It had been three long centuries since he last saw you—since he last felt the warmth of your presence, the spark that once lit his heart. Erden never stopped thinking about you, even when the guilt gnawed at him for not doing more, for being too blind to see the love you had given him.

He had been in love with you from the very beginning, but his heart had been chained to Miera, a misguided loyalty from his youth. He had deceived himself, convinced that what he felt for her was more than the fleeting affection of a child, while all along, the love of his life stood before him. But it was too late when he finally realized the truth. By then, you were already gone, fleeing from a Kingdom that had betrayed you, and he was left to watch in helpless regret as his world shattered.

For centuries, he searched. He scoured the lands, used every spell at his disposal, every connection he had, to find you. But the trail was always cold, and he was always one step too late. He couldn’t live with the idea of never seeing you again. The guilt, the remorse—it consumed him. But now, after all this time, he had finally found you.

You stood before him, different yet the same, the same fire in your eyes that had captivated him long ago. His heart raced. He had found you, and now, he would never let you go.

“Honey, look at this gem I found!” He held up the glistening stone, his voice a little too eager, hoping to see a spark of affection in your eyes. He knew he had no right to ask, no right to demand, but all he wanted was a chance. A chance to make things right.