“Die, you fool! It’s your last breath!”

“As if! Breathing undead one day, breathing everyday!”

In the tunnels lit by a few luminescent mushrooms, a battle rages for 2 hours.

Everywhere, fighter corpses, either warriors or undead.

It’s coming to an end.

On one side, an armoured knight, stained with blood, mud and dust, exhausted from the already long battle.

On the other side, an enormous zombie, a ghoul, nearly 2 meters tall, clothes completely torn, notches on the whole body.

Forehand drive.

Dark punch.

The knight blade sank deeply in the enormous belly of the ghoul just before a powerful punch makes him fly away.

“I’ve not said my last word.”

“It would have given me some rest!”

Standing up with great pain, vision obscured by a silver veil and luminous dots going around randomly in his field of vision, the knight took from under his pants a dagger which blade lightened in the cave obscurity.

In front of him, the ghoul took off the blade sank in his body and came walking slowly.

In a few steps, the knight is on the ghoul and presses the daggers in its belly, with a resplendent light.

The sword is stuck in his shoulder, forcing his hand to open, letting the dagger go away.

“It’s over.”

“You should look behind you!”

Next to them, a scythe on a hand, a fluorescent rock on the other hand, a dark shadow suddenly appears.

Death in his soul, the knight looks at the newcomer and breaths with great pain.

“Just my luck. If only things had been a little bit different…

“But things are not different!

***

“I would never have bet on Jules.”

“Who would have bet on Narcisse?”

“What was doing Jean during this whole time?”

In the soul kingdom, those dead in the battle between Komyshany and Kherson town are commenting their reciprocal feats.

What should have been at the beginning a simple skirmish soon transformed in a punitive expedition and next into a global conflict, with unpredicted monsters taking part of it and neighbour villages of other races that should have stayed home.

“At the very least, I didn’t think I would be doing so many round trips between the two worlds! Usually, the ends of battle are really boring, when we die. But this time!”

“Yes, it’s great to be able to come back to battle. Undead are so the best!”

“You did what?”

Between the two sides, even if they fight together during the battle, it’s just past story when they’re dead.

“You know, the necromancers? They allowed us to come back to battle, after our death!”

“Yes, ghosts, zombies, mummies… it’s great, after being killed, to come back and kill the knights who sent us here!”

“Oh! That’s why you seemed to be so many!”

“The fight between the ghoul and the knight was only the end of a very long battle.

The souls were impatiently waiting to know who from both of them would join them, and who would win the battle!

“Oh, nice, it seems I’m called back! See you khersonits! It’s time to burn down your town!”

Soon, a part of the souls disappeared from the sight of the other, as a new one just arrived.

***

Alter Life.

A world filled with fantastic creatures.

A medieval fantastic universe, in which evolves all sorts of humans, elves, orcs, goblins, trolls, undead, aquatic and flying creatures…

Alter Life is my playground , now.

Death here is only a short time path before going back to life.

Unceasing war always burst and conflicts are solved only during the weekend, in countless blood baths.

Quantities of artisans work to increase both offensive and defensive strength of each side.

Crowds of merchants risk their lives looking for profit, toggling powers, sometime to the glory side, sometime to the annihilation side.

Monsters of all kind are used by every side to display an every time more devastating power against enemies emerging from everywhere, even inside the safest places.

And of course, new armies appear everyday, ready to die for honour or glory, for ephemeral countries or powerful empires.

Heroes are legion, but memory is short sighted.

Who remembers mammoth killers? Feathered snake, giant kangaroos, or lava flames dragon killers?

Anyway, those species are extinct, and the world destruction keeps aggravating.

The world is bleeding.

The world is burning.

The world is dying.

It’s my place of life, my workplace, my development place.

I’m happy.

Yes, I’m happy to live here and there, it’s wonderful!

Nothing would make me happier.

I’m surrounded with friends, I’ve got a goal in life, people love me.

Yes, for me, Alter Life, it’s happiness!

***

“I tell you it’s him !”

“It’s im-pos-si-ble !”

“It must be, it should be his reincarnation! He has his competences!”

“He doesn’t know how to use them! If it were him, he would have reduced his enemy to ashes in no time!”

Alter Life designers are members of Alt F4 society.

This weekend, a rare entertainment offered up for them.

A duel at the top between the young cousin of Aquilas and the internship of Priscille.

“Gandock’s knight got reincarnated!”

“It’s not Gandock’s knight!”

“He must be! Do you know how much time has passed since we last saw a soul judge?”

“It doesn’t make any sense, and if you were in my service, you would know it!”

A raging battle to know who really were those famous opponents.

The knight, the ghoul and the reaper…

Suddenly, the team director came in the room.

“I thought I told you I want to never ever again here about Gandock for the rest of my life. Do you know how much time we spent to create monster he banished from the world?”

Deep silence in the team, with a palpable tension.

“Aquilas, Priscille, in my office.”

“Boss, I didn’t know it would look this way!”

“Silence! Aquilas, loosers have to shut up! Why did this battle take place?”

Instant of silence.

“Priscille wanted for my nephew and her intern to fight together.”

“And…?”

“She won.”

“Priscille.”

“Yes madam?”

“I give you a promotion. Congratulations.”

“Thanks madam.”

***

Deep inside a clearing, two knights are sitting, eating sausages and cheese.

Dogs are jumping around.

In the sky, smokes clouds are rising up.

“War raged roughly this weekend.”

“Yes, I wonder how your protected is.”

“Good, I hope. He will become an excellent squire, before becoming a good successor.”

“Gandock.”

“Yes, Emile?”

“Time has come.”

“Already?”

“Yes, all conditions are met.”

“So, it’s maybe time for our comeback.”

“Our absence was long enough. It’s time to restore the empire.

Silence.

“Kingdoms held the shock?”

“No, perpetual wars weakened all the great powerhouses. Souabe kingdom is close to bankruptcy.”

“Good, Jules is not ready yet, but with Priscille help, everything shall be good. It’s time to finish with Alter Life as we know it.”

“You really want to take the risk of being imprisoned by the designers?”

“They won’t be able of anything against me. It’s Jules who will lead armies to victory. Soon, he will be an overlord.”

“An overlord? Unlikely.”

“All the contrary, trust me, an imperial overlord. A new adventure just began. Just some time, and Jules will judge Alter Life.”

“You might loose everything.”

“I have nothing to loose.”

“The last judgement?”

“The end of this world announces the beginning of the next one.”

The two men have finished to eat.

They go away on their horses.

A new adventure begins!