Story Start

How long had it been since I'd been brought into this world? It seemed like so long ago, yet also as if it had been just the other day. An odd contradiction, but somehow congruent in some abstract feeling. I had hoped to skip the infancy stage, but I suppose that's not how resurrection works - being reborn with the brain and memories of a young man into the body of a weak and helpless child was horrifically tedious to live through. Having full control of my mental faculties whilst meanwhile my body refuses to cooperate was a less than thrilling experience to say the least.

The midwife said I started crawling at just a month old, and walking upright (albeit, with some difficulty) at four. Determined to spend all of my time in that blasted wooden prison cell, commonly referred to as a crib, on training my muscles as best I could; I made sure to get a jump start on granting myself the agency this little 'setback' had robbed me of.

Yes, it appears that I had died. How else could I explain filing some papers away the one minute and being shoved into some seemingly giantess' arms the next? The only valid explanation is that my time was up, but had been reset in some queer sense. Either had deemed me a second chance - or perhaps this just happens to everyone when they die. I can neither confirm nor deny my assumptions - only question how it is that I remember my previous life this time around but not the ones before.

At any rate; what I can only assume is that I think so therefore I am, I must exist in some capacity because I am capable of thought. This new body of mine is just as real to me as the one I had previously. I can feel it, I can touch and measure the experience just as well, no less than the body I had before. There were some changes of course, and welcome ones at that. I had been quite homely in my old life, strong and tall but not very pleasant to the eyes - my eyesight itself had also been getting worse with age, and with the long hours at work it had meant relying on less than nutritious dietary staples to get me through the days; which understandably had inflated my gut a little. All in all my circumstances as a lumbering brute with bad looks had left me somewhat wanting in the romantic department as well, that combined with the aforementioned workload expected of me left little in the way of time nor opportunity to seek out the fairer sexes company.

My new body however I knew things would be different this time around, currently at 16 years of age I was shaping up to be just as tall and strong as I had been in my previous life - but with a much more aesthetic appeal. My face was smooth and symmetrical, highly photogenic with a strong jawline and vividly bright blue eyes. My hair was a pure white and had been since I was a child; a genetic trait passed onto me on my fathers side it seems. I had noticed looks from others that I hadn't experienced at all in my past life, it's a strange thing to go from being an all but invisible fly on the wall to the man people notice the instant he walks into the room.

And whoever had charged me with this new body had also seen fit to thrown in a few extra inches for good measure, all in all a good deal if ever I'd seen one.

Growing up in my new fathers manor, himself a petty lord for the local baron & charged with overseeing one of the mans many hamlets on the far reaches of our nations territory, life thus far had been a peaceful affair with little in the way of the modern stresses I had been treated to in my past life. Most might've been dulled to with the simplistic living of some humdrum backwater cottage settlement on the edges of civilization - but honestly I found the whole thing to be a welcome detox.

As the son of a petty lord I was treated to the courtesies one might be expected to receive from those lower in the totem pole; and although it had yet to happen - the same was required of me towards those higher than myself on the same pole. Although the world had changed for me, and even the physical body I called my own along with it - it seemed that the hierarchical structures that made up humanity had been scantly altered.

Speaking of which, presently I am charged with the duty of assisting the local authorities in tracking down and detaining or eliminating a wanted criminal known by the name of William Peck - a man charged with the crimes of slaying his pregnant wife, resulting in a double homicide. The man had fled the scene of his crime and was on the run from justice. As the son of a lord no matter how petty; it was my job to uphold my families public image and do my part in cleaning up the settlement we had been charged with.

With a bounty on his head of 1'000 AxM's, the man was to be taken 'dead or alive' back to a justice tower; otherwise known as this worlds version of a police station. Bounties as my new father describes them; are a form of currency reward that dictates how dangerous a wanted man may be, and how badly the countries movers and shakers want said individual taken out. The higher the bounty, theoretically the more dangerous they are to cross - as a rule of thumb of course.

My orders are to find his location and report back to the guards once found, and from there confront him in numbers with the hopes that he might be brought back alive to be trialed fairly for his crimes. My father ever principled in his conviction, deemed before a ruling to be cheating the people of their justice. I can respect him for that, but an innocent man does not flee the scene of his dead wife and unborn child, and I'm not above slaying such a man on sight. Nevertheless - vigilantism is a slippery slope that any man needs to be cautious of, better William be judged by the group of his peers than by a solitary man wielding both judge, jury as well as executioner. But don't misunderstand me, if he attacks first I will offer him no quarter, and with relish at that.

Armed in my families garbed robes of grey and blue with a black metal circlet and chains that clinked as I walked around the unordinarily hushed silence of the usually busy hamlet, I listened out for any sounds that might aid me to his whereabouts. Being a strong reader since an early age, because of course I would be as a young man in a childs body, I had picked up on the language within this world somehow instinctually - like a spider who knows how to weave webs without ever having been taught, and from these books I had learned certain magical abilities, what's more even having the aptitude to cast them as young as a year old, or so the midwife and maids would claim to my discerning parents. One of these spells being the ability to heighten my senses beyond what is possible for ordinary, magic-less humans.

From the midst of the hamlets paved and walled streets I could hear the friction chirps of crickets half way into the fields beyond the settlement 800 feet away, the sounds of a barn door flapping in the gentle winds across the lane from me and some steps down a decline into an open field where the cattle would be let out to graze in. The melodic calls of a wind chime out the back of an old farmers front porch. The civilians had been asked to stay indoors whilst the search commenced, but even from behind closed doors I could hear the mumblings of softly spoken conversations occurring from within. It felt how I imagined Peter Parker felt during the spider man movies, I could hear and sense things to a superhuman degree.

I tried not to listen in to these private talks; but it was hard not to when the topic invariably almost entirely revolved around yours truly.

"I knew that William was bad news, but to even kill his own child? I just hope that Edward kid catches him before he gets to anyone else." An older man spoke from behind the the Rivers family door.

"I know, poor Cathy... She was such a ray of sunshine, whatever she saw in that ominous beast I'll never know." Came the reply of Mrs. Rivers

"I'm scared dad." The much younger son chimed in.

"Don't worry Jason, Sir Gate is a complete battle genius. They say he mastered elemental magic at age 6, and is the top of his class at the cadets school. There's no way he'd ever lose to some deranged cretin." A voice I was all too familiar with spoke up, Elise Rivers of the reputable Rivers family. She was the only person at the cadets school that stood out to me. Her praise was flattering, but being told you're the biggest fish out of a small pond doesn't say much in the way of achievement to me. A little egotistical maybe, but when you're number one out of a list of twelve people in a small and secluded hamlet then the compliment feels cheapened all the same.

Shaking my head from these unnecessary distractions I carried on with my search, the hamlet itself seemed to be clear of his habitation but I had surmised as much from the start, there wasn't many places he could hide here without raising the alarm bells of the populace. Everybody knows everybody out here, there's no wriggle room for disguises and mixing in with the crowd. Setting my sights on the outback I made my way out of the settlement, replacing paved streets for dirt trails in no time.

"Is that Edward? Gosh he looks so sexy with that broadsword tethered to his waist."

"Can you believe he's only 16? He's more handsome than men twice his age!"

"Hurry up and get older~ Hahaha!"

I couldn't help but pick up on two local women gossip about me as I was leaving through the front gates of the hamlet, the attention always made me blush no matter how many times it happened. It felt a little weird to be ogled at such a young age, but I suppose it was a different cultural norm in this world than it was in my last. Also, being a combined mental age of 45 now I figured it wasn't entirely creepy on my end, but perhaps it was still on theirs.

Hearing mention of my beloved broadsword, a sword my father had gifted me when I was only twelve years old when it was made apparent that I had an aptitude for swordplay, I traced my fingers across it's pommel reminiscing the times we'd had together. It was a simple steel broadsword of good craft, meant to be swung with two hands although I could easily manage with one; and in fact preferred to as my other hand could be utilized for magic spells. As mentioned it was of simple design, but being as I'd always loved the idea of swords in my past life, it was a treasured gift that I took to like a fish to water. It was strong & sturdy, and I made sure to maintain it's edge daily - the handle was bound with a strong hide, the guard was long and flat with rounded points, and the pomel was spherical with etchings of my houses symbol: a hawk snatching it's pray from the fields that it overlooks from on high.

I'd grown to calling it 'Hawks Edge' as I was told all good swords needed a name, and what better way to pay homage to my family than to name it after our houses noble crest. The sword was also receptive to temporary enchantments that I could cast, learning in the family library that certain swords could be fashioned to hone magic throughout - I had managed to imbue my sword with many elements up to and including the aspect of wind; enhancing the blades cutting capabilities exponentially - being able to slice through thick tree trunks like a hot knife through butter. Although powerful; sometimes is better tempered by technique - a lesson I had learnt one day in the training yard, when younger me had intended to slice through a training dummy to show off but had evidently exerted too much ; given the rock wall behind the dummy was subsequently sent tumbling down into the embankment below the manor in little pieces of discarded rubble.

Coming to a fork in the road I could choose to go left into the woods, also known locally as the deer farm given the unordinary numbers of deer that inhabit the woodlands, or I could go right and trek through the farmers fields and see if he wasn't hiding out in some barn house or stable. Now if I was a criminal evading detection, would I try to pilfer the farmers produce - or would I go and hunt for my own food? Clearly the former is easier, so the latter is more likely. At least, that's what my instincts were telling me.

Heading off into the woods it is then. Now I know my father had told me to scout the outlaws location and then return with numbers to confront him; but honestly I knew I didn't need to. It would just be a pointless waste of time, and being a bureaucratic cog wheel for so many years I knew a thing or two about pointless wastes of time. William knows who I am, he knows what I'm capable of - I don't need an entourage of onlookers to assist me. I'd spent far too long adhering to other peoples rules, it's about time I lived by my own standards. This new world was a fresh start, a place where I could exist with the agency I had lacked in the old one.

A branch snapped in the distance, some ways back into the thicket of bushes; out of earshot for most humans but to me it rang clear as day. Now it wasn't just my hearing that was enhanced - but my sight too. My eyes were like that of my families crest; hawkish. Off into the distance I enhanced on the source of the disturbance, only to see a deer and it's fawn cautiously traverse through the makings of a clearing. Even in a magical world shrouded in charms and mystery, a baby deer and its mother grazing the mildew soaked grounds of an early morning woodland is still an arrestingly beautiful sight to behold.

Standing there charmed with the view unfolding before me I almost didn't register when the sounds of something tightened up, only to be loosed, followed by the soaring sounds of a projectile cut through the graceful silence of the forest. The deer that was a thousand yards down the trail cried out as a well placed arrow sunk itself deep into its neck, it's bleating's were short lived but as the beast clung to what little life remained to it, fleeting away as swiftly as the arrow had sung through the air. Almost in a state of shock I could only watch again as a second arrow found it's way through the clearing and once more finding its mark, this time piercing the fawn as it attempted to flee, however it had landed sloppily into the young things back leg. Trying as it might to stabilize and get back up, the combination of its fright and injury had rendered the poor beast floor bound, and easy pickings to its pursuer.

Shaking myself out of my stasis, I crept closer to the deer in hopes of catching a glimpse of the hunter responsible. From where I stood, too many trees obscured the source of the and so my senses were limited in aiding my ability to scout out my surroundings. Whoever it was they were beginning to move, the sounds of heavy boots sloshing through wet woodland, the ragged breathing of the individual as he traversed the difficult terrain, the clink and clatter of metal on metal. Hurriedly I sped to meet his approach, whilst still attempting to remain undetected for as long as I could manage.

Finally, clearing a particularly obstructive thicket of trees and bushes I came all but face to face with a man in his 30's, roughly the same age I had been before I passed away in the office cubicle. He looked scrawny but somehow capable of more than first meets the eye, his face was dirtied by the mud and leaves of the forest, his eyes sunken in an almost alligator fashion, his teeth crooked and missing in places. I had spotted him before he had noticed me, but not for very long. The second he saw me it was like a game of red light green light, except for him it was nothing but red. He had frozen like a statue and his face paled in spite of all the mud that attempted to mask it. I recognized him instantly from the wanted posters, he was without a doubt the man named William Peck who had murdered his wife and unborn child. My veins froze over much the same as his visage, although for entirely different reasons. It took a lot to remain calm, but I managed to keep to my fathers principles. It was me who broken the silence first.

"William Peck, you're a wanted man that is to be detained or killed and brought back to the Justice Tower to await his trial, or to be processed as a cadaver. It's your choice, and personally between you and me; I hope you pick the latter." I finished with as much hospitality as a manhandled snapping turtle, the mans face was still frozen in shock and there was no telling if he was taking any of this in or if his wits were just totally frayed. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Young master G-Gate, you must know that all of this is a terrible misunderstanding! For true, I never did stab no one! Never mind me own missus who's is rearing me own spawn no less!" I could hear his heart practically jumping out of his own chest, he was scared out of his wits and in all likelihood - lying through his teeth, or at least the ones he had left.

"Multiple people bore witness to the event and all correlate their testimony in perfect harmony with one another, multiple families witnessed you plunge your knife into her neck and then into her stomach, where your 'spawn' was residing." It was then that I looked to the chunk of metal hanging from his hip. "I see that knife you have there, show it to me." hearing me mention the knife gave him a look that lasted but a moment, but the one moment was all it took to tell me everything I already knew.

"I-If I show you my knife, will you let me go?" He asked hopefully

"Sure, if I don't find anything incriminating you may leave." I lied.

"V-Very well, I gots nothing to hide anyways." He begun to produce the knife from its murky scabbard - the blade was rusted in a way only fitting a man so ill fitting of the human species, uncared for and merely a tool to whatever depraved ends he sought fit. However, what was important to note was the type of rust; I'd seen this type of rust before on some of the less disciplined guards that stand watch over the hamlet.

"The type of rust that infests your blade, I know that rust anywhere. It's the type of rust that can only accrue when blood isn't cleaned from the blade, the iron in the blood rots the metal and a layer of rust forms. And, hold still" I enhanced my vision onto the blade to see damp marks of day old blood still clinging to the blade, lining up with the timeline of the itself. "You have fresh day old blood on the blade, now if I send that blade in for inspection - am I going to find deer blood, or human?" I asked sharply.

"Deer blood of course! I'm a simple hunter after all!"

"Deer blood from your kill yesterday; are you meaning to say you killed and ate a whole deer in just one day? And you're so famished after the last one that you decided to kill not one, but two more deer today?"

"I-It was a baby deer! Not enough to sate my appetite, that's for sure!"

"You're full of shit, a skinny piece of work like you isn't eating even a baby deer in a week; let alone 3 deer between 2 days." As if on some divine beings timing, Williams stomach rumbled involuntarily.

"Ate a whole deer in a day and your stomach is so starved it's eating itself? Drop the knife William, you'll not escape the hangman under my watch." As I progressed forward, William began to step back.

"I'm warning you! Get any closer and I'll not be responsible for my actions!"

"Oh but you will be, William Peck. You will be held responsible for everything you did to Cathy, as well as the child in her belly that never got to draw breath. Now I pray you make things difficult, there's nothing I'd enjoy more than cutting you down in this clearing." I drew my sword and walked menacingly towards William who was so frightened he was almost tripping over himself in retreat. Finding I had the high ground I pressed forward with my blade suspended narrowly from the ground in a position I could both defend and attack from if necessary - adhering to my cadet training.

"You can't kill me! Your father wants me alive right?! Then it seems you're powerless to kill me!" William brandished his knife and sunk low as he tried to evade my reach as best he could. "But I'm afraid I'm without such handicaps!" Thrusting his arm forward he tried to aim his dirtied blade into my lower leg. However before he could even blink I had raised my sword in an upwards swing, imbued it with the element of fire, and seared through his skin with the heat that could easily melt lesser metals. Off came his knife arm from the elbow down, and before he could even register the pain, the return downward swing left a symmetrical loss of his other limb leaving him completely armless. Given the heat had cauterized the wound, there was little to no blood loss. Only two charred stumps where once hands had been.

"AAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHH!!!!" The man screamed in bloody terror as he rolled around in the mud, raising what was left of his arms to the sky as if in some plea for gods forgiveness - however today there is no god that he need seek salvation from, for the clouds are empty and all that is left to him is the judgement of the secular under open skies.

"He wants you alive, he didn't say anything about needing you in one piece." I chuckled, however his maddening screams drowned out my quip and were really starting to get annoying. Sighing I began to cast a curse over his prone body that I steadied with a firm boot to his neck. "Stay still now." Magic burst to my fingers and sparks of red danced around his body as I chanted the mantra I had memorized from that dusty old book in the library. It was a snaring curse, a lesser one meant to detain weaker opponents and stop them from moving. It didn't dull their senses however, so he was going to experience the searing loss of his limbs all the way back to the tower, powerless to voice his discomfort or act in any way to sooth his pain. Just how I wanted him.

"You know I could have used the petrify curse instead, where your senses are frozen along with your movements. But we both know you don't deserve such a courtesy." Raising him up and hauling him over my shoulders I began the journey back into town, making sure to bring the knife with me. One last look at the deer, it dawned on me then that he'd killed both mother and child deer, just as he had killed his own wife and unborn child. There was something horribly poetic about the whole affair that I didn't feel comfortable thinking any deeper into.

Walking on the trail back into the hamlet I was greeted with the sound of oncoming footsteps at first, and then I saw them as they rounded the corner. My fathers guards were out in and were heading towards where I had just been.

"Sir Gate, thank the heavens." One of the guards exhaled with relief as he stopped to catch his breath. "We'd heard the scream coming from the woods and feared something might have happened to you." The other guards piled around him as they studied the man on my shoulder.

"Thanks for your concern, I found him downing two deer in the woods close by. One deer I can understand - but two is just greed, or perhaps malice." I shifted his weight about to give them a better look at his face.

"Yes, that man is without a doubt William Peck. And it appears his arms have been burnt off, did you do this Edward?" one of the other guards asked.

"He tried to stick me with his dagger, which might I add you will want to analyze the blood I found freshly on the blade itself, it'll most likely come back as human blood from Cathy and we can use that as evidence in the trial." I explained, nodding one of the guards took the scabbard off of his belt and pocketed it for safekeeping.

"Here, let me return him for you Sir Gate, you've already done more than enough, you can leave the rest to us. If you do all the work yourself then your father is going to have it in for us guards." Laughing I handed the criminal over to the men who bowed in respect and then set off hurriedly to return my charge back to the tower for processing. Walking back to the hamlet in my own time I appreciated the surroundings of this new world, the mushrooms that clung from the trees, the birds that returned with bugs to feed their young, the way the light shone so fondly on the grounds mildew at just the right angle. All sights I'd been starved from appreciating in my previous existence, but no longer. This world had so much to experience, and with my coming of age ceremony beginning in just under two years time; new adventures would await me in the capital city.

Fore it was that father had deemed me more than worthy of joining up with the Royal Cadets, and in order to add my name to such a prestigious group I would need to enroll myself into the Capital cities BrightWood Academy for training, only those enrolled into BrightWood had any real shot at being reared into such a prestigious lot. I had to admit, the prospect was inviting to me; of course father was in it for the good of the family and also my future station amongst the upper echelons of our worlds elite - and whilst I couldn't deny such notions weren't appealing; I was more in it for the adventure. Seeing new lands, meeting new people, living my life unburdened this time around.

All in due time of course, I was in no hurry to 'grow up' and see the big wide world just this instant; there was more than enough to experience within this quiet little region as is for now.