Despair...

That was what Tybolt Allencourt was feeling as he sat on the cold stone floor of the prison he'd been confined to. Weak from starvation and thirst, the once proud warrior was now reduced to such a pathetic state that he couldn't even stand up anymore. The shackles around his ankles felt more painful than the day before, and with each passing second the harsh reality of his situation began to sink in.

So this is how I die. How boring...

To him, it would have been better to have died on the battlefield than to be subjected to suffering at the hands of the Barringtons, a noble family in opposition to his own. Had that traitorous bastard Aspen Willow not sided with the Barringtons, he would have never gotten into the mess he was in and his family would still be safe. Part of why he was kept alive was so that venomous woman who he once called his wife could extract his life force slowly from him until he dried up like a prune.

Speak of the devil...

The sound of footsteps could be heard drawing near, each one bringing his impending doom closer and closer until the door swung open. Viola Barrington stood there in the doorway with a devilish grin on her face, her eyes dancing with excitement as she gazed upon Tybolt's ruined state. She shut and locked the door and then turned to speak in her usual honey-sweet tone.

"My dear Tybolt," she began, giggling as she stepped closer, grabbing his face with her hands so she could stare into his near lifeless eyes. "It really is a shame you know? We could have been so much more had you been a little more cooperative."

It was all a lie of course. She never loved him to begin with. She'd made that abundantly clear after taking the lives of his best friends and their families by razing their homes with her fire magic. She was possessive, malicious and manipulative, which was something he wanted nothing to do with, hence his current predicament. For the past few months she had been his tormentor, and judging by the way she spoke and the excess joy her words seemed to carry, this would be the last time they ever spoke.

"Sadly, my father sees no need to keep you alive any longer. Although I detest it when others spoil my fun, it's as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end."

In that moment, steam began to rise from Tybolt's body as Viola cupped his face in her hands. Within seconds, his clothing caught fire and before long he was writhing in agony on the ground. The pain was so great that when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.

"You're probably wondering why it is you can't scream. There's a banquet currently going on and my father doesn't wish for the guests to be disturbed, so I've cast a silencing spell on you. Try as you might, you won't be able to make a sound. Honestly it's not very fun for me if I can't hear you... but what father wants, father gets," she laughed as she turned to leave.

The door closed, and Tybolt continued to roll along the ground in vain. The fire that Viola created wasn't anything that could be put out by any normal means. It was a consuming fire that slowly burned whatever it touched instead of incinerating it quickly as most fires did. Had he the strength he had prior to being bound to the walls of the prison he could have easily extinguished it with his own power. Unfortunately, Aspen had taken that away before handing Tybolt over to Viola.

As he felt his flesh slowly burn away, something on the ground caught his attention. The gemstone that had once been part of a pendant given to him by the orc sorceress, Neega, suddenly illuminated the room, blinding him temporarily.

"Now this just won't do now will it?" an elderly voice said in a gruff tone.

With a swift tap of her staff onto the ground, the flames that once scorched Tybolt's body were snuffed out. While he was no longer a human torch, the pain from what Viola had done must've caused more damage to him than he thought. Surely that old hag wasn't in the same room with him. His answer came in the form of his body being lifted to a sitting position by the will of Neega's magic.

"To think that the man who could take a hit from my daughter would be reduced to a state as pitiful as this. It really is a damn shame," Neega said, disappointment weighing heavily in her words. "What have you got to say for yourself boy?"

Boy? I'm a grown-ass man you old crone...

"Ah, that's right. You've been silenced. I suppose that's an improvement since I don't have to hear your excuses for being in this mess in the first place. I guess it can't be helped though," Neega sighed as she began to draw a magic circle using her staff.

For most mages, this would be considered most tedious, but for someone like Neega, it was as easy as breathing. As the last of it was drawn, Neega tapped the ground with her staff and activated the circle with Tybolt in the center. A violet light illuminated the prison and runes began to circulate around Tybolts body.

"Even though I don't see any merit in helping humans, you were the first human to not treat us like monsters. For that very reason I'm giving you this gift. How you use it is entirely up to you..."

Those were the last words Tybolt heard Neega speak before he passed out.

"Lord Tybolt?"

That voice... am I hearing things?

"I know you can hear me, and if you think that I'm just going to let you sleep the day away like a layabout, then you are sorely mistaken!"

Yeah, that's something Josephine would always say. Even in death I can't seem to get her nagging voice out of my head.

"Alright, I warned you..."

That's funny, it's almost like she's here right now. If I didn't know any better, she would be right up close to my ear and-

"Wake up you lazy buffoon or so help me I will resort to defenestration if I have to!"

Tybolt sat up with a jolt, his ears ringing from the sheer volume of Josephine's scolding. His heart raced and his head pounded. Josephine's piercing green eyes stared daggers into his. He could almost see flames dancing in them as a reflection of her frustration. The ginger was always the sort to make good on her threats. This time, however, instead of fearing her inevitable follow through, he simply stared blankly at her, his brows furrowed as he studied her intensely.

"What are you looking at?" Josephine grunted. "I swear, if this is another one of your stupid jokes I will slap you so hard that the whole kingdom will hear it."

"Do it."

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me Josephine."

"I couldn't do that even if I wanted to, you know that."

"What if it was a direct order?"

"Okay, now you're starting to freak me out," Josephine said, putting her hand on Tybolt forehead. "You don't seem to be running a fever..."

"Josephine. I'm asking, no... ordering you to hit me."

"But I-"

"Hit me dammit!"

Those were words that he would come to regret as the force of her palm met his cheek. After having struck him, Josephine's eyes widened, almost as if she couldn't believe what she'd just done. She had just smacked the third son of the Duke across the face, an offense that could cost her not only her position but her life if it was ever found out. She'd done other harmless things to wake him up as per the order of the Duchess, but never had she laid a hand on him. This was bad. So why was it that he was just sitting there like some stupified idiot?

"Josephine..."

She flinched at her name, almost certain that he was going to scold her.

"Could you hand me a mirror?"

Josephine, still shaken up, simply nodded and handed him the mirror that was on the nightstand. His request wasn't unusual since he was known for being somewhat vain. His actions, however, were most peculiar. Tybolt could see the mark she'd left on his face as he stared at his reflection. It stung a little, but that's not what bothered him. Last he checked, he was a middle-aged man burning to death in a dungeon at the hands of his then wife, Viola. His face, however, showed the opposite of what he knew to be true!

"Lord Ty—" Josephine paused as Tybolt dropped the mirror and hurried out of bed to the balcony.

"Josephine... what day is it today?" he asked, looking out at the festive looking courtyard.

"Pardon?" she replied, baffled.

"Today... what is today?" He asked earnestly, a look of desperation written on his face.

"Your elder sister's twenty-fifth birthday Lord Tybolt..."

Hearing those words could only mean one thing. He had regressed precisely twenty five years. Moreso than that, the betrayal of his wife, the traitorous actions of his father's friend, Aspen Willow that brought about the destruction of his family and by extension the rise of an army of evil unlike that which the world has ever seen , as well as his one-sided conversation with the Orc Shaman Neega, actually happened. Just the memory of the horrors he'd witnessed on the battlefield shook him to his core.

None of the warriors of the Allencourt Dukedom were any match for the monsters that came out of the gate that the corrupt emperor Felix Isauricus opened. There had to have been hundreds of thousands of demons pouring out, all for the purpose of fulfiling his desire for complete domination over everything and anything under the sun.

"Is everything alright Lord Tybolt?" Josephine inquired, noting the perturbed look on Tybolts' face.

Tybolt took a deep breath and thought about his reply. If he was being honest, not everything was okay, but it wasn't completely not okay either. He had been given a second shot at life with the added bonus of the prospect of revenge. This time he wouldn't be lax in his training nor would he be caught up in his own vanity thinking that he lacked nothing. This time he would become stronger than even his sister who was hailed as one of the eight great masters prior to his regression. He would need to be at least that strong in order to face the terror that would be unleashed upon the world. With that in mind, Tybolt turned to Josephine and smiled.

"Yes, everything is alright Josephine. Tell my family that I'll be ready soon, and while you're at it please relay a message to my sister for me."

"What would you like me to say?" Josephine asked.

Tybolt simply grinned and said, "tell her that I've accepted her offer."