Emma felt Sara’s divination pulse from the mountain and immediately started running to her. But by the time she crested the rock bluff separating them, she found Sara bleeding out on a smooth granite platform. The mana pressure was thick in the area, and Emma (who was exceptionally sensitive to mana) could instantly tell it came from another human. Someone tried to murder her! Emma closed her eyes and released a divination pulse. From her mind’s eye, she could feel a dense magical pressure as strong as Raul’s running full speed toward the mountain. They were getting away. “The person who did this is running toward the heroes!” she said. “Go get Aelia, I’ll heal Sara!”

“What? No.” Raul instantly refused as he followed her finger, staring into the forest. “I’m not leaving you unprotected here. Aelia can handle them. Also….” He clenched his teeth as he thought about Brandon. “They might be a hero.”

“That’s more of a reason to warn them!” Emma said. “Aelia’s over there!” She pointed to the southeast, a 45-degree angle toward the mountain. “Go that way. She’s already moving toward us; just meet her halfway. Then you can come back!”

Emma dropped to her hands and knees, rolling Sara over. There were nine massive lacerations, and Sara was at risk of dying from hemorrhagic shock. Emma had to stop the bleeding. Lifting her hands, she started chanting, and her fingertips radiated with warm light, closing all the wounds to prevent further anemia. Then she carefully opened one of the wounds again, resetting the bone fragments and reattaching the muscles.

“Sorry, Emma, but I’m not leaving you,” Raul said.

Emma stopped and gritted her teeth, closing her eyes and releasing another divination pulse. The perpetrator was almost to the mountain, and Aelia had reached their general area, turning north to enter the woods. They would likely meet if she sensed them. “The person’s already at the mountain, Raul,” Emma said. “It would be one thing if they were lingering, but—“

“No.”

Emma took a deep breath. “Why not?”

“Because I promised her I’d protect you,” Raul said, gazing at Sara.

“Are you serious? Are you fucking serious! Sara’s bleeding out, and you’re worried about me? Why is everyone always worried about me when she’s the one fighting?”

Sara worrying about her was one thing; everyone was a liability in her eyes. But Raul? Her friends? Everyone tried to get her to stay behind. Was she really so pathetic that they’d turn down a top-tier healer? Sure, maybe she was that pathetic. She’d accept that. Emma Cole, the Glass Healer—that was her. But Emma was there regardless, and no one should give a fuck about her. They should be thinking about Sara Reece! She was dying, for fuck’s sake!

“I am thinking about Sara.” Raul knelt beside her, using his famously reasonable voice. “I need to protect her, too, right?” he asked.

Anxiety pierced Emma’s lungs, and she froze.

“It’s not just physical,” Raul said. “Keeping us alive is also protecting her. If she wakes up and sees that I’m gone and you’re unprotected, she will try to get up.”

Emma swallowed hard. Her throat was dry, and it felt like she was swallowing sandpaper. “Good point…. I just… don’t get why she cares so much. We’re not even close anymore.”

“I….” Raul pulled his axe off his back and leaned against the stone monument in the center of the granite platform. Then, he spoke hesitantly. “I don’t really know either. But she shared some of her ‘dreams’ with me the other night, and… they felt too real. I don’t think they’re dreams. I honestly think she’s from the future, and the future she’s from was pretty fucked up. We died there, and I think it stuck with her. If Sara died and you got a chance to save her, wouldn’t you do the same?”

Emma’s eyes welled with tears as she watched Sara wheeze on the ground, gasping for breath. “Yeah…. I would.”

“Then let her have it,” Raul said. “Sara’s healing, and we’re alive. That’s enough. Let Aelia take care of the rest. That’s what she’s here for.”

Emma bit her lip, wiping her tears with her forearm. “Okay….”

Brandon’s face turned stiff when Aelia came charging into the woods near him. He had ditched the cloak, but his location was suspicious. He had to act fast. “Thank God you’re here!” he said. “Emma and Raul ran into the woods. I think they found her!”

Aelia trained her gaze on him with a savage ferocity that made his blood run cold. Then she silently looked at his boots for a split second before rushing into the forest.

Brandon looked down, and his knees turned to Jello. His boots were splattered with blood. Checkmate.

It’s over… he thought. It’s really over. No—it wasn’t over. He pulled up his sleeve and looked at the key array tattooed onto his forearm. All he had to do was activate the triple-layered array that was already there, and then even Aelia couldn’t fight back. Killing everyone: that was an option.

That said, Brandon didn’t want to kill anyone. He couldn’t even bring himself to kill Sara, and she was the worst of them. He just wasn’t a killer. He was a hero. A man who sacrificed himself to turn back time. And it showed—

Brandon would never forget his pupil’s face when they reunited. He got a knock on his door the night he was summoned, and he opened it to find his classmate staring at him with a strange gaze.

Yo, what’s that look for? Brandon had asked.

Sorry, it’s just that… I can’t believe that you’re really alive, Daniel said, wiping his puffy red eyes. It shouldn’t surprise me. Of course it would work. It’s you. But still, seeing it… living it….

Hold up, Brandon said. What are you talking about?

You pulled it off, Master.

Brandon’s eyes widened at his classmate’s zealous expression as he said the word “master.” Hey, hold up. What’s this master shit? If you’re talking about… that type of master, I don’t roll that way.

Daniel chuckled and then looked away. No… no-no-no…. He burst into laughter, pushing his way into Brandon’s room and sitting on a chair. Then, that laughter turned to grief. Not that type of “master,” Grandmaster Torres. Master as in “teacher.”

Grandmaster… what? Brandon was stunned. What are you talking about?

Can you…. Daniel looked at the door. Brandon shut it. Listen, Master. I know you don’t remember me, but I was your student for five years before you….

Brandon swallowed.

Sacrificed yourself to save everyone.

Those five words cloaked Brandon’s body with cold sweat, making him stumble onto his bed. Dude. Just speak clearly. None of this makes sense.

I keep forgetting that you don’t remember, Daniel said, biting his lip. But… Sara joined forces with Agronus…. I suppose you don’t even remember that. Look, Master. I’ll just come out and say it. Ten years in the future, Sara Reece will destroy this world. You sacrificed your life to turn back time and stop her.

Brandon’s vision lost focus, blurring all the colors in the room as he processed Daniel’s warning. Sara?

Yes, Sara, Daniel said. That woman… is a demon. And once she obtains the God Slayer sword, she will kill everyone you love and care about. You sent me back to stop that from happening.

Oh~kay… Brandon said. He was skeptical, but he wasn’t discounting the story, either. Can you just start from the beginning?

Daniel nodded and began, explaining how this was the second time they were summoned and the events that followed. He explained how Sara led Emma to her death to obtain Qualth and used the sword to take over the kingdom. He recounted how her sadism took root and how she abused her servants and subjects. How she chased Brandon and his lover—Emma—through hell and killed Emma. How Brandon led a revolt with Edico in response, and nearly killed Sara, chasing her to Drantal—the demon capital. How she joined forces with Agronus to defeat Brandon, helping Agronus break free and laying waste to everything in her path. Lastly, Daniel explained how Brandon, the legendary arraycraft master, sacrificed his life to turn back time.The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The more Brandon listened, the angrier he got until he was shaking in rage. And she retained her memories? he asked, thinking about the events leading up to the summoning.

She was in the room when it happened, Daniel said with a bitter smile. That just means that I need to teach you your techniques to get you back to your potential. Only you can stop her, Master.

That’s how Brandon started his journey toward saving the world and the reason that he hated Sara’s guts so much. He trained day and night to stop her, but he was so far behind. It was aggravating. Yet he was making strides, and he finally obtained Qualth, stopping Sara in her tracks.

That said…. Emma was healing Sara, and soon, Aelia would be hunting him down like a dog. What would he do? Live on the road? Move from town to town like he did in his last life? Let Sara seize power in the capital again? He didn’t have the connections he used to. By contrast, Sara already had Edico wrapped around her finger. If he didn’t kill her now, he could lose everything. And even Daniel couldn’t turn back time. That meant he had one chance in this life, and he already made an enemy of a regressor. A fucking regressor. The situation was bleak.

Brandon had to kill her now.

And yet… that meant he would have to kill Emma. Emma—the best of the heroes. His ex-lover. And Raul… Brandon hated that guy, but he could at least admit that it was jealousy. Tall, popular, well built. Emma adored him. Everyone listened to him. Brandon wanted all of that and hated that he was more talented than Raul, but people didn’t seem to care. If they just paid more attention to Brandon and gave him a real chance without looking at him like they were still staring at his past self, then he knew he’d be just as popular. But they didn’t, and that wasn’t Raul’s fault. The thought of killing him was equally bad.

Brandon was the good guy—he shouldn’t be killing the good guys, let alone his past lover.

Still…. The stakes were absolute, and if he didn’t kill her, then Sara would destroy Reemada. Millions would die again. Sara would abuse people. She’d kill Emma and Raul again. God….

If you don’t, millions will die, Brandon thought. This is bigger than you. It’s bigger than Raul. It’s bigger than Emma….

Brandon felt like someone stabbed a dagger into his guts and twisted. He hesitated in killing Sara, and it could cost the world everything. It would cost him everything, either way.

Then a jolt of anxiety shot through him when Sara’s words flooded his mind:

“Oh, so that’s how he did it. He convinced you that he was a Horcrux? And you actually bought that shit? Two people retained their memories, and the mastermind has to learn arraycraft from scratch agai—"

That’s what Sara said before he cracked her in the jaw. He didn’t want to believe that Daniel was a traitor. He was his disciple who cried for seeing him alive and well. He was the one who taught him. What was he supposed to do? Turn on his friend? Treat him like a traitor? Still….

He couldn’t help it.

I’ll talk to them first, Brandon thought. When I show them the sword, they’ll understand that I’m from the future. That I knew. That I understand. If they don’t accept that…. His face twisted into a grimace. Then I’ll do what needs to be done.

When Aelia arrived, she saw Emma and Raul standing over Lady Reece, who was bleeding out. Emma was doing emergency healing, but Sara’s skin was pale, and beside her was… a bloody footprint.

He really did do it…. Aelia thought. But how?

“Lady Twilix!” Emma screamed. “Do you know techniques for creating blood?”

Aelia snapped back into focus. “No. That’s above my skill level….”

“Then what do we do?” Emma screamed.

Aelia rushed forward, checking Lady Reece’s pulse. It was faint, but it was still there. “Just keep healing the wounds. I’ll help. Lord Martinez, keep watch. Lord Torres might come back.”

Raul and Emma froze. “Brandon?” he asked.

“Yeah. He had blood on his boots. Now keep watch!”

Aelia started to help, rolling Lady Reece over and helping to keep pressure while Emma opened the wounds one by one, healing the inside. Lady Reece had been punctured through a kidney, and a weapon grazed her spine. She was extremely lucky she didn’t suffer spinal damage.

As Emma worked, Aelia kept asking herself: How? How did he do this? Then, as Sara’s blood dripped onto the cracks, she finally saw it. There, in the granite, were very thin cuts. Wait….

The hairs on her arms turned to hard stubble, and she shot up, dropping Lady Reece.

“What are you doing?” Emma yelled. “Wait… W-What’s wrong?”

Aelia followed the thin gashes and saw that there was a thin, almost imperceptible array. She had no idea what it was, but she could tell that it was something only Headmage Mournings could create or another royal arraymaster. That’s how…. Then her mind snapped back into focus. “Get off this platform, now!” Aelia yelled.

“B-But what about Sara?” Emma yelled, recoiling and dropping Sara to the ground.

“Forget her!” Aelia said. “We’ll get her once—“

That’s when it happened. The entire circle lit up with golden light, freezing her entire body. A paralysis array! Aelia thought, lungs squeezing, heart twisting in her chest.

Emma’s lungs seized up. It wasn’t that the spell forced them to, but rather that she had intense anxiety over becoming paralyzed. The part that she found most terrifying was that her mouth and organs worked, but not her body. That means that the spell didn’t just target the nervous system—it attacked the motor neurons without affecting the cranial nerves. That allowed a person to stand frozen in time as someone hurt them, fully allowing their ability to scream in pain. It was a sadistic spell of the highest category, and anyone who used it was sick in the head.

Suddenly, there was a snap in the forest, and Emma’s eyes glided to it. There was a far strip of golden mana leading into the forest, indicating that there was some type of trigger, and the person activated it. It was a trap.

“Edico’s coming!” Aelia yelled. “Kill us, and you’ll be dead by nightfall!”

Hope welled in her heart, but it was squashed a moment later.

“Edico’s on the other side of the mountain, you idiot.”

Raul’s eyes widened, and he started growling. “So it was you!”

“What do you mean, so it was you?” Brandon asked, stepping into the open. “Why the fuck does everyone suspect me of being evil?”

“Are you joking? Look around—“

“Shut the fuck up. It’s been that way from day one.” Brandon’s voice wasn’t angry. It was filled with sorrow. “Sara ruined my reputation, and you all lapped it up.”

“Sara?” Raul asked. “Sara hasn’t said shit about—“

“Stop lying!” Brandon yelled.

Emma’s eyes were wide with confusion. “What are you talking about, Brandon? She really hasn’t said anything about you.”

Brandon turned to her with a pained gaze, then he averted eye contact, taking deep breaths. “Stop lying to me,” he whispered. “Just stop….”

Aelia hesitantly opened her mouth. “Lord Torres—“

“And you keep your mouth shut!” Suddenly, Brandon’s face turned nasty as he looked at Aelia. “You’re the worst of them. Everyone else is blind to Sara’s true nature—but you’re not. You’ve just been sitting there, watching her, knowing, and you’ve done nothing!”

Aelia took a deep breath but kept silent, closing her eyes. A moment later, a thin divination pulse erupted from her body. Emma was sensitive enough to mana to feel it, just like she did with Sara’s. Brandon didn’t notice.

“What do you want, Brandon?” Raul asked, his voice calming.

“Don’t try your reasonable guy shit on me,” Brandon said. “It’s not going to work.”

“Then what do you want from us?”

“I just want you to listen,” Brandon said. “I want you to know who you’re trying to heal.” Then he recounted an elaborate story about how evil Sara was and how she eventually joined Agronus and took over the world. Emma listened to it in disbelief, captivated by the sheer degree of Brandon’s psychosis. And Raul… he looked like he understood something, but the perplexion on his face was almost artistic.

“Are you serious?” Raul asked when the melodramatic sacrifice story was over. “Sara healed everyone’s chafing thighs on the way over here, and you think she’s a sadist?”

Brandon breathed through his teeth from the instant rejection, and he prepared to speak, but Aelia stopped him.

“Lord Torres,” Aelia said. “While I am suspicious of Lady Reece, dozens of human trafficking operations have shut down since she got here. Calling her a predator is hard to believe.”

“People align with causes that contradict their actions!” Brandon yelled. “It’s the oldest trick in the book!”

Aelia closed her eyes and released another divination pulse, trying to reach Edico. Emma noticed and turned to Brandon to distract him. “Brandon…” she whispered. It wasn’t much, but he calmed down.

“Look, man,” Raul said. “I don’t know what your story is, but I can tell you didn’t live it. Who told you all of this?”

Brandon’s entire body flexed, mood reversing as he strode up to Raul, unsheathing his dagger. Then he put it to Raul’s throat.

“Stop!” Emma screamed, heart sprinting, sending blood through her body like electric currents.

“Just stop, Emma,” Brandon said, his voice knotted with pain. “You don’t get it. None of you fucking get it! That whore is going to kill millions, and you won’t see reason!” He pushed the blade against Raul’s esophagus, making blood trickle down his throat. “I’m here to save this world, and all you have is flimsy anecdotes about the bitch’s personality!”

Brandon broke off, taking a few steps back, and pointed at the golden array underneath them. “Can’t you see this?” he asked. “And that?” He pointed to the shaft. “I knew where she would be long before she came here. Sara framed Mary for pushing her down a fucking hole, all while she planned to go down there from the start.”

Raul’s eyes widened. “What’s down there?”

“The God Slayer sword,” Brandon said. “If she would’ve gotten that shit, this world would’ve been doomed.”

Emma’s heart ached as she looked at the magic circle and glanced at the mine shaft in her periphery. It was clear that Brandon had planned for this event in the past. Since Sara knew the future, it was clear that she also—

“How do I know you didn’t do this?” Raul asked. “Edico got a tip-off about this location a year ago. That’s enough time for you to make this array, isn’t it?”

Brandon’s eyes clouded over, and he clenched his fist. Then, without warning, he slammed it into Raul’s face, sending his frozen body buckling to the ground. “Don’t you dare say I did this!”

“Raul!” Emma screamed.

Raul laughed on the ground, spitting up blood. “But you did, didn’t you? If you ask me, it sounds like you led her to the sword so she’d get it for you.”

Brandon clenched his fists and then rushed Raul, soccer-punting him in the stomach. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up!” He kicked on every word.

“Stop it!” Emma screamed. “You’re killing him!”

Brandon stopped. “Do I have another choice? You idiots are just going to tell everyone that I’m the villain, all while this world-destroying bitch….” He looked at Sara. “Wait… I should just kill her.” His voice became a mumble as he pondered aloud. “Yeah. As long as I kill Sara, I don’t need to kill Emma….”

Emma’s heart started thrashing like a caged animal when she heard he planned to kill her. She looked to Aelia, who released an intense divination pulse that made Brandon perk up, but he didn’t do anything.

“Yeah, that’s what I’ll do,” Brandon said. “I won’t kill the good guys.” He turned to Sara and lifted his boot over her head as Emma pleaded with him. “Unfortunately for you, I’m going to kill the bad guys.“ Without hesitation, he slammed his foot down.