Chapter 2 Into the badland

James stared into the fire in the hearth, the flames reflected in his amber eyes.

Rage simmered inside James like a volcano on the verge of eruption. His breath came in heavy, uneven bursts as he stormed back into his hut. The old floorboards groaned beneath his furious steps. He yanked open a wooden chest, grabbing his satchel and stuffing it with supplies, bread, dried meat, a dagger, a flask of water. His hands trembled with fury as he tightened the straps.

The images of his dream, the murder, the fire, the screaming, were no longer just haunting shadows. They were memories. His memories.

"They slaughtered my parents," he spat through clenched teeth. "Enslaved my people. Burned my home. And I've been sitting here, waiting."

He threw the satchel over his shoulder and turned toward the door with blazing eyes.

The wizard appeared in the doorway like a ghost, silent and stern. "You can't go to Bloodthorn like this," he said.

James didn't stop walking. "Try and stop me."

"You'll be dead before you take five steps past their gate."

James halted, jaw tight. His shoulders heaved with anger. "I don't care. I'd rather die fighting than sit around pretending this prophecy doesn't matter."

The wizard stepped forward, his voice low but commanding. "Listen to me, boy. You won't bring justice by charging into the lion's den bare-chested. If you go now, you'll be another corpse they forget."

James glared at him. "Then what? What do I do, wait until they wipe out what's left of my people?"

"No," the wizard said. "You become the weapon they never see coming."

He turned and motioned for James to follow.

Inside the wizard's cottage, the air thickened with the scent of old parchment, bitter herbs, and something faintly metallic. The wizard walked to a large stone basin and began chanting in an ancient tongue. He tossed in dried herbs, crushed bone powder, and a vial of dark liquid that sizzled as it hit the hot water.

"This belonged to Garrick," the wizard said grimly. "One of the warriors who raided your village. I killed him years ago, His soul never rested. But now, it'll serve a purpose."

As the water in the basin boiled, the wizard traced strange runes into the air, his voice rising into a deep incantation. The room darkened unnaturally, the shadows clinging to the walls as if they were listening.

"Strip and step in," the wizard commanded.

James obeyed without a word. He lowered himself into the water, wincing as it burned against his skin, not from heat, but from something far deeper. The liquid clung to him like smoke, crawling over every inch of his body.

The wizard stood beside the basin, chanting louder now, sweat running down his face.

James gasped as the world spun. His body contorted, his muscles tensed and twisted, his bones groaned as they shifted. His face felt like it was breaking and reforming all at once. He screamed, not from pain, but from the sheer force of transformation.

And then it stopped.

He stood, water dripping from his now unfamiliar body. He stumbled to a mirror, barely recognizing the face that stared back.

It was not his.

Stronger. Broader shoulders. A battle-scarred jaw. A different man entirely.

The wizard exhaled and lowered his hands. "Garrick lives again," he said. "And James... vanishes."

James stared at his reflection, breathing hard.

"I'll wear their enemy's face," he said, voice hoarse. "I'll walk right into the heart of their fortress. And I'll tear it down from the inside."

The wizard handed him a black cloak and a forged sigil of the Bloodthorn Clan.

"You leave at first light," he said. "And remember, until the time is right, you are not James. You are Garrick."

James nodded, the weight of destiny settling on his shoulders. He wrapped the cloak around him, stepped into the fading night, and vanished into the forest, toward Bloodthorn, and vengeance.

In the early hours of the morning he had arrived in Bloodthorn

James stood at the outskirts of the Bloodthorn stronghold, the early morning sun casting a warm yet deceptive light across the brutal land. His cloak shifted slightly in the wind, his eyes sharp beneath the hood. From his position, he spotted a commotion near the center of the slave quarters.

A girl was being dragged through the dirt, her wrists bound, her face bloodied. She struggled and kicked, refusing to bow even as two guards struck her with their whips.

"You think you can disobey the orders of your master and walk away from it?" one snarled. "You'll learn your place, orphan."

She spat at his feet, her voice hoarse but defiant. "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees for monsters like you."

The guard raised his whip again, but the crack never came.

"Enough."

The voice cut through the air like a blade. Firm. Deep. Authoritative.

The guards turned, confused. Then their eyes widened. One of them dropped his whip. "Garrick...?"

James stepped into the open, the wind lifting his hood as he moved with purpose. "I said stop."

The murmurs began immediately. Faces turned. Even the slaves paused in their work, daring a glance at the man who had spoken.

"It... it can't be."

"But he died"

"Garrick?"

The guards stepped back instinctively, unsure whether to kneel or run. James moved to the girl and reached for her arm. She flinched, blood trickling from a split lip, and pulled away.

"I don't need your help," she spat, turning her back on him and limping toward the shade of the wall.

James didn't push. He let her go. He turned back to the crowd. They looked at him with awe, fear, reverence. The legend had returned.

Without another word, James walked straight to the central court hall, the heart of the Bloodthorn leadership. He pushed open the heavy oak doors mid-meeting. The room fell silent.

"Well, well..." he said, surveying the elders and officials. "I see the great Bloodthorn Clan now rules with chains."

Draven stood slowly from his chair. The years had not dulled the menace in his frame. His piercing eyes narrowed. "Garrick?" he asked, almost disbelieving.

James walked forward. "In flesh. In spirit."

Draven moved toward him, gripping his shoulder tightly, then his forearm. He stared hard into James's face before his expression cracked into something like wonder. "You're alive... I thought-"

"I was reborn," James said with calculated calm.

Lord Varek stepped forward with a skeptical curl of his lip. "This is ridiculous," he said. "How can a dead man be reborn? Who's to say he isn't some imposter?" He circled James slowly, his tone biting. "The Garrick I knew had a scar across his collarbone. Let's see it."

James pulled the edge of his shirt aside, revealing the very scar, thanks to the wizard's enchantment. The room gasped.

"Still," Varek said after a pause, "people can forge scars. This man, this thing, could be sent to deceive us."

Draven raised a hand. "Enough. If Garrick says he's reborn, I believe him."

Varek sneered. "Belief is a dangerous luxury, Draven. But... as you will." He bowed slightly, but the venom in his gaze remained.

Draven turned to James. "You've returned to us in a dark time, Garrick. Much has changed."

"I can see that," James replied, his eyes falling on a chained man being led outside. "This isn't the clan I once knew."

"We'll talk more," Draven said. "But for now, rest. You'll stay in your old chambers."

James nodded and was led out.