Rayne's Death

After changing into a clean set of clothes, Rayne sat down at his desk, his face thoughtful.

He carefully recalled the events leading up to his death.

Although his memories were fragmented and missing many details, Rayne was very clear about the main culprits behind it all. There were two of them.

One was his classmate at the academy, Ramsey. They had once been very close friends, but Ramsey had also been the one who carried out the murder.

The other was named Esberg, a true Transcendent and the mastermind behind his murder.

Rayne knew little about Esberg. He only knew that Esberg's Transcendent profession might be a Ranger, or perhaps a Shadow Dancer. The two shared some similarities at lower levels. Unless one fought him or witnessed him in action, it was difficult for outsiders to identify his profession accurately.

Esberg was highly skilled with a sword and taught at a renowned Swordsmanship Hall in Longshande City.

Rayne had some talent with the sword. He had studied swordsmanship under academy instructors for three years, placing him above average among his classmates. Yet when facing Esberg, he could not even receive a single strike!

He had met Esberg through Ramsey's introduction.

Half a month ago, Rayne had fallen out with his father and returned to Longshande, hoping to find work and support himself. But aside from knowing some swordsmanship and being literate, he had virtually no other skills. He also did not want to take an undignified job like factory work or delivering mail, so he kept running into walls.

Later, he ran into Ramsey outside the academy. Since they were close, Rayne told him about his difficulties.

The next day, Ramsey took the initiative to introduce Rayne to a job as Esberg's assistant at Maloney's Sword.

Maloney's Sword was one of the most famous Swordsmanship Halls in the city. Even an assistant's position paid extremely well, several times more than an ordinary worker's wages, and it was respectable besides. Rayne agreed without hesitation and felt deeply grateful to Ramsey.

After that, Rayne officially began working at the Swordsmanship Hall. With his decent swordsmanship, he quickly found his footing. Esberg was also satisfied with him and occasionally gave him personal instruction.

Ramsey was also Esberg's assistant, and they worked together at the Swordsmanship Hall. Rayne's relationship with him grew closer and closer. He practically regarded Ramsey as a lifelong confidant and told him everything.

Until yesterday.

Before getting off work, Ramsey suddenly told Rayne in a mysterious manner that Esberg had an important task for them. They were to meet at a tavern on Perfume Street after dark.

Rayne did not think much of it. He arrived at the tavern on time, then followed Ramsey into an unfamiliar carriage waiting behind it.

The carriage windows had all been covered with black cloth, making it impossible to see outside.

Ramsey took out two sets of fine leather armor in the carriage and changed into one, then handed Rayne a longsword. It was clearly all prepared beforehand. Rayne had been suspicious at the time, but he did not ask any questions.

The carriage traveled through the city for a long time. Rayne had no idea where they had gone before it finally stopped in a secluded alley.

After the two got out, Rayne saw Esberg already waiting for them.

Esberg was also dressed in black leather armor, with a long weapon and a short weapon hanging from his waist. A black cloth covered half his face as he stood motionless in a corner, his figure hidden in the shadows. If he had not revealed himself, Rayne would not have noticed him at all.

Then Esberg began assigning their roles.

Only then did Rayne finally understand what they were going to do. Esberg actually intended to break into a home and murder its occupants, and the target was a family living in the house beyond the alley wall.

He did not understand why Esberg had brought him along. At the time, his mind was filled only with fear and resistance.

But Esberg gave Rayne no chance to refuse. He had Ramsey keep watch in the shadows at the mouth of the alley and ordered Rayne to follow him inside. Rayne desperately wanted to run, but he also knew that if he tried to back out now, Esberg would kill him first. So he could only force himself to go in with him.

The slaughter that followed dealt Rayne an enormous psychological blow.

Esberg's target was a Mechanical Craftsman. He was wealthy, but not a Transcendent. The two guards in his home were merely ordinary people as well, utterly incapable of resisting a powerful Transcendent.

In just a few minutes, Esberg massacred the entire household: the Mechanical Craftsman himself, his wife, two children, five or six servants, and the guards. Almost all of them died by his hand.

Only one guard was deliberately spared by Esberg. After crippling him and leaving him unable to move, Esberg ordered Rayne to kill him.

After several agonizing struggles, Rayne ultimately thrust his sword through the guard's heart in order to survive.

Next, Esberg called Ramsey inside. They ransacked the Mechanical Craftsman's home from top to bottom and obtained a large haul of valuables. They were highly experienced; even many carefully hidden valuables were found. Clearly, this was not their first time doing such a thing.

Rayne did not take part in the looting. He was still reeling from the shock of killing someone for the first time.

Esberg returned to the carriage with the valuables. This time, he rode back with the two of them.

On the way back, Rayne did not say a word. Ramsey kept trying to comfort him, promising that once they sold the goods, Rayne would receive a share. It would be enough to pay all his academy tuition, with plenty left over for a respectable life.

As Ramsey said those things, Esberg kept staring at Rayne from beside him, putting him under tremendous pressure.

Rayne did not agree right away. His mind had nearly shut down, and he returned to the tavern in a daze, changed clothes, and left.

On the way back to his apartment alone, Rayne finally came to his senses.

The night's operation had been a trap. Esberg and Ramsey wanted to drag him into the mud and make him one of them. If he agreed this time, he would fall into depravity and embark on an evil path. Even more terrible things would await him in the future.

Rayne immediately decided to report them!

Although he had been forced to kill a guard, he had done so out of necessity. Even if he were put on trial, the charge would be lighter than being beheaded after committing even greater crimes in the future. Besides, reporting Esberg would earn him merit, enough to offset that charge.

So Rayne turned and headed straight for a Church of Justice chapel.

However, he had not gone far when, at a street corner, he spotted Esberg in the distance. Terrified out of his wits, he was just about to turn and flee when someone knocked him unconscious.

When Rayne woke again, he was awakened by a beating.

He discovered that a sack had been pulled over his head. He could see nothing, and his mouth had been stuffed shut. All he could hear was Ramsey's frenzied cursing, followed by hours of relentless beating. He lost consciousness several times along the way.

His final memory was of a heavy blow to the back of his head—the most fatal blow of all.

When Rayne regained consciousness once more, he was already in the river. The body was still the same, but the soul within his mind was no longer the former Rayne's.

Recalling it all, Rayne could not help but sigh.

His predecessor had been too young, only nineteen years old. He had never seen the darkness in people's hearts and lacked the experience to deal with it.

Reporting Esberg had been the right choice, but he had realized it too late. He should have understood everything in the carriage on the way back, pretended to be swayed by the money, and accepted Ramsey's invitation first.

His failure to agree immediately had already aroused Esberg and Ramsey's suspicions. After leaving the tavern, the two had secretly followed him, yet the previous Rayne had not been wary in the slightest.

When he changed course toward the Church of Justice, Esberg immediately understood his intentions. Naturally, he would not give him another chance.

If Rayne had returned to his apartment first and waited until daylight the next day to make his report, then even if Ramsey had continued watching him in secret, they would not have been able to attack him so easily in broad daylight with people around.

In fact, even if Rayne had successfully reported Esberg's crimes, he would not have met a good end himself. A Transcendent like Esberg, especially judging from his need to recruit others, was very likely backed by a powerful organization.

Even if Rayne atoned for his crimes through his service and avoided trial, he would still struggle to escape retaliation.

"I was still too young and naive."

Rayne murmured. After a long while, he thought, I'll help you avenge this. Consider it compensation for taking over your body.

The old Rayne was dead, but the current Rayne still had to keep living.

For the moment, he did not know how to get revenge, but he had never considered giving up and fleeing somewhere else to scrape out an existence.

His greatest advantage was that Ramsey and Esberg did not know he was still alive. The enemy was in the open, while he was in the shadows. Although Ramsey knew the address of his apartment, he had personally killed Rayne and dumped the body. He would never come to inspect the apartment afterward, lest he arouse suspicion.

Under normal circumstances, Rayne's body would be found in the river, reported to City Hall, and investigated by the Sheriff. With too few clues, the case would eventually be dropped.

Or perhaps Rayne's body would never be found, and he would simply be considered missing. He lived alone in Longshande, and the only people he had dealings with were those from the Swordsmanship Hall. If Ramsey did not report him to City Hall, then his landlord would not discover Rayne's disappearance until rent was due next month.

"If I were Ramsey, I definitely wouldn't report it to City Hall myself. The longer it dragged on, the more favorable it would be for him."

Rayne made his judgment.

"There are still more than half a month until the next rent payment. Only then will the landlord realize the tenant is missing. After reporting it, the Sheriff will go to the Swordsmanship Hall to question people."

"During these two weeks, neither Esberg nor Ramsey will imagine that I'm still alive."

"But I can't keep living in this apartment either. Otherwise, after half a month passes and no one goes to investigate at the Swordsmanship Hall, Ramsey will come here to check what happened. If he finds me alive and living here, it will bring another deadly disaster."

"I have to remain missing and hide in the shadows. Only then can I take revenge more easily."

Rayne quickly sorted out his thoughts and decided to leave the apartment immediately.

But there was still one thing to do before leaving. He moved the desk aside, revealing the wall behind it, then pried out a loose brick and took an envelope from inside.

"This hiding place is way too clichéd. If Ramsey comes to search the apartment, he'll find it in less than a minute."

Rayne smiled and shook his head. He pushed the desk back into place, then poured out the money in the envelope.

There was not much: a small stack of banknotes and more than a dozen coins.

The Aurelian Empire's currency system was complicated. It had printed paper currency, but three metal coins of different denominations also circulated.

The coins came in three types: Copper Liso, Silver Kron, and Gold Shield. Paper currency was equivalent in value to Copper Liso and was called Copper Yuan.

A one-Copper Yuan note was equal to one Copper Liso. There were also banknotes worth 5 Copper Yuan, 10 Copper Yuan, 20 Copper Yuan, 50 Copper Yuan, and 100 Copper Yuan. One Silver Kron was equal to 20 Copper Yuan, while 50 Silver Kron were equal to one Gold Shield.

In other words, one Gold Shield could be exchanged for one thousand Copper Yuan.

In daily life, people mostly used Copper Yuan notes and Copper Liso, with Silver Kron used occasionally. Gold Shield was only exchanged when large sums were involved.

For example, tuition at the Supernatural Academy cost 20 Gold Shield per year.

For a common family, that was already an enormous sum. Even in Longshande City, few families could afford such expensive tuition.

Rayne counted the money: six 100-Copper Yuan notes and five 50-Copper Yuan notes. The rest consisted of more than a dozen small-denomination notes and a small handful of silver and copper coins.

Altogether, it came to more than one thousand Copper Yuan, enough to exchange for exactly one Gold Shield with a little change left over.

He rubbed the thin notes between his fingers, feeling their delicate patterns. The pale green banknotes carried the pleasant scent of ink. Several silver and copper coins clinked crisply against one another, which also sounded pleasant.

Although the smell and sound differed slightly from his previous life, they still felt deeply familiar to him.

Several portraits were printed on the banknotes and coins: a majestic middle-aged man, a wise old man, and even one who looked very young.

Rayne did not recognize any of them, but each seemed strangely familiar.

This was what he had saved over the past three years. It was not much, equivalent to two months of a worker's wages, but enough to live in Longshande for a while.

He put the money away and hid it in an inner pocket close to his body.

Rayne found a sun hat in the wardrobe and put it on. He cleared away any traces of having returned, then stuffed the wet clothes he had changed out of into a bag. Taking advantage of a moment when few people were around, he lowered his head and left the apartment.