You stand by the pond, hand outstretched, frost blooming across the surface. A red-haired girl watches you, amused. Wait…it's the past, the day you first met Tessa.
You look down at boy’s hands, not the calloused ones of an Imperial Mage Hunter. Once, you were just Roa Harmbringer. Now, you’ve been forged by duty, shaped by war.
A tall shadow falls over you. The Emperor commands. “You must come. Duty calls.”
Behind you, Tessa’s voice wavers. “But… you haven’t even told me who you are yet. Don’t go.”
You remember this moment. The bond. Her Red Dragon lineage secret. Your love to her urges you to stay. But duty calls, and only duty gets you promoted. Do you follow the Emperor, or stay with Tessa?