Tenebris Renasci: A World of Magic and Gunpowder

After reaching the mansion and getting settled in, Alexander found himself in his room listening to his radio. 

"…and in other news, the royal navy has commissioned a new class of Dreadnought, the HMS Conquest. Instead of the wooden ships of old powered by wind, this vessel uses a combustion engine, that's right folks, the same engine used to power our airships and automated carriages…"

Alexander sat in bed with us eyes wide. "Automated carriages?" He muttered to himself. "Does that mean…  does Ambur kingdom have cars?!?" He said in excitement.

Alexander quickly jumped out of bed and ran out of his room. 

As he ran, his thoughts sped around his mind like cars on a track. The idea of Ambur having cars was simply unbelievable.

Especially since he hadn't seen one since his previous death.

"Louise!" Alexander shouted as he approached her room. "Louise, I have questions!"

Louise, who was quietly sitting in her room going through the piles of clothes she bought, looked up with an alarmed expression.

Suddenly there was a flurry of knocking on her door. "Louise, let me in!!!" Alexander shouted, "Louise!"

"Go away, you ignorant scoundrel!" Louise shouted back, "I wish to be alone."

"Louise!!!!"

Open the damn door.

Louise crossed her arms as she sighed deeply. "Ugh, I don't want to be bothered with your antics." She muttered to herself as she looked away from the door.

Alexander was undeterred by Louise's words, he was interested in these cars, and he was going to find out about them. "Louise, I just have a few questions, I'll do anything, anything!" 

Inside the room, Louise frowned as she rolled her eyes. "Fine, I suppose I can answer your question, depending on what it is." She said reluctantly.

Alexander grinned. "Does Ambur have automated carriages?" He asked, his tone full of excitement. 

Louise raised an eyebrow as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "Hmm." 

"Ahh yes." She said with a face of realization, "That Hazardous contraption." She sighed. "There's several of them used by the nobility as a novelty, but they cause more trouble than it's worth."

What? Cars are awesome, it's the horse of the 21st century, or I guess in this world, a windwalker.

"How so?" Alexander asked through the door.

"Well, firstly they use a ghastly fuel that smells of excrement when heated. Secondly, they are slow and unreliable, and lastly, I prefer the grace and elegance of a Windwalker." She explained.

Alexander's excitement quickly fell. 

Awe what, the cars smell like ass?

"Ew, that's nasty," Alexander said with a disgusted expression. 

Louise nodded in agreement. "Exactly, so it's no surprise that those combustion engines are used mostly by the royal forces." She added.

Alexander nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." He then paused, thinking about the conversation they just had. 

He never thought about it before, but Ambur was truly in a golden age of technology and advancement. 

It was probably the closest nation that would have a similar style of life to a country back on Earth.

Alexander sighed as he stepped back from the door. 

He was hit with a wave of homesickness, his entire life, friends and family, was gone. 

Confused by the sudden silence, Louise spoke up. "Are you still there?" She asked in slight annoyance, "It's rude to ignore me."

"S-sorry," Alexander said softly. "Thanks for answering my question Louise, I'll be on my way."

Alexander then turned away from the door and walked towards the stairs.

Louise shrugged her shoulders as she resumed what she was doing.

Alexander quietly walked down the stairs and headed towards the courtyard. 

Reaching the courtyard he was greeted with the massive tree and its golden leaves blowing gently in the wind.

He walked over to the bench where he once sat with Ava, and took a seat.

He then sighed as he leaned back.

How did I not realize that, how did I skip past the fact that my entire life is gone? 

"Are you okay Alex?" A soft voice came from the entrance of the courtyard. 

Alexander turned to see who it was. 

It was Marcus, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and baggy pants. His hair was let down, covering his back and shoulders. His face was erected with a concerned expression, and his eyes held a tender care.

Alexander frowned as he turned away from Marcus. "Leave me alone." He said coldly.

Marcus slowly approached Alexander, his concern growing. "Did someone hurt you, was it Louise?"

"Can't you just do what you're told, for once?" Alexander asked in annoyance, glaring at Marcus as he climbed on the bench beside him. "I'm a nobleman, I'm a person of power, so you should listen, okay."

Marcus frowned. "That's not nice Marcus, I'm your friend and friends help each other, right?"

"You're not my friend," Alexander replied. "You're Alexander's friend, my friends are gone."

Marcus's expression grew perplexed as he blinked his eyes in confusion. "What does that mean?" He eventually asked.

Alexander wasn't quite sure what it meant himself. 

He was Alexander, born and raised.

But he didn't feel like Alexander anymore, he felt like Jack, the rowdy college kid on his way to meet some girls with his buddy. 

Alexander crossed his arms and tightly gripped his biceps. 

"Alex?" Marcus said softly as he leaned closer to him, their cheeks almost touching. "What does that mean?" He asked again. 

Alexander remained silent. 

You wouldn't understand, no one would understand. How the hell do you explain to someone that I lived an entirely different life before?

Marcus grew slightly closer. "Talk to me Alex, I wanna know what's wrong with you."

"go away," Alexander muttered.

I should've died that day.

Marcus frowned as he grabbed the bottom of Alexander's face. His hands were soft but his grip was tight. Marcus then turned to Alexander to face him, "What's wrong with you Alex." Marcus said frustratedly.

As Alexander was forced to look at Marcus, something within him just snapped. 

He didn't care anymore. 

He didn't care about this life he had been given as Alexander. 

He didn't care for this world. 

He didn't care if he lived.

His mind then went blank as he quickly reached back a fist, tightening it as hard as he could.

He swung down in a rapid arc, crashing his fist into Marcus' jaw. 

Marcus recoiled from the harsh and painful attack, jumping down from the bench as he held his face. "A-Alex?" Marcus said in shock as he reached for his jaw. 

Alexander wasted no time in hopping down from the bench and charging Marcus again. 

Realizing Alexander was moving in for another attack, Marcus took a quick step back and raised his fist. 

As Alexander got close and swung for another punch, Marcus countered it. He grabbed Alexander's fist and yanked him closer. 

With his other arm, Marcus then elbowed Alexander in the face with a hard impact. 

Alexander felt his nose breaking under the force of the hit.

The pain was intense, blood dripping out of his nostrils as his head flew back.

Marcus quickly followed the elbow with a punch to the gut.

Alexander's mouth flew open as the air escaped him, along with a small amount of slobber.

"Gyah!" 

Marcus quickly moved to drop an elbow on Alexander's back. 

The impact was brutal, a sharp pain spiraled through Alexander's back as he crashed to the ground in pain. 

Groaning in pain Alexander crumbled into a ball.

"Why Alex!" Marcus shouted as he looked down at Alexander with confusion and pain.

"What did I do?" He asked frustratedly.

Alexander slowly looked up to Marcus with eyes of hatred, his nose healing physically, yet the phantom pain continued to burn.

Marcus frowned as Alexander silently stared at him.

There was a brief moment of silence as the two boys stared each other down. A palpable tension building in the air as Alexander slowly rose to his feet.

Blood trickled down his lips and dripped from his chin. He gritted his teeth as he raised his fist. "You godless fuck, I'm gonna rip your damn throat out!" 

Alexander kicked up dirt as he blitzed Marcus once more. 

Marcus readied his defense, frowning as he narrowed his eyes. 

Alexander moved to punch Marcus, and as he did so Marcus prepared to counter by grabbing his fist.

But this time Alexander was prepared.

As Marcus moved to grab his fist, Alexander yanked it back last second and blindsided Marcus with a left hook. 

The punch to Marcus' jaw was brutal, knocking his head to the right as the sound of bone popped and echoed loudly.

Marcus however, quickly recovered and moved to strike Alexander with a roundhouse kick. 

Alexander was caught off guard, and the price to pay was the wind being knocked out of him for a second time. 

Alexander shouted in pain as he instinctively reached for his side. 

Marcus took the opportunity to blitz Alexander with another punch, this time with an uppercut to his jaw. 

As the punch connected Alexander clenched his teeth, his head flying backward. 

Marcus followed the uppercut with a knee to the gut.

Grabbing both of Alexander's shoulders before thrusting his knee forward.

Marcus then reached for Alexander's head and yanked him towards the ground.

As he crashed against the cold ground, Marcus subsequently swung his heel into Alexander's back.

Alexander screamed in pain, a primal roar that came from deep within the depths of his chest. 

Reaching for the spot in his back Marcus had struck, Alexander was left wide open for another attack, which Marcus took without second thought.

He swung back his foot, then rocketed it forward like a bullet. 

The kick landed squarely in Alexander's stomach, causing him immediate and serious pain. 

His eyes grew wide as his cheeks swelled up, Alexander felt something quickly rising up from his stomach to his mouth. 

Alexander vomited onto the courtyard ground.

The contents spewed from his stomach as he gasped for air, his laborious breathing ragged and unsightly. 

Marcus took a step back as he looked down at Alexander in hurt and confusion. "A-are you okay?" Marcus stammered as Alexander stopped vomiting.

Alexander lay there, anger and despair swirling in him like ocean waves in rough waters. "I… hate you." He managed to say in a strained voice. "I… I hate you." He managed to say louder. "I hate you!" He shouted. 

Marcus' eyes began to well with tears as he listened to Alexander shouting. "W-why?" Marcus asked. "We're friends, you're my friend!"

Alexander gritted his teeth as he began to pushed himself off the ground. His eyes were wild with hatred and frustration.

Hate, hate, hate, hatred and rage!

Marcus watched as Alexander rose to his feet once more. His wounds healed as his body shook with pain and rage. "I hate you, Marcus!" Alexander shouted with a twisted grin, "Do you hear me, I hate you!"

Marcus was confused and frightened as to what Marcus had become, but he was hurt more by what he was saying. 

The idea that Alexander hated him… the very notion that his savior and only friend despised him was heartbreaking. 

Tears began to roll down Marcus' cheeks as he dropped his fists. "Why…" he asked softly, "I thought we were friends," he whispered softly.

Alexander prepared to charge Marcus once more, but before he could he was stopped by a hard tackle from Elise.

She tightly wrapped her arms around Alexander's small frame as she crashed into the ground.

She was careful not to hurt Alexander any more than he already was, holding him close to her chest. 

Alexander's eyes widened in confusion as he looked to see the afternoon sky. Orange and purple clouds against the backdrop of an increasingly dimming sky.

What the hell?