"I loved her... I trusted her... And in the end... I was nothing but a tool to her. I couldn't save my family. I couldn't even save myself. Is this how my story ends?"
Isaac's thoughts echoed as the cold river water dragged his broken body down. Blood from his wounds mixed with the water, spreading out around him.
The pain was sharp and real, each breath harder to take. Memories of his parents' kind faces flashed through his mind. Then came Mikay's voice, her cold words replaying again and again.
"Maybe this is it… maybe it's time to give up."
His chest tightened. Tears blurred his vision, or maybe it was just the river water. It didn't matter. His arms were weak, and his legs wouldn't move.
As his body sank, his hand brushed against something solid.
A rock.
Suddenly, he thought to grip them and pulled himself up using what little strength he had left. His arms screamed in pain, but he kept moving.
Finally, his head broke through the surface. He gasped for air, coughing and choking as water spilled from his mouth. Slowly, he dragged himself to the riverbank.
The shore was rough and cold. Isaac lay there, breathing heavily, his body trembling. His vision blurred, but he could make out the shape of a cave nearby.
He crawled toward it, inch by inch. Every movement hurt, but he couldn't stop. By the time he reached the cave, his body gave out. He collapsed on the ground, unable to move any further.
The cave was dark and cold, Isaac's body shivered as he lay there, barely able to breathe. His strength was gone, and the world around him started to fade.
But then, a voice came from the darkness.
"Your body is failing. Soon, you will be nothing but a memory," the voice said. It was calm and steady. "But it doesn't have to end like this."
Isaac tried to speak, but his lips wouldn't move. He felt a strange chill, though it wasn't from the air.
"I can save your body," the voice continued. "When your life ends, I can take your place. Your body will walk again, but only if you let me."
Isaac's heart pounded, but his body was too weak to move. His mind was fading, but he forced himself to ask, "Why do you need my permission?"
"Without your consent, I cannot take your body," the voice said.
His fingers twitched weakly. He wanted to fight, to resist, but the truth was clear. He was dying.
"What… are you?" he rasped, his throat dry.
"Something far older than you. Something that was never meant to be sealed."
A chill ran through Isaac's body. He hesitated, but deep down, he knew, his time was running out. The pain and cold were too much. He had no other choice.
"I'll allow it," he whispered. His lips twisted in pain. "But only if you promise me two things."
"Tell me," the voice said.
Isaac took a shaky breath. "First, find the people who killed my parents and destroyed my village. Second, protect the woman who broke my heart."
The cave fell silent. Then, at last, the voice spoke.
"I accept."
Relief washed over Isaac. He closed his eyes. His breathing slowed, and soon, it stopped.
The cave became still. But moments later, the air changed. A cold wind swept through, and a strange blue and golden light filled the darkness.
From the farthest corner of the cave, a shadow appeared. It was shaped like a person but had wings on its back. The ground trembled as the figure moved toward Isaac's lifeless body.
Then, the being entered the body.
Isaac's chest jerked upward as if life had returned. His heart began to beat, slow at first, then faster. And his body glowed faintly.
"Well, let's see what kind of life this body holds."
He then began to sift through the young man's memories as it took control of Isaac's body, starting with his early years as a boy named Isaac.
It saw a simple yet happy life. A boy named Isaac, cared for by his parents, who worked hard as farmers. Though they were poor, the love they shared made their life warm and fulfilling.
He felt the bond Isaac had with his family and noticed how the villagers treated him kindly. He was loved and respected by those around him.
"No wonder why you made those request."
The memories shifted, showing Isaac delivering his harvest at the market. He wiped sweat from his forehead while loading sacks of potatoes onto his shoulder from the cart. His life was difficult but honest, and Isaac never complained.
"Hmm, so this is the life of a farm boy."
Then came a significant memory, a prayer Isaac made in the small village chapel.
Kneeling at the altar, Isaac clasped his hands tightly.
"Lord, "I'm not asking for much, but my parents are old now and they really want me to settle down and get married. But the problem is, I haven't found anyone to marry yet. Maybe you can send me someone? Someone who's kind and gentle would be enough for me, that's all."
Then he stood up to leave, but before he could exit the chapel, he returned to the altar, scratching his head and smiling shyly.
"But… if it's not too much, maybe someone with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face like an angel. And... well, a body to match."
"Haha, how simple. And yet, you dared to dream big."
The memories moved forward, showing the moment Isaac met her. A girl with golden hair and striking blue eyes bumped into him at the market, her panicked voice breaking through the noise around them.
"I need your help. Take me out of here," desperation in her tone.
"Take you out of here?" Isaac was confused. "What kind of trouble are you in?"
"Marry me," she said firmly, locking her eyes onto Isaac's.
"Tsk. You thought it was fate, didn't you? Or was it that foolish prayer of yours? Either way, you were mesmerized."
The memories sped through their rushed wedding, the nervous kiss they shared, and Isaac bringing her home to his family. The being could feel his anxiety as he explained their sudden union, but his parents welcomed her with open arms despite their confusion.
Over time, the two grew closer. Sweet moments together turned into something deeper, and Isaac fell completely in love with her.
But then, the memories darkened.
As Isaac returned from the market, he found the villagers and his parents waiting for him with grim faces. They told him that palace soldiers had taken his wife.
It was then he learned the truth, his wife, Mikay, was actually Princess Mikaela, the heir to the throne of Carreon. She had run away to avoid an arranged marriage with the King of Velcro, a powerful mage, a necromancer.
"Oh, this just got interesting."
Isaac quickly rode his horse straight to the palace. He ignored the guards and their mocking laughter, demanding to see the King.
When he entered the royal hall, Isaac's voice echoed as he shouted, "She's my wife! She belongs with me, not some dark king!"
The King of Carreon looked him over with disdain, using an eyeglass device that measured Isaac's rank and abilities.
"A Class-E farm boy?" the King said, laughing coldly. "You think you're worthy of my daughter? You're not even worthy of my time."
Isaac clenched his fists. "I love her! She loves me!"
The King smirked. "Then prove it. Defeat one of my knights in a battle, and I'll consider letting you take her." he then called a class-B knight.
Then he saw Isaac being thrown into the fight and given a sword. The knight was stronger and faster, his skill far beyond anything Isaac could hope to match. But Isaac didn't back down.
Every strike left him battered and bleeding, but he kept getting up. Determination burned in his eyes, even as the crowd mocked him.
"Foolish! You were never going to win."
Eventually, the knight delivered a final blow, leaving Isaac crumpled on the ground. The crowd laughed as the King sneered.
Isaac looked up and saw her, Mikaela, his wife, the princess. She approached him, holding back tears and showing a cold, indifferent face.
"Isaac," she said softly, her voice trembling, "give up. Stop fighting for me."
"I won't," he rasped. "I will bring you home."
She placed a hand on his cheek. "I don't need you," she whispered. "I only used you. I could never leave with you, even if you won."
"I love you," he choked out.
She swallowed hard, then forced a cold smile. "That was your mistake."
Isaac's face fell under the weight of what he heard.
"How fragile the human heart is. Even the strongest will can be shattered with a single sentence."
Then the guards dragged his broken body to the gates and tossed him outside.
But the nightmare didn't end there.
When Isaac returned to his village, it was massacred. Homes were burned. The surroundings were littered with bodies and body parts scattered everywhere. There had been an attack while he was away, killing everyone.
"Definitely not human."
"No," Isaac whispered, his legs trembling as he searched for his parents.
He found them near their home, their lifeless bodies massacred. He fell to his knees, tears flowing as he held them.
After burying them, Isaac stood at their graves, numb with grief.
That's when the assassins came. They overwhelmed him easily, stabbing him in the chest. Despite bleeding, he managed to run.
In his escape for his life, he ended up in the forest, but it didn't take long before they caught up with him. They beat him up and dragged his weakened body to a high cliff with a waterfall.
One of them sneered, "Goodbye, farm boy," before pushing him off.
As Isaac fell, he grabbed the mask of the one who pushed him, revealing a soldier with a scar on his chin. He recalled it was one of the King's soldiers who was on his side.
"Hmm, so that's your story. A life full of pain and betrayal."