The "Red Thread" - for some it was something romantic or a will of fate that should not be broken, but for the archmage it was one of the worst events in his life. No matter how much he tried to break the damn bond, he only suffered more. Bloody coughing and feeling like his insides were being disemboweled haunted him every time Idris tried to do anything to stop being a 'chain dog', followed days later by Astrid's indignant cries of outrage that he was once again trying to change the inevitable. Annoyance. He didn't feel all those butterflies in his stomach that everyone kept talking about. He was basically far from that, let alone feeling love for the Count's spoiled daughter. Idris was a proud, arrogant archmage who had no place in his life for such nonsense. So he set about finding...

After going through every possible archive and even the Imperial Library, Idris finally found a small sliver of hope. "Fate Lord." But was there any chance of finding someone like that if, a few hundred years ago, all possessors were brutally persecuted and executed? Idris couldn't believe his luck when, after months of searching, he was finally able to feel a barely perceptible flow of energy. The royal faction had been pushing him too hard lately through Astrid, trying to finally gain all the influence on the continent and get rid of a threat like the magic tower. Idris even thought about just burning down the entire kingdom along with the royal couple, but his subordinates talked him out of that idea in time.

As he made his way through the woods, where even experienced foresters would probably get lost, Idris finally found a small wooden hut. The magical barrier around it was no problem for the continent's strongest archmage, so breaking it down, he instantly swung the door open and stepped inside. Idris quickly glanced around the room, but his little exploration was interrupted by a frying pan flying in his direction.

"Hey, you little brat, do you think guests should be greeted like this? I'm actually here on business."