Kael's hands trembled slightly as he clutched the warm tea cup, his voice unsteady yet resolute. "You already know that I have memories of a previous life. I died on the battlefield after fighting for over thirty years. The war begins in about ten years from now. I was a blacksmith’s apprentice in Littlebrook. When I saw enemy soldiers attacking the village, I dropped everything and ran to my family’s farm. But I was too late."

Kael's voice caught in his throat, and he fell silent. Beth watched him empathetically, her own tea cup cradled in her hands, waiting for him to continue.

Gathering his courage, Kael resumed his story. "I hid in the forest until the soldiers left. Once they did, I scavenged what I could from the remains of the village and headed to the nearest city, Thornwood. I hoped that if I traveled without rest, I could outpace the army and get there before them. Thankfully, I was right, and I managed to avoid them. I joined the army in Thornwood, fighting against the Holy Empire alongside my fellow countrymen. But eventually, Thornwood fell. Those of us who remained moved to the capital. When the capital fell too, Alveria crumbled with it. We didn’t stop fighting, though. Thousands of us, full of resentment and hatred for the years of fighting and what was taken from us, fought alone at first. Later, we joined the Belmar Federation to fight alongside them.”

Kael paused to take a shaky sip of his tea, his eyes reflecting the pain and despair he felt as he relived the horrors of his past life.

“We continued like that. A country would fall, and we would join the next. In my final battle, only two of us from Alveria remained. Myself and a mage. I had grown strong in the decades I spent on the battlefield. Very strong. But it wasn’t enough. There were so many enemies, and they continued on as if they never felt fatigue or pain. It was a horrifying sight. Eventually, they overwhelmed me. And… Well… Here I am.” He finished softly, his voice barely audible.

Beth contemplated Kael's story, her brows furrowed in deep thought. After a while, she spoke up. “There are parts of your story that don’t make sense, so I have some questions.” Without waiting for Kael’s response, she started. “In ten years, the Holy Empire invades us and manages to win? They aren’t necessarily weak, but they are nowhere near strong enough to win in an invasion. Even if they found a magic to erase the fatigue and pain of their soldiers, we should be able to hold out against them. Is there a reason why they were able to overpower us?”

Kael marveled at Beth's ability to remain cool and collected despite the gravity of her questions. He wondered if her calm demeanor was a mask, concealing the storm of emotions that must be brewing beneath the surface.

“Ah, actually… I don’t think the enemy soldiers started behaving like that until after Alveria fell. As for why we lost, I don’t know. I was only a blacksmith’s apprentice in a small village, and after that, I was just a common soldier. I did hear some rumors, though. Some people seemed to blame our loss on the newly crowned king. From what I heard, the Third Prince was crowned shortly before the invasion started and handled it poorly.”

At this revelation, Beth's eyes widened, and she set down her tea cup, her fingers drumming anxiously on the table. She continued her questioning.

“Do you know why the Third Prince was crowned? Do you know what happened to the King and the other princes?”

Kael thought for a moment before he answered. He didn't recall any news about the previous king dying, or the other princes for that matter. But it made sense—something had to happen to them if the Third Prince ended up getting crowned. Kael just shook his head.

Beth sighed, then upon seeing Kael's downtrodden expression, spoke up. “Well, since you told me a story, let me tell you one. Long ago, there was a genius mage. She became famous and wealthy and well respected. That genius mage found a child with exceptional talent for magic and started to teach him. The child was so talented that everyone constantly showered him with praise. With that praise, however, came expectation. The young mage trained and studied and trained with every waking hour, desperate to meet those expectations. Every moment he rested felt like a moment where he was letting down everyone that trusted in him. But his hard work bore fruit, and his teacher would praise him whenever he made a new achievement. This likely drove him to work even harder. He never complained, and he never asked for help in his experiments. He was a genius, after all; he felt he should be able to handle it on his own. Then, one of his experiments went wrong. Terribly wrong. It left him turned into a pulsating blob of flesh. It must have been days that he was left there in that tormented state. Based on the composition of his body, each second must have been agonizing and full of unspeakable pain. The first to find him was his teacher, who was starting to grow concerned about how long her disciple had been locked away in his experiment. Once she found him, the only thing she could do to help him was to end his life.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kael was so entranced by the sudden story that he didn't move a muscle the entire time she told it. Even after she stopped, he just blankly stared at her in a stupor. Beth cleared her throat and spoke up again.

“The reason I tell you this is so that you can learn from it. I don’t care who you are. Even if you did have talent, you can’t take things on by yourself. You need allies. You need people you can depend on. And not just in a physical sense either. You need to share the burden. Both the burden of responsibility and the burden of knowledge. The teacher only found out her student’s feelings after she read his diary. If he had spoken up… or if the teacher had simply asked… he would still be alive today. If you try to shoulder this burden on your own, you will fail, and what you fear most will come to pass.”

Kael took a moment to process this information. It was obvious by her tone that the teacher in that story was her. He was shocked by her willingness to share such a sensitive story with him. But thinking about the contents of her story, it made sense. Everything made sense, actually. It explained why she didn't have an apprentice already. Who would want to take on another one after that horrifying experience? It also explained why she wanted to help him. His own situation was eerily like the story she told. But there was a key difference. He decided to voice his concerns.

“I think it’s easier to find people willing to help with magical experiments than it is to find people who can help in a threat against the country with the only information about it being that some random villager knows the future. I don’t even know how to find the people that would be able to help anyways, and if I did, I wouldn’t be able to convince them to believe me."

Beth's eyes softened as she contemplated Kael's concerns. She leaned back in her chair, arms folded across her chest, and spoke thoughtfully.

"You're right. Finding people to help in such a situation isn't a walk in the park. But that doesn't make it impossible. There are those who are willing to listen, to trust, and to lend their strength. Of course, people won't believe a stranger right away. That's why you must first demonstrate that you're worth believing. By showcasing your knowledge, skills, and determination, you can become someone they trust. If you can achieve that, you'll be able to sway them without even revealing the future."

Kael considered her advice, feeling encouraged yet still grappling with the practical aspects. "That's inspiring advice, but it doesn't solve the initial problem of me not knowing how to approach them. How do I find these people? And once I find them, how do I gain their trust and their time?"

A mischievous grin spread across Beth's face, her eyes gleaming with secrets. "Oh, don't worry about that. I believe I have a solution."

Kael raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Would you care to share this mysterious plan?"

Beth chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Not yet. It won't come to fruition for some time. For now, focus on honing your skills, getting proper rest, and making friends. Socializing will become an invaluable skill for you. Speaking of rest, I'll cure your cold, and then I expect you to stay in bed until tomorrow morning. You've got a lot of sleep to catch up on."

Kael had little choice but to acquiesce to Beth's demands. After all, she was a formidable mage and the one providing him shelter. Once she healed him of his ailment, he reluctantly made his way to his room and climbed into bed. Anxious yet strangely relieved, Kael couldn't help but wonder what plan Beth had in store for him.

But for the moment, the weight on his shoulders felt lighter. Beth might be a sarcastic and cranky old woman, but she was reliable. Though he hadn't known her for long, her support meant the world to him.

As he lay in bed, his thoughts turned to the future and the actions he would take to shape it. For the first time in a long while, he made plans fueled by hope rather than fear and desperation. Eventually, sleep claimed him, and miraculously, he enjoyed a restful night, free of nightmares.