Moonnveil Forest - The Aftermath of Battle
Reinhardt exhaled, his breath misting in the cold night air.
The forest had returned to an eerie silence, the thick fog swirling gently around the monstrous corpse at his feet. The battle was over, but his body screamed in protest—his wounds burned, his muscles ached, and his breathing was ragged.
The fight had taken far too much out of him.
He rolled his shoulder, suppressing a grimace. This was not the body of the Black Lion of Velderia. He had been stronger once. Faster. His blade had never felt this heavy before.
I need to regain what I've lost.
His grip tightened around his remaining sword. The realization from earlier weighed on him heavily—if this was the kind of foe that roamed the lands now, then his old strength was simply not enough.
Sylphine, the last of the Moonveil Pixies, fluttered beside him, her tiny arms crossed.
"You look terrible," she said.
Reinhardt gave her a flat look. "It's not as bad as it looks."
Sylphine pointed at the deep claw marks across his chestplate. "Oh really? Because your armor is barely holding together."
He ignored her, wiping the ichor from his blade before sliding it into his belt.
Sylphine sighed dramatically. "You really are hopeless, you know that?"
She hovered in front of him, her wings shimmering with faint silver light.
"…Lucky for you, I have something that might help."
Reinhardt raised an eyebrow. "A spell?"
Sylphine grinned. "Something better."
She reached into the glowing mist that surrounded her and pulled out a tiny vial filled with golden liquid. It hummed with energy, faint strands of light pulsing within.
"This," she said, holding it up, "is Fey Nectar. A rare gift from the Moonveil Pixies."
Reinhardt studied the vial. "What does it do?"
Sylphine's smirk softened slightly.
"It's a blessing of the old world," she said. "It will heal your wounds and… well, let's just say it'll help you adjust to this new era."
Reinhardt frowned. "Adjust?"
Sylphine hesitated. "You felt it, didn't you? That monster—it wasn't just strong. It was different. You're still fighting like you did in the past, but the world isn't the same anymore."
She placed the vial into his hand.
"This will help you start catching up."
Reinhardt studied the golden liquid for a moment. It radiated warmth, pulsing faintly in his grip. Magic. Old magic.
He had never trusted magic easily. But Sylphine… if she wanted to harm him, she had already had countless chances.
With a quiet breath, he uncorked the vial and drank.
The moment the liquid touched his tongue, heat flooded his veins.
It was not burning—but a surge of energy, raw and untamed, coursing through every inch of his body. His wounds knitted together instantly, the pain vanishing as if it had never existed.
Then, for a fleeting moment—he saw something.
A vision.
A world long before his own time. Lush, untamed lands, where towering creatures roamed freely, and the sky shimmered with silver light.
A time when monsters were not unnatural horrors, but beings that had always existed.
And then—it was gone.
Reinhardt staggered slightly, his heartbeat steady but stronger than before. His exhaustion had vanished. His mind felt sharper.
Sylphine watched him carefully. "…Well?"
Reinhardt flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulder.
"…I feel better."
That was an understatement.
He had never felt this good before. Not even in his prime.
Sylphine grinned. "Told you. That was the last of it, though. You'd better make it count."
Reinhardt nodded. "I will."
The Forest Remembers
Now that the battle was over, Reinhardt took a moment to study his surroundings.
The fog had changed.
Before, it had been oppressive, unnatural. But now… it was calm. The whispers in the wind were quieter, and the cold was no longer biting.
"…Your forest is different," Reinhardt noted.
Sylphine looked around, her expression turning somber. "Yeah."
She landed lightly on his shoulder, her tiny hands gripping his armor.
"This place… remembers."
Reinhardt frowned. "Remembers?"
Sylphine nodded. "Moonveil isn't just an ordinary forest. It's ancient. Older than any kingdom, older than any human city."
She gestured to the twisted trees, their bark marked with strange glowing runes.
"This place keeps memories," she said softly. "And when something as unnatural as that thing shows up, the land reacts."
Reinhardt narrowed his eyes. "And the memories of this place… how far back do they go?"
Sylphine hesitated. "Far. Maybe farther than even your time."
Reinhardt said nothing.
Something about this forest felt familiar, but he did not know why.
He pushed the thought aside. For now, there was nothing more to be gained from lingering here.
"…We should move," Reinhardt said.
Sylphine gave a mock gasp. "You're actually accepting my company now?"
He exhaled. "You know this land. I don't. It's only logical."
Sylphine giggled. "Oh, Reinhardt, you're gonna be so fun to mess with."
He shot her a glare, but she only smirked.
With that, they left Moonveil behind.
The Road to the Next Town
The journey was quiet, but not tense.
Sylphine kept up a steady stream of chatter, occasionally darting ahead to scout the path. Reinhardt, for his part, listened.
She spoke of strange places in the land, of ruins untouched by time, of forgotten kings and wandering warriors.
And of the monsters that had appeared ten years ago.
"No one knows where they came from," she admitted. "One day, the world was normal. The next… it wasn't."
Reinhardt frowned. The timing was too perfect.
Something had changed in the world ten years ago. Something powerful enough to bring forth these creatures.
And he intended to find out what.
By the time they reached the outskirts of the next town, the sky was already fading into morning.
The town—Ravencross—was larger than Hinterwood, its stone walls worn but sturdy. Watchmen stood at the gates, their armor heavier than the guards in the village before.
Reinhardt and Sylphine slowed their pace as they approached.
"This place looks more… important," Sylphine mused.
Reinhardt nodded. A stronger town meant more information.
He was no longer wandering without a goal.
He had two new objectives.
One: Regain the strength he had lost.
Two: Uncover the truth of what happened to this world.
And if the answers led him to his true enemy—whoever or whatever had changed this world beyond recognition—
Then he would do what he had always done.
Fight.
As the gates of Ravencross opened before him, Reinhardt took his first step into a new chapter of his journey.
And this time—he was ready.