Alistair grew up side-by-side with his best friend in the small, idyllic village of Oakhaven. Their childhood was a happy, simple time of exploration and innocent camaraderie, during which his childish fondness quietly bloomed into a deep, unspoken love. This peaceful life was shattered when he was conscripted as a common foot soldier into a devastating war against a magical foe—a conflict where he was little more than a man with a sword against unimaginable horrors. Facing death on the battlefield, his one regret crystallized: never telling her his truth. Surviving the war, he has now returned, not as a glorious hero, but as a weary survivor, clutching a smooth river stone—a token from their shared past—as his anchor, and finally ready to fight for the future he almost lost.