Reincarnations

"Call Rainard, be present here!" demanded the king with a thunderous voice, shattering the silence in the grand chamber of the palace.

A servant trembled as he stepped into the throne room, his footsteps light like autumn leaves swept by the breeze. With utmost reverence, he approached the throne where the king sat in his unparalleled grandeur. Without hesitation, the letter, brimming with secrets, was handed to the ruler, whose eyes seemed to outshine both the sun and the moon as he perused its contents. Yet suddenly, the royal cheeks flushed red like the sunset, and the letter bore witness to the king's turmoil in silence.

"Bring him forth before me, this instant!" bellowed the king, his words shattering the tranquility that once filled the palace.

"Very well, Your Majesty," the servant replied, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

Hastily, his steps carried the king's message to the farthest reaches of the land. Meanwhile, within the king's heart, a tempest of emotions raged, struggling to be contained by the strength of a wise ruler. He allowed his sturdy elbows to support the weight of his burdened head, filled with deliberation and anguish. His gaze returned to the crumpled letter in his grasp, a tale unfolded upon its weathered pages:

"O, King and Beloved Father, forgive this servant for his negligence. Aware of the impending consequences, I have chosen to retreat to the lands of the Adresh Empire. Do not seek me."

"A disobedient child. A reflection of injustice. Content to remain idle in towering indolence. Does he not understand the weight of his titles? His punishment merely serves to open his eyes and broaden his world. Stubbornly refusing education and wisdom. Yet why, now, does he direct his steps there? What does he seek? Only to perplex his parents," uttered the king in the depths of his profound contemplation.

******

Rainard De Helton, the second ray from the Helton Kingdom, left insignificant traces. At a mere age of 15, he chose to go by the name Art, defying the march of time as he carved out the tales of his life. In the past, he suffered wounds when his father cast him out from the embrace of the kingdom. Anger and vengeance brewed within the chambers of his heart, creeping through the veins of Helton Kingdom. Rainard took strides to join the ranks of rebel forests, until he fell, embraced by the sweat of an Adesh Empire knight, wrapped in the arms of a princess.

Night fell, encircling the sky with flashes of lightning, as Rainard awoke amidst the ruins of the past, at dawn, the day before his father imposed the punishment of exile. Initially, lost in reverie, but the tangible shackles crawled as the rough embrace of affection gripped, groping. At that moment, his heart tore cautiously yet defiantly, as if destiny itself groaned. Though the scars still seared, he refused to tread the path of rebel forests again, wary of the perilous consequences. Instead, he found himself bound to the skies of the Alcatraz Kingdom, meeting a merchant, the Reese. In his embrace, flowed lessons of markets and trading forests, along with untouched key tactics.

Fifteen years passed, Rainard scattered dots of blessings in the past. Despite being haunted by the clawed weapons between the Adesh Empire and barbarian hordes, he fell to the dagger of the same female soldier on the backstage floor of the arena. Drifting off once more, he merely embraced his father's wishes and let the palace ceilings slide. Despite rubbing shoulders with trade in the Alcatraz Kingdom, he realized how his life was dwindling. With his final breath, he chose to step into the embrace of the Brundhill Kingdom, warmly welcomed and beckoned to become a fisherman.

Rainard resided in a hidden civilization, far from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, relishing in the tranquility within the embrace of his lover. However, as he reached the age of 31 and his wedding plans began to unravel, dark fate suddenly descended upon him. The ship carrying him foundered in the abyssal ocean, grazed by a sea giant crossing the borders from the Alcantraz Empire to unknown lands. Rainard's deepest scorn was directed at the presence of the princess on that ship, as if she bore a curse. His thoughts narrated in unexpected ripples of anger. For him, the age of 31 felt as if it had died thrice over by the same decree. Ironically, such shadows enveloped him as he woke up, returning to the day before the disaster struck. However, his fourth life wasn't much different; kidnapped by a band of criminals on his journey, rescued by a barbarian tribe, only to end up with them by the hand of the princess.

And so continued Rainard's fate in his fifth life. As an adventurer at the pinnacle of his achievements, his 31 years intersected with the presence of imperial forces advancing towards the Kingdom of Fredonia. Accused as a disruptor, fate led him to perish by the hand of the princess, although he managed to cripple some of their forces. A similar tale repeated in his sixth life. Changing his identity, becoming a knight in the Kingdom of Rellios, yet irony unfolded when the princess attacked that realm's land. As a knight, his fate was written; to perish at the age of 31 by the hand of the princess.

His impatience towards the princess fueled his seventh life, where Rainard decided to journey to the Alcantraz Empire, leading a simple life as a cook's assistant. There, he learned the arts of magic and alchemy from a wise figure named Mirea. The noble mentor taught him the art of concocting potions, crafting elixirs, and formulating antidotes to confront various diseases. Not only that, Rainard was also directed towards the knowledge of dimensional magic, enabling him to store items in another universe, as well as everyday life magic. He delved into the healing magic that reached sacred dimensions, as well as magic capable of breaking curses and banishing malevolent spirits lurking in the darkness of the past. In matters of battle, he mastered magic to fortify his body and control the element of fire with astounding skill.