Hi. My name is Jack. This is the story of how I died and got a second chance to right the wrongs I had committed.
---
I opened my eyes, only to see an infinite expanse of white. Seeing no discernible end to the space, my pulse began rising quickly. Before fear could swallow me, a powerful, booming voice spoke from everywhere.
"You are dead, child, but do not fear, for reincarnation is real. Usually only the soul reincarnates, devoid of memories, but sometimes, divine providence smiles on someone, and this time it happens to be you. I see you have some good and some bad in you, nothing extreme, and a crafty mind. You are a 4X strategy game junkie and long to play it in real life, huh? Then this will be like a dream come true for you, if you can survive. Farewell." The God or whatever he was, flooded my mind with the torrent of words in one go.
"WAIT, wait, wait! What happened?"
"You died. There is no going back for you, but I'm granting you another chance at life."
"Oh." I said, while trying to regain my composure. "Do I get any super powers?"
"You're going to have plenty of advantage in the form of the knowledge you possess."
"So you're sending me to a less developed civilization. What about immunity from disease? I could end up killing everyone else!"
"You won't be 'spawning' in your original body, boy."
"At least give me something!" I pleaded. I didn't have the full picture, but I did recognize an opportunity to get super powers and I wasn't going to let it pass.
"Fine. I bless your new body with health and strength. You will be immune to all diseases and poisons, nor will your strength leave you with age. I am granting you a second chance at life, DO NOT WASTE IT."
"I won't! I promise. Also, can I get some of them numbers?" I said sheepishly. It would be nice to have quantifiable metrics.
"Numbers?"
"Yeah, like HP, MP?"
"Real life is not a video game, child. However, if you prove yourself worthy, I might grant you another boon."
Before I could even respond, he made a mental shooing gesture, and I was gone.
---
"Ugh... Finally!"
Aprilia unceremoniously dropped her pack and collapsed onto the lush green grass herself. Her family and the other refugees had done the same.
Her people's arduous journey had, at long last, come to an end. If she could help it, she would never set a single foot outside the beautiful valley they had finally discovered.
Long before she was born, her people, the Cha, had fled persecution and settled in the Nanon kingdom in the hopes of a peaceful existence. Sadly, hatred and bigotry knew no boundary. Any misfortune that befell the natives, be it crop failure or runaway daughters, was blamed on "those damn foreigners."
They hadn't even properly put down their roots when a plague spread throughout the land. Fortunately, it wasn't too deadly, but the rabble-rousers didn't hesitate in blaming the Cha for it, escalating their status from a nuisance to a genuine threat. When minor altercations began turning into gruesome murders and gang rapes, they had to reluctantly uproot themselves, again, to look for a safe haven, if one could even be found.
Luckily for them, their leaders had been preparing for such an eventuality and had spent years investigating rumors and whispers. The one they decided to bank their hopes upon was that of a valley beyond the Treacherous Bog, northwest of the Nanon kingdom. They found multiple credible accounts of a dense forest beyond the bog, which led to a pristine valley, untouched by human feet and eyes.
Thus the Cha began their exodus, which wasn't to be a pleasant journey. Their fellow humans proved to be a bigger impediment than nature itself. Fearing that they would spread the plague, nobody was willing to let thousands of foreigners pass through their lands. They had to sell almost all of their possessions to bribe the guards to let them slip through. Aprilia worried how they would survive, now that they had next to nothing to their names. Freedom meant nothing if you were starving.
They lost all hope of reaching their destination when the Count of Nobara threatened to deploy his soldiers if they entered his county, while his son argued to just let them pass. The Count would not relent, so the son, Viscount Jack Nobara, went behind his father's back and began helping the Cha cross the county in small groups. Count Zock found out and ordered the slaughter of every Cha. Many were killed, but most survived, thanks to the Viscount's guidance, and managed to cross the county.
Aprilia vividly recalled the fear that had gripped her when the Count's soldiers caught up her group. Luckily, the valiant Lord Jack was personally escorting them and fended off the pursuers by himself. While they fled into the safety of the forest, he defeated four soldiers, and the rest ran away. Her smile vanished when he fell down abruptly.
She remembered her heart hammering in her chest as she ran up to him, along with a few other courageous youngsters. They turned him around, fearing the worst, but were relieved to find him still breathing, though with blood oozing from his numerous wounds. The grateful Cha would not leave their savior behind, so they tended to him the best they could and took him with them, before the Count's men could attack again. They entered the Treacherous Bog and were finally free from the clutches of Count Zock.
Unfortunately for the Cha, their tribulations didn't end there, as the aptly named Treacherous Bog began claiming lives. Many children and elders were lost to disease and malnutrition, while Lord Jack slipped into a coma. Aprilia had to be brave for her parents, who lost their youngest child. Her mother's wails as she clutched the lifeless body of little Vinnie still haunted Aprilia's dreams. They buried his little body in the Bog, where he would rest forever
The refugees believed their trials were behind them once they had crossed the Bog, but fate had other plans. The handful of hunters among them were scouting the dense forest which lay beyond the bog when they were ambushed by a band of brigands. They managed to kill the scum, but victory came at a high price. Five brave hunters lost their lives, while the head hunter was severely wounded. Tired, malnourished and sick of all the losses, many were ready to give up, when the forest gave way to their destination, a pristine valley with no human settlement in sight.
The Elders and the hunters decided they would settle deeper, where the land was more fertile. Aprilia wanted to just sit down and lie on the lush grass for a week, everything else be damned. She looked around and found herself surrounded by thousands of people, with a mix of emotions on their faces. Their relief and happiness at the ending of their ordeal were tempered by their grief; almost everyone had lost a loved one. They had begun their journey as almost five thousand refugees, but only a little over three thousand made it alive.
Lord Jack hadn't woken up throughout the journey. Now that they were away from the noxious environment of the Bog, Aprilia had expected his health to improve, but it took a turn for the worse and began deteriorating further, his face becoming gaunt and pale. She was shocked to hear that the Council of Elders was considering ending his suffering. She stayed by his side the night when he almost died.
She had finally given up hope of him ever recovering when suddenly his health began improving at an astonishing rate. His skin began regaining its color and they couldn't shove food in his mouth fast enough. People began calling it a miracle, a sign of better times to come.
Aprilia didn't know if she and the refugees truly believed that, but the Cha, weary and destitute, desperately needed hope. One thing she knew for certain: their future was going to be anything but uneventful.