I woke up and saw my right-hand man, Garret, standing at attention beside my bed. Wait... Garret? How do I know his name? And this place—this is Morvayn, a kingdom of the past, one of the last strongholds still at war against the dragons. Most kingdoms have fallen, wiped out from this world. How did I end up here?

I began to remember bits and pieces. This body belonged to Newt Windborne, a noble of the kingdom and a young commander in charge of this fortress. Somehow, it was now mine. I didn't know what happened, but I knew one thing: I had to survive and lead.

The memories came flooding back. I was 19, and apparently a prodigy—a mana user since 15, mastering intermediate mana by 18. Sent to defend this southern fortress, Velwich, against relentless monster attacks, and now I had to carry that burden. Why me? Why here?

Garret was still staring at me with a mixture of concern and confusion. "What do you want?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

He flinched, falling to his knees with a shocked expression. "C-Captain, you were... acting strange, like something was wrong with you." His face paled, and he stammered, "You were showing emotions... weird emotions."

"Like what?" I pressed.

"Like... crazy emotions," he blurted out instinctively, realizing too late what he had just said. He dropped his gaze, trembling. "Please don't kill me! I didn't mean to offend, Captain. I have children!"

I laughed, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "Who said I'm going to kill you? Do you think I'm some crazy murderer?"

"I didn't mean it like that!" he said quickly, sweat running down his forehead.

"Relax, Garret. I'm not going to kill you. Now, give me the battle report."

Relieved but still uneasy, Garret stood up and opened a scroll, reading aloud, "We lost 378 infantry, 13 cavalry, and 6 elite soldiers. 54 infantry and 37 archers were wounded, but they'll recover within two days. The walls held up well, with no major structural damage, though we did lose 60% of our oil reserves."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

I winced at the mention of the oil. That plan had worked, but it cost us more than I expected.

"And my condition?" I asked, curious about how I survived.

He shuffled through another scroll. "You've got some broken ribs and surface injuries. We used healing magic, but you'll feel exhausted and may experience some nausea. With your physique as a mana user, you should be fully recovered tomorrow. It's recommended you rest for at least 12 hours."

"Understood," I said, dismissing him.

Alone at last, I noticed the healing potion left on my table. Without thinking, I gulped it down in one go. Immediately, I regretted it. The potion tasted horrible, like someone tried to poison me with bitter herbs and sour metal. I drank water desperately, but the aftertaste lingered, making me feel like I was chewing on sandpaper.

I laid back down on my bed, feeling the strange effects of the healing magic working through my body. I had never suffered such severe injuries before—never broken bones, never tasted battle so closely. It felt foreign and painful, but also... empowering. I could feel my bones mending, my muscles growing stronger, all in real time. It was a surreal sensation, like something new was growing inside me.

As I tried to relax, my thoughts wandered. Velwich Fortress... one of the most southern strongholds, famous for its sturdy walls. The capital rarely sent reinforcements here, confident that Velwich could hold out on its own. In the past, archers stationed on these walls had fended off entire hordes of monsters without much support from the infantry. The stories about the fortress made me believe this place was nearly invincible.

But last night, we had faced something different—an overwhelming wave of monstrous creatures that threatened to break us. I had barely survived the encounter. The losses were heavy, but it could have been far worse. The fact that I had held this fortress with my limited knowledge was a miracle in itself.

I thought back to the battle, the terror of watching waves of wolves and bears—larger and more violent than anything on Earth—rushing toward our gates. And yet, we had held. The cannons, the archers, the traps... my plan had worked. But I knew this was just the beginning. The world I found myself in was cruel, and I had a feeling it would only get harder from here.

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was all part of some larger plan. One that I wasn't fully aware of yet. But for now, I had survived.