The fire crackled softly as night settled over Hallin Way. The group stayed gathered around the table, quiet for once. Outside, the wind blew gently through the trees, but inside the hut, it was warm and still.
Rika was laying upside-down on a bed, her feet on the pillow and her head hanging over the edge. "Do you think those corrupted knights still think like normal people?" she asked out of nowhere.
"No clue," Kajala said, sitting cross-legged by the fire, poking it with a stick. "Maybe their brains melted or something. That's why they're crazy."
"That's not how brains work," Elyra said, wrapping her dark navy cloak tighter around herself.
Rei sat at the table, staring at the map Vetra had left behind. His hand rested on his sword. "Whatever they are, if they're hurting people, we have to stop them."
Regulus was already in bed but sat up with a sleepy frown. "Do we have to get up early?"
"Obviously," Rika muttered.
"Then goodnight," he said and laid back down. Within seconds, he was snoring.
Kajala flopped down onto the bed next to Rei's and looked at him. "You nervous?"
Rei didn't answer right away. He was staring into the fire. "A little."
"I get nervous too," Kajala said. "But that's fine, right? It means we're not stupid."
Rei let out a small laugh. "I guess."
Kajala smiled. "Want to cuddle?"
"No."
"Thought I'd try."
They all laughed a little. It felt good, even just for a moment.
Elyra rolled out a blanket and laid near the fire. "We should all get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be tough."
One by one, they started settling down. The firelight dimmed, the wind outside howled faintly, and the hut filled with soft breathing. Rei stayed awake a little longer, eyes open in the dark.
He thought about the corrupted knights… the van… the strange events so far… and the book of overseers.
Then, finally, he closed his eyes and drifted off.
Tomorrow was the start of something real.
The sun peeked through the gaps in the wooden walls of the hut. Birds chirped outside as morning light slowly filled the room.
Kajala was the first to wake up, stretching with a loud yawn. "Ugh… my back hurts. These beds suck."
Rei sat up next, rubbing his eyes. "Better than dirt."
"True," Kajala said, hopping out of bed and already digging through the supply bags. "We eating first or marching straight into danger?"
"Food," Regulus mumbled from his corner. "Definitely food."
They all gathered around the small table. Vetra had left bread, dried meat, and water for them. Rika made a weird sandwich with everything in it. Elyra quietly ate a small portion and double-checked her staff and armor while chewing.
Once everyone finished, they geared up. Rei buckled his red jacket, checked the armor underneath, and picked up his sword.
Kajala strapped on his half-armor and looked way too confident for someone with his stomach still growling.
Regulus had his axe ready, even though he accidentally dropped it twice while tightening the straps. "I'm fine," he said after each drop.
Elyra's cloak fluttered lightly as she walked outside to scan the road ahead.
Vetra was already there, waiting. She pointed to the forest path ahead. "There's a camp of wounded soldiers just down this trail. The corrupted knights are getting closer every day. We need to defend the camp, help move them if needed, and clear out any threats nearby."
"Got it," Rei said.
"Sounds fun!" Kajala added, spinning his whip lazily.
"Let's just hope they're not already here," Elyra muttered.
The group looked at one another, nodded, then stepped out of the hut and into the cold morning light. The forest ahead was quiet, too quiet. They followed Vetra through the trees, hearts pounding, ready for what was waiting at Hallin Way's edge.
The group reached the edge of the trees, where a winding dirt path led into the dense woods near Hallin Way. The camp wasn't far now.
"We'll cover more ground if we split," Vetra said, looking at the group. "Elyra, Rika, come with me. Kajala and Regulus, head around the east side."
She turned to Rei. "You're on your own. Scout the main path. Report back if you find anything weird."
Rei didn't argue. He gave a small nod and set off down the center trail alone. The trees here were thinner, and the light leaked through, giving everything a soft glow. The only sounds were birds and the crunch of his boots against dirt.
He kept one hand on his sword, just in case.
After a few minutes, he found himself walking slower. Not because of danger but because it felt familiar. The calm woods. The quiet wind. It reminded him of somewhere from his past life, though he couldn't place where.
He thought about the van again. It still didn't make sense how a thing like that ended up here. And Falinhai… he'd have to remember that name.
Lost in thought, Rei almost missed it: broken branches ahead, crushed grass, and a bit of blood on a tree bark.
He knelt down and touched the dried blood. "Fresh," he whispered.
He stood up, gripping his sword tighter, and followed the trail. It led to a small clearing with an abandoned wagon. Supplies were scattered around it bandages, empty water containers, and torn-up tents.
Rei looked around carefully. No bodies, but signs of a struggle. Claw marks on the wood. Sliced-up trees. Someone had fought here… and lost.
A branch cracked behind him.
He spun around instantly, blade raised. But no one was there.
"Show yourself!" he shouted.
Nothing.
Only wind and trees.
He backed up slowly, heart beating faster. Something was watching him. He could feel it.
Then he heard breathing. Not human. Low. Raspy. It came from the trees behind him.
Rei didn't wait. He ran.
Through the trees, back toward the main path. Whatever it was didn't follow. Or maybe it just wanted to scare him.
When he stopped running, he bent over, hands on his knees, catching his breath.
"This place…" he muttered. "It's not safe."
But deep down, something else bothered him more. The feeling he had back there it wasn't just fear. It was recognition.
Like he'd felt that presence before.
Not in this life.
The last one.
Rei kept moving through the woods, eyes sharp. Something still felt wrong.
And then he heard it.
Clanking armor. Heavy footsteps. More than one.
He turned around.
Three figures stepped out from the shadows, cloaked in black armor twisted with red veins pulsing through it. Their helmets had sharp angles, and their swords crackled with strange energy.
Corrupted Knights.
Rei's eyes widened. "No way… here already?!"
They didn't speak.
They charged.
Rei turned and bolted toward the city outskirts. He dashed through the dirt path, boots pounding against the ground. The trees flew past him until he hit the stone street. He ran full speed into town.
People scattered. One lady screamed as the knights stormed after him.
Rei spotted a shop ahead, with the door halfway open. Without thinking, he sprinted inside.
"Hey!" the shopkeeper shouted.
Rei didn't stop. He jumped over a table of fruit and shoved a chair behind him slamming it straight into the first knight's chest. The knight crashed into the floor.
Rei kept moving. He flipped over the counter, rolled across the floor, and burst through the back door of the shop into an alley.
Still running.
He found a ladder and grabbed it.
One knight grabbed the edge of his boot Rei kicked hard, knocking him off, and climbed fast. Up. Up. Up.
Five stories high.
He reached the roof, gasping. The city spread out before him, lit by lanterns and moonlight.
More armored footsteps echoed behind him.
Rei didn't stop to think. He ran across the rooftop and jumped to the next one, landing hard and rolling to keep balance.
The knights followed.
Rei darted around chimneys, ducked under clotheslines, leaped over pipes, and used his momentum to vault over a rooftop ledge and land on a wooden balcony.
A knight lunged Rei grabbed a pipe and swung down to the floor below.
He landed and kept running.
Roof to roof. Step to step. His body moved on its own, like it remembered how to do this.
He jumped a wide gap barely caught the next ledge climbed up fast.
The knights didn't slow down.
Rei gritted his teeth. "They're not normal knights…"
He had to lose them.
Or fight.
Rei's lungs burned, but he couldn't stop. The Corrupted Knights were relentless, never missing a step. He jumped over another rooftop, this one weaker tiles cracked under his feet as he landed.
He rolled and kept going, ducking under a wooden beam. The wind hit his face as he ran, but the sound of clanging armor was right behind him.
"No time to fight," he muttered. "Just move."
He spotted a metal pipe running down the side of a building.
Without thinking, Rei slid down it, his boots skidding hard until he landed in a tight alley.
The knights jumped after him, but Rei was already gone, weaving between buildings and knocking over trash bins to slow them down.
He turned a corner and spotted a drainage tunnel behind a pile of crates. Small, dark, but big enough for him.
He dove in.
It was pitch black. The sound of rushing water echoed around him, masking his footsteps. The tunnel twisted and turned he kept low and quiet, crawling deeper and deeper.
Eventually, the noise behind him faded.
He finally stopped.
Panting. Sweating.
Alone.
He leaned against the tunnel wall, trying to calm his breathing. "That was too close…"
He waited there in the dark for a while, listening.
No more footsteps. No more clanking.
He was safe… for now.
But something was clear now.
They were after him.
Not the others—him.
"Why me…?" he whispered to himself.
He didn't have the answer. Not yet.
But he was going to find out.
Just when Rei thought he was safe, a sharp noise cut through the tunnel clink, clink, clink. A soft metal sound… and then a figure appeared in the darkness.
A glowing red eye.
Before Rei could move, something stabbed through his chest.
He gasped cold pain shot through his whole body. Blood spilled from his mouth. He collapsed forward. The last thing he saw was the cloaked figure standing silently over him.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Gasp—!
Rei bolted upright, heart pounding, sweat pouring down his face.
He was back in the hut. The fire crackled gently in the corner. Someone was snoring. His bag was beside him.
His hand shot to his chest no wound. No blood.
It was like it never happened.
But it did.
"I… died," he whispered.
His body was whole, but he still felt the pain the coldness, the shock. It had been real.
He stared at the floor, breathing heavily.
Was this the second time?
No. Third.
What was happening to him?
Why did time bend like this why only for him?
He looked at his sleeping teammates. Kajala, Rika, Regulus, Elyra.
They were safe.
But for how long?
Rei sat there, gripping the edge of his blanket, still shaken. He didn't even notice Kajala's eyes blink open from across the hut.
"…Rei?" Kajala's voice was soft and half-asleep.
Rei flinched. "Huh—yeah?"
Kajala sat up, rubbing his eyes, his messy hair falling into his face. "Why are you awake? You look like you saw a ghost."
Rei looked down at his hands, then slowly muttered, "Something like that."
Kajala tilted his head. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Rei hesitated, then nodded.
Kajala scooted a bit closer. "You were breathing weird. You okay now?"
"…Not really," Rei admitted.
Kajala leaned on his arm, looking concerned. "You want me to stay up with you for a bit?"
Rei didn't answer at first. His mind was still stuck on the red eye, the cold blade, and the cloaked figure. Then he quietly said, "Yeah. Just… don't ask too many questions."
Kajala smiled faintly. "I'll just sit here then."
He sat beside Rei, hugging his knees, not saying a word.
It was quiet for a while, only the fire crackling.
Then Kajala glanced at him. "Whatever it was… you don't have to tell me. But if you do, I'll believe you. Even if it sounds insane."
Rei looked at him with tired eyes. "…Thanks."
They sat in silence, side by side in the quiet hut, as the night slowly passed.