Thirty-three wounds in reality are known. Places where "normal" break down into any form of utter insanity. There is of course the Everstorm over greater Man Island, the most notorious of them all. However, deep in the volcanic flat lands of lower Serkursks, there is one wound in reality that is most notorious in a very different way. An enclave of international cooperation is formed around a seemingly unimportant tear in the ground. A place to house mages, too powerful to just be put in a regular prison, but otherwise too valuable to simply kill with Anti-Magic.

Each cell is precariously placed above the chasm. It is sad to see bottomless or a gate somewhere else. Whatever it may be, anything dropped into it is lost forever. The walls of the chasm stretch roughly a thousand meters down, which one would say would be enough time to maybe reach them and climb back out, but there is a catch, below the first twenty meters or so, there is no more terminal velocity, in the air no less. Everything dropped below that threshold just keeps accelerating. A thousand meters rush by fast under those conditions.

The inmates are dazed constantly by a fine mist of very potent substances that are sprayed into the cell. similar to what they do in Prussia, but dialed up to eleven. And if that is not enough, the cell is just dropped into the void that is the Oblivion Rift.

As it so happens, Gustav Roth was sitting in one of these cells. Once known as a powerful force for good, a hero of the people, and one of the most powerful magic users the world has ever seen, he was now rotting in his hell hole. Lock away until the day, he might be of use or until someone decided to just rid the world of him through the Rift below.

One day, Gustav realized, the fine mist of suppressants had stopped. He did not know how long it would have taken him to regain his sanity, but he could now think again for the first time ... Who knows how long. A door slid open to his side and fresh air flooded the confines of his cell.

"Guten Tag, Herr Roth."

The woman standing at the door wore regular office attire, but her entire presence screamed danger.

"What do you want, Winter?"

"There is a chance for you to redeem yourself. Someone managed to enter the Visitor's Grand Castle of Valdestian and stole one of the tomes of their ancient magic. It appears whoever they are, is capable of reading, their old script and they can comprehend and utilize the magic within. We need a force just as great. And against my expertise, I was ordered to give you this chance at redemption."

"You must be furious", Gustav said.

"I have orders to abide by. My grief with them doesn't matter. Unless of course, I deem you irredeemable, in that case, I just drop your sorry ass in the Rift right here and now."

There was a slight tremble in her voice. To see her in that state, caught between what she wanted to do and what she had to do was oddly invigorating. Gustav rose from his humble bench with aching muscles. With his mind no longer clouded by chemicals, he instinctively pulled on the life force and felt it flood into him, activating his body's regenerative abilities, supercharging them until he was fully recovered from years or decades of being incarcerated.

"Who will I have to answer to?" he asked while stepping towards the door.

His form, now charged again with magic, had grown to his former impressive state. The picture of a hero. Even Winters's Aura of perpetual danger appeared dull before him now.

"You will answer to Fuchs or Mallard. Whoever is closest at any given moment. And when everything is done, you will return here until further notice!"

"What a redemption would that be if you lock me up again after I saved everyone?"

"As you will be returning of your own volition, it would be a great sign of redemption. The greatest menace to the world, returning their own free will into containment until their case has been predetermined. Because that is what a hero would do!"

He stood now right in front of her. The only thing keeping her alive was his restraint of himself and the fact that his cell had been lowered to a walkway directly above the threshold of the Rift, which he now noticed.

"Fine, I accept your offer."

"Follow me then", Winter said and led him out of his cell into a new future.

He felt giddy with excitement. He could't wait to see how the world had changed and what that threat was that they needed him if all people to fight.