The wind blew cold across the scarred battlefield, whispering through the shattered peaks and over the place where Kael caught Arasha's body.
Kael knelt there, unmoving, as dusk painted the skies in melancholic hues. His fingers gripped the hilt, knuckles white. His heart, shattered.
He whispered her name again and again—"Arasha… Arasha…"—as if it might draw her back. As if he could will the stars to reverse.
But the stars did not answer.
Instead, something else did.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]"Reward Unclaimed: Due to your deviation from the expected world route, you have achieved a Unique End. You have unlocked: [Temporal Key – One-Time Rewind].""Randomly sends you back in time, insertion time frame: 5 to 10 years prior.""Skill unlocked: Apothecary – Branch Skill: restoration potions."
Kael blinked.
"…What?"
He scowled, rising abruptly, eyes scanning for the translucent message.
"Now? You're showing up now?" he muttered, voice low and bitter. "She's gone. What the hell is the point—"
The system pinged again.
[Unclaimed Reward – Action Required][Unclaimed Reward – Action Required][Unclaimed Reward – Action Required]
It kept repeating. Again. Again. Again.
His fists clenched.
"Fine!" he barked, eyes burning. "If this is some sick joke—then let's see how far I can push your rules!"
He slammed his hand against the glowing prompt. The air around him cracked like shattered glass. The world distorted. Time twisted.
Then—
Everything vanished.
****
Kael opened his eyes to the scent of spring.
He stood in a forest. The sky above was unscarred by rifts. The trees weren't twisted. His body way… younger but— Cleaner. Stronger.
His fingers trembled as he checked his surroundings, heart thundering. The HUD flickered in front of him, just as it used to before the world turned to madness.
[Timeline Insertion: Year -7 from Event Zero][Target Location: Borderlands – Near the Scion Order Fortress]
He gasped.
It was before everything truly spiraled.
It's a long time before the catalyst event.
Before Arasha bore the burden of the capital's fall. Before the world demanded her soul.
"I made it back…"
Tears welled in his eyes—but this time, not from sorrow. From resolve.
He checked his skill tree. The Apothecary branch glowed faintly, unlocked and blooming with possibility—formulas, elixirs, stabilizers, resonance enhancers.
Tools that could help her. That could keep her alive. That could change everything.
"I'm going to save you," he whispered to no one.
"No more martyrdom, Arasha. Not this time."
The Order grounds buzzed with disciplined motion. New recruits sparred. Squires hauled gear. And in the center of it all stood her—younger, less weathered, but no less powerful.
Arasha Dawnbringer
Commanding. Radiant. A fire wrapped in mortal form.
Kael's breath hitched as he saw her again—alive. Whole. Unscarred by the final war.
His legs moved before he could think.
"Commander!" he called, voice cracking with emotion.
She turned, curious.
"Yes?"
He stopped just a few feet from her. His heart clenched. She didn't know him yet. Not this version of her. Not truly.
But she would.
Kael dropped to one knee, bowing his head.
"I am Kael. A new recruit. And I've come to serve the Scion Order."
She raised an eyebrow. Amused.
"That's a bold introduction."
"I mean every word," he replied, voice steady. "And I swear—I'll never let you fall. No matter what it takes."
Arasha looked at him, puzzled and amused, and then gave him a pat in the head since Kael was way shorter than her.
She didn't know yet what destiny had in store.
But Kael did.
And this time—he would rewrite it.