Chapter 9: The awakening?

Salvatoris awoke from this strange vision, remaining seated on the floor. His head was foggy, full of questions, yet empty. He felt as if he might vomit at any moment, yet he tried to organize his thoughts, but had no idea what had just happened. Was it a hallucination, or reality? Had he been dreaming? He felt as if he had personally experienced everything he saw, yet it wasn't his life. He was troubled, staring at the ruins that were still unfamiliar to him despite his vision, wondering if this was just a hallucination.

However, when his gaze fell on the iron golem before him, he instinctively crawled backwards, terrified. He remembered everything, he knew who this thing was, he knew Alice. Or so he thought, leading him to wonder whether or not he'd been implanted with a false memory for the sole purpose of getting him to repair this strange machine. Then he whispered to himself.

"An android, ruined cities in perfect condition, a 'unification war', descriptions of the hero world before my eyes, streets going up in smoke...and...Reiner...the legendary hero? No...impossible, he's just a man living in another peaceful world...no the ending wasn't, what happened to make it all turn out this way? Why were there murders at the end...why do I feel like nothing is complete, like something is missing."

Salvatoris shook his head vigorously, trying to banish his stunned expression from his face; he felt as if everything he'd ever known was being called into question. On the other hand, he knew one thing: this Reiner was not the young boy broken by the tyranny of demons described in the legend he adored so much. Everything was different, it was another world, yes, it had to be, at least that's what Salvatoris tried to believe, refusing the very thought that he'd been living a lie since birth.

However, he quickly remembered one thing when he saw the undead surrounding him: he was being hunted by a routny anthill that had infested the burial mounds he was scavenging on the outskirts of his village. He had no idea how long he had spent in this strange dream, but his stomach was screaming with hunger and his throat was as dry as a desert, a sign that he had spent at least several hours in this strange state. So he struggled to get up from where he'd been sitting, giving Alice, who lay there in a more than deplorable state, one last look of unsettling emotion, before looking back at his soldiers and setting off.

As he had already explored this bunker, he left it quickly, making sure there were no enemies waiting for him by sending some of his undead ahead of him, their heads full of unanswerable questions. When he reached the surface, he was dazzled by the rays of the setting sun, a sign that he had spent the whole day in some kind of coma. The path to his village was the same as on the way out, quiet and unfrequented. He passed by the cemetery where he'd once made a habit of stopping, seeing no trace of the undead who'd been devoured in the vicinity, confirming his initial idea: to warn the village of the threat posed by a routny anthill.

As he neared the entrance to his village, he looked briefly at the undead still following him, wondering whether it was a good idea to bring them along, but shook his head bitterly as he continued forward. If he didn't bring them along, he'd also have to leave the routny corpse he'd reanimated behind, and without that, nobody would believe in a monster infestation so close to a human village. And so he made his way through the village, again and again suffering the same looks of contempt, but this time also tinged with fear from the villagers, who took a very dim view of someone who was desecrating graves and bringing corpses right up to their front doorsteps. However, as he was about to knock on the door of the village chief's imposing house, a thought crossed his mind.

[If I tell him about the infestation, the royal troops will arrive here in about a sky...but when they search the tumuli to eradicate it, they'll find the ruin I just came from...and destroy Alic-]

Salvatoris shook his head, he didn't know her, so...why did he feel an attachment to her? His thoughts quickly became muddled. However, he was sure of one thing: he had to search the surrounding burial mounds for answers to the questions he'd been asking himself since that strange vision, and more importantly, he had to search them before the royal troops arrived. This prompted him to think again, as the locals continued to stare at him, wondering what he was up to, and plugging their noses so as to smell even a little less of the awful putrefaction he and his corpses were carrying. In addition to the inhabitants, the village militia, equipped with scattered and incomplete pieces of armor and a simple spear, began to surround Salvatoris under the worried eyes of his mother, who had just come out of her house. Her face changed between joy at seeing Salvatoris again, and concern at the militia and their actions, which she found incomprehensible.

[If I don't warn the village chief, the routny will destroy the village, but if I do warn him, the imperial troops will destroy all the ruins or could awaken an ancient danger that could also destroy the village...]

Salvatoris steadied his heart, continuing his thought and nodding as he knocked on the door facing him.

[I'll warn the village chief, and tonight I'll search the tumuli. If I awaken any danger, the royal troops will be able to deal with it, and the village will run no risk... Most importantly, before I tell anyone, I must understand what this vision was, understand what happened at that time, understand the history of the world I saw, and above all know if it's true or not, even if it means going back to this "android" for answers].

But just as his reflection and inner dilemma seemed to have come to an end, the door of the imposing building opened, awakening a man of about sixty, his hair gray with age. He spoke, staring at Salvatoris, keeping a stoic expression as he asked.

"What-do-you-want...necromancer. You've broken Imperial laws by bringing more than two undead to your side, I hope it's worth it if you don't want to suffer the consequences of your act of rebellion against his majesty."

"We need the imperial army immediately!"

The village chief spat on the ground with a sigh, speaking in an expeditious voice as he slowly turned around.

"Don't talk garbage kid, a large part of our army is protecting us from the Scarlet Phoenix Empire who are starting to make military maneuvers close to our borders, and the nearest regiment of the royal army is clearing out an A+ rank dungeon that has caused the death of an unusually large number of adventurers, along with a hero. They're not going to come just for your little whim, soldier, kill his puppets and drag him off to prison, he'll receive a sentence appropriate to his break-ins tomorrow at dawn, shortly after the bells have rung."

Salvatoris, however, wouldn't let him back inside his house, interrupting by grabbing him by his sleeve.

"It's not a whim! It's a routny infestation, if we do nothing the village will be destroyed and the infestation will grow to the point of being uncontrollable if they have that much food!"

As if to prove his point, he pointed to the reanimated routny corpse that his white-coated undead was still carrying, causing the village chief to widen his eyes and speak in a voice tinged with fear and amazement as he cleared his throat.

"I'm...sorry I was so quick to judge you, but not all necromancers are scum after all...it's a change from the ones I'd faced in my heyday in the army. Soldier, guard the village this night even more diligently than usual, and the next, I'm sending a message to the army right now. If we're lucky, they'll be here tomorrow night. We'll turn a blind eye to her undead this time."

Salvatoris let out a slight sigh of relief. His fears evaporated as he watched the village chief hurriedly dispatch a missive, without even closing the door to his house. However, the fearful whispers of villagers staring into a nearby forest didn't leave him feeling relaxed.

"If the militia won't chase away the packs of arcane wolves on the prowl...how will we be able to protect our livestock?"

However, one of the other villagers replied, sporting animal features like hyena ears.

"But why would he come? They're as timid as mice. If we're careful, there won't be a problem."

"Wait, what if there's an Alpha? I don't want to be eaten!"

Another human retorted, creating a mass movement.

"That's right, we don't know if there's an alpha..."

"You cowards want to spend the winter? We'll never have enough food if we lose our breeding now."

Snarled a man with the build of a bear and their characteristic ears, known for his impressive strength and courage.

"That's just it...I want to get through the winter, which is why I'm not going."

Added another villager.

After listening quietly to their discussion, Salvatoris rolled his eyes. These people definitely didn't have any ambition, which exasperated him to no end, even making him feel bad for the few breeders willing to protect their livestock, and the future, at all costs. He then silently adjusted his plans, setting off in the direction of the nearest forest. However, he was interrupted by his mother who called out to him, her eyes crinkling with concern.

"Where are you going? You just warned us of danger and you're already leaving?"

She said, very worried for her son, whom she cared for so much. He was the only thing she had left, her only ray of sunshine, and she refused to let that ray be extinguished prematurely.

"I just forgot a book I found in a grave when I left...so I wanted it back. Besides...if I keep my puppets with me, people will blame you again...so...I was planning to put them on the outskirts of the forest to warn of arcane wolves."

Salvatoris replied, scratching his head as he stammered out a clumsy lie, hoping to be able to leave as soon as possible. He knew full well that if he told his mother about the ruins he'd found, she'd stop him from leaving, even if she had to use every means in her possession. Unfortunately, his mother didn't leave, a mixture of pride, concern and incomprehension mingling on her face as she bit her lip, pondering his answer.

"Why help them? They've never helped you...you're too nice...I don't want this to prejudice you, besides the village chief has passed the sponge on this one, so keep them with you."

She pointed at Salvatoris's undead as she spoke, but he shook his head, speaking reassuringly as he quickly departed.

"I won't be long!"

He walked quickly away towards the forest, leaving his mother in the village, who couldn't say another word to him, as the bells of the small village church began to ring, indicating the hour of Vespers, signaling the end of the day as well as suppertime.

* * *

Salvatoris quickly reached the nearby forest. The last rays of the sun seemed to caress the treetops, indicating that it was the perfect time for the arcane wolves to begin their hunt. As if to prove it, their howls rang out from the forest, mingling with the distant rustle of foliage.

Salvatoris took a deep breath; he'd counted less than a dozen howls, so it was unlikely that an alpha was leading the little pack, and he hoped he could scare the wolves off quickly. He let dark threads run through his being, scanning the nooks and crannies where old corpses lay around. Then he carefully chose a strategic spot, and ordered his undead to strike the ground violently, which was sure to provoke a reaction.

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding thickets came alive, vibrating with wild energy, sometimes tinged with crackling electricity. It was a sign that hungry wolves, much larger than he should be, were sizing up their prey.

The pitiful state of these undead was reflected in their appearance, as was that of Salvatoris, prompting some of the wolves sporting various intricate patterns on their fur to leap in his direction, hoping to quickly finish off the only person from whom they could sense any mana. Suddenly, several skeletal hands sprang up from the ground, grabbing the paws of the wolves sporting bluish fur. Terror could be seen in the wolves' eyes, as they were immobilized by the sudden appearance of new enemies. Lightning bolts crackled from their bodies, grouping together before ripping through the air in the direction of the hands emerging from the ground, in the hope of freeing themselves from their shackles. However, this left the way open for a counter-charge from the other Salvatoris puppets.

The asseau was unrestrained, even throwing the bones of the attacking undead as their blows were so powerful. Their bones would fall to the ground once they'd landed a blow, but this was enough to push the stricken wolves back a few meters. In retaliation, the wolves unleashed their lightning bolts in the direction of the undead. However, when they realized that this was not enough to stop their murderous impulses, one of them let out a shrill howl, prompting his small pack to retreat.

However, despite his victory, Salvatoriswasn't smiling, sporting instead a sour expression as he whispered.

"This one's about to become an alpha...but I don't have time to hunt him...".

He shook his head, heading instead for the burial mounds in the routny territory. He intended to find out if there were any other ruins, in order to better understand this strange vision he'd had, and clear his foggy mind. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that everything he and the inhabitants of this world knew was a vast lie.