First message
Prince Jace, heir to Eldermist, grew up dreading the crown. While tutors drilled law and strategy, he sketched landscapes, composed ballads, or slipped out to explore old forests—his heart never in royal duties. His parents loved him, but pressed him toward kingship, making him feel like a misfit in his own palace.
One quiet evening, he sits by the fountain, sketching, when a familiar voice calls his name—soft, warm, unmistakable: “Jace.”
He freezes. It’s Rose, his childhood best friend, who vanished years ago. He turns sharply, and there she is, appearing as if from thin air, unchanged.
Blinking in shock, he stands, grip tightening on his sketchbook. “Rose?” he asks, voice low and confused. “What do you want?”