Episode 2: Here for Revenge (Part 1)
“What on earth happened to me?”
Damian Haxen murmured to himself as he lay sprawled on the field.
He had killed Acrich Dorgo and then taken his own life, hoping to find peace in the afterlife and apologize to his family.
But when he came to, he found himself back in the past.
“Could this be a dream?”
They say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes like a lantern show.
Perhaps he had succeeded in his suicide and was now in the throes of death, watching his life play out.
“Or… was it all just a dream?”
He had been exiled from his family, become a mercenary, met Acrich, turned into a Death Knight, and ultimately brought ruin to all of humanity.
Maybe all of that had been nothing more than a dream.
”…I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
In his previous life, Damian Haxen had fought countless powerful foes, absorbing their skills and techniques as his own.
If it had all been a dream, then that knowledge would be nothing but an illusion. But if it wasn’t…
Damian picked up a stick lying on the ground and approached a large rock nearby. It looked solid enough.
“This should do nicely.”
Among the opponents Damian had faced was a knight known as the “Wall Breaker.”
He had mastered a technique called “Shatterwave,” which amplified the impact of a strike several times over.
Thanks to this mastery, the Wall Breaker could smash through fortress walls with a single warhammer swing as if they were made of glass.
Damian Haxen had fought him for twenty minutes, absorbing all his skills and techniques before claiming victory.
“If this isn’t a dream… I should be able to shatter this rock with Shatterwave.”
Damian aimed the stick at the rock, lunging forward and striking its center with the tip.
The stick splintered under the force of the impact.
Damian stared at the broken stick in disbelief, muttering softly to himself.
”…Unbelievable.”
Cracks began to spread from the center of the rock, weaving a web across its surface.
Finally, the rock shattered like glass, crumbling to pieces.
”…It’s not a dream.”
It was certain now.
The memories and knowledge in his mind were real.
Damian Haxen had truly returned to the past.
To a time when his family was still alive, when he could still make things right.
”…Ha.”
For the first time in years, Damian Haxen laughed.
The laughter soon turned to tears.
He clutched his chest, unable to suppress the flood of emotions.
Damian Haxen crouched on the ground, weeping for a long time.
“How did I end up back in the past?”
Once the tears stopped, the question arose.
But pondering it wouldn’t yield any answers.
Returning to the past was nothing short of a divine miracle.
“I wanted to apologize to my family, but…”
He never imagined he’d get the chance to do it in this life, in the past, no less.
“In my previous life, I was a selfish fool.”
He had failed to recognize his family’s devotion and acted recklessly.
He had hurt them and ultimately committed the unforgivable sin of patricide.
But this time would be different.
He would live for his family.
He would dedicate himself to their happiness and future.
“It’s not an impossible goal.”
Damian Haxen had a gift.
A talent so vast it had brought kingdoms to their knees, yet remained unfulfilled.
With this talent, he could achieve anything.
Just as Damian Haxen solidified his resolve, a voice called out.
“Master Damian!”
A male servant came rushing from the mansion, panting heavily as he reached Damian.
“Miss Louise has been calling for you! Why haven’t you come inside? The master is furious!”
Damian Haxen stared at the servant’s face, trying to place it.
It was familiar, yet the name eluded him.
”…Victor.”
Then it hit him. The servant’s name was Victor.
“Yes? Why are you calling my name all of a sudden?”
“It’s nothing.”
Victor had been the one to clean up after Damian during his reckless days.
“The master said he’d break your legs if he had to, but he wants you inside now!”
“Father must be really angry. What did I do this time?”
Victor looked at him incredulously.
Damian Haxen couldn’t help it; he had no idea what point in time he had returned to.
“A few days ago, you got into a fight at a tavern and got beaten up by the staff. That’s why he’s mad.”
Fragments of forgotten memories resurfaced.
He couldn’t recall why he had gone to the tavern, but he remembered causing a scene over a scam and getting beaten up before fleeing.
“So that’s why Father is so angry.”
“Angry doesn’t even begin to cover it. The story’s spread everywhere, and the Haxen family’s reputation is in tatters. He’s furious.”
Though their territory was small and their power limited, the Haxen family was still nobility.
And yet, their eldest son had been beaten and chased out of a tavern by commoners.
It was a disgrace like no other.
“I suppose I should go see Father.”
“What are you going to do?”
“You said I should go, didn’t you?”
“I did, but… wouldn’t it be better to hide until the master’s anger subsides?”
Damian Haxen shook his head.
“I can’t do that.”
“What?”
“I’ve decided not to bring shame to my family in this life.”
Victor’s face went blank for a moment, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Then I’ll go see Father.”
Damian Haxen patted Victor on the shoulder and headed toward the mansion.
“You scoundrel!”
The moment he stepped into the lord’s chamber, a sword came flying at him.
His father had swung a longsword.
Damian Haxen didn’t dodge.
Judging by the trajectory, his father had no intention of killing him.
Sure enough, the longsword whizzed past Damian’s head and embedded itself in the door.
“Honey! Calm down!”
“Father! Please stop!”
His sister and mother rushed over to restrain his father.
But his father’s anger showed no signs of abating.
“Have you lost your mind? Causing a ruckus at a tavern and getting thrown out? And dragging our family’s name through the mud? Do you have any idea how much you’ve tarnished our family’s honor?”
His father tried to yank the longsword from the door, but his sister and mother held him back with all their might.
“Let go! I need to crack that boy’s skull open today!”
“No! Are you really planning to kill Damian?”
“Father! Let’s think rationally! This could end badly!”
The three of them struggled and argued.
Meanwhile, Damian Haxen was lost in thought.
‘How long has it been since Father scolded me?’
In the past, he had despised his father.
He thought of him as old-fashioned and rigid.
But looking back, his father had always been concerned about him.
The fact that he always knew when something happened was proof of that.
“Damn it! Fine, let go!”
In the end, his mother and sister won the struggle.
His father released the longsword embedded in the wall and slumped into a nearby chair.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? At least try to explain yourself!”
But his anger hadn’t completely subsided.
At his father’s outburst, Damian Haxen responded immediately.
“I have nothing to say.”
“Of course, you don’t! If you had any sense… What? Nothing?”
His father was taken aback.
It was a natural reaction.
In the past, Damian Haxen had always been a pathetic excuse-maker, constantly defending himself.
“But now, Damian Haxen was different.
He had vowed not to bring shame to his family.
“I’ve disgraced the Haxen family name with my actions. I have no excuse.”
“Well… at least you understand that much.”
His father looked at him with a mix of surprise and confusion.
Damian Haxen’s immediate admission of guilt left him at a loss for words.
“See, honey? He’s admitting his mistake. Please forgive him.”
“Father, I’ll make sure he learns his lesson. It won’t happen again…”
His mother and sister began to soothe his father.
Damian Haxen watched them with a heart full of longing.
It was always like this.
Whenever he made a mistake, his father would get angry, and his mother and sister would defend him.
Back then, he found their actions annoying.
He felt like they were treating him like a child, though that was never the case.
“No, there’s no need to forgive me.”
But now, he couldn’t rely on their help.
“I’ve committed a wrong, and I must face the consequences.”
His sudden declaration left his mother and sister wide-eyed.
“You scoundrel!”
His father’s anger, which had been subsiding, flared up again.
“Have you still not come to your senses? You dare to stand on your pride when you should be begging for forgiveness?”
From his father’s perspective, it seemed Damian Haxen was being defiant.
This, too, was Damian Haxen’s fault.
In his reckless youth, Demian Haxen often found himself at odds with his father.
“You insolent boy! You still haven’t learned your lesson! Fine! I’ll make sure you face the consequences this time. I won’t let this slide…”
“But first, let me clean up the mess I’ve made.”
“What… what did you say?”
His father’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Never before had Demian Haxen taken responsibility for his actions. Hearing the word “clean up” from his son was nothing short of astonishing.
“I’ll accept my punishment once I’ve set things right.”
With a respectful bow, Demian Haxen left the lord’s chamber.
”…”
His father slowly turned to his wife and daughter, asking, “Do you think he got hit on the head too hard that day?”
As Demian stepped out of the chamber, he encountered a young boy standing in the hallway.
”…”
The two of them stared at each other in silence for a moment. Demian was overwhelmed with emotion, while the boy…
“Brother, how long do you plan on being a burden to the family?”
…looked at him with disdain.
“You have no idea how much worry you’ve caused Father, Mother, and Sister. If you did, you wouldn’t act this way.”
Unlike Demian, his younger brother Abel Haxen was sharp and capable, often hailed as the pride and hope of the Haxen family. Demian, to his shame, had always been envious of him.
“Abel.”
“What is it now? Are you going to make more excuses? I’m tired of hearing them…”
“I’m sorry for everything.”
Abel’s eyes widened in shock, so much so that he forgot to blink.
“I’ll take responsibility and sort this out.”
Demian took a step forward, giving his brother’s shoulder a reassuring pat before heading outside.
Once outside, Victor, looking surprised, approached him.
“Sir? How come you’re unharmed? I was sure the lord would have given you a beating.”
“Enough with the nonsense. Go fetch the carriage.”
“What? Why the carriage?”
Demian replied nonchalantly, “I’ve got some scores to settle.”