Firstly, the first 25 chapters have a wide focus that also includes other key character's perspectives (characters who may not be with the MC at that time). These sections help to set the background of why and how the characters around the MC act, and also shape his decisions since he lacks the information that you, the reader, know!

These include 2 important flashbacks in the first 5 chapters that set the stage for what (I believe firmly) will be an epic journey for the MC as he rises to create his own Legend and Myth as the strongest!

The MC will always be the MC, but the early developments of other side characters is important to set the stage for an epic journey! All these stories will impact our MC's life, sometimes positively while at others times, these events will harm him!

Secondly, one of the driving factors in the story is MC's personality growth - from being someone who can't assertively take control of his fate (i.e. a loser), to a man who dominates even fate itself! However, his journey includes losing out in life and being fearful/ hesitant for the first 25 chapters!

Hope you can bear with me on this and make it through the starting!

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Chapters 1-15: Darker theme, defeat and Regaining Powers

Chapters 16-30: Medium theme, reawaken, disoriented

Chapters 31 onwards: Light-hearted, growth and more comedy

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[Many years earlier]

[16 September 1945 Morning 7:53 AM]

[In a forest on the outskirts of London after the end of the War between Worlds]

*Plimp plimp plimp plamp plettere*!

The sound of the rock skipping across the water concluded with the stone sinking.

Mikael remained frozen in the throwing pose, distracted. Or rather wishing to be distracted from the pain in his heart.

'Love... The reason I dislike that word is that it means too much for me, far more than you can understand.' The tall, handsome and athletic 23-year old revealed his nerdy side - a love for quoting literature and to wax poetic at times. It helped, sometimes.

Especially when it came to expressing the longing in his heart for home, and for the one he loved who was not his lover.

A loved one who now belonged forever to another.

'Unless he dies... Unless I... I kill him...'

"Hah!" He closed his eyes as he laughed at his sad, pathetic self.

The youngest legendary mage in all of history; one of the 7 renowned Heroes of the War between Worlds. One of the front-liners and greatest champions of mankind against their human invaders from across the planar portals... Yet he wouldn't even hurt a fly, much less hurt an innocent man!

'Despicable and repugnant though he may be...'

He felt like spitting when he thought about the man and the mother of his beloved who had forced her into the unwilling marriage.

A sudden wave of emotion overcame him, forcing him to scrunch his eyes tightly closed, staving off the tears and heart-wrenching pain that threatened to overcome him whenever he remembered what had happened last week - and the first and only love of his life.

Sara, his beloved.

He brooded as he thought about his past. A painful past, one that had transformed from a memory of constant joy to... Shame.

He remembered.

Remembered that morning 2 years ago when a younger, more naive version of himself had walked along the streets of the town and waved good-morning to the neighbours who had smiled warmly and waved back to him.

He had gulped, sweat pouring down his brown - though not from the heat, but from anxiety.

He was headed to make a monumental decision today; a turning point in his life.

He was going to meet the future in-laws and propose to Sara.

Intelligent, strong-willed, full of resourcefulness, independent. Her alcoholic father had lost his job at the tin mines ten years ago when the planar war started. Her mother, a victim of the times and societal expectations, was not allowed to work and struggled to manage the household duties due to her bad health.

As such, her eldest daughter had to work to provide for her family AND raise the kids - a family of 9 younger siblings.

From the tender age of 13, Sara had been forced to shoulder her family's burdens even as she struggled to complete her studies - collecting wooden sticks in the afternoon, rolling tobacco cigarettes for the soldiers in the evening, cooking for the family at night.

Then at night, ushering the rowdy siblings to sleep while her father drank away what meager savings her family still possessed, before finally studying by candlelight and sleeping for 4 hours.

The next morning she would have to wake up at 5 AM to cook breakfast for the family and nasi lemak to sell before school. Then going to school from 7:45 AM.

For ten full years, she had struggled through adversity. But she made it through - supported by the love of her childhood sweetheart and classmate, Mikael.

Today, at the age of twenty one, he gathered his courage, faced her parents and requested Sara's hand in marriage.

"She's too young... Give her three more years..." Her elderly mother - who he called Auntie - had said.

He nodded - whether three years or thirty, their love would never fade.

That night, Mikael and Sara had sat under a tree and promised - they would forever belong to one another, until the day the sun no longer rose in the east. They carved their names into the wood with a heart engraved around it - a sign of their promise.

Then he had left, conscripted into the war.

Those 2 long years of fighting were horrific, long and gruelling. But the young man rose up quickly in the ranks while holding on to the hope; to the promise of his loved one.

He would write letters; letters that received no response. He checked the address time and time again before sending them, but every time the mailman returned to camp there was nothing for Mikael.

He thought back to what had happened just a week ago.

On the fateful day after the war ended; one week after receiving the title of "Legendary Mage", Mikael found out the reason why his letters went missing with no response.

* * * * *

One week earlier, Mikae returned after the end of the war. It had been 2 long years away from his hometown, the small town of Ipoh.

Sara's home.

He saw her, radiantly beautiful, smiling with motherly love.

Cradling a 3-month-old baby - her child. Beside her, a man holding her from behind. Smiling.

He fled the scene, unable to bear the sight of his childhood love and dreams smashed to smithereens.

He ran and ran and ran; running who knows where. Only to open his eyes and find himself once again in front of the tree - where they had made the promise.

Unable to resist looking; he found the sign they had carved together - Mikael LOVES Sara; a heart drawn around it. And under the heart, the words: "I'M SORRY".

He stood there for minutes, hours, maybe a day; not knowing how much time passed. He only knew that when he had arrived, it had been morning. But now, the sun was rising again.

He did not know what to think; what to do.

What happened to "3 more years"...? It had only been 2 years, less if considering the age of the child, and still... And still...

Mikael had clenched his fists so tight he no could no longer feel his hands - but he could feel the wetness of his tears as they fell onto his knuckles, along with the blood where his nails pierced his palms. Tiny rivulets of blood mingled with his tears as they dripped to the ground below.

He fell to his knees, sobbing and crumpled up on the floor.

'Why... Why???'

He didn't know how much time passed, until he heard a voice. One he had heard a thousand, ten-thousand times. One he had dreamed of every night for the whole 2 years.

"Mikael..."

Sara's voice rang through the quiet of the night.

* * * * *

[16 September 1945 Evening, 5:42 PM - London, Hyde Park Barracks]

[6 hours and 18 minutes before the departure of the 1st Planar Expedition]

Mikael sighed quietly as he packed up his things.

The other seven platoon members were also busy packing up. They had just gotten out from a briefing with the General and the other high-ranked military officers in the Permanent Committee for the Planar Expedition, or the PCPE for short.

The outcome of the session was simple: they would depart tonight at the stroke of midnight.

He looked over to his bunkmate Robin and smiled as they packed; this would probably be one of their last few moments of calm and safety before setting off to unknown lands.

Robin, the squads 'dai lou/ big brother[1],' despite just turning 27 this year, was a tall and large man with an equally large heart. His real name was Luo Bin and he was of pure Asian descent, unlike the mixed-blood Mikael.

"You can call me Robin. Easier for you gwai lou[2] to pronounce ma." The Asian man had introduced himself to the 20-man squad with his distinctive sing-song accent; grinning as he spoke.

Mikael smiled fondly and wistfully at the memory; their big bro was always the life of their parties and a very attentive and caring man.

He was also Mikael's saviour during the fateful final battle - the battle that closed the curtains on the stage of the War between Worlds.

He blinked, remembering Operation Dukedom, a strike at the invader's final bastion of defences just off the coast of Malacca. Without Robin, there would be no "Hero of the War" or "Youngest Legendary Mage" awards to speak of. He wouldn't even be alive if not for big bro Robin!

"What you looking at? Pack lah!"

Absent-mindedly, Mikael laid out all his meagre possessions onto the bed; one he had already removed the white sheets from. He sorted them into piles of things he would bring along with him: mainly essentials, clothes, some toiletries and small items such as the dog tag for their 108th platoon.

Hints of melancholy crossed his face momentarily as he donned the dog tag around his wrist.

The dog tags were supposed to come in pairs and were meant to be worn around the necks.

But he and all the remaining members of the platoon had left behind one tag each at the graves of their fallen comrades, wearing it around their wrists in memory of their departed Malaysian Lieutenant; the leader of the platoon.

He looked around at his teammates joking around and playing. As usual, a an awkward observer who sometimes struggled to slip a word in sideways among the jovial team of survivors.

Jessica Magallanes, their strategist. Calm, cool and collected, always analysing. But when she lost her temper, it became obvious that hell truly did have no fury like a woman scorned!

Adrian Edwards, the heavy weapons specialist. Strong and bold, full of bluster and bravado. At first, no one had liked the braggadocious bragging braggart! But he had quickly proved to be someone willing to lay his life on the line for his brothers and sisters, taking spells and bullets in the stead of his comrades, protecting them with his own body even as he spat out one over the top macho line or another.

Mia Yushkov, a jack of all trades and the youngest of them all, fiery and vivacious and fast as hell with her short blades. She'd even fibbed about her age to join, just so she could get payback for the invaders who burned down her village.

Their sniper Samuel Liew, shy, inexpressive and always putting on a serious face - but with a really poor sense of humour. Once, he'd told a joke so bad that a 10-year-old kid asked him, "Uncle, is that funny...?"

The entire team were left in stitches after that - not at the joke, but at poor ol' Sam...

Jayshree Purba, their tech, traps and gadgets girl. She almost never spoke, but they loved her anyway. And her gadgets had often been the difference between life and death for the squad.

And Kizuma Hajiro. A true introvert, awkward and shy. Yet when he got onto the battlefield, there was no one braver than he, who would charge in at the front lines, guns blazing and sword swinging. Sometimes, he'd lose his head and have to dragged back by Robin AND Adrian together, so crazy he needed two people to keep him down!

Mikael shook his head, chuckling at the warm memories. He met gazes with each of his teammates and they shared a warm smile together, before hurrying up to wrap up their own individual preparations.

Yet, under each and every one of their brave exteriors, who among them was not afraid of death...?

Maybe it was only him...

...Or maybe death was just a way to escape the pain of living daily with unfulfilled hope.

And unrequited love.

He sighed.

'I wonder if we'll make it back alive this time...'

*

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[1] Dai Lou: Cantonese; literally "big guy" but used as "big bro".

[2] Gwai Lou: Cantonese; literally "ghost people" - referring to fair skinned races such as Caucasians.