Covenant (1)

A hero deserved a monument for a final rest, but Master had asked for a simple burial in a forest.

"Master, I thank you for four years."

Valan Ferndall stood before a mound of soil, with a stone that bore no name. He meant to pray in silence, but words spilled out. raising emotions he thought long gone.

As he spoke, the forest around him faded.

The scent of trees became salt air, and suddenly he was twelve again--weak, half dead, with seawater still inside his lungs.

There, he met Master for the first time.

You’re still alive?

Her first words had carried a lighthearted tone, showing no trace of worry.

You’re the luckiest boy I have ever seen.

Back then, Master didn't know his entire story.

Valan shared a small part with her not long after. Listening to it, she decided to bring him along on what she dubbed a great "adventure."

She made it simple, but she also warned him: the journey might cost their lives.

Yet, he still decided to join her.

He had no reason to reject. He had nowhere else to go.

As he thought about his first journey, the beach in his mind vanished, replaced by a desert under the moonlight night.

Wake up, Valan. Time to train.

During early days, Master would splash cold water on his face at dawn. The training was relentless--sometimes he slept only four hours a night.

You're hopeless at arcane, boy. Remember--weakness invites death.

The warning came in their very first sparring match, delivered with a knife pressed against his cheek. With Master, there was no coddling, but he knew it was all to help him stand on his own.

And she had taught him so much.

He learned everything from her, forging him into a stronger person.

His past life in Tokyo had been rough, but this world hadn't been much kinder to him.

He wished he lived a "brighter" isekai life like those light novel characters had.Although he had some nice experiences, many of them were painful for him to share. Only Master knew this, and even then, Valan hadn't yet revealed everything to her.

But still, those experiences paled beside his time with her.

Years of shared bond with her now twisted his feeling into guilt.

Valan feared he had betrayed her. For the first time, he chose to admit the truth.

"There's something I never told you, Master."

Valan had never lied to her--except about his past life, and the true reason he needed to grow stronger.

But he had hidden even more secrets.

"I'm originally not from this world." The words felt strange for him to finally say aloud. "I came from a place where arcane doesn't exist--where it was only a mere fantasy. That's why I struggled with your training."

He closed his eyes and continued, "But you never gave up on me. You showed me the way. I still have much to learn, but I've become stronger than I ever imagined."

He remained quiet. Letting his mind free, he listened to the forest around him--the birds, the leaves, the stream--as if they waited for his next words.

“A disaster is coming, Master. Something more terrible than anyone has ever seen.” He hesitated, sensing the burden of his words. “But there’s still hope. I know how to prevent it. With your blessing, Master, I pray that your spirit will always guard me in my quest.”

The training, the lessons, the experience--everything was aimed for this purpose.

"I’ll protect our legacy and carry out your will, Master."

He opened his eyes. Then, he dug into his pocket and retrieved a pair of plain wire-rimmed glasses, setting them gently.

“Thank you for everything. Farewell." He bowed his head.

Valan just stood there for a moment. He waited until the quiet felt like a satisfying answer.

He hoisted his travel pack and checked its contents one last time. Several letters--including Master's will--his supplies, and a few possessions. Everything he needed was there.

With Master's grave behind and the world's fate ahead, Valan took his first steps into the incoming storm.

As he walked, his thoughts drifted backward into the past.

Before his training with Master. Before his reincarnation in this new world.

All the way to that single moment that changed everything.

The moment when he died, and his second life began.