The academy bell rang, signaling the end of another day. Reinhardt walked down the stone-paved corridor, his hand brushing against the cold wall. His mind wasn't on today's lessons—it was on the future.
The whispers around him had grown louder. Students murmured about his sudden brilliance in magic theory, some calling him a "genius," others watching him with suspicion. Reinhardt ignored it all, his expression calm.
> I can't reveal everything… not yet. The world isn't ready for me. And I'm not ready to shoulder it all, either.
At the training grounds, Alden called out.
"Reinhardt! You're leaving already? Come spar with me!"
Elira laughed softly, her golden hair catching the evening light. "You'll never beat him, Alden."
Reinhardt gave them both a small smile. For the first time since his regression, he felt a flicker of warmth in his chest. Companions. A family at the academy. Something worth protecting.
But then, as he stepped past the academy gates, a familiar carriage awaited. The crest of House Drachenfels gleamed on its door. His brother, Sigmund von Drachenfels, stood beside it, arms crossed, eyes sharp as steel.
"Reinhardt," Sigmund said, his tone a mix of sternness and pride. "Father wishes to see you. It's time you remember the weight of your bloodline."
The air grew tense. Alden and Elira exchanged glances—unsure of what this meant.
Reinhardt's hand clenched at his side. The double life he had carefully built—the student who laughed with friends, and the regressor who carried knowledge of a doomed future—was about to collide.
But instead of fear, Reinhardt felt… determination.
He turned to his friends, his voice steady.
"I'll return soon. Until then… grow stronger. We'll need it."
As he stepped into the carriage, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in crimson. The world was moving, shifting towards inevitable change.
And Reinhardt von Drachenfels, regressor and heir of House Drachenfels, smiled faintly to himself.
> This time… I will not fail.
The wheels of destiny began to turn once more.
— End of Volume 1