Eren Reginald woke up with a sharp jolt, his head pounding like a drum, and his body aching from every inch. He blinked a few times, trying to focus, only to find himself in a dimly lit room. The air smelled stale, and the floor beneath him felt cold and unyielding. His clothes—torn and stained—clung to his skin in a damp, uncomfortable way. His chest heaved as he tried to gather his thoughts.

Where am I?

A flash of memory hit him. The truck. The screeching metal. His life had ended in an instant, crushed beneath the wheels of a speeding vehicle. But now... This can't be real. His breath quickened. Am I... reincarnated? He had read about it in novels, sure, but it always seemed like some far-off fantasy. Yet, here he was, with the overwhelming sensation of unfamiliarity and loss.

He winced as the pain in his head surged again, like a sudden wave crashing against the shore. His vision blurred, and then… A memory?

Eren felt himself being pulled into someone else's consciousness—someone else's life. It was as though his mind was submerged in a flood of sensations, each one more vivid than the last. His name was also Eren Reginald.

A different life. A different world.

He saw flashes—rapid and violent—of a young boy's life. Eren Reginald had been born into a modest family of beast tamers. His father, a tall and strong man with an aura of warrior, had raised him to respect the ancient craft of taming the wild beasts that roamed the land. Eren had known the art of controlling magic and forging bonds with creatures that many would have feared. But now… his father's world was collapsing.

Eren's breath hitched as the memories hit a crescendo, a sudden surge of terror and pain flooding through his chest. He was kidnapped.

As his vision cleared, Eren tried to focus, his senses swimming in the haze of pain and confusion. He could feel the previous Eren's soul—the essence of the boy's memories—cling to him. The boy's fear, his anxiety, his helplessness all coursed through Eren's veins like fire.

He looked up.

Before him, in the flickering light, a battle raged between two figures. The first was a man—a warrior—his body radiating golden magic that flowed like a living river. His father? He had to be. Blood streamed down his body in dark rivers, dripping from countless wounds, but still, he fought, a shield of light around him flickering weakly with each blow.

The second figure—a demon—stood like the shadows, the very air around him twisted and dark. His form was indistinct, a mass of ever-moving tendrils of shadow, like a living void, a creature that seemed beyond the grasp of magic. His eyes, glowing a fierce red, burned with an unsettling, knowing malice as he sneered down at the man who stood between him and his prize.

Eren tried to move, but his body refused to respond. Pain flared through him, but it was nothing compared to the unbearable weight of what he was seeing. This was it. His father was dying.

Then the father spoke, his voice grating and full of raw emotion, cutting through the eerie silence of the room.

"You will not take him." The man's words were strained, every syllable sharp with defiance. His voice carried the full weight of a vow, even as blood dripped from his lips. He barely stood, his magic flickering dangerously. "I will protect him with my life. I will give everything I have… everything I am. You will not have him."

The shadow demon let out a chilling laugh, the sound cold and devoid of mercy. It echoed around them, stretching the air with a bone-chilling resonance.

"Everything?" The demon's voice slithered, mocking, dripping with contempt. His eyes glowed brighter, and a twisted grin spread across his dark, ethereal face. "You still don't understand, do you? No matter how much you give, no matter how much you fight, you are nothing but a fleeting moment in time. You cannot stop me. All your effort… will be for nothing. You will fail, as all those before you have failed."

The man—the father—staggered forward, his magic flaring one final time, his golden aura pushing against the dark tendrils. His body trembled from exhaustion, but his resolve burned brighter than ever. He clenched his fists, his face twisted in determination and pain.

"I don't care!" His voice was raw, desperate, but unyielding. "I will not lose my son. I will not—" His voice broke, and a deep, guttural cry of defiance erupted from his throat, the sound so full of anguish and raw emotion that it seemed to shake the very ground beneath them. "I refuse to lose him!"

The demon's laughter only deepened, a dark, hollow sound that vibrated through the room like a cold wind. "You fool… you cannot protect him. Not from me. Not from fate."

The father, gasping for breath, his golden magic flickering weaker with each second, finally sank to his knees, but his eyes never left the demon. The rage in them never faded.

"I will do whatever it takes…" he whispered, his voice raw and hoarse. "Even if it means giving my life, I will keep my son safe."

The demon's smile only grew wider ,"Then die… in vain."

The demon's voice rang out like the toll of a death bell, harsh and mocking, sending a cold shiver down Eren's spine.

"You think you can stop me?" The demon's dark form shifted, swirling in the shadows. "No matter how much you struggle, no matter how much you fight, the beasts I bring forth from the corrupted realms will ravage this world. That portal," the demon pointed with a long, clawed finger toward a rip in the air behind him, "will open wide, and the corrupted beasts will flood through. Your precious town will be reduced to dust—nothing but ruins, all your people, devoured. Nothing can stop me."

Eren's eyes widened, his heart pounding as he looked toward the portal. The air crackled with dark energy, and the ominous portal began to take form—a swirling mass of shadows and monstrous silhouettes. He could hear the guttural growls of the beasts coming through, their eyes glowing like molten fire, just waiting to be unleashed upon the world.

But there was something else—something far more dangerous—a ritual, faint but undeniable, happening just out of sight. The very air around it seemed to warp and twist, a strange, heavy energy filling the space, like the moment before a thunderstorm strikes.

His gaze darted from the demon to his father. The golden aura around the man, despite the blood and exhaustion, still glimmered with the last traces of his defiance. But the father's face had changed. The relentless determination was now laced with sorrow, knowing what he would have to do.

Eren's chest tightened with panic. No, not this. He couldn't let his father sacrifice himself—not like this.

But his father, still fighting through the pain, caught his eye for a brief, soul-piercing moment. "Eren..." The voice was weak but full of love, full of finality. "You must live. No matter what happens... I will make sure of it."

The father raised his hands toward the sky, and Eren felt a strange energy pulse from his father's core—a desperate resolve that filled the air with ancient power.

The demon hissed in realization, a low growl escaping from deep within his throat. "No…" he snarled. "You… you wouldn't dare!"

But the father's voice cut through the demon's threats. He began chanting—slow at first, then faster, more powerful, each word laced with a divine, sacrificial tone that echoed through the very fabric of the world.

"Great Rathnaar, I offer myself to you, my soul, my flesh, my very being.

I surrender all that I am, I am willing to bear eternal torment, to suffer forever in your name.

For my son, for the world, I offer everything.

Grant me the strength to face the darkness, the power to stop this evil, if only for a time."

The air trembled. The demon's shadow flickered nervously, recoiling from the chant as though it felt the weight of the ancient words tearing at the very fabric of reality.

"Grant me power. I shall sacrifice all for this moment of salvation."

The sky cracked open with a deafening roar, and a bolt of yellow lightning tore through the heavens, crashing down with blinding brilliance. The bolt arced toward the father, who stood firm, unwavering, his arms raised toward the sky, as if he were drawing power from the very heart of the storm.

The demon screamed in fury, his form flickering and shifting as the golden light from the lightning surged into the father's body, wrapping him in a powerful aura of divine strength.

"NO!" the demon bellowed, desperately reaching for the father. "You dare?! You dare sacrifice yourself to Rathnaar?!"

But the father was already glowing—a fierce, radiant light now radiated from him, burning with such intensity that it forced the demon back, holding him at bay. The power that coursed through the father's body was no longer just magic—it was life itself, infused with the very essence of the world. His skin shimmered with golden light, his eyes blazing with new strength.

His body grew larger, more imposing—his muscles rippled as if alive with primal power. The aura around him burned with ferocity, and Eren could see him taking on the presence of a lion, a beast out for the kill—ready to tear apart anything standing in his way. The sight of his father, standing tall and unyielding against the oncoming storm of beasts, was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

"I will protect my family," the father whispered, his voice full of conviction. "No matter the cost."

With a roar, the father surged forward, a torrent of power at his back. The golden magic surged through him as he clashed with the demon, the shockwaves of their battle echoing through the night. Lightning crackled and burned through the air, and the earth trembled beneath their feet.

With a final, explosive cry, the father plunged his newly imbued weapon—a spear of golden light—into the demon's core. The demon shrieked, his shadowy form writhing in agony as the light consumed him, unraveling his darkness with a force greater than anything Eren had ever felt.

But just as the demon began to disintegrate, a final, venomous laugh echoed in the father's ears.

"You may have destroyed me…" The demon's voice was twisted with pain and malice. "But you cannot stop what's already been set in motion. The ritual is complete. Even now, the corrupted beasts are breaking free. You cannot save him. You cannot save your son.HAHAHAHAHA "

The father's heart clenched, but he didn't falter. His golden light intensified, and his voice rang with clarity as he looked at Eren, who was frozen in shock, unable to move.

"Eren!" His voice carried across the battlefield, full of love and finality. "Listen to me, my son… I love you more than life itself. Run. Run, Eren… and live. Live for me. Go and inform the town of this."

Eren's legs trembled. He wanted to move, wanted to act, but his body refused to listen, frozen in grief, in disbelief.

"I love you."

And with those final words, the father turned to face the portal, the light of his sacrifice flaring bright enough to burn the very sky itself. He stood alone now, his body shining brighter than ever before, lightning crackling around him like a storm incarnate.

"I will hold them back for as long as I can." His voice was steady, strong. "Now go, Eren. Run. You are the last hope."

As the portal opened fully, the beasts screamed, hungry and powerful, ready to rip the world apart.

And still, the father stood firm, his heart filled with nothing but love for his son—and the world he had sworn to protect.