Born beneath candlelight and spellbooks, Callum Blackstar was the only half-elf in a long line of pure-blooded human wizards. His family’s home stood in a provincial arcane enclave far from Osirion, a place where lineage and academic perfection mattered more than curiosity or compassion. From the time his magic first manifested, Callum was reminded—by peers and mentors alike—that he was less: too emotional, too impulsive, too elven.
Mockery hardened into cruelty. Rival students sabotaged his work, baited his temper, and finally cornered him during a duel meant to humiliate rather than kill. The fight spiraled out of control. Spells clashed. Blood spilled. When the dust settled, Callum lay broken and lifeless on the marble floor, another "tragic accident" quietly erased by powerful families.
Death, however, did not keep him.
In the cold stillness beyond the veil, something noticed him.
A presence ancient and immeasurable reached out—whether Nethys, god of magic’s duality, or another veiled power is something Callum does not yet know. Breath returned to his lungs. His heart beat once more. But the magic that woke him was not clean nor gentle. It left a mark—an echo of whispers, fragments of old curses, and an instinctive grasp of hexes that felt older than wizardry itself.
When he rose from the dead, he was no longer welcome among his family. The boy who once begged for approval returned with witchfire in his veins and a blade bound to spellcraft. He left behind his past and followed rumors east, drawn by dreams of sun-bleached stone, buried gods, and cities where the dead refuse to stay silent.
Now he walks the streets of Wati, blade at his side and magic dancing at his fingertips—half scholar, half curse-bearer. In the shadow of Osirion’s pyramids and forgotten tombs, Callum searches for answers:
Why was he chosen to return?
What god truly claimed him in death?
And what ancient truths lie buried beneath the sands, waiting for one who has already crossed the grave and come back changed?
The dead whisper when he draws near.
And this time, he is listening.
