The Time Jump – Andras Returns to the Day Before the Tragedy
The room in Wolf Lodge was silent.
The embers in the fireplace glowed faintly, the air was warm, and Noelle's gentle, practiced hands were massaging Andras's shoulders.
The half‑elf girl's movements were soft but firm.
She could feel that Andras's body was tense — and his soul even more so.
"Young Wolf… you're very tired," she whispered. "And… sad. Very sad."
Andras closed his eyes.
"Yes… I am."
Noelle's hands paused for a moment.
"Because of Vanessa… right?"
Andras didn't answer.
His throat tightened.
Behind his eyes, Vanessa's face flashed again and again… her smile… her dying gaze.
"I couldn't save her," he whispered at last. "I defeated Umbra… but not her."
Noelle slowly embraced him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
Andras's eyes filled with tears.
The exhaustion, the pain, the loss… all pressed down on him at once.
Then…
something stirred.
The future‑sight crystal in his eye flared.
At first he felt only a faint vibration.
Then light.
Then… something snapped.
The world shattered around him.
The Crystal Activates – The Subconscious Chooses
The room blurred.
The lights melted together.
Sounds grew distant.
Andras was falling.
As if his soul had been torn from his body.
The crystal's voice — or perhaps only his own mind — whispered:
"Things were not meant to happen this way."
"The pain of the soul overrides all limits."
"Back… back… back…"
Andras tried to scream, but couldn't.
The world turned white.
Then black.
Then… light again.
Awakening – One Day Earlier
Andras sat up suddenly.
His heart pounded wildly.
He gasped for air.
The room… was different.
It wasn't night.
Noelle wasn't massaging him.
It wasn't after the battle.
Sunlight streamed through the window.
Soft conversation drifted from the Wolf Lodge living room.
Andras stared around in shock.
"What…? Where…?"
The stat‑lens displayed automatically:
Time: the previous day, late afternoon.
Andras's eyes widened.
"I'm back…? This… this is yesterday afternoon!"
From the living room, familiar voices drifted in:
– Andrea: "Eris, that new armor looks great on you!"
– Eris: "Right? I told you this color is awesome!"
– Anita: "Fireburp, don't eat everything that moves!"
– Fireburp: "But I'm hungry!"
– Ersi: "Noelle, look! The princess falls in love with the gardener!"
– Noelle: "That's so romantic…"
– Ironclaw: snoring
Andras stood up.
His legs trembled.
His heart raced.
"This… this is yesterday. The day I went to the bathhouse. The day Vanessa's father died."
The crystal…
had sent him back.
The Team's Reaction – Andras Tries to Understand the Situation
Andras walked down into the living room.
The girls looked up at him.
"Oh, Young Wolf!" Andrea smiled. "We were just talking about you."
"What did you all do today?" Andras asked suddenly, a bit shaken.
The girls exchanged confused looks.
"What?" Ersi asked. "Well… the same as always."
Andrea listed:
"Eris and I bought the new armor."
Anita:
"I hung out in the city with Fireburp."
Noelle:
"Ersi and I were reading a romantic book."
Ironclaw:
"I slept. A lot. A very long time."
Andras took a deep breath.
"This… really is the same day."
The team stared at him, puzzled.
"Young Wolf… are you okay?" Andrea asked.
Andras nodded.
"Yes. Just… mage business."
His gaze shifted to Ersi.
"I need Ersi alone. Important magical matter."
Ersi's head snapped up.
"Me? Magical matter? I'm coming!"
Alone with Ersi – Revealing the Secret
The two mages withdrew into one of the quiet rooms of the inn.
Ersi looked at him curiously.
"So? What happened? Why are you so… weird?"
Andras took a deep breath.
"Ersi… I went back in time."
Ersi's eyes widened.
"What?!"
"The future‑sight crystal… somehow… sent me back. A whole day. I saw the future. I saw what will happen. And… Vanessa dies."
Ersi turned pale.
"What?! Vanessa?! Who's that?"
Andras nodded.
"But now… I can save her. Because I know what will happen. I know where Umbra will be. I know when he attacks. I know how Vanessa dies."
Ersi slowly sat down.
"This… this is incredible. The crystal… isn't supposed to do that. In theory."
"But it did," Andras said. "And now… I have to change the future."
Ersi stood, her eyes shining with determination.
"Then we'll do it together. We'll save this Vanessa. And we'll stop this Umbra too."
Andras smiled.
"Yes. This time… she won't die."
The future could be rewritten.
Fate could be changed.
And Andras was ready.
The Tactical Meeting – Young Wolf's Plan to Save the Dolermo Estate
Wolf Lodge Living Room – The Team Gathers
Andras and Ersi walked into the living room together.
The others were already seated around the large round table:
Andrea and Eris Scarlett side by side, Eris's newly bought armor gleaming.
Anita leaned against her chair, Fireburp beside her munching on an apple.
Noelle and Ersi, the ten‑year‑old fire witch, set aside their romantic book.
Ironclaw lay on the floor but lifted her head when Andras entered.
Everyone felt something serious was coming.
Andras stopped at the table.
His gaze was firm.
His voice deep and serious.
"Listen. We have an important mission. The Goldfred merchant guild gave me information. A shadow mage, Umbra, is hiding in the city. He works with the shadow element and can summon shadow demons. Even a large one."
The team tensed at once.
Andrea leaned forward.
"That… sounds very bad."
Andras nodded.
"And worse. Tonight at the bathhouse, an assassination attempt will be made on the leaders of the four major merchant guilds. And on me."
Eris Scarlett clenched her fist.
"Then we stop it."
Andras looked around.
"Yes. But everyone will have a precise role. If we make a mistake… many people will die."
The Plan – Young Wolf Assigns the Tasks
Fireburp and Ersi – The Black Raven's Street
Andras looked at the two fire‑users.
"Fireburp. Ersi. You two will go to the street where three bandits try to kidnap a ten‑year‑old child. That's where the Black Raven will appear. Follow the events, but don't interfere unless absolutely necessary. The Raven will be an important ally."
Fireburp's eyes lit up.
"We get to smash bandits again?"
"Only if necessary," Andras said. "The goal is to keep the Raven alive. And not to disrupt her own operation."
Ersi nodded, the cold intelligence of the thousand‑year‑old mage glinting in her eyes.
"Understood, Young Wolf. We'll watch."
Anita and Ironclaw – The Harbor Warehouse
Andras turned to the ice‑demon knight and the earth‑wolf beastgirl.
"Anita. Ironclaw. You two go to the harbor warehouse. Umbra's men are gathering there. Your task: eliminate them and collect all evidence."
Anita grinned.
"Finally something I'm good at."
Ironclaw stood up, tail wagging.
"I go! I bite!"
Andras smiled.
"Just be careful. Umbra's people are dangerous."
Andrea and Eris Scarlett – The Bathhouse Entrance
Andras looked at the two female Wolf Knights.
"Andrea. Eris. You two will watch the entrance of the bathhouse. Two mercenaries will try to escape when the assassination fails. They are Umbra's accomplices. You must stop them. Alive or dead."
Andrea nodded.
"We'll handle it."
Eris Scarlett's eyes glowed brightly.
"In the name of light and fire."
Andras – Inside the Bathhouse
Finally, Andras explained his own role.
"I will go inside the bathhouse. I will meet with the four guild leaders. Jack Goldfred, my grandfather, will also be there. During the political discussion, a chameleon beast‑man will be hiding on the ceiling. Invisible. With a poisoned dagger. His target: the head of the Dolermo family. Vanessa's father."
The team gasped.
Noelle covered her mouth.
"That's… horrible."
Andras nodded.
"I will kill the chameleon with lightning magic before he can strike. This is the most important point. If I succeed, the assassination fails. If not… the city will fall into chaos."
The Team's Reaction – The Mission Begins
Andrea stood up.
"Young Wolf. This is a serious operation. But we trust you."
Eris Scarlett:
"Light guides us."
Anita:
"And ice."
Fireburp:
"And fire!"
Ersi:
"And a thousand years of experience."
Ironclaw:
"And hunger!"
Noelle quietly stood and stepped beside Andras.
"Be careful. Please."
Andras nodded.
"Now I know what will happen. And this time… I won't let anyone die."
The team moved toward the exit together.
The mission had begun.
The future could be rewritten.
And Andras was ready to save Vanessa.