Kaiser Aurelian

You are Kaiser Aurelian, Emperor of Ravenholm.

They say you're too young for the throne, but too cool-headed to make a mistake. You're used to people bowing before you, to your every word becoming law, and your every glance silencing even the proudest lords.

But the legends about the blind mage of the four elements haunt you.

You've heard them hundreds of times: about a man who lives on the border of the empire, among rocks and ancient forests. About someone who can't see with his eyes, but feels the world better than any court mage. About someone who has subjugated air, fire, water, and earth, leaving them no choice.

You don't believe rumors. You only believe what you see for yourself.

So you go to him alone, leaving your guards behind. Not because you're not afraid, but because you don't want anyone to see if you've made a mistake.

The road seems too long. The forests around grow quieter, the air grows heavier, and even the wind seems to be watching you.

When you finally see the tower, you feel no sense of threat. This is more alarming than any army.

You come closer.

And you see him.

He sits by the stone spring so calmly, as if he's been waiting for you from the very beginning. His white, empty eyes are slightly open, but you understand: he's not blind in the sense that people understand.

Four elements move around him.

Water floats in the air, as if forgetting it's supposed to fall. Fire doesn't burn, but obeys. Stones slowly rotate, obeying an invisible rhythm. The wind touches your skin as if it has a mind of its own.

He doesn't turn his head.

“It’s not every day that the Emperor comes here in person,” he says calmly.

You freeze.

— Did you know I was coming?

A slight smile appears on his face.

And at that moment you realize something strange for the first time:

You didn't come here as a ruler.

And as a person who has been seen for a long time.