand.
He crouched beside Nia and Jack once more, cutting a lock of hair from each of them, as well as a small sample of blood from their wounds. These small remnants of their bodies were all he needed to create new, perfect vessels for their souls—bodies that would be stronger, faster, and more resilient than their old ones.
Satisfied that everything was in place, Reece cast one last glance at the battlefield and left silently, just as he had appeared. He could feel Lorna nearby, her presence a heavy weight on his heart. When she arrived, she cried her heart out, just as she had in every regression, holding her brother's and Nia's cold bodies, weeping as she believed she had failed them. She was in pain, and he hated that he couldn't stop it. But this was necessary. The grief was what changed her, what pushed her forward to become stronger.
Even now, the rich kid who had orchestrated this whole mess was pretending to console her, his fake concern masking the twisted satisfaction in his eyes. He thought everything was going according to plan, that Lorna's despair would drive her into his arms, make her dependent on him.
I'll deal with him later, Reece thought darkly. For now, I need to let things play out.
The hardest part of watching this scene unfold wasn't the blood or the death—it was the helplessness. In so many lifetimes, he had tried to intervene too early, tried to prevent Lorna from experiencing this pain, and every time, the consequences had been disastrous. This time, he would wait. He would let her grieve, let her change, and then he would step in when the time was right.
With one last, hard look at the battlefield, Reece disappeared into the shadows once again. His presence was masked, his mana suppressed. He would follow Lorna, keeping her within sight but out of reach, waiting for the moment when his intervention would matter.
Days later, after the battle had ended in a stalemate, Lorna had been posted to one of the cities on the 41st floor by her guild, pending review of her actions during the conflict. They had blamed her for abandoning her post, for failing to aid her regiment in time. The grief and guilt weighed heavily on her, and her heart was a cold, twisted mess. She had isolated herself, pushing everyone away, and had refused to speak to anyone from the guild.
Reece had followed her to this point, watching from a distance, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself. He knew where to find her—at a small café in the city, one she had visited often with Jack and Nia before everything had gone wrong. It was a place filled with memories for her, and now, it was a place of mourning.
Reece found her seated at one of the outdoor tables, staring blankly ahead, her eyes hollow and lost. The vibrant, joyful woman he had known was gone, replaced by a broken shell of grief and regret.
"Lorna?" Reece called out softly as he approached.
At first, she didn't hear him. She was too deep in her thoughts, too consumed by the weight of her pain. But when Reece sat down across from her and gently called her name again, her eyes finally focused on him.
Recognition flickered in her gaze, and then the dam broke. Tears streamed down her face, and she began to sob, her whole body trembling with the force of her grief.
Reece's heart ached at the sight of her like this. He had seen it too many times, lived through it too many lifetimes. But this time, he was here to change the outcome. This time, she wouldn't have to bear the burden alone.
Without a word, Reece stood and walked around the table, pulling her into his arms. Lorna collapsed against him, her sobs wracking her body as she clung to him, desperate for comfort.
"Shh… it's okay," Reece whispered, stroking her hair gently. "You don't have to go through this alone."
She cried for what felt like hours, and Reece held her the entire time, his own heart heavy with the knowledge of what had happened—and what he was about to do.
Soon, very soon, she would know the truth. Jack and Nia weren't gone. Not forever. He had their souls safe, and when the time was right, he would bring them back. But for now, Lorna needed this. She needed to believe they were gone, to feel the full weight of her grief, because that was what would make her stronger.
And when the time came, Reece would give her back the ones she had lost.
But not yet.
Not just yet.
The memory faded slowly, and with a soft groan, Reece stirred in his seat on the train. His headache was still there, dull but persistent, but he had managed to push through it. The memory had been more vivid than usual, and he had let himself relive every painful moment.
It never gets easier, he thought as the train rumbled on, carrying him toward his destination.
As the cityscape outside the window blurred past, Reece let out a long breath. There was still so much ahead of him, so much to do. But for now, he needed to focus. His mind cleared slowly, the vivid memories sinking back into the recesses of his consciousness, leaving him with the calm before the storm.
Lorna. Jack. Nia.
He would change things this time.
But he knew, deep in his heart, that it would only get harder from here.