Jake groaned as he opened his eyes. He still felt sore after his long nap. How did Elas manage to walk up the hill every day? He asked himself and just like that he already knew the answer. Drugs of course it was drugs, Elas was an alchemist and Jake having woken up without their memories did not drink the potions that were placed right in the middle of the shelf where Elas would not miss them.

Unsurprisingly Elas had not told anyone that he drinks what would be the equivalent of maintenance medicine to maintain his veneer of health. The only reason he gave the medicine for his dementia to Rikia was because he simply did not have a choice. The brew needed to be made fresh and no one else in Farhaven had the needed skills to mix the materials.

Jake stumbled towards the shelf containing Elas’s potions. He grabbed the potion of vigor he needed for the day and popped off the cork with his thumb. Chugging the entire bottle of light pink liquid Jake’s face puckered up at its surprisingly astringency. He remembered the potion and what it was for but not the taste. Not yet at least. It was obvious Elas’s memories were not complete yet. As expected it hasn't been a day since he took the medicine.

The room was bathed in orange light from both the heartfire embers still burning bright in the fireplace and the setting sun filtering through the many windows. The embers would burn for a week more before fading, enough time for the Eternal Empires spring rituals to bring about warmth to start the next crop season.

At first Jake felt tingling in his muscles but soon it had turned into shaking. He laid down on the floor not daring to walk while the tremors lasted. It wasn't painful, far from it. In fact it felt like he was laying down on a massage chair as it vibrated and massaged his pains away. The shaking lasted for a few minutes. Jake almost dozed off as the potion unwound his aching muscles like a skilled masseuse.

Jake stared at the vigor potions on the shelf half tempted to drink another but he knew from Elas that it would be a horrible idea. Potions may be magical but they weren't miracles. Just like anything in life, too much was poison.

He stood up stretching his body as he moved around. He felt young again if young meant fifty years old. His joints still hurt but that was way better than everything hurting. He spent the next few minutes walking in circles getting used to moving about. It felt strange now that he basically had two memories about how to walk. It would be best if he could just get rid of Jake's version as the body was Elas and thus Jake's memories were less than useless they were detrimental. If only he could pick and choose which memory to keep but no such luck. He just had to get used to this feeling until it felt normal again.

He looked towards the door. The front of the cabin conspicuously lacked any windows as if Elas didn't want anyone coming from the village to see inside his abode without having to purposely walk around it. He decided it was better to stretch his legs outside than just mindlessly walking around the cabin. Maybe he could trigger some more of Elas’s memories to surface by taking a proper look at Farhaven.

Opening the door took much more effort than he expected. The noon sun melted some of the ice and sunset winds refroze them on the doors corners making the already hefty door even more firm.

Chilly winds greeted him once again as he poked his head outside. The world was still blanketed in white snow. It was the start of spring but this far north spring does not come without help. Far away in the heart of the Imperial capital the Eternal Emperor would be conducting a grand ritual to give blessings to all the land. The denizens of the far north need to conduct their own receiving ceremony to guide the blessing to the towns and villages. And he as the most senior mage in the barony was required to preside over the most complicated rituals.

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Jake stared at the massive township that sprawled towards the horizon. Farhaven was placed at the north-west edge of the continent. Its towns and villages carved within the expansive taiga that dominated the continent's northern regions. To the north was the great northern forest, an ancient growth that stretched the entire span of the continent from east to west. To the south were the more temperate regions where most of the northern empire's population resided.

As Jake beheld the rather expansive township before something tugged at his mind. Why does this look so familiar? He asked himself. It wasn't surprising for Elas to be familiar with the town he called home for the past seventy years but the familiarity stemmed not from him but from Jake. His eyes widened as he remembered. How could he have forgotten when he saw the very same town not too long ago. Perhaps Elas was not the only one who was missing memories when he awakened here or maybe it was because it was on a screen. This town and even his name was the starting location of his last game of The FInal Crown. Farhaven the land built by refugees fleeing from the deteriorating order of the Empire.

In the game The Final Crown the emperor candidates were chosen by the gods. Their right to rule proved by victory over all the others. The Eternal Emperor, current ruler of the pangea style continent and world which he named Eterna the same name as the dynasty he started. In short Jake was in a world named Eterna on a continent named Eterna which is completely dominated by the Eternal Empire ruled by the Eternal Emperor. Jake couldn't help but whistle at the man's obscene ego as he parsed through Elas’s memories for more information.

How did such a nutjob rename the entire world and continent? He asked himself and this time both Jake and Elas answered. If said nutjob was an immortality obsessed freak that has ruled for two thousand years uncontested it was very possible. Jake’s answer came from remembering the game's lore while Elas’s came from a more personal place. After all, Elas had served the emperor himself for the better part of 300 years as the imperial grand alchemist. And now at 378 years old Elas was destined to be a champion of the gods in their next great game.

Elas decided then. Jake was a name without meaning here. Grand Alchemist Elas E. Citrinitas, now that was a name with weight and value. And just like that Jake was no more tossed away by the ruthless calculus of the abomination his memories kept for their unmatched value.

Elas shook himself awake from his stupor. The last rays of the sun had gone sinking into the horizon now countless stars shone bright bathing the land in a dim blue glow. Elas shivered, he had stood still in the cold for too long. With a snap of his fingers to center his mind he pushed mana into the fire manipulation structure within his mage heart. Magical heat enshrouded his body banishing any risk of hypothermia.

Just as he finished commanding the warmth he sensed something appearing within his abode. He had a good idea what it was. He took his time walking around his cabin while appreciating the stars before making it back to the door. He knew once he opened it there would be no peace in his future. With a steady hand he gripped the handle and with it his fate. With a firm tug the door opened, spewing forth the warmth of the hearthfire.

There it was just as he predicted. A wooden crown floated on top of the main table. Its ethereal light promises untold glory and suffering to its fated barer.

“Just like the loading screen” He spoke to himself.

Elas strode to the table, his back straighter than ever, his steps firm. With a withered hand he grabbed towards the crown. His lips parted as he spoke.

“I Accept!”