Dawn came cold and gray, mist rising from the training yard as I made my way down from the dormitories. My new body was younger, less scarred, but the muscle memory remained. I moved through basic warm-up exercises, testing my limits, relearning what this form could do.
I was stronger than I expected. Faster. Whatever magic had brought me back had granted me more than just my memories—it had given me a foundation to build upon. My previous life's experience compressed into instinct, waiting to be unlocked.
"You're early."
I turned to find Aria approaching, dressed in training leathers that fit her like a second skin. Her silver hair was pulled back in a practical braid, and she carried two wooden practice swords.
"So are you," I observed.
She tossed me one of the swords. "I'm always early. My father says punctuality is a virtue." She took a ready stance, the practice blade held with surprising competence. "Shall we begin?"
I caught the sword, testing its weight. "First lesson—what do you already know?"
"I've had training since I was eight. Basic swordsmanship, defensive spells, light magic theory." She moved through a series of forms, each strike precise and controlled. "My instructors say I'm talented."
She was. The forms were textbook perfect, the kind of technique that won academy tournaments and impressed nobles at exhibitions.
It would also get her killed in a real fight.
I stepped into her guard and swept her legs out from under her. She fell hard, the practice sword clattering from her grip. Before she could recover, I had my blade at her throat.
"You're dead," I said flatly.
Aria stared up at me, shock and anger warring in her violet eyes. "That wasn't fair! You didn't give me a chance to—"
"Demons won't give you a chance either." I offered her my hand, pulling her to her feet. "Everything you've learned is designed for controlled environments. Regulated duels. Tournaments with rules." I picked up her fallen sword and handed it back. "War has no rules. Your enemy will use every advantage, every dirty trick, every moment of hesitation to kill you."
She gripped the practice blade tighter, her jaw set. "Then teach me. Teach me how to fight dirty."
I smiled. "That's more like it."
For the next hour, I put her through hell. I showed her how to use her smaller size as an advantage, how to exploit openings in an opponent's guard, how to turn defense into offense in a heartbeat. Every time she fell back on her formal training, I punished her for it. Every time she tried something unconventional, something desperate, I praised her.
By the time other students began filtering into the training yard for morning exercises, Aria was bruised, sweating, and grinning like a madwoman.
"Again," she panted, raising her sword.
"Enough for today. You'll be useless if you can't walk." I nodded toward the growing crowd of students. "Besides, we have an audience."
Aria followed my gaze and tensed. A group of noble-class students had gathered near the yard's entrance, watching us with expressions ranging from curiosity to disdain. At their center stood a tall young man with golden hair and aristocratic features that practically screamed "protagonist."
Prince Kael Sunblade, third in line for the throne of Solaria, the most powerful kingdom in the Seven Realms.
In my previous life, he'd been one of my most dangerous enemies—a brilliant combatant who wielded light magic with devastating precision. I'd killed him during the Battle of Dawn's End, running him through with my own hands after he'd slaughtered half my personal guard.
Now he was just a student, watching Aria and me with obvious interest.
"Lady Aria," he called out, his voice carrying easily across the yard. "I see you've found yourself a new training partner."
Aria's expression cooled, becoming perfectly polite and perfectly distant. "Prince Kael. Good morning."
So there was history there. Interesting.
Kael descended to the training floor, his entourage following like well-trained dogs. Up close, I could see the resemblance to the man I'd killed—but this version was softer, untested by real combat. He wore his noble bearing like armor, but it was an armor I knew how to pierce.
"And you must be the vagrant everyone's talking about," Kael said, looking me over with barely concealed contempt. "The one claiming to be from another timeline. How... creative."
I met his gaze steadily. "Cain Ashford. And you're Prince Kael Sunblade, third prince of Solaria. I've heard a lot about you."
"Nothing good, I hope." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I prefer to exceed expectations rather than meet them."
"Noted."
Tension crackled between us. Kael was used to being the dominant presence in any room, the prince everyone deferred to. Having someone meet his gaze without flinching clearly bothered him.
"I see you've been teaching Lady Aria some rather... unconventional techniques," Kael continued, glancing at the practice swords. "Though I question whether such crude methods are appropriate for a lady of her standing."
Aria's grip on her sword tightened. "Cain's methods are effective, Your Highness. More effective than anything my previous instructors taught me."
"Is that so?" Kael's smile sharpened. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Ashford, would you care to spar? I'm curious to see these skills you supposedly possess."
It was a trap. If I declined, I'd look like a coward. If I accepted and lost, I'd be humiliated in front of the entire student body. If I accepted and won, I'd make an enemy of the third prince.
The smart play was to decline gracefully, to avoid this confrontation entirely.
But I was tired of being smart. I'd been smart in my previous life, always calculating, always holding back. Where had it gotten me? Dead in my own throne room, killed by the woman I'd loved.
"I accept," I said.
Aria's eyes widened. "Cain, you don't have to—"
"It's fine." I looked at Kael. "Standard dueling rules? First blood or yield?"
"Of course." Kael drew his own practice sword—a beautifully balanced weapon that probably cost more than a commoner earned in a year. "Though I should warn you, I've won the academy tournament three years running."
"Noted."
We took our positions in the center of the yard. More students had gathered, drawn by the promise of drama. I could hear whispered bets being placed, odds being calculated. No one was betting on the vagrant.
The instructor supervising morning training—a grizzled former soldier named Master Torval—stepped forward to officiate. "Standard rules. First blood or verbal yield ends the match. No lethal force, no permanent injuries. Begin!"
Kael moved first, his blade a blur of silver in the morning light. He was fast—faster than most fighters I'd faced in my previous life. His technique was flawless, each strike flowing into the next with practiced precision.
It was also exactly what I'd expected.
I'd fought Kael before, studied his style during a hundred battlefield encounters. I knew his tells, his preferences, his weaknesses. The fact that this younger version of him had different memories didn't matter—muscle memory ran deeper than conscious thought.
I parried his first strike, deflected his second, and sidestepped his third. His eyes widened slightly as I evaded each attack with minimal movement, conserving energy while he burned through his.
"Interesting," he said, breathing slightly harder. "You're better than you look."
"You're exactly as good as you look," I replied. "Which is to say, very good. Just not good enough."
I went on the offensive.
My style was nothing like the formal techniques taught at the academy. It was brutal, efficient, born from years of real combat against opponents who wanted me dead. I mixed high and low attacks, feints and genuine strikes, creating patterns only to break them a heartbeat later.
Kael adapted quickly—I had to give him credit. He was talented, no question. But talent without experience was just potential, and I had decades of experience compressed into muscle memory and instinct.
I caught his blade in a bind, twisted, and sent his practice sword flying. Before he could recover, I had my blade at his throat.
The yard fell silent.
"Yield," I said quietly.
Kael stared at me, shock and humiliation warring in his golden eyes. "I... yield."
I stepped back, lowering my sword. "Good match, Your Highness."
For a moment, I thought he might lose his composure entirely. His jaw clenched, his hands fisting at his sides. Then he took a deliberate breath and nodded stiffly.
"Indeed. You're more skilled than I anticipated, Ashford." He retrieved his fallen sword. "We should do this again sometime."
It was a threat wrapped in politeness, but I could work with that.
"Anytime, Your Highness."
Kael departed with his entourage, leaving behind a yard full of stunned students. Whispers erupted immediately—who was I, how had I beaten the prince, was I really from another timeline?
Aria appeared at my side, her expression torn between admiration and concern. "That was incredible. But you just made a powerful enemy."
"I made a powerful enemy in my last life too," I said. "This time, maybe I can make him an ally instead."
"How?"
I watched Kael's retreating back. "By being someone he can't afford to ignore. Someone whose skills he needs." I turned to Aria. "The prince is talented, ambitious, and genuinely cares about protecting his kingdom. In another timeline, those qualities made him a hero. They also made him my enemy because I was conquering his homeland."
"And this time?"
"This time, we're on the same side. We both want to prepare for the demon invasion. We just need to help him see that." I smiled. "Besides, I'm not looking to conquer anyone this time around. Just save the world."
Aria studied me for a long moment. "You're different from what I expected. When I heard you'd been raving about demons and destruction, I thought you'd be... I don't know. Darker. More frightening."
"I was dark in my previous life. It didn't work out well for anyone, including me." I started walking toward the dormitories, and she fell into step beside me. "This time, I'm trying something new."
"What's that?"
"Being someone people want to follow instead of someone they fear."
We walked in comfortable silence for a bit, the morning sun burning away the last of the mist. Students hurried past us toward their first classes, and I realized with a start that I had magical theory in twenty minutes.
"Cain?" Aria's voice was softer now, uncertain in a way I hadn't heard from her before. "What you said about the demons, about twenty years... do you really think we can prepare in time?"
I thought about the invasion I'd witnessed, the tears in reality that had vomited forth endless hordes of Void Spawn. I thought about cities burning, armies shattered, civilizations crumbling.
I thought about my previous self, dying alone and hated, knowing he'd failed everyone.
"We have to," I said. "Because the alternative is extinction."
Aria's hand found mine, her fingers slipping between my own. The gesture was intimate, unexpected. "Then we'll do it together. You, me, and whoever else we can convince to listen."
I looked down at our joined hands, then at her face—beautiful, determined, trusting. This girl who would one day have led armies against me was now offering to stand at my side.
The universe definitely had a sense of humor.
"Together," I agreed. "But fair warning—saving the world is going to require building alliances with a lot of powerful people. Some of whom you might not like."
"Like Prince Kael?"
"Among others." I thought of the faces I'd need to recruit. The ice queen of the Northern Wastes. The battle maiden of the Iron Legions. The mysterious assassin who could walk through shadows. All women I'd fought against or conquered in my previous life. All women I'd need as allies this time.
"I can handle it," Aria said firmly. "I'm stronger than I look."
"I know you are." I squeezed her hand gently. "That's why you're the first person I'm trusting with this."
Her smile was radiant enough to rival the rising sun.
And somewhere in my chest, my traitorous heart skipped a beat.
This was going to be complicated.
But maybe, just maybe, complicated was exactly what I needed.