Light shattered.
When it returned, the battlefield was gone.
Gold blinked, breath catching. One moment they were amid ruin, Saint-Regent Elavar ready to strike again, and the next—they were somewhere else.
The cold was gone. The blood-stained dirt, the howling Saints, all vanished.
He lay on soft grass. Wind rustled a tree above. Mountains rimmed the horizon, and beyond that—golden walls, spires, and open skies. A city, foreign yet serene, stretched ahead.
Kane groaned nearby. Her face was pale, but her chest rose and fell steadily.
Gold sat up. The stranger stood a few paces away, arms crossed, watching the horizon.
"Where are we?" Gold asked.
The man didn't turn. "Far. Very far. Beyond the Empire's reach. This land… does not fear Pactum."
Gold glanced around. The air shimmered with warmth, magic humming gently beneath the soil. "You teleported us?"
"Yes. My sigil opened a way here. One only I can use."
Gold's voice hardened. "Why save us?"
The man finally looked at him. "Because you made a choice. You protected her, even when your mind was unraveling. That makes you worth investing in."
Gold frowned. "You said you were here to collect."
"I am," the man said. He walked closer, kneeling beside Kane, his hand hovering above her forehead. A faint glow pulsed from his palm. "She'll wake soon. Her mind—like yours—has begun to fray. But there's a way to restore both of you. Without breaking your pacts."
Gold's heart skipped. "Both of us?"
The stranger nodded. "You and Kane. You've lost fragments—memories, emotions, foundations. But it's not irreversible. It requires training. Control. Patience."
Gold hesitated. "And you're offering that?"
The man stood. "I'm offering to train you. Both of you. Under me. Not just to restore your memories—but to become strong enough to survive what's coming."
Gold narrowed his eyes. "Why? What do you get from this?"
The stranger's gaze shifted to the sky. "Because the god you made a pact with—the one whose power you've barely scratched—is not just feared. He was once the strongest divine being in existence. And now, the world has forgotten him."
Gold's breath caught.
The stranger continued, "My kingdom wants him to return. To regain his position. To remind the world of what was buried. Training you is the first step."
Gold stared, heart pounding. "You're using me to revive a god."
"No," the man said softly. "I'm helping you become someone who can carry him. Who can remember him."
Kane stirred. Gold rushed to her side. Her eyes fluttered open, confusion swimming in them.
"Gold…?" she murmured.
"I'm here," he said quickly, grasping her hand.
The stranger walked over. "She'll need time. But I can help her, too."
"Do it," Gold said.
He placed a second hand gently over hers, and the same glow pulsed.
Kane gasped—then steadied. Her eyes focused. "What… what happened?"
Gold helped her sit up. "We're safe. For now. He saved us."
She looked at the stranger, then to Gold. "Who is he?"
Gold whispered, "Someone who remembers everything."
———
Later that night, after Kane was resting and the stranger had prepared a small camp near the edge of a quiet valley, Gold stood near the fire.
The man sat across from him. "Your power is unstable because your soul is fragmented. The more you use Pactum magic without control, the more of yourself you'll lose. Eventually, you'll forget who you are entirely."
Gold nodded slowly. "How do I stop that?"
"Training. Deep magic. Rituals of memory tethering. I'll teach you. And her. Together, you'll learn to stabilize the Aether Pactum."
Gold's fists clenched. "And the god?"
"He waits," the man said. "Dormant, buried, but not gone. Reviving his influence is part of our goal. But your survival comes first."
Gold lowered his gaze. "Alright. Teach us."
———
Days passed.
Training began.
Gold and Kane sparred under waterfalls, fought illusions conjured from forgotten fears, meditated through searing visions of their past lives. Each victory was small—but real.
The man taught them to channel energy without fracture. To remember names without pain. To draw sigils without bleeding memory.
At night, he spoke of the world.
He showed them a map—etched in silver fire across the valley floor.
"The Empire rules the center," he said, pointing. "But we are here. The Kingdom of Ilyrion. Founded by Pactum users who escaped extermination centuries ago. Here, the divine are tools—not masters."
He gestured to the north. "Rebel factions fled. The Saints tried to track you, but they failed. My sigil cannot be followed."
Gold and Kane listened, eyes wide.
"And the god I made a pact with?" Gold asked one night.
The man nodded. "Still deep within you. But sealed. Not by force—by time. When the world forgot him, even his name lost power."
"And you want to bring him back," Gold said.
"Yes," the man replied. "Because my kingdom wants him to regain his position. Not just as a god. As the one who once ruled them all."
———
It happened after three weeks.
During a vision ritual, Gold's mind plunged deeper than ever.
He saw fire. A village burning. A woman crying. A boy hiding under floorboards. He saw himself—no, someone else—with his face, holding a dying man's hand.
Then—a name.
A voice.
Gold staggered backward, choking.
"I… I've been here before," he gasped.
The stranger placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "You've begun to remember."
kane looked at him.
the man said. "You were someone before. And now… you've returned."
Gold stared into the fire, his voice low.
"I was reincarnated."
Darkness wrapped the night.
But something old—something forgotten—stirred in the deep.
And remembered its name.