Opening: Market Day#
Reyneese walks through the crowded festival market, supplies list in hand. Still processing the conversation with Vyrneese about the blurred memory. Still haunted by that face she can’t see.
The city is alive—music, performers, vendors, celebration.
Reyneese (to herself): “Focus. Herbs. Potions. Supplies. Not the past.”
But the past doesn’t ask permission.
The Performance Begins#
A crowd gathering ahead. Cheering, applause.
CROWD MEMBER: “Look! The demon hunter! She’s incredible!”
Reyneese, curious despite herself, moves closer. Weaves through the crowd.
A night elf woman stands in the center. Blindfolded. Twin warglaives spinning.
Athletic. Powerful. Moving with predatory grace. A demon hunter performing combat-dance for coin.
Acrobatic flips. Precise strikes. The warglaives blur with speed.
Reyneese (watching, impressed): “Skilled. Very skilled.”
Something about the movements feels… familiar.
The Recognition (One-Sided)#
The demon hunter mid-spin. Freezes for half a second.
Her head turns toward Reyneese in the crowd.
A smirk crosses her face—cruel, triumphant.
The dance continues. But now directed at Reyneese. More aggressive. More pointed. Almost… mocking.
Reyneese (internal): “Why is she… does she know me?”
The performance intensifies. Each movement sharper. Each strike more violent.
The crowd cheers. They don’t see the shift. But Reyneese does.
The Approach#
Performance ends. Crowd applauds. Coins thrown at the demon hunter’s feet.
She collects them gracefully, never losing the predatory edge.
Reyneese feels a pull she can’t explain.
Reyneese (internal): “I should leave. This feels wrong. But…”
The demon hunter moves through the crowd.
Heading straight toward Reyneese.
The Encounter#
The demon hunter stops directly in front of Reyneese. Close enough to touch.
Reyneese can see the blindfold, the tattoos, the fel-green demonic features. But something underneath feels…
DEMON HUNTER (voice low, intimate, dangerous): “Hello, Reyneese.”
Reyneese (startled): “Do I… do we know each other?”
DEMON HUNTER (smirks wider): “You don’t remember me. How perfect. How absolutely perfect.”
Reyneese (uncertain): “I’m sorry, I meet many people—”
DEMON HUNTER (voice cuts like blade): “Ten thousand years. And you compressed me into nothing.”
Reyneese (cold shock): “What did you say?”
The Rope Trick#
Before Reyneese can process—
The demon hunter’s hand moves lightning-fast.
A chain wraps around Reyneese’s wrist.
Reyneese: “What are you—”
DEMON HUNTER: “You forgot me. Let me remind you what that feels like.”
She YANKS the chain hard.
Reyneese pulled off-balance, stumbling forward.
The Fling#
The demon hunter spins, using momentum and demonic strength.
Reyneese lifted off her feet—flung backward.
Crowds scattering. Screaming.
Reyneese crashes into market stall. Produce explodes everywhere. Wood splinters.
Reyneese (dazed, gasping): “Who… who are you?”
Physically not badly hurt. But emotionally—shock. Humiliation. Confusion.
The Wings#
The demon hunter crouches low.
Massive demonic wings ERUPT from her back. Fel-green energy. Tattered shadow. Terrifying and beautiful.
She launches into the air with single powerful jump.
Hovering above the chaos. Looking down at Reyneese.
The crowd frozen in terror and awe.
The Scorn#
DEMON HUNTER (loud, clear, bitter): “You chose the Light. The temple. The easy path. And you forgot everyone who chose differently.”
Reyneese (struggling to stand): “Wait! Who are you?! Why—”
DEMON HUNTER: “You’ll remember eventually. Or you won’t. Either way…” (cruel smile) “…I don’t need you to remember me anymore. I’ve become something you never had the courage to be.”
Reyneese: “Please, just tell me—”
DEMON HUNTER (interrupting): “Yreneese. My name is Yreneese. Not that it matters. You’ll compress this memory too.”
The Departure#
Yreneese beats her wings once. Twice.
Soars upward into sky.
Her laughter echoes down—bitter, triumphant, broken.
She disappears over rooftops.
Reyneese left sitting in destroyed market stall. Surrounded by chaos. Covered in vegetables.
Reyneese’s Reaction#
Reyneese (whispered, shocked): “Yreneese… that was… the blurred face…”
The memory fragments SLAM into focus:
- Childhood laughter—same voice, older now, cruel
- Teenage training—same movements, weaponized now
- The separation—“I’ll find my own way”
Reyneese (realization breaking over her): “You found your way. You became a demon hunter. And you… you hate me.”
Tears streaming.
Reyneese: “I didn’t forget you. I couldn’t remember. There’s a difference. There’s—”
But Yreneese is gone.
Lulureese Arrives#
Lulureese (rushing through crowd): “REY! Rey, what happened?! I heard screaming!”
Reyneese (still sitting in debris, stunned): “I… someone… she said…”
Lulureese (kneels beside her, checking for injuries): “You’re hurt! Who did this? Where did they go?”
Reyneese (looks at Lulu, lost): “Her name is Yreneese. We were… I think we were family. Ten thousand years ago. And I forgot her.”
Lulureese (confused): “Family? But how—”
Reyneese: “She was the blurred face. The memory I told Vyrneese about. And she’s alive. And she’s a demon hunter. And she…” (voice breaks) “…she hates me, Lulu.”
Lulureese’s Comfort#
Lulureese (pulls Reyneese into hug): “Okay. Okay, it’s okay. Let’s get you up. Can you stand?”
Reyneese (lets Lulu help her up): “She said I chose the easy path. That I forgot everyone who chose differently.”
Lulureese (gentle but firm): “Rey, you didn’t forget on purpose. Memories compress. You told me that. It’s not betrayal, it’s just… time.”
Reyneese: “But ten thousand years, Lulu. I had ten thousand years. And I never looked for her. Never wondered if she was still alive.”
Lulureese: “Did you even remember there was someone to look for?”
Reyneese (realizes): “…no. The memory was so compressed I didn’t know what I’d lost.”
Lulureese: “Then how is that your fault?”
The Walk Back#
Lulu supporting Reyneese through the market. Concerned citizens watching.
Lulureese: “We need to tell the others. Brass will know what to do. Vyrneese too.”
Reyneese: “What do I tell them? That a demon hunter from my forgotten past just attacked me and flew away?”
Lulureese: “Well… yes? That’s what happened, right?”
Reyneese (almost laughs): “You’re so literal.”
Lulureese: “It helps when things are confusing. Just say what happened. We’ll figure out the rest together.”
Reyneese: “She said her name. Yreneese. I finally know her name again.”
Lulureese: “Is that good or bad?”
Reyneese (quiet): “I don’t know. Both. Neither. It means she’s real. Still alive after all this time. But she’s… angry. Broken. And I don’t know how to fix it.”
Lulureese: “Maybe you don’t fix it. Maybe you just… face it.”
Arrival at Warband Base#
Brasskeese sees them coming. Immediately alert.
Brasskeese: “What the hell happened?”
Reyneese: “We need to talk. All of us.”
Vyrneese (appearing): “Rey, you’re bleeding!”
Reyneese (looks down, hadn’t noticed scrape): “It’s nothing. But there’s something I need to tell you all.”
Brasskeese: “Inside. Now. Zyneese, get medical supplies. Avel, secure perimeter. Lulu, tea. Moving, people!”
The Revelation#
Warband gathered. Reyneese explains: the blurred memory, the street performance, the attack, the name.
Brasskeese: “So let me get this straight. A demon hunter from ten thousand years ago who you forgot just identified herself, attacked you publicly, and flew away.”
Reyneese: “Yes.”
Brasskeese: “And she’s pissed because you ‘chose the Light’ and forgot about her.”
Reyneese: “That’s what she said.”
Brasskeese (sighs): “Of course she is. Because your life wasn’t complicated enough.”
Zyneese: “Demon hunters don’t just attack randomly. She wanted you to know who she was. This was a message.”
Avel: “But what message? ‘I hate you’? We got that part.”
Vyrneese (quiet): “Rey, when you told me about the blurred memory… you said you felt like that person was family.”
Reyneese: “Yes.”
Vyrneese: “And now you know she’s alive. She’s a demon hunter. And she’s angry. What are you going to do?”
The Discussion#
Reyneese (long pause): “I don’t know. Part of me wants to find her. Explain. Apologize. But another part…”
Lulureese: “Knows she’s dangerous.”
Reyneese: “Yes. She’s not the person I remember. She’s become something else. Something that chose darkness and sacrifice.”
Zyneese (quiet): “You chose darkness too. Shadow magic.”
Reyneese (looks at her sharply): “That’s different.”
Zyneese: “Is it? You both chose power through darkness. She went demon hunter. You went Shadow priest. Maybe she sees you as a hypocrite.”
Reyneese (stung): “I chose Shadow to protect people. To be faster, sharper—”
Zyneese: “And she chose demon hunter for the same reasons. To protect. To be powerful. To sacrifice herself. But she sees YOUR sacrifice as acceptable and hers as abandonment.”
Brass Cuts Through#
Brasskeese: “Enough philosophy. Here’s what we know: There’s a pissed-off demon hunter with a ten-thousand-year grudge against Rey. She knows where we are. She’s shown herself. What do we DO about it?”
Avel: “We prepare for another attack.”
Brasskeese: “Obviously. But what’s Rey gonna do when that attack comes? Fight her? Talk to her? Run?”
Reyneese (quiet): “I don’t know.”
Vyrneese: “Rey, can I say something?”
Reyneese: “Of course.”
Vyrneese: “When I woke up and found out Neltharion became Deathwing… I had to face that the person I remembered was gone. Became a monster. And I had to choose: mourn who he was, or fight what he became.”
Reyneese: “What did you choose?”
Vyrneese: “Both. I mourned. And I would have fought him if I had the chance. Because love doesn’t mean accepting harm. Even from people who used to matter.”
Reyneese (tears): “I don’t want to fight her.”
Vyrneese: “Then don’t. But don’t let her hurt you either. There’s a middle path.”
Brasskeese: “Yeah, it’s called ‘setting boundaries and defending yourself when crazy demon hunters attack.’”
Lulureese’s Wisdom#
Lulureese (quiet): “Rey, you know what I think?”
Reyneese: “What, Lulu?”
Lulureese: “I think she’s hurt. Really, really hurt. And hurt people hurt people. But that doesn’t mean you have to let her. You can love who she was and protect yourself from who she is. Both can be true.”
Reyneese (looks at Lulu, surprised): “That’s… very wise.”
Lulureese (shrugs): “I’m good with feelings. Not so good with boundaries. But I’m learning.”
Brasskeese: “From me.”
Lulureese (grins): “From Brass. She says no a lot. I’m practicing.”
Closing Decision#
Reyneese (stands, resolved): “We prepare. We strengthen defenses. And if—when—she comes back, I’ll face her. Not as the person who forgot her. As the person I am now. And if she wants to talk, we talk. If she wants to fight…” (looks at warband) “…I’m not alone anymore.”
Brasskeese: “Damn right you’re not.”
Vyrneese: “We fight together.”
Zyneese: “Or die together. Preferably fight.”
Avel: “I’ll prepare defensive positions.”
Lulureese: “I’ll make extra healing potions! And snacks!”
Brasskeese: “And I’ll figure out what the hell a demon hunter’s weaknesses are. They can’t all be psychologically invulnerable.”
Final Scene: Reyneese Alone#
Late night. Everyone asleep. Reyneese on balcony looking at stars.
Reyneese (whispers to the night): “Yreneese. I remember you now. Your name. Your anger. Your choice. And I’m sorry I forgot. I’m sorry I didn’t look for you. But I can’t change ten thousand years. I can only face what comes next.”
The wind carries no answer.
Reyneese: “I hope you find what you’re looking for. Even if it’s revenge. Even if it’s pain. I hope it gives you whatever you need.”
She turns to go inside. Pauses.
Reyneese: “But I won’t let you destroy me. Or them. We were family once. But I have a new family now. And I’ll protect them. Even from you.”
Somewhere Else: Yreneese#
Perched on distant rooftop. Watching the warband base.
Her blindfold off—revealing fel-green glowing eyes. Tears streaming.
Yreneese (whispers): “You finally know my name again. After ten thousand years. And all it took was violence.”
She wipes tears angrily.
Yreneese: “I chose the demon hunter path to gain the power to protect our people. You chose the temple to do the same. But you got to be the hero. The Light-bearer. And I became the monster. The sacrifice no one remembers.”
Puts blindfold back on.
Yreneese: “You forgot me, Reyneese. But I never forgot you. And now you’ll remember me. Whether you want to or not.”
She leaps into darkness.
Her wings spread.
Gone into the night.
The Parallel Truth#
Two night elves. Two paths. Both through darkness.
Reyneese: Shadow priest. Chose darkness to protect. Seen as noble sacrifice.
Yreneese: Demon hunter. Chose darkness to protect. Seen as monstrous sacrifice.
Same motivation. Different perception.
Both are right. Both are wrong. Both are hurt.
And now, after ten thousand years, they’ll have to face each other.
Author’s Note#
This is the fifth chronicle in the Reyneese series, introducing Yreneese as a complex antagonist (not pure villain). The blurred memory from Chronicle #4 now has a face—and a grudge. This story explores parallel paths through darkness, the weight of being forgotten, and how chosen family prepares you to face your past.
Yreneese will return. The question is: as enemy, or as something more complicated?
Read more: Chronicle #4: The Face in the Blur | Chronicle #2: When Shadows Rise | Chronicle #3: The Methodical Mind | All Warband Stories
Content Warning: This story contains themes of public humiliation, physical confrontation, emotional manipulation, family conflict, and psychological warfare.