Rei sat on the edge of the bunk, arms crossed, glaring at the wall. Regulus sprawled out on his bed across from him, hands behind his head, smug as if he'd won some invisible argument. The air between them was heavy — both irritated, neither giving ground.
A sharp knock broke the silence.
Mimi pushed the door open without waiting for an answer. "Figures. I could hear the tension from the hallway," she said flatly, glancing between them. "What is it with you two? You just met."
Rei muttered, "Ask him," jerking his head toward Regulus.
Regulus smirked. "He's just cranky."
Mimi pinched the bridge of her nose. "Wonderful. Just what I need before giving you actual work."
Rei blinked, sitting up. "Work?"
Mimi crossed her arms. "Mission briefing. Bandits have been spotted in the forest road not far from here. We're assigned to check it out — see if it's just thieves or something bigger."
Regulus perked up, swinging his legs off the bed. "Finally, something worth doing."
Rei frowned. "Bandits? Already? Isn't that—"
"Dangerous? Yes," Mimi cut him off. "But that's the point. You're not here to stay safe, Rei. You're here to learn how to deal with this kind of thing." Her green eyes narrowed at both of them. "And that means no sulking, no petty fights. Out there, you watch each other's backs. Got it?"
Regulus smirked at Rei. "Guess I'll have to carry you."
Rei shot him a glare, voice tight. "Try me."
Mimi sighed, muttering under her breath. "Great. Babysitting duty and a bandit hunt all in one day…"
The next morning, the group gathered at the edge of the training grounds, each of them strapped with light gear for the mission.
Rei adjusted the strap of his sword, the faint soreness from yesterday's clash with Kaizer still lingering in his muscles. Regulus swung his axe onto his shoulder, looking way too eager for something as grim as a bandit hunt. Mimi stood in front, hands folded neatly, her small frame making her look out of place—until you remembered the sharpness in her eyes.
And trailing a step behind them was Takan.
His brown hair stuck out at odd angles, a pair of round goggles resting on his forehead. His long navy coat almost dragged in the dirt, weighed down by satchels and pockets stuffed with who-knows-what. He looked more like someone preparing for a library trip than a mission into the woods.
"Uhm, wait up!" he called, adjusting the strap of his bag that was bulging with scrolls, notebooks, and metal trinkets. "You're going too fast!"
Rei glanced back, brows furrowed. "You're coming with us?"
Takan caught up, pushing his goggles down over his eyes. "O-of course! Someone has to keep track of the data, record terrain shifts, analyze patterns of the bandit ambushes—" He trailed off when he noticed Regulus snickering. "What?"
"You're really packing all that junk into a forest fight?" Regulus asked, grinning. "What are you gonna do, throw books at the bandits?"
Takan adjusted his glasses nervously. "You'll be glad when you're lost in the deep woods and I've already mapped the entire trail."
Mimi cleared her throat, cutting off the bickering before it spiraled. "Focus. The deeper we go, the more dangerous it gets. This isn't some play fight. Bandits are unpredictable. Stay sharp."
The trees grew denser as they pushed into the forest. The morning light thinned under the canopy, and the air turned damp and cool. Every crunch of leaves under their boots echoed louder than it should have.
Rei rested a hand on his sword. Regulus whistled softly, clearly unfazed. Takan scribbled in his notebook while walking, mumbling calculations under his breath. And Mimi… Mimi kept her small hands clasped behind her back, eyes scanning every shadow with a strange calmness that didn't match her childlike appearance.
For a moment, Rei thought he saw her expression shift like she was sensing something none of them could.
The forest was quiet—too quiet.
The bandits emerged from the undergrowth like wolves, weapons gleaming in the thin beams of light that pierced through the trees. Their eyes locked onto the group with hungry intent.
Regulus was the first to step forward. He cracked his knuckles, and a faint glow rippled across his body as he activated his enhancement magic. His muscles tensed, his veins burning with raw energy.
"Let's make this quick," he growled, before disappearing in a blur of speed.
He shot into their lines, his axe swinging like a storm. Sparks burst from steel meeting steel, the sound of clashing weapons tearing through the forest. Bandits staggered back as Regulus plowed through, moving faster than most eyes could follow.
But then—something shifted.
Rei, hanging back, noticed too late. One of the bandits wasn't fighting normally. His movements were sharper, precise, almost surgical. In the chaos, he slipped past Regulus's storm of attacks and closed the distance with Rei.
There was no sound—just the faint hiss of metal through the air.
Rei looked down.
A dagger was buried deep in his chest.
His breath hitched, warmth spilling down his tunic. His vision blurred, the edges of the world going dark. He stumbled back, eyes widening—not at the pain, but at the strange familiarity.
The bandit's eyes, the way he moved, the way the blade sank into him—he had felt this before. At the academy. Alone, at night. That same cold glint, that same strike.
It's him…
The world collapsed around him.
Rei gasped—
And sat bolt upright in bed.
His dorm room. His bed. His sheets damp with sweat. Regulus was snoring loudly in the other bed, completely oblivious.
Rei clutched his chest, expecting blood, expecting a wound. But there was nothing. No scar. No pain. Just the vivid memory of steel splitting his chest.
He buried his face in his hands, heart hammering.
"…This happened before…" he muttered, voice shaking. "That night outside the academy. Alone. I… I died."
The thought dug into him like claws.
If time had reset if he had really come back from death then who was the one with the dagger? And why did it feel like he was tied to Rei's very existence?