" I'll fight, till from my bones my flesh be hacked. "
William Shakespeare
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I advanced, my blade swinging in front of me as I kept my other hand to my side, maintaining a perfect distance —a just enough distance for me to lunge and land a good hit. Taking a deep breath, my eyes were laser-focused on the man before me.
Ernest Schmidt.
A rather popular fencer in this tournament, and in a match-up like this? I was the underdog. My opponent shuffled ever so closer, and I challenged his position by leaning slightly forward as if pretending to go for a lunge.
The man, seeing my challenge, backed off, allowing me to move forward ever so more, a grin forming on my face as I tried to find the best angle to strike. He tried to parry as I closed the distance, attempting to knock my blade off its original course. He slowly returned his blade to its original position and lunged.
His point aimed at my head, tilting my head to the side slightly, I dropped and aimed for his chest, leaving my 'En Garde' as I fully extended my arm for the attack. My blade struck its target, landing against the man's chest. A buzzer went off as it hit.
That was the end, our match came to a close, and I emerged victorious in this tournament.
Taking off my helmet, I held out a hand to shake as I smiled at my opponent.
" Well fought. "
The man before me spoke as he took off his own headpiece, his blonde hair shining under the harsh stadium lights. Taking my hand, he gave it a good shake, our grips strong.
I nodded at his words before giving him my own, " Indeed, it was, you had me nervous". I gave a soft chuckle as we both headed for the podium to receive our prizes. The man stared at me for a moment before laughing out loud.
Covering his mouth as people turned towards him, " Nervous? You? You must be trying to make me laugh. " The man smiled as he pointed at me before stepping up on the podium. " It was hard fought indeed, but you dominated me all in all. "
I stared at him for a moment before turning my eyes forward. The crowd stared us down as the three of us stood in our places. My coach suddenly approached me.
" Siegbert, here. " The old man passed me the German flag as I placed it on my back.
I had finally done it, I had got the gold medal in fencing, staring into the sky.
' Are you finally proud, Vater. '
And with those words, I felt a tear crawl from my left eye. Giving it a good wipe, I stared at the man before me with a gold medal in hand. Leaning down, I presented my neck as he slid the medal over my head and hung it around my neck.
" Congratulations, you gave us a good show. "
I grinned at that, " I try my best. "
With those words said, the event came to a close, and I emerged victorious. This feeling, that welled up in my chest, felt wondrous. Was this what victors felt every time they won? It felt almost addictive.
As I climbed down from the stadium and headed to my corner, where my team and family were, or what was left of my family. My mother hugged me, one so tight it actually tightened my heart, "You're killing me, mother."
She could only release her grip slightly as she hugged me for a moment longer, " Your father would be proud, Sieg". She smiled as she stared at me, " Now show me that gold medal of yours, I need to see where I should hang it".
I softened at her words, " Above my silver ones, preferably. "
Hearing my words, she nodded, " Of course, we need more shelves. " She suddenly lit up, " Your silvers take up too much space. How many were there? Thirteen Silver medals and two bronzes. "
I shook my head, "No, mother, it was only one bronze. "
She gave a soft chuckle, " Ah, that is my fault, you earn so many I'm losing count. " She ruffled my hair. "Let's go home now. "
I stared at her for a moment, " Yes, let's. " and with those words, we both began to walk for the exit of the stadium, and with this match over, the next chapter of my life began.
'What should I call it?'
Thinking to myself, I only shook my head as I found myself walking along the streets of Berlin, following my mother. We eventually came past our car, an old Volvo, but it worked, so who really cared?
Shrugging my shoulders, I opened the doors and sat down on the seats. Pulling out my phone, I checked the news.
[ Deutschlands neuer bester Fechter!? ]
Seeing the news, I couldn't help but feel prouder; my skills were finally being recognised, but it wasn't over yet. My ultimate goal is to be Olympic-ready, and I aim to win a medal for my country.
Those two goals were my endpoints for my fencing career, and once that was done, I was planning to work in a sort of museum as a historian. After all, I was incredibly fascinated by history and all the things that happened in the past. It was also a great way for me to learn about the history of medieval combat.
As I also planned to go into Buhurt once I had achieved everything I wanted to. Yet as I wondered about all the future things I could do, I paused for a moment, turning my head towards my mother, who was bopping her head to the music she had turned on.
I couldn't help but smile. Maybe it was better to live in the present. The future can wait; just let me enjoy these moments for as long as possible.
Yet my thoughts stopped as bright lights hit my eyes, before suddenly a loud bang hit my ears, and I was sent against the car door, everything going black. The collision was so sudden, I didn't even have time to think before I found myself enveloped by this darkness.
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The darkness was chilling, as its soft winds blew against my skin, causing each strand of my hair to rise, and yet it was so calming. Like the sea breeze, one so relaxing and calming that you'd wish you were able to stay there, in that moment, forever.
Yet, I sat in this same spot, feeling the cooling breeze and yet nothing changed. I did not wake up, and I did not appear before the gates of either Heaven or Hell. So why, why was I stuck here?
Was this purgatory, had all my good equalled to all my evil?
No, that's not possible, I'm sure I did far more bad than good. All the people I made suffer in my ignorance to achieve success, maybe this was the right place for me—a place where I could enjoy nothing but the calming wind.
I made so many mistakes in that life, yet I couldn't help but ponder living through it again if I could. I may not have been perfect, but hey, no one was perfect once that apple was eaten.
As I thought more and more about my life, the winds blew stronger, almost taking me off my feet, yet I resisted and marched forward.
" No matter the problem, you should always march forward, Sieg. Just like your father, your grandfather and the many before. "
The words of my mothers surfaced as I continued marching forward, and the further I marched, the stronger the winds. Yet I kept moving. This was nothing compared to everything else I faced.
A grimace formed as I kept going, and eventually the winds stopped, and the darkness shifted behind me as a new landscape formed ahead of me. A pure cascade of blue skies with clouds that looked fluffier than cotton, and the ground below was no longer ground but rather a clear ocean that reflected the skies above.
Without even noticing it, words flowed out of my mouth.
" Beautiful... "
" It is indeed Siegbert. " The voice of a weathered old man startled me as I turned around, revealing a man who sported greying hair and a slightly grown beard, his most striking features being the red eyes that seemed to glow.
I stepped back as my eyes focused on the man, my fist raising into a boxing stance, the man seeing my stance. Looked me up and down before starting to chuckle, his laugh low but easily audible.
The man stopped before returning my gaze and smiled at me, " There is no need for hostility, young Sieg. " Yet, hearing the man's word, I kept my fists raised. " Truly, I mean no hostility to you. I come with a simple proposal. One that benefits both parties. "
Hearing the man, I saw his smile form as he snapped his fingers, a table and chair forming out of nothing and becoming something. He pointed towards the chair, " Sit, my boy, we have much to discuss. "
As he sat first, I too sat down.
" What is it you want? " I eyed him suspiciously, and the man simply raised his hands, a piece of paper in one and a pen in the other.
The man placed the two down before me, flipping the paper so I could read it, " A simple transaction between two parties. " Hearing his words, I couldn't help but frown for a moment as I began to read the paper.
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[ Gottes Angebot ]
1 ) Granted Opportunity for reincarnation
{Mortal receives: The chance to be reborn in a new world, one futuristic or medieval, that is up to luck.}
{God receives: A Champion that must help God regain his influence in the new world.}
2 ) Protection in exchange for loyalty
{Mortal Receives: Divine protection that stops lesser curses, interference from deities, demons and wandering spirits}
{God Receives: The Mortals' loyalty to never betray him.}
3 ) Power in exchange for purpose
{Mortal Receives: A shard of divinity-manifested as strength, knowledge or magic. Can shift one's fate, but they are still lesser than the divine.}
{God Receives: A Mortal that must serve out tasks to protect God's divinity in the world.}
4) Ascension in Exchange for Service
{Mortal Receives: A promise that, upon death, they will not fade into obscurity but will be granted a place in God's domain as a saint, spirit or eternal ally.}
{God Receives: A servant for eternity, one who continues to build their strength}
Sign Here ----->
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Reading through the information, I nodded. They were fair, and as such, I signed it as I did not wish to miss this opportunity after all. How many people would be granted the chance to be reborn?
Not many, I'm sure, although how would I ever know.
I passed the piece of paper back towards God, " A good decision, now then, shall we start your journey? "
" Yes, let us begin. " I gave him a firm nod, and as such, he clasped his hands together and whispered some foreign tongue, my body being yanked backwards the minute he finished.
It did not take long before I found myself face-first in the grass with a horse next to me neighing. Did my previous body get bucked off his horse or something? Why am I face-first on the ground?
Forget that, I began to stand up, patting away the grass that clung to me.
I walked towards my horse, a white steed with a piece of metal attached to its head. A war horse, then, I'll need to stop by a river to see my appearance, but, seeing what I was wearing, I was most likely some wealthy knight.
It was a full set of plate armour with the helmet also offering practical protection all over my head. I internally thanked God for putting me in this body. I turned to the other thing on my body, a sword, taking it out of its sheath.
The horse eyed me suspiciously, " Relax, I won't stab you anytime soon ". With those words, it simply flicked its white mane and turned away, kicking its hoof every now and then.
Inspecting the blade, I smiled. It was a sabre. A weapon that I had been significantly used to. Now then, I sheathed my blade and rummaged through the satchel on the horse, finding a map and a letter.
Grabbing both, I checked the letter, on it was a seal of an Eagle.
Placing the letter back in the satchel, I turned towards the map and checked it. My eyes widened at how big it was. The smile on my face instantly dropped at realising how long it would take me to travel between cities.
" Mercracia it is. "
Placing the map back in the horse's pouch, I climbed atop it and entered a canter.
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I dont really have a good track record of continuing stories, but hey, at least I don't use AI.
Anyways, this isn't really a fanfic, I'm just writing this in here because it's more likely to get views and reads.
Love you all and hope you enjoy, don't expect a stable chapter rate, my life kinda busy now. You might get a chapter a week, maybe two chapters. Who knows?