Unauthorized Reincarnation

  Chapter 10: Unexpected encounter

  In the dead of night, beneath the moonlit sky of Luminas, a girl knelt alone in the Cathedral’s prayer chamber. Clad in azure vestments, she clasped her hands tightly before the seven sacred paintings. Her long golden hair spilled like a waterfall across her shoulders, catching the silver glow of the moonlight.

  “I am a sinner,” she whispered, voice trembling. “I never harmed others. I never harmed myself. But I defied the fate you had written for me—and that is my sin. Who am I to challenge your will? I am nothing but your creation. Yet even so… I struck against those who gave me life. Even the wicked do not raise their hands against their parents. But I did. And that is my sin.”

  Tears slid soundlessly onto the cold stone floor.

  Then the seven painted figures stirred. Their eyes flared gold, and in one voice they spoke:

  “We have spoken—and our word is absolute. None may defy what has been decreed. Not now. Not ever.”

  The weight of their words alone squashed her body. Blood spilled from Aurelia’s ears, her eyes, her nose, her lips.

  “We need not lift a hand. Our will moves through silence. You grasp, you struggle—but we speak, and the world obeys.”

  The golden light faded. Silence returned.

  Aurelia fell to the ground, shaking, gasping for breath.

  ___________________________

  The first light of dawn spilled across the tiled roofs of Cindralith, painting the city's dark stones white. In the modest room above the tavern, Lily stirred awake. She rubbed her eyes, yawning, before stretching until her joints popped. Shuyi was already awake, hair neatly tied, scribbling numbers into a small ledger while Fenra was seen doing her morning run.

  Each doing their morning routine: Lily practising with her twin swords like she might one day learn to master them, Shuyi double-checking supplies, and Fenra, always restless, doing exercises.

  At the breakfast table Shuyi stated her plans “We should take more quests, the festival is still three months away. Wasting time means wasting growth.”

  Lily groaned, flopping back onto her bedroll. “You sound like a teacher.”

  Fenra’s ears flicked “She’s right. We need experience.”

  By midday, they stood at the Adventurers’ Guild counter. The parchment request was simple: Investigate goblin activity in the Cindralith Forest. Possible extermination. A low-level mission, yet suited for three adventurers who needed a practice and a few coin. They accepted without hesitation.

  The forest swallowed them whole. Its canopy was thick, light barely piercing through. What should have been goblin tracks instead dissolved into something heavier—prints shaped by clawed toes and padded heels. Fenra slowed, golden eyes narrowing.

  Then the ambush came.

  Figures melted from the trees—half-beast, half-man. Their fur bristled, eyes gleamed with hate. Weapons of bone and rusted steel caught the dim light. They encircled the three girls, growls rumbling low.

  One stepped forward, voice trembling with venom.

  “Fenra… you still breathe.”

  Fenra froze.

  Another spat on the ground. “You should have died that night instead of Ashira. She was our future. A true leader. And you—” his voice cracked with fury, “—you sacrificed her to save yourself, we thank gods for this meeting, tonight we will avenge Ashira.”

  Fenra’s grip slackened on her sword. Her lips parted, but no words came.

  Shuyi’s eyes narrowed, hand already drawing her bow. “Enough talk.”

  The demihumans lunged.

  The clash was sudden and brutal—steel flashing in the gloom, arrows whistling, Lily’s twin blades clashing awkwardly but fiercely. Shuyi fought with sharp precision, cutting down their momentum without killing. Lily parried blow after blow, the weight of her swords clumsy but her will unbending.

  Fenra did not move. She stood in the storm of violence, every word echoing in her skull: Ashira… you should have died.

  Minutes stretched into an eternity until, one by one, the demihumans collapsed to the ground, winded, bruised, but alive.

  Lily stood over them, chest heaving. “Listen.” Her voice was sharp, trembling with both fury and conviction. “I don’t know the Fenra you remember. But I know the one standing beside me now. She’s my mentor, my teammate, and my friend. She’s already suffered more than enough.”

  Her swords lowered, but her words struck harder than steel.

  “One day, I believe she’ll reclaim the land of the demihumans. But she can’t do that if you waste yourselves as bandits. Stop running. Stop fighting shadows.”

  The beaten warriors snarled weakly. “We can’t return. To humans, we’re nothing but beasts. Better to die free in the forest.”

  Before Lily could answer, Shuyi stepped forward, pulling a small insignia from her pouch. She dropped it into the dirt before them. “Then don’t return to humans. Go to Luminas. Seek out the Kardelis household. Show this emblem—they’ll find work for you. It’s better than starving on blood and grief.”

  The demihumans stared at the insignia, suspicion battling with desperation. At last, they gathered it and slipped back into the forest, shadows among shadows.

  The silence that followed was heavy. Fenra hadn’t moved, her expression unreadable, her tail limp.

  Lily touched her arm gently. “Fenra…”

  But Shuyi shook her head. “Not now, we should camp here before going back.”

  Shuyi moved with brisk precision, clearing a small space and stacking wood until sparks caught. Soon a bonfire burned steady, its glow pushing back the forest shadows. The smell of roasting meat curled into the night, promising warmth against the cold damp air.

  Lily sat close, hands stretched to the fire. Her swords lay across her knees, forgotten for once. Fenra crouched on the other side, tail curled tight around her legs, gaze fixed on the flames but not seeing them.

  Shuyi turned the spit slowly, eyes glancing between the two of them. “Eat,” she said simply once the meat was ready, slicing portions and handing them over.

  They chewed in silence. Only the crackle of the fire and the far-off call of night-birds filled the void. Finally, Lily broke it, her voice soft.

  “Fenra… earlier, when they mentioned Ashira… who was she to you?”

  Fenra’s hands stilled. For a long while she said nothing, golden eyes reflecting the firelight. At last, her voice emerged, low and unsteady.

  “She was everything. My sister… my leader… the one all our kin believed in. Ashira was a true warrior, respected by everyone. Even the elders saw her as the future of our people.”

  Her ears drooped, shoulders trembling slightly.

  “When the demons came, she fought without fear. She wanted to make sure the rest of us escaped. But…” Her voice faltered, caught between memory and shame. “I was captured. By demons. Their commander… he had a tattoo across his chest, I’ll never forget it. He moved like death itself. I was an insect before him.”

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  Fenra’s claws dug into the dirt at her side. “I panicked. I ran toward Ashira, but they cornered us both. And when the demons reached out… I—” her throat tightened, “—I shoved her toward them. And I ran.”

  The fire popped sharply. None of them spoke for a long time.

  Fenra pressed a hand over her eyes, voice cracking. “She died screaming. Because of me. That’s why they said I should’ve been the one instead. They’re right. I was weak, selfish. I abandoned our true leader.”

  Shuyi finally set down her plate, her tone calm but firm. “You survived. That isn’t weakness—it’s circumstance. If you had died too, your people would have lost both their daughters.”

  Fenra shook her head violently. “No. Ashira deserved life. Not me.”

  Lily leaned closer, her voice trembling but certain. “No, Fenra. You can’t change the past. But you’re here now. With us. Teaching me. Protecting us. Ashira’s gone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t honor her by living. By fighting for the future she wanted.”

  The wolf-girl stared into the fire, silent tears tracing down her cheeks. For the first time since the ambush, her ears lifted slightly—just enough to hear them.

  The fire burned low, their plates empty. For a fleeting moment, silence felt companionable.

  Then Fenra’s ears twitched. At the same instant, Shuyi froze mid-sentence, her gaze snapping toward the eastern treeline.

  Lily blinked, glancing between them. “What? What happened to you both all of a sudden?”

  Neither answered. Shuyi rose, her movements clipped, and with one swift motion she scattered dirt across the fire until the flames hissed and died. Fenra was already packing their gear, movements quick, ears straining like radar.

  “Hey—” Lily started again, but Fenra’s hand clamped gently but firmly over her mouth. Her golden eyes glowed faintly in the dark. “Shh,” she whispered. “Not a sound. We need to leave this forest. Now.”

  Something in her tone—low, guttural, half-instinct—made Lily’s blood run cold. She nodded silently.

  They gathered their things with no wasted motion, then slipped into the underbrush. The forest had grown eerily still, even the insects muted.

  That’s when the ground trembled.

  Heavy steps. Branches cracking under immense weight. Through the slits of the bushes, Lily’s eyes widened.

  A pack of minotaurs lumbered past—towering beasts with horns like crescent scythes, muscles taut under shaggy fur. Their crude weapons, iron-studded clubs and hooked axes, gleamed with dried blood.

  One carried a bound hostage slung over his shoulder—a young man, unconscious, his tunic torn and face smeared with dirt. His chest rose and fell faintly; alive, but barely.

  The leader was unmistakable: nearly half again as large as the rest, his broad chest draped with a necklace strung with human skulls, each one clattering with every step. His eyes burned faintly red in the dark, cruel and unblinking.

  The stench of blood and raw meat hung heavy in their wake.

  Lily’s nails dug into her palms. She leaned toward her companions, whispering in a harsh breath, “They’re carrying someone. A hostage. We can’t just let them—”

  But before she could finish, Shuyi shook her head sharply, her voice barely audible. “No. This isn’t our fight.”

  Fenra’s ears flattened, her expression grim. “They’re fresh from a raid. Look at them—they’ve just eaten. That man is only food for later. If we try to interfere, we’ll be slaughtered.”

  Lily’s chest burned with protest. Her blades felt impossibly heavy at her sides, but her heart screamed otherwise.

  The minotaurs’ footsteps rumbled farther down the path, fading slowly but leaving a silence that was anything but peaceful.

  The thudding of hooves faded, but Lily’s chest only tightened. In the stillness, her mind betrayed her.

  “Mother.”

  A soft smile, then a hand slipping away into shadow.

  “Father.”

  A turned back, retreating, leaving her small hands clutching at nothing.

  “Brother.”

  The one who should have stood by her side, instead walking away until the darkness swallowed him too.

  One by one, everyone she’d trusted had abandoned her. Each step away carved despair into her bones, leaving her small, trembling, utterly alone.

  The fire of that memory flared now, searing her heart. Lily clenched her fists, eyes burning. She whispered, barely audible:

  “I cannot.”

  Before Fenra could react, Lily pushed herself out of the bushes.

  “Lily—!” Shuyi’s hiss was strangled with disbelief. Fenra’s golden eyes widened, horror flashing in them.

  But it was too late. The minotaurs’ leader’s head snapped toward her, skulls clattering as his gaze locked onto the foolish girl standing alone on the path. A guttural roar thundered through the forest, shaking leaves from the branches.

  The pack turned as one.

  Chaos erupted.

  Shuyi rose with a curse, her bow snapping taut. Arrows flew in rapid rhythm, piercing eyes and blinding two minotaurs who collapsed in bellowing rage. Fenra lunged from the side, blades flashing, slashing deep into joints—hamstringing one beast, forcing another to stumble.

  But Lily had only one focus. She charged, twin swords trembling in her hands, shoving her way through the ring of monsters. Every strike was clumsy yet desperate, her body moving not with skill but with a raw refusal to stop. Step by step, she carved toward the bound hostage slung across the largest minotaur’s shoulder.

  The beasts snarled, encircling tighter.

  Then a shudder passed through the pack.

  From behind them, the shaman emerged—horns wrapped in bone charms, his staff carved with grotesque faces. He slammed it into the earth, guttural chants spilling from his throat.

  A wave of sickly red light pulsed outward, crawling over fur and muscle. The minotaurs roared in unison, their strength doubling, eyes burning brighter.

  Lily froze for a heartbeat as the ground itself seemed to quake beneath their renewed fury.

  The tide shifted instantly. Fenra’s next slash was caught mid-air; a massive fist slammed into her side, sending her sprawling. Shuyi loosed another arrow, but the buffed beasts batted it aside, charging forward with terrifying speed.

  Lily barely raised her swords before the leader’s club came down like a hammer. The impact rattled her arms to the bone, forcing her to her knees. Around her, the forest filled with roars, claws, and the sound of her companions being overwhelmed.

  The fight they had chosen—or the fight Lily had dragged them into—was slipping beyond their control.

  The leader’s strike smashed into Lily’s chest. Pain exploded, and the world turned sideways. She was hurled through the air, crashing into the roots of an ancient tree. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs, blood spraying from her lips.

  Her vision swam red. Through the blur, she saw Fenra pinned, her golden eyes wide with terror as a minotaur’s jaws opened above her throat. Shuyi lay crumpled nearby, her bow snapped, her ankle twisted at an unnatural angle. She clawed at the ground, dragging herself forward helplessly.

  “No…” Lily whispered, her voice ragged. She tried to stand, but her body refused. Her hands shook around the hilts of her swords. “I can’t… not again. I won’t… let them… leave me.”

  Darkness crept at the edge of her vision, but so did light—two forces colliding inside her.

  Ding.

  A glowing blue screen shimmered before her, clear even in the blur of pain.

  [Conditions Met]

  Would you like to use your Blessings: Light and Darkness?

  Lily’s lips trembled, but her voice broke through, fierce as a scream.

  “I… accept!”

  The forest answered.

  Light erupted from her left side—blinding, radiant, wrapping her arm and blade in a cascade of gold. Darkness surged from her right—inky, writhing, devouring the air itself as it crawled up her other arm. Her twin swords drank in the power, edges glowing with contradictory brilliance, their clash sparking arcs that screamed against reality.

  Her body became the balance of two extremes—half bathed in dawn, half cloaked in night.

  With a roar, Lily swung both swords.

  The air split.

  Twin arcs of light and shadow crossed, a crescent of radiant darkness tearing forward. It carved clean through the minotaur looming over Fenra, slicing the beast in half before its teeth could close around her skull. Blood sprayed like rain, but the light seared it away before it could touch her.

  Fenra gasped, frozen beneath the falling corpse.

  And then Lily moved.

  Her steps blurred, weightless, every strike a paradox. A downward slash blinded with holy brilliance, then followed with a backhand of consuming shadow. Minotaurs roared and stumbled as limbs were cleaved, weapons shattered, bodies torn apart. No formation, no brute strength could resist her rhythm—each swing chained into the next, a dance of annihilation.

  Shuyi lay on the ground, clutching her ankle, watching with wide, disbelieving eyes.

  “That power…” she whispered. Her voice trembled—not with fear, but awe. “Lily… you’re… unstoppable.”

  The shaman howled, slamming his staff into the ground to conjure another surge of red energy. But Lily’s blades flashed, one of light, one of darkness.

  The air itself seemed to scream as she struck—her twin slashes obliterating the shaman’s spell, the backlash consuming him in a storm of searing white and devouring black. His cries were cut short, his body collapsing into ash.

  The battlefield fell silent.

  Lily stood among the corpses, her chest heaving, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly blend—one golden, one crimson. Her swords still hummed with power, trembling in her hands as if alive.

  Behind her, Shuyi dragged herself upright, watching the girl who had been helpless only hours ago carve down an army of monsters singlehandedly.

  And Fenra, still shaken and blood-smeared, whispered hoarsely, “Ashira… couldn’t have done more.”

  The last echo of battle faded, leaving only the stench of blood and the crackle of burning wards where the shaman had fallen. The forest stood still, as though holding its breath.

  Lily staggered forward, her blades dimming as the light and darkness bled away. The glow in her eyes flickered once, then faded entirely. Her knees buckled.

  “Lily!” Shuyi cried, forcing herself up despite the pain lancing through her ankle. She limped forward, teeth clenched, every step a battle.

  Fenra pushed off the ground, her chest still heaving from near-death. She downed a healing potion in a single gulp, the gash along her ribs knitting shut just enough to hold her steady. She sprinted the last distance, heart pounding.

  The two reached Lily just as her body gave out. Together, they caught her before she struck the dirt—Fenra cradling her under the arms, Shuyi steadying her legs despite the pain of her ankle.

  Lily’s head lolled weakly, her breath shallow but steady.

  Fenra pressed her forehead against Lily’s hair, voice low and fierce. “You’ve done well… Lily Miller.”

  Shuyi’s hand, trembling with exhaustion, brushed Lily’s cheek as she whispered in perfect unison, “You’ve done well.”

  For the first time since their pact, the three of them clung together—not as teacher, student, or strategist, but as sisters-in-arms who had faced death and clawed victory back from its jaws.

  The forest remained silent. Yet in that silence, something new had taken root—unshakable trust.