When everyone realized I woke up, they were all over me with doctors and mental health specialists to see if I was alright, but I confirmed that I was fine, and it managed to calm them down when the doctors gave me a bill of clean health. When dad brought mom in, I felt tears stream down my eyes as I got up and ran into her arms, my desire to hug her could no longer be suppressed after my memories returned. After a few days, we managed to enter into some form of normalcy. Dad and mom looked around my mansion, domain, and my workshop, safely of course, I wouldn’t allow anyone to get injured within my workshops under my watch. When I found mom and dad, mom was petting one of the spider bots, which it seemed to like a lot. I said, “Find these nameless bots cute? I’m horrible with names, so I haven’t come up with a generalized name for them yet.” Mom smiled, “I do indeed, these little guys are just so cute!” I could tell this little information carrier liked my mom too, considering this one liked to be around her whenever it didn’t have a job to do.

  I said, “You can keep it if you want, I can get another to take its place, I think it would like to be with you too.” Mom looked to me, her eyes beaming, “Really!? I can?!” I nodded, “I wouldn’t joke about this, just make sure you give it a job every now and then, these little guys like doing work every so often.” The bot beeped in happiness as mom lifted him up, “You’re coming with me little guy, I hope you don’t mind.” Dad sighed, “That’s so your mother, she finds the strangest things cute, but I can agree with her judgment on this one.” He looked to me, he seemed curious, “You don’t usually come this way, something on your mind?” I nodded, “Yeah, that factory if finally done, so I was going there to implement Merlin and get the tier two ships and mechs mass produced. I can’t rely on your military might forever you know; your men are likely homesick at this point.” This seemed to intrigue both mom and dad, mom asking, “Would you mind if we come with you? It isn’t a common occurrence that a noble makes a factory.” I nodded, “Sure, it won’t be a cool place, just so you know.”

  It was a quick trip there, considering it was just some asteroids slammed together, mined out, and filled with the proper tech to make ships and mechs. This time, instead of installing a massive cube, this one was just a cube that could fit in my hand. The size of the cube was usually connected to how strong a connection is needed. Since the factory was near the main body, this small cube was all you needed for communication with the main systems. So after a quick installation process that I wish I could’ve done with the larger cube, Merlin was connected to the system and began to load all the blueprints and schematics to the factory. Considering these men were all trained in the methods needed for this, they knew this would be the beginning of the factory, ships that haven’t moved through space in many millennia. Dad said, as the workers began their jobs, “I can’t believe this is what you’ve achieved in twenty odd years. New mechs is one thing, but that relic world and these ships, you’re likely the most active child the Empire’s ever seen.”

  I shrugged, “It’s my dream made real, to push every boundary until I can’t anymore. Though, I can’t determine if I’m the most active. Where it counts, I haven’t really gotten better. My mech piloting skills are sub-par, my sword style is difficult to master, basically, all my noble qualities are lacking.” Dad chuckled, “Only you can state your noble qualities are lacking with a straight face, most nobles would at least lie to cover it up until they truly could hold their own.” I shook my head, “I can’t do that, it’s far too inefficient to lie. If you have issues, speak up, because trying to charge it alone isn’t going to help you, only hinder.” Dad chuckled, “If only your eldest brother could do that, but he’s as stubborn as a mule.” I haven’t really heard about my brothers, I only knew my sister, and it was a mostly business type or relationship. I asked, “Who are my brothers anyway? I only met Ruby, and I basically can infer what she’s like through her business dealings.”

  Dad sighed, “I really didn’t want to tell you, mostly as they’ll see you and your current success as a risk to the family name. But if Ruby knows of you, then it’s likely they do as well, so I’ll give you a rundown. You have four older brothers, and surprisingly, three of them are triplets.” I felt my face get away from me, because my shock was clearly evident, “I hope mom was ok after that.” Mom said, “Oh, sweetie, you’re my only child.” I was confused, but dad said, “Well, let me explain that first. In the beginning, I married your mother, since we were… childhood sweethearts, I think that was the term. We tried for decades, and we just couldn’t seem to have a child, almost like fate was laughing at us. My people were growing concerned over my lack of an heir, so I had to do so with women who were, in every sense of the word, concubines. One birthed your brother, one birthed your triplet older brothers, and one birthed Ruby. I hold no ill will to them, but it gave my people a chance to breathe as they knew my line would continue.”

  I nodded, not sure about how marriage and concubines worked, but I knew enough Earth terminology to get a decent understanding, “So, since I know Ruby, I won’t need an introduction to her. Since I can infer you gave each of them a planet to run, much like myself, can you tell me their states as well so I can infer their treatment of their people?” Dad nodded, “Sure, let’s head to a meeting room then, I don’t have a hologram of any sort on me.” Once we shifted locations, he brought up three planets, “The triplets have their own planets, however, due to their bond, they all work together as one for the benefit of their people.” He enlarged one planet, “Ignis, the overall leader of the three, has a manufacturing planet. His planet wasn’t suited for other options, so he takes what the other two brothers have and refines them into what they need.” He shifted to the next, “Infernus, the middle man of the three, chose a farming world. He has an incredible amount of fertile land, thus chose to grow food and trees to ensure the other two brothers never ran out of wood or food.” He changed it once more to the third, “Blaze, the more reclusive brother, does a lot of what remains. Due to his planet’s good location for asteroids, he mines those extensively to keep up the manufacturing of Ignis. He’s also their military repair area, ships and mechs go there for repairs, thus making him integral to their standing military.”

  He turned the planets to the same size, “Essentially, I doubt they’ll try anything, mostly as they understand it wouldn’t help them in any way.” He shifted to a different planet, one that seemed… dead? Well, maybe weak was a better term since it looked like the planet had no life in it. Dad said, “This is your eldest brother’s planet, his name is Winifred, and I can’t even tell where to begin with him.” When I zoomed in on the planet, I realized it looked dreary, like the soul of what made a planet’s population was sucked out of it, “How awful, it looks terrible.” Mom nodded, “His planet is strained by taxes, barely able to keep itself afloat as Winifred keeps blowing money on extravagant parties and items. I never liked the boy, but I’d never let the domain fall into his hands, he’d ruin the very name of Flameheart.” I said, out of confusion, “I thought Avalon was a kind Empire, why is he doing this?” Dad shook his head, “I cannot tell you, he’s… different. I’ve never understood him ever since he went out to do his noble training, he’s been doing this for decades now, and I can’t understand why he turned out this way.”

  I put my hand to my earpiece, “Merlin, keep an eye on Winifred, something isn’t sitting right with me when it comes to him.” Merlin replied, “Understood sir, I’ll watch for anything coming from him and learn as much as I can.” Dad seemed concerned, but I chose to try and calm him, “It’s merely a defensive measure, he may not like the fact that I, born of the wife of the house, may take the domain that he may have believe belonged to him. I’ve lived for nearly decades, so I won’t just sit back and wonder if he’ll be doing something when I can look into it. I have no plans to war with him, I have other things to do.” The sound of construction was dull, but it was all I could hear as mom and dad looked to each other with concern. Dad said, “Son, if he does do something, let me know first. As your father, I can’t let you fix what I should me making attempts to fix myself.” I nodded, “Of course, this is merely my own precaution, nothing more.” Dad sighed, but he didn’t say anything more in that topic. For now, it was just going to be business as usual, and I wanted to keep the ball rolling on my plans.

  ~~~

  My work was done early today, considering a decently large empire holiday was coming up, a lot of people had already sent the bulk of what they need to me days prior, so the work was significantly easier to finish. When I checked the time, I realized I had far too much time for the day, and I even understood that Lily was going to be training for at least a few hours more, so I had nothing to do for the time being. When I got up, Edward entered the room, “Sir, since you seem free, Elen would like you to assist Lily in some training.” I was confused, but it was better than nothing, “Alright, led the way, I have time.” After a few halls, I entered the room where Lily was training, though what she wore left me stunned. Instead of something for swordplay or work, she had a dress on, one that was a lavender color with silver lines engraving it. I felt stunned seeing her like that, I never seen her in anything but what she chose for the day before we did whatever, but this made me realize just how beautiful she could be.

  Lily, clearly embarrassed, said, “Elen! W-w-why did you call him here!?” Elen, with a smirk, said, “You said I was too tall to properly dance with, so I called Sir Aurelian, he’s the perfect height for you to dance with. Edward, if you please.” After he covered Lily’s view of me, without my consent, changed me into a suit faster than I could’ve ever done myself. Somehow, he even managed to do my hair, since it was gelled up to look a certain way, which embarrassed me to no end. Once done, Elen pushed Lily into my arms, moving us into position for a dance. I said, out of concern, “Ms. Elen, I hate to inform you, but I haven’t been trained to dance.” Elen smiled, “Don’t worry, Liliana isn’t that far in either, so you both can learn together.” She quickly began to instruct us on how to dance, both of us stepping on each other’s feet constantly as we tried to get the footing down. Though, Merlin gave me a tip in my ear, “Don’t look down, look to your partner and trust them.”

  I decided to believe him, whispering to Lily, “Lily, don’t look down, look up at me and just me.” She did so, but nervously said, “But what if I mess up?” I smiled, at least to reassure her, “You won’t, just look into my eyes and trust me.” While she seemed nervous, she did as I said, and we had lowered the amount of times we stepped on each other had dropped significantly, but it helped us since we were complete beginners at the whole dancing thing. But every time we had gone a decent amount of time not stepping on each other’s feet, I couldn’t help but look deep into her eyes. I’d known her for a few years, I know her personality, her likes and dislikes, I even know her food preferences on certain days based on how she acted. A question began to build up inside me, did I like Lily? This question wasn’t as friends, but… have I fallen for her? I haven’t fell in love before, so I can’t tell if this is the feeling, but I couldn’t help but think of her as beautiful.

  When we finished for the day, I went to my room to change into something better suited for regular play, but as I thought about Lily, I couldn’t help but feel hotter. I crouched to the floor, hands to my face, “What’s wrong with me? Lily is Lily, why do I feel this way?” Merlin, who was with me, said, “Have you perhaps fallen in love sir? I wouldn’t find it odd considering the circumstances.” I couldn’t confirm it, but I couldn’t deny it, “I don’t know Merlin, I… I never felt like this with anyone, and I can’t understand why I feel like this. Just… just don’t tell anyone. I want to figure out what she means to me myself… I don’t want to rush it.” Merlin had a smile on his clearly robotic face, “I understand sir, this will be all you.” It was embarrassing, I never had to worry about things like this, so I never actually thought about it before. I was to die, so making a close connection with anyone would’ve only hurt them, but that isn’t the case now… maybe I just needed time, and I was lucky that I had plenty of it.

  ~~~

  Standing with my military advisor, I was showing him the defenses of the space elevator via blueprints since I was still getting the machines that can mass produce them online in the factory. He asked, “So, you usually classify these technologies in tiers, what tier would these be?” I checked, mostly to not doubt myself, and said, “Tier five.” He looked to me with shock, “Tier five!? Aren’t the ships and mechs you plan to make tier two!?” I nodded, “Yes, while that is true, this space elevator needs to be more advanced than my own craft to ensure safety from natural disasters. We can’t go having a stray asteroid breaking it, can we?” My advisor thought for a moment, then nodded, “I can’t say you’re wrong my Lord… I just worry how this will be made.” I replied, “I already made a prototype of the weapons, the armor had been long since tested since it needed to go into the foundations of the space elevator too.”

  With the speed the construction was going, the base of the elevator was being established, which surprised me since this wasn’t supposed to happen until the end of the first year. But I did check, making sure they weren’t cutting corners, but they were doing it according to the blueprint, which was pretty surprising since it was their first time on such a project. I decided to get the armaments going too, since installing them early could be a good safety measure during the construction process too. My advisor asked, “So, why are you not making tier five mechs and ships? If this is possible, why not those?” I put up two fingers, “Two reasons, first, the means to mass produce them is rough, since it’s pretty expensive at the moment. Second, the sudden jump of tech would cause an issue, so I don’t plan to rocket us straight to the end.” My advisor thought for a moment, then nodded, “I can see it.” I think he understood what power would do to some people, which was why I was against just brute forcing the tech advancement.

  I led him to the prototype, which I had brought planet side since it was one of the in-atmosphere weapons, and it bolstered two chambers, each held no physical ammo, but they were special. I pointed to the source of its power and ammunition, “This, this is a Flameheart specialty… or just my specialty. It runs off a specially created mana core for the sake of this weapon, it’s power can crush tier five ships, and concentrated, could take on tier six ships if needed. Though, no need to worry about that, these things can take anything this universe can throw at it considering the technological slump it’s in.” The advisor realized that, by sheer size alone, this thing truly was a ship killer. He asked, “Is this really necessary? If reaching this tier takes some time, why make this now?” I knew why, but I wasn’t sure just how much would be the same, “Just a… horrible gut feeling, I just want to be safe.”

  My advisor seemed to notice my tone, it wasn’t the cheery one I usually had when talking about technology, rather, it was a concerned and stern tone, one I rarely ever used in this life. I was good at lying before, even hiding my true emotions to a great extent, but I just couldn’t do that anymore, but not with the knowledge that this universe could once again be struck with the very threat that wiped out the very technology we built from scratch. I looked to him, “We aren’t going to blitz this tech, but we aren’t going at a snail’s pace either. Once we show the universe that we can break out of this technological slump, everyone will be scrambling to catch up, and that carries its own risks. I’ll protect my people, even if it costs me my very life.” My advisor replied, “My Lord, please, do not throw your life away so easily, your people need you.” I replied, sternly, “If I had to give up my life to save every person within my domain, I’d do it. My life alone isn’t worth the death of the hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people under my protection. My hopes and dreams will live on in all who come behind me, all you need to do is actualize it.”

  After a moment, I swapped back to my cheery demeanor, “Well, back to what we were talking about before I got all gloomy. These are specifically the in-atmosphere cannons, which will be spread through the space elevator in many locations to ensure maximum protection and defense if need be. Since the part of the elevator that’s out of atmosphere is going to take some time, we’re taking the liberty to take it slow and make sure all the kinks of the weapon are ironed out. This cannon is reaching the final testing phases before they’re installed in key installations. Once the out of atmosphere cannons are finished, they’ll be installed on parts of the space elevator outside of the atmosphere, the orbital ring, and the factory. This will ensure that the orbital ring itself, along with the factory, has ample firepower against threats until help arrives.” My advisor nodded, likely wishing to depart from what I said before, “What if these end up going down? Sabotage and the like?”

  I replied, “Sabotage is unlikely, these things are made in a way that make sabotage only possible if they know how it works. However, if the enemy can somehow disable these.” I looked to him, “Then we’re screwed, because they somehow have a countermeasure that can stop these, then their tech beats our own by a landslide.” This rattled him for a moment, but I calmed him, “Relax, the chances of that being the case is quite improbable. Someone would have to reincarnate with the knowledge I stumbled upon for that to even be a possibility.” I was pulling this lie like it was nothing, because I was the one with the knowledge, Merlin just carried my blueprints from a time long gone. My advisor understood, his face didn’t convey any concern, “I see, then let me state that you should rest, my lord. People are getting nervous that you’re pushing yourself.”

  I waved my hand, “It’s fine, making mechs is my enjoyment. I love how I can put them together, shift their parts around, make them stronger. Even doing my best to make them look amazing and not some floating paperweight is also a true brain teaser, you can’t have a powerful mech look like a radiation suit you know.” My advisor laughed, “What do you mean by that my lord?” I replied, “Some mechs did look like that, look it up, I’m not joking.” I felt at peace here, I wasn’t too worried about what he feared, such tech would’ve been scattered to the far sides of the known universe by this point if it did exist. I chose not to worry about it though, as it wasn’t something I considered to be a problem. If Avalon had this slump, then so did the universe at large. If the issue does arise, I can handle it, no matter what’s thrown at me.

  ~~~

  Thirty years old, just thinking I was that old felt like a dream, and I was glad that it wasn’t. I’m happy, my dreams are slowly budding, Lily is becoming a fine young lady, dad is smiling more often, and mom is finally walking on her own for the first time since the accident, all has been going well for quite some time now. Space is looking better too, as the space elevator climbs to the stars, ships of my own design are slowly replacing father’s ships, allowing his men to return home ship by ship, and that just added on to my existing happiness. In terms of how I feel about Lily? Well, I’m still not sure, but I’m fine with what we have right now until I figure out what these feelings are. Our daily fun, the occasional training we both partake in, even adding on sparing since we both have an adequate skill in our sword styles, was enough for me since I got to see her smiling and having fun as well.

  Currently, I was considering if now would be the time to begin constructing a mech for Lily, considering the whole “nobles need to learn how to pilot a mech” thing I also have to do. Though, with what I know, I’m not so certain how it’s supposed to go, but it’s better to be safe than sorry on cases like this. Not to mention the sheer safety of a personal mech is incredible compared to a mass-produced unit, so I wasn’t going to make her use one without proper safety. Edward was looking over my shoulder since Merlin was busy elsewhere, not to mention he was also looking at the designs I was browsing as I recalled what these mechs meant and the designs they held since these were all unfiltered. I sighed, “I really need to sort these out, I just saw a tier eight, a tier one, followed up by three tier sixes, was I really this unorganized in my first life?” Edward said, “Considering it was a game to you, maybe it had automatically sorted this for you, but not in the database within?” I thought for a moment, then nodded, “You know, that makes sense, good theory.” We understood anything from before was more of a theory, not hardline fact, since it was a confusing notion to bring up.

  Before we could make a choice, mostly on design since I had the means to make it, I just needed the design to make it work out on the construction’s end, Merlin had hijacked the room’s intercom, “Sir, it seems space pirates have somehow managed to make their way planet side, they seem to be in control of mana beasts.” While it wasn’t unheard of for people to tame beasts in this world, mana beasts were a different story. Mana beasts were like the Behemoth I fought all those years ago, just more reasonably sized for mech combat since they weren’t usually taller than a regular mech. I stood up, knowing this was going to likely be rough if they reached a civilian sector, “Send out an alert to the nearest civilian population centers, tell them to head to their bunkers, this could get rough if the beasts end up rampaging. Get my mech ready and send out a force ahead of me to ensure they can keep the pirates from attacking civilians. I want no civilian casualties, understood?”

  Merlin replied, “Yes sir, Edward, I’d like you to remain in the mansion, that way we have someone monitoring the situation with human eyes.” Edward replied, “Understood, let’s be swift.” He looked to me, bowing, “Be safe, sir, the domain and her people need you.” I smiled, knowing full well I wasn’t losing to mere pirates, “Don’t worry, I won’t let them even lay a scratch on me.” As I moved to my mech, a question ran through my mind, father still had plenty of manpower protecting my domain since my fleet, while slowly growing, wasn’t able to maintain dominance just yet. It left the question of how did his men let a band of space pirates pass them by? I stated, “Merlin, alert father’s men, there could be more in space.” Merlin replied, “I’ve already done so, they state they have no idea how the pirates slipped by, but they’ve tightened the net to ensure they’d see anything from here on.” I stated, “Leave me a note to work on communications and detection systems, I’ve been ignoring that aspect for far too long.” Merlin replied again, “Understood sir.” As I entered the lab and boarded my mech, I steadied myself, this would be the time I had to commit to killing someone, and the though alone began to cause my hands to shake.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ~~~

  Once I arrived at the area blockaded, the commander of the operation said, “They tested our blockade with a few beasts, all were delt with accordingly, and the bodies are being taken for investigation and retrieval of the cores.” I observed the report and nodded, “Good, how about nearby population sectors?” The commander replied, “All secured, the civilians have all been accounted for in public and private bunkers.” I breathed a sigh of relief, “Good, that makes this operation easier on us.” Looking at the forces displayed, I made mention of what I found odd, “They could’ve landed on a population center, thrown us into chaos and took hostages, yet they waited to be blockaded on all sides?” The commander nodded, his eyes showing his confusion, “I can’t understand it either sir, it’s almost like they chose to land here with a purpose in mind. Though, the only thing we can’t understand is the lack of response to hails, they normally have a demand or something in cases like this.”

  Much like pirates on Earth, space pirates roamed the stars in search of people to kidnap and steal from, so a lack of demands is a little… odd. I whispered to Merlin, “How’s their setup Merlin? From what I can see, these are less than stellar tier one mechs, it’s either that or mechs from before tier one.” Merlin replied, “These mechs are as you stated, but they’re on the bare minimum specs to be classified as a tier one. The beasts seem to be a Fenrir and their pack.” I clicked my tongue, a Fenrir was a rough one to fight unprepared, but I could take it alone if I needed to. I said, “Connect me to the blockade, I’ll announce a plan.” The commander nodded, and after a moment, he stated, “You’re broadcasting sir.”

  I cleared my throat, then said, “Everyone, I know this moment is concerning but know we can handle the threat that lays before us. These mechs, by their specs, are inferior to the mechs you pilot now without question. Even their ships stand no chance against the new ships we have covering this area from above, so head my words, do not fear the space pirates, as they hold no power over us.” I let this information seep in, hopefully calming them as it had me, I stated, “I’ll be taking a strike force to bring down the space pirates, but I’ll be taking the mana beast leader due to it being more of a threat than the pirates. For those with experience against space pirates, let it be known, and those who joined me on the expedition on the relic world, I’d like some of you as well. We’ll have two teams push forward on different tasks, while the rest keep the blockade standing to protect the civilians who await the news of our victory. Now, I’ll gather the volunteers, and once ready, we’ll begin the operation.”

  Once the broadcast ended, I made sure to begin sorting the teams with experienced fighters, since inexperienced individuals could cause the operation to fail, better mechs or not. During the process, the commander stated, “Sir, you don’t need to go and fight, we can handle it ourselves.” I shook my head, “I won’t sit back as my people fight for me, to be a leader, I need to fight with my people to be the best leader I can be.” The commander shook his head, “Sir, I don’t mean to offend you, but your hands are shaking.” When I looked to my hands, I realized they were, in fact, shaking. Despite reincarnating, I still had yet to kill a man, and I knew I’d likely need to do that today. I spoke, my fear breaking my confidence a little, “I’m not afraid of battle… it’s the fact I’ll have to kill at least one human being today. I… I don’t know if I can kill someone, be they criminal or innocent.” The commander smiled, “Not very often you see someone in your position so hesitant to kill someone, all I can say is do your best sir. You don’t have to kill someone today if you can’t stomach it, but I do know that if you hold off for too long, when the time comes when you don’t have a choice, it’ll only make it harder to protect yourself and others. Just my thoughts, sir.”

  I nodded, “I understand, thank you for your wisdom.” After a bit to calm myself, the commander spoke again, “The teams are ready sir, if you’re heading out, now’s the time.” I stood up, clenching my fists to stop the shaking, “Be ready, because once I give the order, anything could happen.” The commander nodded, “Be safe sir.” I made my way to the bay and boarded my mech, marching outside and before the two teams established to end this conflict, the beast team and the strike team. I spoke, “Strike team, keep the pirates away from the beast team, once the beasts are handled, the beast team will assist the strike team in cleaning up the enemy. If the opposite is true, the strike team will assist the beast team in cleaning up the beasts. Are my orders clear?” The two teams replied in unison, “Yes, my lord!” I made one mention, “In combat, refer to me as sir, it makes messages faster. Leaders of the teams, you hold authority to withdraw forces if needed, since I haven’t gotten combat experience yet, I don’t know the proper tides of combat outside beast combat. Let’s aim for a one hundred percent survival rate!” I got a cheer from my men, so I gave my final command, “Charge! Let these pirates know our names as we ensure the safety of our home!” A loud scream of “Charge!” erupted from the comms as we all began rushing the pirates, adrenaline taking us the distance.

  ~~~

  It took around a minute to reach the pirates, but the clash was loud enough to concern me of the well-being of my men, but I was glad to know everyone was still pushing, so I made sure to do the same. The pack of wolf like mana beasts were vicious, yet I watched my men cut through them like butter, the power of tier two mechs made most lower-level beasts an easy foe, but mine wasn’t going to be as such. I activated the thrusters on my mech to blast me up and over the initial wall of beasts, my target being the Fenrir in the rear to disorientate the large amount of beasts. It’s sleek dark blue fur blew in the wind, its lemon-colored eyes looked to me as it let out a howl, as if stating I was its prey and to back off. I drew my blade after I landed, the beast and I charging each other as the distance closed. Yet despite the speed we had, it felt like it was all moving so slowly, like I could make out every detail on the Fenrir as it opened its mouth to try and take a bite out of me.

  I bent backwards, putting my mechs hand to the ground and twisting my mech in a way to kick it in the jaw, sending it wobbling in another direction. Much like a human, anything with a brain like ours had a rough time coming back from a kick in the jaw due to the rattling of its brain. Though, because it was a mana beast, it seemed to recover just find as we both moved around, gauging the best means to attack the other. I decided to take the initiative, charging forward with a burst of speed, fainting the Fenrir by pretending to swing high but actually swinging low, cutting into one of its legs, but not bringing it down. The Fenrir reached its claw down and scratched along my back, I got warnings, but everything was running fine. A soldier shouted, “Sir, I’ll back you up!” I replied, “No! Focus on the others, you’ll only get in my way!” I got no response, but I was being honest, this beast wasn’t for those who didn’t understand them as it would kill them without remorse.

  I made sure to gain my footing proper before engaging again, which was a good call as a claw came screaming towards me. I managed to deflect the attack and slash back at it, blood gushing from the wound on the side of its body. It was strange, this Fenrir was as powerful as it was in the physical realm, but it wasn’t using the magic its mana beast status claimed it could. I went on the offensive, buying time for my question, “Report, has any of the mana beasts used magic?” As the Fenrir blocked my attack with its claw, someone said, “No sir! No magic has been used!” I was beyond confused, so I shouted, “Then be wary! Either their masters are telling them to not or they’re doing it on purpose!” With a confirmational response, I continued on the matter at hand, “Merlin, they have mana, correct?” Merlin replied, “Yes sir, they have a mana core, thus the means to use it. This is beyond odd; I’ll track their signatures and warn you if they show a response.” I pushed back against the claw and struck the same leg I injured the first time; it seemed to have been effective since the Fenrir was finally limping.

  Checking the fuel gages, I understood I was still capable to fight, so I launched myself back at the Fenrir with my thrusters. It tried to dodge, but because it tried to use its injured leg, it let me get a deep stab into it, blood gushing from the wound, but I clicked my tongue, “I missed its vitals.” I quickly pulled my sword out and leapt back, the Fenrir had tried to bite me, and it nearly got me too. Breathing out, I realized I was getting accustomed to fighting against beasts and predicting their movements, it left me confident that I could handle threats like this in the future. Merlin spoke, “Mana signatures rising, Fenrir and other mana beasts are getting serious.” I shouted, “Focus up! They may start using magic!” Just as I finished saying that, a wave of ice shot forth from the Fenrir as it let out a howl, ice formed on its injured parts, blocking the bleeding to an extent.

  “How interesting, human knowledge seems to be at play for these beasts, they must be under the pirate’s control.” I commented, knowing beasts weren’t ones to use knowledge like this. Merlin nodded, “Indeed, I will conduct a thorough study of the bodies to see what the source of this control may be. For now, focus, overconfidence is a deadly foe.” I decided to use magic myself, since this could be a risk to fight without magic for a prolonged period against anyone or thing with magic. My sword, for the first time in over half a decade, lit ablaze with fire, the mana engine kicked on with a fury, as if it was excited over being used once more. I smiled, “Good, I love it when my machines agree with me!” I charged the Fenrir, ice shards flying as I cut through them like a warm knife through butter. It let out a howl, ice spikes formed in the air before they flew at me like missiles. I focused on the spikes that carried the most threat to me, charging a path forward to the Fenrir once more.

  I kicked extra mana into the sword and swung, a slash of flames crashed into the Fenrir, allowing me to make another strike on it, one more damaging as this was a long, deep cut unlike the others I inflicted so far. As if it knew I was weakest, it went to strike me, but I knew it would try that and leapt back, “Good grief, it’s like I’m fighting a human more than I am a beast, makes them predicable at least.” The Fenrir was clearly suffering from its injuries, it wasn’t moving as fast as it was at the beginning, which means I was getting close to ending it if my memory serves me right. I went to charge in, my goal to kill it and focus on what remained, at least until the commander shouted, “Sir, the enemy leader is charging you!” I was able to take it and leap back, a blast going off right where I would’ve been if I kept charging. The enemy leader spoke, his words caught me off guard, “Seems like they were right, there is a very interesting lord here, not to mention that power is unbelievable.”

  When I looked to the enemy as he approached, I realized this wasn’t a tier one, though I was certain that the others were weak mechs. Merlin said, “Confirmed, this unit seems to be either a high tier two or low tier three, this may actually be a threat if the Fenrir remains active.” I replied, “I understand, remain silent, they could have other tech we’re unsure of.” I spoke to the enemy, “Seems like I can say the same to you, that isn’t something I expected someone like you to have, pirate.” The pirate chuckled, “Well, this baby is a special one, even though they wished I didn’t bring it, they knew only I could pilot this beast.” The mech itself seemed… gaudy? It was covered in useless flare, ones that only made to weaken it, but I wasn’t doubting it could be a trap for people like me. I smiled, this threat would be best handled by me, “Seems like you knew this was one way, well, don’t worry, I won’t disappoint.” I was doing my best to hide my fear, considering this just went from a risky one on one to a two on one, and I was severely outclassed because of the Fenrir.

  The man used his mech to pet the Fenrir, “Daddy’s sorry for this, but we have no choice. Let’s go out with a bang, alright?” The Fenrir howled, the wounds being covered, but that would only be a temporary stopgap since it was likely bleeding internally right now, even with some of it being cauterized by the fire. A soldier said, “Sir, the battle is nigh over, we can send reinforcements.” When I looked for a moment, it did seem so, I replied, “I’ll handle these two, make sure the area is secured, then check the ships carefully. They seem to expect this was a one-way trip, so prepare bomb defusal teams.” The soldier replied, “Yes sir, good luck.” Turning my attention back to the battle at hand, I had to harden my heart, this was likely where I’d have to kill this man to survive, be it lawful or not. With how many people existed, space pirates popped up constantly, not to mention the fact humans have disagreements that lead to war. I’d have to kill people one day and today was safe enough for me to do so, not to mention entirely legal due to the fact this person was a space pirate.

  Merlin let a message appear, a sigh of relief came from me as it stated that the mech had no magical signature, so I was safe from having to worry about magic combat from them. Before I could make any other motions, the pirate began to light me up with his gun, which seemed to be explosive to some capacity. I sheathed my blade, the fire going out, and pulling an experimental weapon I forgot to replace with a functional one from my back, “Damn it, I forgot to switch weapons! Well, not like I can go back now!” I hooked it up to the pack, the mana flowing into it with vigor, as if it wished to see just what this new weapon I made could do. The man whistled, “Wow, what’s that? Never seen tech like that before.” I aimed at the Fenrir, my threat range made it a worse target to be left alive, “Just watch!” The mana formed in the barrel, lightning cracking as a metal rod began to receive a similar charge to lift it into firing position.

  I had a smile on my face, this thing was just something I made to see if I could, mostly as this was possible without magic later on. Once the charge was high enough, I pulled the trigger, the rod launching at speed so fast that I couldn’t even see it leave the barrel before the Fenrir had a new hole where part of its body once was. I said, surprised, “I can’t believe the Fenrir could react to that, most creatures would’ve been decimated already.” Somehow, the Fenrir moved in just the right way to prevent me from getting a headshot, but it was certainly on its last legs due to just the sheer number of injuries it sustained. I holstered the magic railgun after disconnecting the engine from it, no use trying that again since they won’t just sit and watch, but I considered the testing of it a success. The man was pissed, “Feni! No!” He ran over and began to pet it, the Fenrir seemed to be out of energy, because it collapsed to the ground in heaves. I made sure to reprepare myself for mech-on-mech combat, my sword ready at a moments notice as I began to approach, “Surrender, if you do, your life and those still alive will be spared, as long as they cease combat.”

  I wasn’t sure how many even considered fighting anymore, but the man shouted as he stood from the Fenrir, its eyes closed, “You bastard! You dare kill Feni! You’ll pay!” As he said that, he drew his own blade, as if saying ‘I don’t need a gun to kill you’ to my face. I sighed, “Your funeral then.” In his rage, he charged at me first, so I decided to see the strength this enemy mech had by blocking this strike. Because he was enraged, his attack was obvious, so I made sure to block it properly. The strike made the arms groan, but that noise was normal, I was checking the readings that the mech was giving off from the strike. I clicked my tongue, it wasn’t good, so I’d need to somehow leave the mech in as good of a state as I could before the battle ended to get a better understanding of it. I tilted my blade, letting his sword slide off it and resulting in his mech losing balance, giving me an opening to smash the hilt of my blade into the back of his mech, smashing it into the ground. As I turned to face him, he seemed to have somehow got up, but I had to recall this wasn’t a tier one mech, so its speed was faster than what I expected.

  When we rushed each other, we clashed blades more often than not, very rarely did either of us cause a scratch to the other’s armor, him due to his rage, but me due to my lack of experience and sword style mastery. We each had what the other lacked, and it left us in a rough stalemate as we tried to ascertain the best way to beat the other. After a few more clashes, I noticed he left his cockpit exposed when he went to swing, it could risk an arm, but I could win the day by killing him, and it seemed to be the only way I could do it before he found my own weakness. I steadied my resolve, “Freedom isn’t free, we have to fight for it, and as someone who has vowed to protect others, I need to be able to carry that burden.” I pulled my sword back, and in one, swift motion, I thrusted forward. His blade sank into my left arm, but it stopped part way as my sword found purchase in the cockpit, its craftsmanship managed to break through the armor and through the man. The man spoke, “Heh… they were right… you really are… special…” The enemy mech released the sword and fell backwards, the enemy leader was dead.

  I could hear people speaking, but it sounded like a bunch of mumbling when it entered my ears. My head was spinning, my hairs were on end, my heartbeat was getting louder in my ears, and I felt like I was going to be sick as tears flowed from my eyes. When I looked to my hands, they were shaking… I had killed someone… and I felt like shit. I quickly opened the cockpit, putting myself far enough out to puke without getting it in the cockpit, which gave me a prime view of my sword, red coated the blade, some of it dripping off in some spots. I puked again, the thought of this was horrible, how could people feel anything but horrible when they killed someone? Could I do this again? Could I take the life of another, no matter how much danger I was in? A voice managed to break through the mumbles, clearly and concise, “Aurelian, come home, everything will be ok.” It was mom, she and dad must’ve saw what I’d done, but I still wanted to see them anyway. I sat back in the cockpit, saying with a shaky voice, “Bring back the enemy leader’s mech in one piece, I want to see how it works. You know the rest… I’ll leave it to you, commander.” With that, I began to go home, I didn’t want to be here a moment longer.

  ~~~

  When I got home, mom ran up to me and pulled me tightly to her with her own strength, “My baby, are you ok?” She pulled her head back and looked me over, checking me for any injuries, but I knew I was unscathed, “I’m ok mom… just… I don’t feel good.” Dad rubbed my head, “I know, son. Taking a life, no matter the circumstances, it always hurts.” He knelt down to me, mom holding me in her arms as I looked to him, “Don’t forget this feeling, because one day, you’ll have to fight people with families back home with those from your domain with a similar situation. Don’t forget the feeling that comes with taking a life, don’t let it become normal, because every life in the universe has meaning, even if they are your enemy’s.” He hugged me, along with mom, and their warmth began to calm me down as I began to cry. For once, I wasn’t Baron Aurelian Stella Flameheart, son to Count William Stella Flameheart, but Aurelian, son to William and Cecilia, a normal child who just experienced the worst of humanity.

  I felt someone wiggle their way into the hug, wrapping their arms around me, “Aurelian, I heard what happened, everything will be ok, I swear it!” Lily spoke as if she could make it happen, and that alone made me smile despite my incredible sadness. She, much like my parents, was a light that fought back against the darkness that threatened to consume me, and I couldn’t thank them enough for being here to help me through this. Merlin spoke, his voice stern, “I think it’s time for Sir Aurelian to take a break, he’s been working hard for nearly two decades, this event needs time for him to relax, process, and move forward from it. Do not worry, I’ll handle the domain, I doubt anyone would object to my temporary command.” Dad said, “I’ll state I gave the green light for this, do as you must Merlin, I trust you.” Merlin bowed, “I appreciate your trust, I won’t fail you Count William.” Dad said, “Please, just William is fine Merlin.” Merlin replied, “Understood, however, I will refer to you as Count in public, it’s apart of my directive after all.”

  Elen spoke up, “Count Drakon stated to me once that when he killed someone for the first time was a harrowing experience, I know a few things he claimed helped him through it, I’ll tell you what they were, and you can see if they can help you as well.” Edward, with a calming smile, said, “I’ll be by your side Sir, morning to night, if you need anything, I’ll prepare it posthaste.” I realized that, despite everything, I was surrounded by people I wish I had back on Earth, and I felt truly lucky to have them all by my side, “Thank you, all of you, I’m so glad you guys are here with me.” Dad smiled as he rubbed my head, “We’ll always be here to help, son. Just know we’ll always be one call away.” Elen said, “Count Drakon sends his well wishes, and is glad you were able to come out of this fight with zero casualties. He also says to rest well, battles wear the mind down more than expected.” I nodded, I really needed a true break, not the constant work I’ve been doing, “A break… yeah, I should do that.”

  ~~~

  Men sat around a conference table, their identities shrouded in shadow as the observed a video playing before them, one of the fight between Aurelian’s forces and the space pirates. One of the men said, “Surprising, not many can push back these pirates, much less wipe them out. We were right to send fodder instead of the main pirate force to that planet.” Another nodded, “Indeed, while they may not be our main forces, it would be a shame to lose such a valuable pawn so soon.” Another man chucked, “Yes, indeed, it’s all thanks to our new ally, his information has been… decisive.” The men nodded, their eyes to the screen, Aurelian’s decisive blow on the Fenrir visible, “That mech is tier three, without a doubt, where did this… child get the means to create this? We’d be hard pressed to deal with his continued growth.” Another spoke up, “We’re uncertain, but we have reason to believe he may be a reincarnation, mostly as there’s nothing showing how this information came to him.”

  Some nods, some head shaking, each person was unsure about his growth, but one spoke, “His tech, it’s clearly magic, his sword is enough evidence of that.” Every soul in the room looked to him, one asked, “Leader, how can you be so sure? It could be a special mixture was placed on the blade.” The leader pointed to the screen, “Here, he attached a cord to that weapon, along with his sword. It’s something that mechs pre-magic needed to use basic level magic abilities, it was something very few people made before the jump to tier four… but with what we know, only one person reached this point faster than any other in the history of our former world… the Forge Master.” Each man gasped, one shouting, “Impossible! If this were the case, wouldn’t we have noticed it was him by now?! Besides, he died before the game ended, that makes it impossible for his soul to be brought here!” Voices of agreement shot out from the table, but the leader raised a hand, and all went silent.

  He spoke, his voice unchanged, “Remember, they said it wasn’t impossible for others to be brought here, that includes the Forge Master. For now, we’ll keep an eye on him, maybe he could accept the invitation as our new ally has.” The men thought for a moment, many nodding, one spoke up, “If he does join us, his wealth of information may push us to the pinnacle of the universe. Maybe our plans could succeed, along with maintaining the status quo we seek.” The leader nodded, “Glad to see you all agree with my idea. Now, if he doesn’t join us, then we’ll have to deploy our best soldiers to bring him down. Is he ready?” One man nodded, “Yes, we have him and his strike force ready, his ships should be prepared by the time our plan is to be realized.” The leader’s smile was visible from the shadows, “Good, then, let’s begin the final preparations, I’ll send you the plans on how to deal with the little baron, dismissed.” Despite it seeming like they were there, the realistic holograms powered down, along with the screen showing Aurelian’s battle. Like ghosts, these men were never even there.