Egg World

Reynolds Spin-off Part 1

Going to bring Papa Leywin into this fanfic, Egg World! This'll be a spin-off of Egg World that I'm just writing for fun. Hope you all have fun reading it :)

REYNOLDS POV:

I woke up sputtering, pulling myself out of the water. Gasping for air, I sat up in the small pond that I found myself in, as memories of the battle at the Wall flashed through my mind.

A massive midnight grizzly had charged at me, its silver, spiky fur glistening in the light from my own fire magic. I remember pummeling it while Durden had used his strength to hold back the beast, but the grizzly had ultimately ended up being too strong for us both. It had shaken off Durden and pinned me to the ground, and the last memory that I had before its jaws enclosed on me was Durden reaching out his hand towards me and shouting my name.

Where was I now?

I looked around, and realized that I was surrounded by some sort of crop plant. Still disoriented from the battle, I stumbled into a standing position, and saw acres of golden wheat stretching out as far as I could see. Large clouds drifted along slowly in a rich-blue sky overhead. A breeze blew past me, carrying with it the scent of a nearby sea.

Is this what the afterlife looks like? I wondered.

I began walking through the wheat, and eventually discovered a dirt path. The path continued on into the distance, going up and down some gentle slopes. With nothing else to do, I began walking down the path, towards the direction that I had felt the breeze come from.

As I walked, I gradually started acclimating to this new place. My ability to think started returning, and as it returned, I began thinking about my situation.

Is this really how it is? Life ends, and that's just...it? I thought of Alice, my wife. I thought of Ellie...I would never get to see her grow up anymore. And I thought of Arthur.

Arthur.

A pang of regret struck my heart, causing me to slow down my pace. There was so much more that I had wanted to say to Arthur...so many conversations that I had played in my head over and over again that would never end up happening now. I had wanted to spend more time with him, and let him know that even if he had...resurrected into my world, that he was still my son. But none of that would happen now.

The regret grew into a wave, numbing me and bringing me to my knees. I clenched my fists and grit my teeth as I felt tears threaten to come out.

No. You have to stay strong, for Alice, I thought to myself. But then a realization hit me: there was no Alice. I was alone in this world that I had been brought into. I didn't have to hold back my weaknesses anymore.

Releasing the tension in my body, I looked up at the sky, at the clouds floating peacefully by. I allowed myself to think of Arthur again, and all the missed conversations that I had wanted to have with him after the war. Conversations that had been scheduled too late.

"I...could've done better," I whispered to myself. Silently at first, sobs began to wrack my body, eventually escaping out of my throat. I folded into the dirt, my arms hanging loosely by my head, as I wept into the ground. There was no other sound around me other than my own voice, and the wheat brushing against each other in the wind.

For the first time in a very long time, I cried out loud, while the world around me listened quietly.

***

I eventually picked myself up, wiping my face with my sleeve. I was stuck in my fighting uniform, still dirty and torn from the battle. I looked down the dirt path and continued in the same direction that I had been walking on, not knowing where it would lead me, but also not knowing what else I could do.

I walked for a long time; over an hour must have ticked by while I passed over slope after slope, the same scenery of wheat fields to my right and to my left. I didn't think much of this new world; I didn't think much at all, in all honesty. I felt empty after all that crying.

After a while, a farmhouse came into view, breaking up the usual scenery. It was a two-story house, with a dark blue roof and a white exterior. It wasn't grandiose, but it was pleasant to look at. A wide area of dirt and grass surrounded it, and a wooden fence separated the house from the wheat fields around it. I stared at it for a minute or so from a distance, before walking up to the gate of the fence.

I stood at the fence, getting a better view of what was inside. A little girl with pale blonde hair was playing with a doll while sitting on the patio of the house. She looked to be about four to five years old...it had been a while since Ellie had been that age.

I couldn't muster the strength to call out, so I continued to stand by the gate, waiting to be noticed. A couple minutes passed before the child noticed me. She hurriedly and awkwardly stood up with her tiny body and left her doll behind to run into the house. I heard her voice yelling "Papa!" from behind the front door.

Shortly after, a man came out through the doorway. As he came closer, I noticed that he was about my age, and he had the same pale blonde hair that the girl, who I was assuming was his daughter, had had. From the man's tall, muscular build and the way that he carried himself, I could tell that this man was a fighter.

But the man smiled peacefully at me as he walked up to me. I could see the little girl peeking out at us from behind the doorframe of the house.

"May I help you?" the man asked amicably. When he spoke, I dimly recognized that I was probably a mess: I was wet and dirty with torn clothes, and puffed-up eyes. My mind was barely functioning, but I managed to respond to the stranger:

"I'm...lost," I said in a soft voice.

The man looked intently into my face, and for the first time, I realized that his eyes were golden. The pupils were vertical, giving him an uncanny resemblance to Sylvie.

How was Sylvie? Is she alright, still? Is she still with Arthur?

The man studied my face as I stared back blankly, lost in my own thoughts and not quite meeting his eyes. After a few more moments of silence, the other man's face relaxed into a tender expression.

"I used to be too," he said with a gentle smile. "Come on, let's get you washed up."

I nodded slightly as the man opened the gate for me and took my arm to help support me as we walked towards the house.

"What's your name?" the man asked as we walked up the doorsteps. The girl scampered away deeper into the house when she saw us entering in.

"Reynolds," I responded, still feeling mostly lifeless. "Reynolds Leywin."

The man smiled as he helped me through the doorway.

"Nice to meet you, Reynolds. My name is Grey."