Edo was flying high above the landscape of Andalus. His view on the royal capital. It''s layout stretched out before him.


    Four weeks had passed since his return to the world he once knew, and in that time, he had spent every waking moment reconnoitering the kingdom of Andalus. This world had changed once again, a new threat overshadowing the masses, but this time it was Radley. He stepped up during Edo''s long absence, taking up the role of Hero and conqueror. He''s plunged half this continent into war, and the other half into submission.


    The memories of his betrayal still haunted him, the echoes of Radley and the Queen’s treachery lingering like ghosts in his mind. Edo had spent thirty years trapped in the hellscape dimension, a cruel purgatory of endless torment. But now, he was free. And vengeance was the only thing that fueled him.


    He exhaled deeply, the cool air filling his lungs as he recalled the plan he had meticulously crafted. This would not be a hasty revenge. No, it would be precise. Four steps, each more carefully calculated than the last.


    ---


    The first step of his plan had already been set into motion. Edo had posed as a rogue wizard harassing villages in the countryside, deliberately causing chaos without too spilling blood. His presence was nothing more than an annoyance—a wizard who destroyed crops, stole possessions, and occasionally set fire to a hovel or two. Nothing too violent. Nothing that would draw attention in a way that couldn’t be explained away as an ordinary bandit raid.


    But the effects were clear: Radley had mobilized his warband, and they were now hunting the mysterious wizard in the highlands. Far from the Queen''s capital. This plan had worked. It was the perfect opportunity to settle an old score.


    ---


    Edo’s ultimate goal was clear: the throne of Andalus. But not as a conqueror. No, he wanted to be seen as a liberator—a hero who had returned to free the people from the Radley''s iron shadow. He wanted to rewrite history, but one that favored him. He need to stain his hands with the blood of innocents. Well too many anyways is his bitter thought.


    The details of this part of his plan were still hazy, even to Edo himself. He didn’t need everything to fall into place just yet. What mattered now were the key players. Queen Dora—Radley’s long-suffering wife—and Princess Serra, his daughter. Both were essential to his ascension, though the paths to that end were still obscured. The groundwork had been laid. Edo had learned much in his time back. He had watched. He had listened. And now, he knew who needed to be removed, and who could be used to his advantage.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Edo’s eyes narrowed as he thought of the queen. Deliah Dora Donnadu had been betrayed, just as he had. And like him, she was a piece in Radley’s game—cast aside, ignored, and left to pick up the broken pieces of a shattered kingdom. But that would change. He would be the one to do so, through perception and clever manipulation.


    ---


    Edo’s next target was simpler, though no less personal. Radley had sown his seed far and wide, creating bastards in every corner of the continent. These were the children who had no place in the royal bloodline, but most were conveniently placed in one general location.


    The thought of Radley’s many progeny made Edo''s blood boil. Each child was a living testament of the man who ruined his life. But it is also a necessary act to nip potential threats down the road.


    Only one of his children is needed.


    His efforts to eliminate each one was already underway. It would take some time, but Edo was patient in the hunt. His vengeance would not be rushed here.


    ---


    The final step of Edo’s plan was the one that would signal his true return. The royal palace, the heart of Andalus, was where he would make his presence known. But this step—this step would not be undertaken lightly. It would not be a simple coup, a swift and bloody takeover. No, Edo wanted something more. He wanted to take the palace in such a way that the entire kingdom would be forced to acknowledge his return.


    Radley had to fall first. Only once his warband was far enough away and Radley was no longer a threat, could Edo make his move. He would take the palace in a way that would leave no question as to who the true Hero of Andalus was. He would make the world remember him—not just as a forgotten hero, but as the one who liberated the country from Radley''s legacy.


    For now, however, the final details of that plan remained in the shadows. Edo knew that the timing had to be perfect. Every move he made, every step he took, would bring him closer to the ultimate prize.


    ---


    Edo kept his sharp gaze still fixed on the horizon. The road ahead was long, but the pieces were set in place. He would need to stay hidden for now, an enigma to draw out his hated foe. But once Radley falls, the rest of the dominoes will fall. Edo would rise from the ashes of this world, taking that what should have been his.


    As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the land, Edo allowed himself a brief moment of satisfaction. His revenge was coming. And it would be as long, as patient, and as unforgiving as the hellscape that had shaped him into what he is today.


    Radley, the Queen, their downfall is assured. And before it is all set and done, the kingdom would all remember him again.