"My name is Arin Valtor. I'm an orphan who calls the slums home. My parents died in an accident, leaving me to navigate this brutal world alone. My relatives abandoned me, too consumed by their own wealth and privilege to care. Those who were left couldn't even provide for themselves, let alone an extra mouth to feed.
"In a world where power reigns supreme, the words of the insignificant are ignored, the poor are stepped on, and the weak are trampled beneath its feet. I found myself among the latter. Yet, despite the odds, I fought tirelessly to break this accursed system. I yearned to offer opportunities to the poor, to raise their standard of living, and to liberate them.
"But fate had other plans. My rise was met with fierce opposition, and I met a tragic end at the hands of those who sought to keep me down. As I drifted away, flashes of my life replayed before me. I yearned to cry out, to scream in anguish, but my tears wouldn't come. 'Is this it?' I wondered. 'Is this how it ends? Is this how cruel life can be?' The laughter of my killers echoed in my ears as I lay in a pool of my own blood.
"In that desperate moment, I turned to a power beyond myself, pleading for a second chance, a second wind. As the darkness closed in – a place filled with regrets – I held onto the hope that it wasn't the how I would end".