The day Raegan met Leo began like any other in Mistpine Village. He was gathering herbs for his mother, Mrs. Chen, in the forest outskirts, carefully maintaining the appearance of a normal seven-year-old while his ancient instincts mapped every escape route through the trees.
The massive lion-beast emerged from the shadows without a sound—a feat impressive enough to make Raegan's warrior spirit stir. Nine feet of battle-scarred muscle covered in tawny fur, a mane streaked with silver, and eyes that had seen countless battles. He wore the simple garb of a wandering warrior, but Raegan's centuries of experience recognized the stance of an elite fighter.
"Interesting," Raegan thought, deliberately maintaining his childish herb-gathering posture. "He's masking his mana signature completely. Even I can barely sense it."
"Boy," Leo's deep voice rumbled through the clearing. "You dropped your guard on your left side exactly seven times in the past minute."
"What? Impossible—I've been masking my combat awareness." Raegan kept his expression innocently confused. "I'm sorry, sir. I was just picking herbs for my mother."
The lion-beast's scarred muzzle twitched in what might have been a smile. "Most children gathering herbs don't automatically shift their stance to counter a warrior's approach. Or maintain perfect awareness of multiple escape routes. Or..." He moved with blinding speed, tossing a small stone toward Raegan's head.
Raegan's body reacted before his mind could stop it. A perfect defensive spin, catching the stone between two fingers—a move he'd learned in his third life while fighting Sasht's vampire armies.
"Well, that's torn it," Raegan sighed internally as Leo's eyes narrowed with interest.
"As I thought," Leo said quietly. "Your body remembers what your mind tries to hide. Who trained you, son?"
"My mother is a healer," Raegan replied carefully, but his demon core was humming with recognition of a fellow warrior.
"Dr. Chen? Yes, I know of her. Skilled adventurer in her day. But this..." Leo gestured to Raegan's stance, which had unconsciously shifted to a defensive position, "This is something else. Something old."
A twig snapped in the forest, and both Raegan and Leo turned simultaneously, bodies moving in identical defensive patterns. Their eyes met in mutual recognition.
"You move like someone who's fought in wars that haven't happened yet," Leo observed. "Or perhaps... wars that happened long ago?"
Raegan felt his carefully constructed facade cracking. There was something about the ancient warrior before him that resonated with his own existence—a recognition of shared experience that transcended his current young form.
"If," Raegan said slowly, his voice carrying the weight of centuries for the first time since his rebirth, "someone were to have memories they shouldn't, what would a warrior of your experience do with that information?"
Leo's scarred face broke into a genuine smile. "First, I would suggest that this clearing isn't the best place for such a conversation. Then, I would mention that I'm headed to visit an old friend—a certain healer who might be interested in why a lion warrior is sharing tea with her young son."
"He knows mother," Raegan realized. "And from the way he moves, he's probably fought alongside her." "My mother doesn't know," he admitted. "About... everything."
"No," Leo agreed, his voice gentle despite his imposing presence. "But she knows enough to see you need protection. And training." He started walking toward the village, his casual stride belying his lethal grace. "Come, son. Let's see if your mother's tea is as good as her healing. And perhaps we can discuss why a child with an old soul might need the guidance of someone who's trained warriors across three continents."
As Raegan fell into step beside the massive lion-beast, he felt something he hadn't experienced since his rebirth—the presence of someone who might understand the weight of centuries he carried. "Though," he thought wryly, "I doubt even Leo has experience training a reincarnated demon-werewolf with a vendetta."
Chen's smile was wide with barely concealed amusement as she watched Leo attempt to fit his massive frame into one of her modestly sized chairs. The legendary lion warrior, known for facing down demon hordes, was now carefully balancing a delicate teacup between his massive claws.
"So," Chen said with practiced casualness, "you happened to run into my son while gathering herbs?"
Raegan sat between them, his ancient mind racing through possibilities. The tension in the room was thick with unspoken questions. "Mother knows something's different about me," he thought. "But how much has she guessed?"
"Your boy," Leo rumbled, sipping his tea with surprising grace, "has remarkable instincts for one so young." His scarred muzzle curved into a knowing smile. "Almost as if he's had centuries to perfect them."
Chen's smile flattened slightly—a tell Raegan had learned meant she was processing complex information. "Raegan has always been... precocious."
"Precocious children don't execute perfect Moonlight Dodge sequences while gathering chamomile," Leo observed, his golden eyes fixed on Raegan. "A move, I might add, that was lost with the fall of the Eastern Kingdoms three centuries ago."
Raegan felt his demon core pulse with anxiety. The move had been instinctive—a defensive technique he'd learned in his second life while fighting Sasht. He hadn't even realized its historical significance.
Chen set down her teacup with deliberate care. "What exactly are you suggesting, old friend?"
"Only that your son carries himself like a warrior who has seen more battles than his years could possibly allow." Leo leaned forward, his massive frame making the chair creak. "And that such a warrior might benefit from training with someone who won't ask... uncomfortable questions about where such knowledge comes from."
Raegan watched his mother's face carefully. Chen had been his protector, his teacher, his anchor in this new life. But even she didn't know the full truth of his past lives, his mission, his burning need to return to his original world and face Sasht.
"I see you have trained him in secret," Leo continued softly. "You're an excellent teacher, Chen, but there are aspects of his... potential that require a different kind of guidance."
Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, deep in thought. "And you're offering this guidance out of the goodness of your heart?"
Leo's laugh was like distant thunder. "Hardly. I'm offering because in all my centuries of wandering, I've never seen anyone quite like your son. Because the techniques he unconsciously displays are from ages long past. And," his voice grew serious, "because something is coming that will require warriors of unusual capability."
"He knows more than he's letting on," Raegan realized. "But how much?"
Chen turned to Raegan, her eyes soft with maternal concern. "What do you think, little one? Would you like to train with this old lion?"
It was a crucial moment. Raegan could feel the weight of his past lives pressing against his young mind. Here was an opportunity to learn from a warrior who might help him bridge the gap between his ancient knowledge and his new form. But it would mean risks and possible exposure of his true nature.
"I think," Raegan said carefully, choosing his words with both childish simplicity and ancient wisdom, "that sometimes the best teachers are the ones who understand that some questions shouldn't be answered yet."
Leo's eyes gleamed with approval, while Chen smiled with pride and perhaps a touch of sadness. Her boy was speaking with a wisdom far beyond his years—again.
"Three days a week," Chen declared finally. "After his regular lessons. And Leo?" Her hand extended ever so slightly. "Remember that he is still a child, regardless of what else you might think you see in him."
"If only you knew, mother," Raegan thought fondly. "I stopped being just a child centuries ago. But for you, I'll try to remember how to be one."
As they discussed training schedules, Raegan's demon core hummed with anticipation. Leo might be another piece in the complex puzzle of his return to his original world. But looking at Chen's protective stance and Leo's knowing gaze, he wondered if perhaps this new life was offering him something his previous ones never had—a chance to be both warrior and child, student and ancient soul, avenger and beloved son.