Arlet led the war band into the woods, a dozen riders and six pack horses followed him, passing through Greenhaven and into the woods. They followed a winding trail through the ill maintained woods, stopping often to move aside fallen branches and debris. Despite Green’s laissez-faire approach to governance, even he could understand that his woodsmen were falling short of their most basic contracts. I should punish them for taking my gold and giving me nothing… but who can really blame them? Would I be willing to cut wood if monsters were going to hunt me?

Liam looked at his finger, knowing he very well would not risk his life for a few faggots. Weird terminology, but I guess that lines up with Earth’s ancient use of the term, or… Are Green’s memories changing how I see the world? He thought.

Around the war band the woods began to change, taking on a sharply darker appearance. There were no white Aspens, only unpleasantly dark oaks, as if Rhendal’s presence had caused the forest around him to smolder. Many of the oaks were bent and twisted, gnarled limbs that seemed capable of hiding vagrant hellspawn. While the sky darkened in an ominous purple hue, a mind-harrowing color for the noonday’s sun. They went deeper, until ash seemed to rain in minute snowflakes, specling the trail with dots of white.

“I do not remember the woods being so… haggardly. Do you think Sage Rhendal will be alright?” Asked Liam, staring at a particularly mangled oak in front of him; unsure if the oak resembled a burning man, or a crucified woman more.

“Rhendal is a master of fire my lord, some even rank him amongst the grandmasters, I would not be surprised if he or some misbegotten experiment of his is the source of our troubles.” Said Arlet.

Oh man, I really hope this guy is just quirky. A grandmaster sounds like an important figure… Hey Green! That’s your cue to send me useful memories, things like what a grandmaster is or what they do… Or, anything at all…

No memories appeared, filling Liam with a strange sense of peaceful emptiness. Wow, I finally found something Green knows nothing about, how inconvenient.

The forest began to thin as they approached Rhendal’s tower, charcoal stumps and piles of soot marked where the trees and brush had been deliberately burned away. While a foot thick ring of white ash marked the edge of Rhendal’s dominion. Without the windbreak of trees the ashes should have been scattered by the faintest breeze, yet it was clear they were held in place by arcane energies. Within the circle the ground was carpeted by vibrant flowers. Smaller than one would expect in Greenwood, but more colorful than Liam or Green had ever seen. Green flowers danced among the yellows, mingling with violent reds and passive orange poppies.

More confusing than the flowers was the tower. A four story tall monolith of seamless obsidian, one of the structures left behind by humanities’ predecessors. The black glass reflected the midday sun well and shone with a brilliance that made Liam’s mouth drop.

Flowers that grow on ashes, they might be magical, or a rare breed that Rhendal has gone through a lot of trouble to grow. Still, burning down the forest seems a bit extreme!

“Stick to the path and do not trample the flowers.” Liam ordered.

Knights and militia passed the order on, spooking the servants who had accompanied them.

Arriving at the sage’s tower, they were met with an unsettling sight. Rhendal, the ancient sage, sat cross-legged in the center of a stone circle, sigils and runes were inscribed around the circumference of the slab. With nothing to keep him decent besides his —gratuitously long— gray beard. Blue light enveloped his frail physique, bathing the sage in a calming light. The tranquility of his aura and poise was deeply at odds with the hell blasted heath surrounding his home.

Liam narrowed his eyes, inhaling as deeply as he dared in preparation to meet the sage. He would have turned to Green’s memories but alcohol had erased the ones concerning Rhendal, leaving only a bitter resentment for the sage. Here goes nothing… Liam dismounted, limping towards Rhendal, mentally humbling himself so as to not enrage the grandmaster of fire.

“Baron Green,” Rhendal’s voice was like a whisper of wind, “You have awakened a most potentious power. If I studied for two hundred years in the royal library itself I would not hold a candle to the power you now command. Why. Are. You. Here?” Snapped Rhendal, punctuation each word with a snap of his jaw.

“Have you finally come for my head?” He sneered, lips scowling into a grin that sent shivers down Liam’s spine.

“If you are the cause of these portals then your life would be forfeit.” Arlet retorted, reaching for his sword.

“That is not how one asks for help captain.” Snapped Liam.

Holding up a hand to forestal Arlet, Liam advanced, leaning heavily on a cane. He came to a halt at the edge of the runic circle and knelt, bowing his head in deference to the sage.

“Greenwood is in turmoil, forests we thought empty now overflow with demons. Hellspawn we are incapable of culling, and reports of purple rivers birthing more monsters assail me from every angle. Children beg me to restore their slain fathers, widows weep for their husbands, and parents pray for their sons to return home. All the while the guillotine of starvation hangs above our throats, I beg of you, sage Rhendal, help me save my people. Lend me your knowledge.” Liam begged.

Rhendal’s mouth dropped open. His eyes flapping wide at Baron Green’s honest humility. To say he was flabbergasted would be to call the sun ‘slightly brighter than a campfire’. Soft noises of poorly concealed distress escaped from Arlet and Nyota was caught so off guard she let out a meow. An actual meeoooow, what in the world… Well, I guess what in THIS world…

Rhendal spared a glance for her, pupils dilating in curiously uneven ways at her presence before wrinkling his nose twice. Giving his voluptuous beard a few managerial tugs he leaned forward, bringing his mouth closer to Liam’s ear.

“Baron William Ethan Green would never be able to swallow his pride as you have done. The shock alone would kill him. So you must not be that detestable curr. But I sense the same mana, the same affinities from you as I sensed from him all those years ago. What are you?” Whispered Rhendal, his voice was so quiet Liam was straining to hear him.

I am me! William Wilson, Liam! Crap, I don’t think this guy is gonna buy that excuse. What can I say… ‘You’re correct Rhendal I was hit by lightning and woke up in grandpa Green’s skull?’ Ugh! If our places were exchanged I would roast me right then and there.

Trying to buy himself time to think Liam dug up a philosophical improbability.

“Humility comes after circumstances force it upon you.”

Rhendal stroked his beard once, melting the corners of his mouth into a frown. He raised one hand and a staff appeared in it, vanquishing the blue aura and replacing it with red flames in an instant.

“You may possess the Baron’s body, but his soul is gone. What have you done? Speak true or I will strike you down where you stand. This is my tower, my place of power. Even if you brought a hundred knights with you they would not be enough to stop me before I struck the killing blow.” Shouted Rhendal, magic impregnated his every word, slamming them into Liam’s brain with the force of a tsunami.

“Shut up!” Shouted Liam, rising to meet the sage’s gaze.

He held up a hand, palm outward to stop Arlet’s charge, an angry huff came from a foot behind him, telling Liam that his guess had been correct. Arlet, you’re a bit predictable, but I appreciate you. Oh, I should tell him that.

“Ahem, Arlet, please withdraw, as I said this morning, we're dead without aid. If Rhendal kills me now then it would be a mercy.”

“My lord!—”

“Withdraw.” Liam snapped.

Steel creaked as Arlet squeezed his sword, retreating five stomped steps away. Rhendal’s confused voice brought his attention forward.

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“Champion Arlet has only grown faster over the years… I could not have slain you before he killed me…” Rhendal said, sounding miffed.

“He is ferocious, but no champion can slay a shadow, or kill a ghost, Greenwood needs you Rhendal, if not for your fire than for your knowledge I- ah...” Liam paused, uncertain if he should tell the sage a story or the truth.

Green’s memories said a story would be plausible and coherent, whereas the truth would sound like the insane ramblings of a schizophrenic. ‘oh there are two voices in your head, and they’re different people. The voices tell you to do things and you have lived two separate lifetimes… okay…’

Liam’s mouth went dry… Deception or the textbook definition of schizophrenia…

He cupped Rhendal’s ear, whispering so only the old man could hear him.

“You’re right, my mind, well, I have his memories so it’s more like my intelligence or personality are not Baron Green’s. Honestly, I don’t know how I came to be in this body, or how magic works, and I would like to go home, back to the body I trained, and the life I earned.” Said Liam.

Rhendal went very still, unmoving in the face of honesty. He must think i’m insane, does getting burned alive hurt more than being electrocuted?

“Look here.” Said Liam, pulling back the bandages on his unhealed arm. Lichtenberg marks criss crossed his skin, angry red ferns that Nyota had yet to heal.

“I was struck by lightning, in this world and my own. I, I- don’t know. As much as I wish to return home, I can’t abandon all these people. Not without giving them the chance to stand on their own two feet. After that I intend to appoint Arlet as steward over Greenwood, until the king can find a suitable replacement. Your name would be my first recommendation if you find a way to send me home.” Whispered Liam.

Rhendal’s eyes shut Liam spoke, his frown carving furrows in his cheeks when Liam asked to return home. Rhendal brought his right hand up, raising it like a student to declare his question.

“Our worthless lord is exchanged for a young man of character and you ask for me to undo this most fortuitous exchange? No.“ Rhendal shook his head.

“Baron Green is twenty years older than me and treated himself like garbage! I workout, eat freaking salads, skip cake at birthday parties and what do I get for working hard? A beer belly! And wrinkles on top of wrinkles, everything hurts for no reason at all! Green was trained his whole life to rule Greenwood, it is his responsibility, and his expertise, I know he seems awful but he has the knowledge and experience I lack. Please Rhendal, it’s already been days, I don’t know what Green is doing in my body! I have a fiance, the love of my life. Don’t let Green…” Liam shook, unable to finish the sentence.

“Ha ha!” Shouted Rhendal, tears of joy appearing in his naked eyes. “Is that what you’re concerned about? Here I was thinking you were a narcissist, but no, it’s just love. HA!” Rhendal roared with laughter, positively demonic given the flames licking their bodies.

Moments passed as Rhendal laughed himself dry, then he spoke once more. “I will do all in my power to help you. My lord. On one condition.”

Liam gave him a suspicious look, he had already offered him the Barony, what more could he desire?

“What is your condition sage?”

Rhendal raised one finger and pointed to Nyota.

“I want your Eclipsiarch all to myself for one day.” He said, eyes interrogating Liam’s face for a response.

Nyota’s ears snapped back, laying flat against her head, her mouth opened and a hiss escaped her lips. Such immediate fury shocked Liam, he had never seen Nyota act with hostility towards anyone, and her wrath confused him. Arlet stepped between Nyota and Rhendal, longsword in hand. The sage in turn, grinned widely, too widely. Coaxing a shiver from Liam as he saw striations along Rhendal’s teeth. His incisors are flat, all his teeth are flat, with striations on them… Did he file his teeth down? WHY?!

Liam glanced at Nyota then back to Rhendal, puzzling out what their relation might be. She was a felinid, could he be some sort of partial human who was naturally opposed to her? A dog man maybe? Trade Nyota for Sarah…

“Your offer is tempting, and I must admit it causes me great pain to say this, but I must refuse. To honor your request would require breaking my oath to Nyota. I swore on my life that no harm would come to her only a few days ago. Although, if companionship is what you seek, there is an underground bordello in Greenhaven-”

“You did what? Ha! HA! Ahahahahaha! Swore on your life? To a slave! Hahahaha!” Thundered Rhendal, howling with unbridled laughter till he fell over.

That did nothing to halt his mirth, for he rolled across stone, laughing so hard that tears rolled down his cheeks and the flames of magic dispersed. What is so funny? This world has some serious culture shock, oaths are supposed to be important here, why is he laughing? Eventually Rhendal found his breath, though it left a deeply unpleasant quiet in the minds of those around him.

“You misunderstand me! I don’t want to lay with her. Truth be told I haven’t gotten a stiffy since I blasted that succubus a few years back. It’s my knees you see, and well- my back too, ah- how did you put it? Everything hurts for no reason? A few doses of healing magic is all I meant to request.” Said Rhendal conspiratorially, leaning in and keeping his voice low as he spoke.

Liam was scared to ask what he meant by blasted, hoping it was metaphorical and not euphorical. Though he dared not clarify.

“Oh, I see… uhm my apologies sage Rhendal, you have an accord. You may have all the healing we can spare in return for your aid. Though I will put any life threatening injuries ahead of your comfort.”

Rhendal bowed to him, snapping his fingers to summon an impressively embroidered robe which wrapped itself around the sage, covering more than his beard. He caught Liam’s offered hand and shook it.

“We have an accord on this matter. Although, sending you home will require far greater compensation if it is possible, who knows? Either way i’m excited to explore the question with you!” Rhendal said, meaning every word.

“I understand. Save Greenwood, then explore magic, very well, let us work the problem.” Said Liam.

“Work the problem, oh what a joyous phrase. Yes indeed! I know of these purple rivers, they are portals, the spawn of dark magicks, and similar to my own, but entirely unholy. I’ve seen many appear and vanish as of late, unstable portals with insufficient mana or skill for proper travel. For this reason I believe these portals are a result of a great imbalance in the Heavens,” Rhendal explained. “A malevolent power seeks to destabilize your lands. Yet refuses to spread beyond the border.”

“Are you certain this is intentional?” Growled Liam.

If someone was targeting Greenwood then it might be easier to kill them without seeking the king’s aid.

“I do not have the answer to that question. Each individual portal is simple magic, relatively weak if I am being honest, but I sense dozens of portals appearing every day. More than could be summoned by all the mages of this world. Primordial chaos has come to remake our lands.”

“Can we close the portals?” Asked Liam.

“They will close on their own when something transits through them. A dead body or a warrior traversing the portal would expend it’s energy, similarly mana, conveyed via a spell such as fireball would destroy the portal.”

“You can’t be serious! We can stop the monsters just by throwing shit through the portals?” Cried Liam, raising both hands to his head as he spoke.

Captain Arlet and Nyota jumped in surprise at his outburst.

“Uhm. Yes m’lord. Personally I would use fire or thunder in your case, either has better range than feces, but if you were out of mana feces would work… Might take a cart full…” Rhendal stroked his beard, mentally calculating how many people it would take to close a portal with poop, he arrived at the conclusion.

“Ahem- dirt would be easier, since there would be no need to transport it to the portal. Inanimate matter drains energy proportionally to the volume and weight of material that passes through it. Living things require more energy for their weight but portals are often directional, if you jumped through it you can’t come back. While mana destabilizes portals, leading to a near instant collapse. Mages are the most efficient answer to your portal problem.”

Captain Arlet nodded in agreement, “It’s not the most elegant solution, but it will work in a pinch. Even the militia can throw shi- I mean, sticks into a portal.”

Liam let out an exasperated chuckle, Arlet’s joke striking home in an annoying fashion, making him bitter about keeping his identity secret from the dauntless knight.

Not yet, if I tell him now it’ll only make me a disappointment, for now I’ll have to wield Baron Green’s power to save Greenwood… I can’t let them down. Not when they are counting on me.

“Let us return to your keep Lord Liam. It will be easier for your to compensate me there.” Said Rhendal.

“If you come with us, then no one will be left to care for your tower, or your flowers.” Said Nyota.

Weird question… Does she want to stay here with the old man?

“They are fire poppies and phoenix flowers, death is a natural and required part of growing stronger. They will bloom and die while I am away, leaving nothing but their seed behind. Months or even years may pass, but when I return I will burn this field, sear it with my hottest flames, and from the ashes of their parent’s corpse the seed will sprout, stronger than their progenitors.”

“You almost sound poetic.” Said Liam, suddenly curious if Rhendal’s words carried a hidden meaning or two.

They did.

Rhendal saw the inquisitive zeal in Liam’s eyes, and wondered to himself. I’ve seen eyes like that before, in my own skull… God, Perun Taloc, why did you take Baron Green and send us this… lordly Liam? Do you mean to cultivate a Lightning Lord by burning this land down? I have no love for Greenwood’s humans, but they have done us no real evil, are you really prepared to sacrifice them all just to fertilize an old man’s growth?

An old sermon from Rhendal’s college days rose to his forebrain, ‘The Final Victory comes after a Final Sacrifice.’

Rhendal shuddered as he interpreted the revelation.