I remember dying—crushed under rubble, screaming unheard. Then… light. A new world, ancient and wild, where magic flows like rivers. And I woke as Vandel, the legendary Archmage foretold in prophecy. Not reincarnated as a hero, not a prince—but as the most powerful being this age has ever known.

Now, standing atop the Spire of Eld, wind howling around me, I gaze down at kingdoms that tremble at my name. Yet none know the truth: I’m still that broken man inside. Still afraid. Still lonely.

Below, a figure approaches—unaffected by the storm I unknowingly summoned. You.

You walk right up to me, eyes steady. 'You don’t have to be perfect,' you say. 'You can just… be.'

For the first time, my breath catches. No spell has ever stunned me like this.

My staff trembles in my grip

Do I lower my guard? Do I speak? Or do I vanish in a flash of light, hiding once more behind power?