Tyranny of Steel

The sun began to set as Berengar and his royal guard found themselves on the borders of a thickly wooded area within the realm of Frisia. When the German Emperor gazed upon the small forest, he noticed a dense fog permeated in the air. As the horses approach the area, they panicked, bucking about like mad. It took considerable effort on the riders' part to calm their steeds.

To Berengar's surprise, even his mount Glory, which was a valiant stallion born and bred for the purpose of war, was too frightened to approach the misty woodlands. In the end, Berengar and his soldiers were forced to maintain their distance, for the steeds did not dare approach. As such, the German Emperor dismounted from his horse, and made camp in the plains outside the mysterious woodland enclave. 

As he was setting up his tent, a man who was not in uniform approached Berengar with a frightened expression on his face. The man was practically shivering in fear as he spoke about the local rumors which pertained to the nearby woods. 

"Your Majesty, as your guide, I feel I must speak up. It would be unwise to set up your camp so close to these woods. I am sure as a southerner you are unaware, but that is unholy ground. They say a great battle once occurred in these lands between the ancient Romans and the local pagans."

This bit of information immediately caught Berengar's interest. As a man well accustomed to German history, he had a feeling that this ancient folk tale sounded quite familiar. However, for whatever reason, he could not put his finger on it.

Such a thing was strange, especially for Berengar, who could usually recall any memory vividly with a simple thought. This gap in his memories only made the young emperor more curious as he gave the man permission to continue his story. 

"Go on..."

The man quickly looked around in panic, before calming himself with a heavy sigh. Only after clarity had restored itself within his mind did he speak of the ancient folk tale. 

"They say on the day that battle occurred, the local pagans massacred hundreds of Roman legionaries in the name of their war goddess. Ever since then, a thick fog has shrouded these woodlands. Anyone foolish enough to enter the woods without the spirit's permission has never returned to the land of the living. I implore you to keep moving, for fear that we might provoke the local spirit!"

Berengar broke out into laughter when he heard this ridiculous claim. Such superstitious nonsense was nothing to be worried about. After all, he was a man of science, and there had never been a single piece of evidence that the supernatural was reality. Thus, he simply responded to the man's warning with a pat on the back before handing him a wineskin.

"My friend, if you are so worried about an ancient legend, then drink this. It shall calm your nerves. I will not push forward into the darkness because of local superstitions. We shall ride out at dawn. Until then, I suggest you get some sleep."

The guide was about to speak up in protest, but was instantly silenced when Berengar's grip over his shoulder turned firm. He knew better than to insult the German Emperor. After all, he was merely a local hunter. What right did he have to disagree? Still, he felt this was an enormous mistake, and that they would all pay the price for Berengar's arrogance.

Despite his misgivings, the guide quickly did as instructed and established his tent, where he proceeded to drink himself to sleep. As for Berengar, he was oddly tired, and thus soon found himself cuddled up in his cot, passing out. 

When Berengar finally awoke, it was at the crack of dawn. Judging by his moans and groans, he was still half asleep, as he reached over towards where his nightstand would normally be, hoping to grab hold of his wineskin so that he could start the day with a stiff drink.

Instead, his hand clanged itself upon the cold surface of a nearby rock. When he noticed this, his eyes shot open, where they darted about frantically. His one good eye immediately noticed that he was not in fact within his tent, but alone in the woods, with nothing but the mist to keep him company.

He immediately looked around and noticed he was also fully dressed. Such a thing was peculiar, as he normally slept naked, and he deliberately remembered stripping out of his clothes and climbing into his cot the night before. As he gazed around, surveying his surroundings, he noticed something peculiar.

This forest he found himself within was dead silent. There was neither the sound of the birds chirping in the air nor the noise of bugs rustling in the grass. A complete and utter lack of ambience purveyed in the air. When the young emperor realized this, he immediately felt a sense of dread within his gut.  Before panic could set in, a calming voice coming from directly behind him caught his interest.

"Oh? So you're the one who crossed over? Interesting..."

When Berengar heard this, he immediately spun around and gazed upon the origins of the soothing voice. Standing before him was a young girl who appeared to be no older than ten. Her hair was long and dangled down to her waist. It was as red as blood, and a crown of white flowers was adorned atop her head. 

This girl had matching sanguine eyes, which immediately caught Berengar's interest. She had a doll-like face that appeared to be carved out of porcelain, so perfect that Berengar struggled to believe that she was human. 

Gazing down at her torso was a long white dress that appeared to be sparkling as if it were made of the mist itself. She was completely barefoot, and despite that, there was no dirt upon her perfectly sculpted feet. It took Berengar a moment to register what the girl had said to him. Instead, he was more curious about why such a cute little girl was alone in the forest.

"Little girl, why are you here alone in these woods?"

The girl had a peculiar expression on her face, as if it dumbfounded her why someone would ask her that. 

"This is my home... I have been here for many years, ever so lonely. Won't you stay with me and be my big brother?"

When Berengar heard these words, he cringed internally. He was no lolicon, and despite this, there was a fierce sense of temptation in his mind to stay in these woods and protect this little girl for the rest of his life. It was at this moment the memories came flooding back to him, and a single word escaped his lips.

"Baduhenna...."

When the girl heard her name spoken, she pouted and chastised Berengar for guessing correctly.

"No fair! I took your memories of this place the moment you entered my borders. How did you remember? You cheated!"

When Berengar heard this, he could hardly believe it. He had always been slightly curious about how he reincarnated into this world, but it had never dawned on him that the supernatural was real. In fact, he outright refused to acknowledge this moment as reality. As such, he sighed heavily and rested his forehead on the palm of his head.

"I'm dreaming aren't I?"

In response to this, the girl was rather coy as she dodged the question.

"Perhaps..."

Instead, she focused intensely on Berengar's face before coming to a sudden conclusion.

"You're afraid? You, of all people, are afraid to go back to war? No, that's not quite right... You're afraid of losing all that you have built in this life? I am sorry, but that simply will not do... They have plans for you, and staying out of battle is completely unacceptable."

Before Berengar could react to what the little girl had said, she instantly closed the distance between them as if she had teleported. After arriving in front of the young emperor, she reached out her dainty hands towards his head, where he instinctively lowered it into her grasp. After doing so, the girl kissed Berengar on his forehead. The moment she did so, all the dread within his heart vanished. After letting go, she said one last farewell before vanishing into thin air.

"This is my boon to you, Berengar von Kufstein. May you forever be fearless in the heat of battle! Until we meet again..."

Shortly thereafter, Berengar awoke in his tent with a start. He quickly called out to the little goddess he had met in the woods.

"Baduhenna!"

However, as he gazed around him, he was alone in his tent, exactly as he had been before falling asleep. He quickly placed his head in his hands as he dwelled on what had just transpired. Was it really all a dream? No, it couldn't have been. It was far too vivid to be such a thing. Besides, after receiving Baduhenna's boon, all the fear and discomfort in his heart towards the prospect of battle was truly and utterly gone. This was simple proof the event had really taken place. 

Berengar sulked in his cot for some time, reflecting on the strange vision he had endured, and what it meant regarding his reincarnation. Just who was this "they" that Baduhenna spoke about? Were the gods real? If that was the case, did that mean the legends of this world were a reality hiding in the background? He struggled to come up with the answers to these questions and ultimately disregarded this strange occurrence until he had more evidence. 

With this in mind, the Young Emperor rose from his cot, and prepared himself for the long ride ahead. They were still several dozen miles away from the nearest train station. After waking up the soldiers, and packing up the camp, Berengar sat atop his steed, and gazed back towards the strange woodlands where he had met a goddess. He made a solemn vow to return to this land when he had information about just how he had come to this world.