Morning sunlight spilled over the training grounds.
The air smelled like fresh grass, metal, and sweat. Everywhere I looked, people were moving—lifting, running, swinging their weapons.
Loud voices mixed with the sound of metal clashing.I didn't join in. I just watched.My mind was somewhere else.
Liora.
My friend from the old life.
The girl I couldn't save.I kept wondering—was she here? Was she the same? Did she still laugh the way she used to before the Tower took everything?
And then… I saw her.
She was across the field, talking with a group of hunters. Her red hair caught the light. Her eyes were sharp, but alive.
She laughed at something a friend said—full, bright laughter.It hit me like a punch.
She was here. She was alive. And she had no idea who I really was now.I wanted to run over and call her name.
But… what would I say?
"Hey, Liora, I'm your best friend… from a life you don't remember. Also, I died."
No.
I stayed where I was.
I watched her train. Every swing of her blade was confident. Every movement had purpose.
She was strong—but not yet strong enough for what I knew was coming.
"Hey! You new here?"
The voice pulled me out of my thoughts. A young hunter waved me over.
"Come join us."I nodded.
"Yeah," I said quietly.
"New."
We trained together for a while. My body felt off—slower, weaker than I remembered.
Every strike with my scythe was heavier than I wanted it to be. My muscles burned quickly.It was frustrating. In my head, I still moved like the man who'd reached the top of the Tower. But this body… this body hadn't been through those years of fighting yet.
Later in the day, Liora's group started talking about a dungeon raid. Low-rank. Nothing special. I stepped closer, pretending I just wanted to join and get experience.
Liora looked at me when I spoke.
There was something in her eyes—like she was trying to figure out why I seemed familiar.I smiled a little.
"I'm Zane."She nodded.
"Liora."Just two names exchanged between strangers.
But to me? It was everything.
It was hearing her voice again after years.
It was the start of my second chance.We set the raid for tomorrow.
That night,
I walked home with the others, laughing when they laughed, talking when they talked. But inside… inside I was holding back a storm.I wanted to tell her everything.
I wanted to warn her.
And I wanted—more than anything—to keep her safe this time.As the sun went down, the sky turned soft pink and gold. I wrapped my fingers around the Ebon Scythe.
It was warm, like it knew tomorrow mattered.Tomorrow, the real climb would start.
Not as the hero I'd been before… but as the man I had to become now.And this time, nothing would take her away from me.
To be continued....