Finally, I may rest in peace. The blood, the suffering, and the death, can all finally be put behind me. While not what I expected from the afterlife, the void is surprisingly comforting. I only wish I could see Laurence and my hunters one last time. But what’s done is done. I can only hope that maybe one day, they will join me within the void.

“ludwig”
Despite my lack of a body, this sudden voice causes me to jump.
“Who goes there?”
“Be not afraid Ludwig. I am here to offer you a second chance.”
What is this voice talking about?
“And why should I listen to you?”
“because Laurence did.”
This causes my mind to freeze. Laurence… died? And he was given a second chance by this entity?
“Who are you?”
“Your people know me as Odeon, the formless great one.”
If I was frozen before, I am now absolutely petrified. The most powerful of the great ones, and it’s offering me a second chance.

“Why? Why am I so deserving of this second chance?”
“because you care. Your entire life, you sought to protect life. Your actions saved hundreds of lives.”
“I did not act alone though.”
“Ah, yes. Your hunters. They do not matter in this scenario, as they were dead long before I was able to give them a second chance. And as for your sword, it only guided you to your hearts desire.”
“What do you mean?”
“Only those with a heart of gold and pure intentions may hear the guidance of the holy moonlight blade. Do you ever wonder why only you and Laurence were ever able to utilize the blade to its fullest? ”

As this information sinks into my mind, I can feel as my new flesh begins to form.
“Be warned, you shall partially resemble your bestial form, but it will be cleaner. Find Laurence, and ensure the darkness does not consume this new land.”
“Where will I be sent, oh mighty Odeon?”
“A land untouched by the corruption of my kin. A world of peace and friendship. A world where magic is plentiful.”
As it explains where I shall be going, I feel a bone begin to form out of my forehead.
“I shall equip you to be able to harness the magic within the world. The horn upon your head shall be a catalyst for your mana. Good luck, holy blade.”
Suddenly, a rip opens up underneath me, and I fall in.

As I fall to the ground, I look up and notice that the tear has already sealed. I hit the ground, thankfully not very hard. As I look around my surroundings, I can tell I am in a forest of some kind. I reach for my back, to see if I still have it. Thankfully, Odeon has given me one last gift. My guiding moonlight shimmers within my claws, and a thread of light comes off of it. As it begins to weave between trees, leaving a trail, I follow, knowing that it has never steered me wrong.

I continue my journey, through this forest, when I come across a strange beast. It looks as if a scourge beast was made of wood. Thankfully, it is easy to deal with, and burns to ash at the touch of my blade. I continue to follow the light, until it leads me to an open field, with a lake nearby. As I look up, I see the night sky, glistening with the beauty of the stars. As I look upon the moon, I can hear a voice call out to me, as if it were begging for me to come to it. As I soak in the majesty of the night, I hear a branch snap behind me.

I quickly spin around, blade at the ready. What i find is a strange bear, made of the heavens. It seems docile. I slowly approach the beast, blade at the ready if it tries anything. Thankfully, it didn’t, and just looked at me, before turning around and leaving. As the star filled bear walks away, I decide I need to know what I look like. After all, Odeon said I somewhat resemble what I did as a beast. I walk over to the lake, and gaze at my reflection.

I appear to be a white stallion with a black mane, with claws instead of hooves on my front legs. Thankfully, that’s where the resemblance ends, and I am glad to not have the extra limbs. I turn away from the lake, and look to the moon. As I gaze upon my eternal guide, I utter a prayer.
“Oh, luna mea. mansistis meis quamdiu vixi. Perge mihi monstrare tuum regimen, et semper sequar. nam etiam in imis noctibus lucem tuam video.” after my prayer, I lie down upon the soft grass to rest for a while.

About an hour later, I am ready to continue. My blade shows me the path, and I continue to follow. Through the woods, I see many strange creatures, but most seem to avoid me. More of the wooden beasts, a few lion like beasts, a strange chicken creature, and a literal flying orb with eyes that take up half of its mass. That’s when I spot it: a serpentine creature, with many heads. Either the parasitic snakes from the forbidden woods followed me, or this is a creature from ancient legend.

The beast notices me, and lets out a hiss, trying to intimidate me. I just ignore it and ready my blade. While it is difficult to stand on 2 hind hooves, I manage to keep my balance, and prepare to fight. The first head lunges at me, and I quickly parry it with the flat of my blade. I know not to cut off its head, as it will only grow back. So I wait for an opportunity to cut off a head, and then instantly cauterize it using the lunar magic within. The creature continues to strike at me, but thanks to my training as a hunter, I easily dodge and parry every blow.

Finally, an opportunity presents itself. One of the heads furthest from me has decided to attack, overextending itself. I smirk, before dashing to the side while powering up my blade. As the head passes by me, I swing down, unleashing the lunar energy as I do. The head comes off with a clean cut, and the wound is instantly sealed. The creature realizes what I did, and finally decided to flee. After all, if one were to discover that someone had the solution to your immortality, would you stick around?

After the beast flees, I decide to keep its head. As a trophy of my first successful hunt within this new world. I grab some vines off the nearby trees and fashion myself a back pack to put the head within. As I store the head, I begin to walk, continuing to follow the guidance of my blade. The forest has begun to thin out, so I’m hoping to find civilization soon.

I walk for another 2 hours, before deciding to take another break. While I know I could go longer, I do not know the limits of my new body. So, instead of risking damaging myself, I rest. As I sit down, I close my eyes, and listen to the sounds of the forest. The chirping of birds, the chittering of the critters, and the howls of wolves, close enough to hear but far away enough to not worry. As I am listening though, I hear something coming through the vegetation. I quickly grab my blade, and get into a combat position. When it finally breaks through the brush, I am thoroughly surprised. A deer like creature looks directly at me, After a few seconds, it says but one word, and I know who it is.
“Ludwig?”

Author's Note

The first chapter of my sequel story to fear the old blood! I know it’s not been that long since I finished that story, but I really love writing these. So if I made any mistakes, or you have any suggestions, leave a comment!