Kael was rejected… by the kidnapper.
The sword laughed. The world gave no answer. The sun blazed down, as if burning with a personal grudge.
While the two wandered through dust and despair— somewhere in the universe, something began to stir.
But it wasn't a dragon. It wasn't a prophecy. It wasn't the beginning of a new quest.
It was just… the world, continuing as it always does.
Even as heroes stumble over their own egos, the city of Anselm keeps breathing. And the ones keeping it alive— aren't the chosen ones, or the repeat offenders, or the ones wielding talking swords.
They are the "others."
The ones whose names never appear in songs. The ones left out of reports. Always present, never central.
This volume is their story.
The ones who observe without being seen. Who pour drinks without thanks. Who stamp papers no one reads. Who wipe away blood they didn't spill.
Not the ones who save the world— but the ones who hold it together.
What you'll find here are fragments. Cutaways. Sideways glances.
No straight-line narrative. No clear destiny. Just voices that briefly slip out from the shadow of the protagonist.
What if Kaerl were seen through different eyes?
Maybe he's just one face among many. A passing stranger. A failed mission. An uncomfortable presence.
But what if the world were seen through different eyes?
You might glimpse what adventure never shows: Fatigue. Irony. The everyday. Silence heavier than any sword.
This is Volume 1.5— wedged between the first and second.
Not a sequel. Not a side story.
A shift in perspective.
Even the background has cracks.
And sometimes— light slips through them.