General Jack's Rebirth

REBIRTH, NOW RUTHLESS

Jack sprinted down the corridor, boots pounding against polished stone floors that hadn't yet tasted blood or fire in this timeline. Cara is dying. The words echoed viciously in his mind, louder than the drums of war he remembered from his other life.

His daughter's cold face flashed before him—blue lips, still chest, his trembling hands trying to warm. her as life slipped away from her. He had buried her with him as he died, with this same broken heart.

"Not again," Jack growled, pushing past startled soldiers. "Not in this lifetime."

Amelia, Elena's personal maid, rushed ahead of him, skirts flying. She shouted over her shoulder, breathless, "My Lord, please, this way!"

He tore down the main hall, lungs burning, vision blurring with something between terror and hope. His young body was fast, much faster than it had been after years of war. His legs devoured the distance, fueled by desperation.

He reached Elena's chambers; the door was half open, as if death itself had slipped through first. Jack didn't knock; he slammed it wide.

"CARA!" he roared. And then silence, not the silence of death, but of surprise.

The room was dark, candles unlit, and curtains drawn. For a heartbeat he tasted dread until a sharp click sounded from the far corner.

Light burst across the room as dozens of lanterns ignited at once.

"SURPRISE!!" Voices shouted in chorus; Jack froze, breath trapped in his throat.

Elena stood at the center of the room, radiant in a flowing ivory gown, a smile softening her gentle face. Her raven hair was braided with silver threads, catching the lantern light. Beside her, tiny Cara, alive, warm, and pink-cheeked, held a small wooden box, smiling shyly.

"Happy birthday, Jack," Elena said, and his knees nearly buckled.

He blinked, vision struggling to match reality with memory; in his past life, this room had been soaked in blood. Elena had died on these floors. Cara had taken her last breath wrapped in his arms. And here they both stood, laughing, breathing, alive.

He looked wildly at Amelia; she bowed her head apologetically. "Forgive me, my Lord. Lady Elena asked me to call you urgently so you wouldn't suspect anything."

A... surprise birthday? His heart hammered so hard he almost swayed. He wasn't ready for this; he had prepared for blood, for death, not this.

Cara trotted over on chubby legs, her two-year-old curls bouncing. "Papa!" She squealed. "Open!"

The word "papa" nearly shattered him; he sank into a crouch, arm trembling, and scooped her into his embrace. She felt warm and real, her tiny arms wrapped around his neck, soft as silk.

"Cara..." His voice cracked, raw. "By the heavens... you're safe." She giggled, thinking he was playing. "Papa, it's your birthday! Mama says, "Don't cry; cry later!"

Elena approached, her smile fading slightly as she studied his expression. "Jack, are you alright?" She reached out and touched his cheek, her thumb brushing a tear he didn't even realize had fallen. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"I'm holding one," he almost said, ghosts of a life erased or rewound.

Instead he swallowed hard, forcing strength into his voice. "I'm fine," he whispered. "More than fine."

Elena exhaled, relieved. "Good, we were worried you wouldn't wake in time; you slept late today."

Jack's gaze flicked over her shoulder; Kao stood at the back of the room, arms folded, smirking as if nothing had ever happened, as if he had never betrayed Jack, never slit Elena's throat, never burned their kingdom to ash. The snake lifted a goblet in mock salute.

The room narrowed around Jack; his fingers twitched toward the dagger missing from his belt, and instinct screamed to kill Kao where he stood. One thrust, one twist, and one less traitor breathing the same air as his wife and child.

But he inhaled sharply. Not yet. He needed information; he needed to change everything and correct every mistake that led to their downfall, and killing Kao now, in front of Elena and Cara, would change history too soon.

Elena stepped closer. "Jack, truly, what's wrong?"

He forces his expression to soften. "Nothing, I'm simply overwhelmed."

She smiled again, relief washing across her face. "Well, good, because we have something for you." She motioned toward Cara.

"Papa, open!" Cara demanded again, pushing the tiny box into his hands.

General Jack flipped the latch gently; inside was a carved wooden pendant, an eagle with spread wings, the symbol of the woodpecker empire, Elena's family crest.

Elena spoke softly, her voice warm and calm, "I commissioned it from the royal artisan for the God of War, my father, but Cara insisted on painting it herself."

Cara nodded proudly. "I made wings!"

Jack's throat tightened painfully. "It's perfect," he whispered. "Both of you... perfect."

For a heartbeat, he let himself feel it, the warmth of his daughter in his arms, the soft smile on Elena's lips, that flashed him back to her death.

"I'm still bothered by the reason Elena was killed by her own father!" He muttered to himself.

The quiet laughter filling the room, the life that had been stolen from him, the life he swore to protect this time.

Then Elena leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday, my love."

For the first time since waking in the past, he allowed a genuine smile to touch his lips, but the moment shattered when Kao stepped forward.

"General," Kao said, bowing shallowly. "A word in private, urgent matters." Jack's smile vanished.

Elena frowned slightly. "Can't it wait? It's his birthday."

Kao's eyes glinted in a way only Jack recognized: cold, serpentine, and calculating. "I'm afraid not, my lady; the Nightshade Kingdom has begun early movements near our borders."

Jack's blood chilled; this was it: the first attack, the battle that sparked everything, the betrayal, and the destruction of the empire.

This was where the history began to fall apart, and now, he has the power to stop it.

Jack placed Cara gently into Elena's arms, brushing her curls with a trembling hand.

"Stay inside tonight," he said softly. "No matter what."

"Jack?" Elena tilted her head.

He kisses her forehead, lingering a moment longer than usual. "Just promise me."

"She nodded slowly. "Alright, I promise."

He turned, eyes locking on Kao with deadly calm. "Lead the way," Jack said. And as they exited the room, Jack whispered under his breath, voice low and venomous: "THIS TIME, KAO... IT'S YOUR TURN TO DIE."