Tenebris Renasci: A World of Magic and Gunpowder

"Frank," Ben whispered.

"Yes, what is it, Mr. Ben?" Frank asked curiously, leaning in closer to him.

"Go into the mansion and tell Elise that the frontlines have been broken and that she has two hours to choose what to do," Ben said, ensuring his words were clear and easy for Frank to understand.

Frank nodded. "Okay Mr. Ben, I'll go tell her." 

As Frank took off, running back towards the mansion gates, Ben called out to Antoinette. 

"Antoinette, wait!" He shouted, his tone filled with a mix of desperation and uncertainty.

Antoinette paused mid-step, without looking back. 

Rising to his feet, Ben continued. "I'm… I'm coming with you." He said, his voice strained as he struggled to his feet. "So just… wait."

Antoinette breathed a sigh of relief as she glanced back at Ben. "Then hurry up." She replied, before approaching the sables again, this time her pace slower.

As Ben got to his feet he began to jog after Antoinette. 

As his jog turned into a sprint, Ben's grip around Alexander tightened. "You'll survive." He said softly, "If I can't do anything else, I'll make sure you survive my lord."

— — —

Alexander found himself sitting in his bed.

But it wasn't the bed he had grown accustomed to over the past six years, no it was the bed he used as a college student in his previous life. 

Confused, Alexander began looking around his room with a slightly panicked expression. 

His room was exactly the way he left it, the same posters, the messy clothes, his game system and monitor set-up… everything.

But most surprisingly was his best friend Mikey, who sat in the beanbag chair near the window. 

He was engrossed in a book.

It was a thick isekai manga about a man being reincarnated as a slime.

Noticing Alexander staring at him, Mikey looked up from his book, his expression curious. "Jack, are you okay bro?" He asked worriedly.

"Huh?" Alexander replied.

"You were talking about what you wanted to do on graduation, how you were ready to leave the country?" Jack replied.

Alexander frowned as he raised a hand to his temples. "I… I was?" He asked, his voice full of confusion.

"Yeah, then it was like you just zoned out," Mikey replied. 

Alexander nodded as he took a deep breath. "Sorry," he replied as he dropped his hand, "I had the strangest dream or vision…" he began to shake his head, replaying the last six years of his life as Alexander. 

Every memory played in a flash up until the point the front lines were attacked. 

"…I was in some kind of… fantasyland or something," Alexander said as he looked at Mikey. "There were these pale people with colorful eyes and long ears, like elves." He began, "and… they were in a war with these people who looked like humans, from a western empire…"

Alexander gaze then fell upon the manga Mikey was reading. 

"It was kinda like that stuff you read." He said with a point to the book, "but… it all felt so… real." 

Alexander was still in disbelief and had trouble adjusting to being back in reality.

Mikey chuckled as he looked down at his manga. "Really?" He asked curiously, "Man that must've been cool, was it fun?" 

Alexander immediately shook his head no. "It was interesting, but I wouldn't call it fun." He said with a sigh. "There was so much shit I missed, so many conveniences, foods, people even."

Alexander then closed his eyes. "I… I hated it." He replied softly. 

Mikey's eyes softened as he looked upon his friend. "Yeah, that sounds about right." He said with a nod of his head, "You never realize what you miss until it isn't there."

"Exactly," Alexander replied with a point to Mikey. "Dude, you wouldn't even believe this, but I missed my sister the most." He said with a soft smile. 

Mikey smiled. "I'd imagine so, I mean you two are what's left of your family right?" 

Alexander nodded. "Yeah, she's all I got." 

Mikey softly chuckled. "Maybe this is like a wake-up call like the universe is telling you something."

Alexander sighed as he stood up. "Maybe you're right." He said softly, "You know, I think I should talk to her, tell her I love her."

Mikey nodded. 

Alexander smiled, before walking towards the front door. 

As he reached the door, Mikey called out from behind him. "I'm sure she already knows bro, but I'm glad you're waking up to reality."

Alexander softly chuckled to himself as he opened the door and stepped out of the room.

— — —

Alexander slowly opened his eyes.

He looked around to see the interior of a carriage that was illuminated by the sunlight beaming through the windows. 

Sitting across from him was a young girl who sat white her hands clasped together in her lap. She wore a beautiful dress and well-crafted shoes, along with knee-high socks.

She had crimson-red eyes and long brown hair.

She looked lost, almost as if she had been given the worst news of her life. 

It was Louise. 

Alexander was initially confused as to why he was in a carriage sitting across from Louise.

Wasn't I just in my dorm… with Mikey?

But after a few seconds, Alexander's eyes widened like large saucers.

The painful memories from earlier played in his mind. 

The death and confusion he faced, the vivid smell of blood, the ear-piercing screams.

That was real?!?!

"No…" he softly whispered to himself as he began to panic. "No, no, no!"  He repeated as he looked around the wagon, his voice growing increasingly panicked and shrill.

This wasn't right. 

He wasn't supposed to be here, this wasn't supposed to be real!

This is a dream!

"This isn't real." Alexander said as he moved to open the carriage door while it was still in motion. "this can't be real!" He shouted as he reached to pull the door handle.

As he moved to open it, Louise hopped from her seat and moved to stop him. "Stop!" She shouted in a panic as she moved to grab his hand, "You'll kill us both you fool!"

"Get away from me!" Alexander shouted as Louise grabbed his hand. 

He attempted to shake her off, but Louise's grip was firm. 

With eyes full of determination and desperation, she began to wrestle Alexander away from the door. "Stop with the idiocy!" She shouted to him as the two children continued to fight. "Why are you attempting to open the door!"

"Let me out!" Alexander cried as he wrestled with Louise, "Get the fuck out of the way!" He shouted angrily, "now!"

Alexander's heart was racing in his chest, his mind a jumbled mess of confusion and anxiety as the memories from his previous life violently crashed against the memories of his current one. 

What it created was a deep feeling of being in a nightmare, with the only way out being through another door.

The ongoing struggle between Louise and Alexander caused the carriage to quickly roll to a halt. 

The two children lurched forward and crashed towards the front against the opposite seat.

The right carriage door quickly swung open, revealing both Ben and Antoinette standing outside with confused and concerned expressions. 

"What happened?!" Ben said as he looked inside the carriage interior, staring at both Alexander and Louise who were in each other's arms. 

Alexander, spotting his opportunity to escape from this horrible reality. 

Pushing Louise off of himself Alexander jumped out of the carriage and through the carriage door. 

Unfortunately for him, however, the escape he hoped to be blessed with, never came. 

Instead what he was met with was the cold hard ground. He crashed, the air rapidly rushing out of his lungs as his stomach smacked the ground. 

With the wind knocked out of him, Alexander began to groan in pain as he rolled onto his back. 

"My lord!" Ben shouted as he rushed to Alexander's side. "Why did you do that?"

"He's insane!" Louise shout as she stepped out of the carriage holding her side, "He claimed the world itself wasn't real, and attempted to exit the carriage while in motion!"

Ben looked to Louise with a worried expression, before quickly turning towards Alexander to confirm. "Is that true my lord?" He asked. 

Alexander ignored Ben, instead he was overwhelmed with a sudden sense of dread.

It didn't work, why didn't it work?

Alexander began to panic as he still hadn't 'woken up'.

He scrambled to his feet as he examined his surroundings. 

He was surrounded with an open field of grass, with trees, followed by mountains far in the distance, 

The afternoon sun shined high in the sky, casting its warm glow down upon the group. 

The carriage they were riding in was one from his family's mansion, and the windwalker that pulled it was from his family's stables.

Louise stood inside the carriage with a hand on her side, while Antoinette stood outside the carriage with a curious yet frustrated expression.

And then there was Ben, who knelt beside him.

With his breathing uneven and his eyes darting around in a frenzy, Alexander was on the verge of a breakdown. 

"This isn't real." He whispered. "This is all a dream, a dream that I'm soon to wake up from… at any minute." 

Just stay calm, maybe the dream hasn't processed that I'm awake yet?

If that were the case, all Alexander would need is something to shock himself awake.

Looking back toward Ben, Alexander began to study him closely. 

His eyes traced down Ben's ragged and worn uniform until eventually, his gaze stopped at Ben's revolver.

His eyes widened as a lightbulb went off in his head.

That's… perfect.

Without hesitation, Alexander reached for Ben's gun. 

Ben, his eyes keen and senses sharp, quickly grabbed Alexander's wrist before he could grab his gun. "My lord!" Ben shouted as he moved to restrain both of Alexander's hands, "Calm yourself, please!"

"Give me your fucking gun!" Alexander shouted at Ben, spit flying from his mouth as he gritted his teeth. 

Ben further restrained Alexander's wrist, his eyes widened with concern and understanding. "My lord please, you're confused and scared, but that is not the way to–"

"This isn't real!" Alexander shouted as tries to rip his hands from Ben. 

His mind was overwhelmed with fear and frustration, his chest rising and falling as his breath grew ragged. 

He was trapped in a waking nightmare and every second longer he spent in this nightmare, his agony and anxiety levels skyrocket. "I have to wake up, I have to go home, to the real world, with real people…" Alexander continued to pull away from Ben as he shouted. "Just give me the gun, and let me go!"

As Alexander wrestled with Ben, Antoinette grew impatient and began to approach the duo with an irritated expression. 

She reached to her hip and unholstered her pistol, then reached it out towards Alexander. "Here!" She shouted, her tone full of impatience. 

Alexander quickly looked towards Antoinette, his face brightening upon seeing the gun.

Ben turned to Antoinette, his eyes wide. "Antoinette you can't, he doesn't know what he's asking!"

"Shot me!" Alexander cried out, "Please, I'm ready."

"Move Ben," Antoinette said coldly as she aimed her pistol at Alexander. 

"Antoinette!" Ben shouted as he moved in front of Alexander. He stared at Antoinette with eyes full of defiance and determination. "I'm warning you."

Alexander, who was now behind Ben, began to grow impatient. 

Understanding that Antoinette would shoot him if Ben got out of the picture, Alexander did the only thing he knew that could topple over any man.

A nut punch. 

Gathering all his strength, Alexander Lowered himself down just between Ben's legs. 

Then, quickly rising and putting all of his strength into a fist, punched Ben directly in his balls.

Ben immediately tensed up as Alexander's fist connected to his crotch, Then just before keeling over he squealed. 

With Ben on the ground clutching his crotch, Alexander took a few steps closer to Antoinette with his arms stretched out wide. 

There was a grin on his lips as he looked Antoinette directly in the eyes. "I'm ready." He whispered before closing his eyes and turning his head towards the sky.

Antoinette frowned as she aimed her pistol at Alexander, both eyes open as she steadied her breathing. "Stay still." She ordered."

Of course. 

"Antoinette no!" Ben shouted as he struggled to stand on his feet. 

With her aim true, Antoinette fired.

"No!"