Thank you for the kind words, but at the moment, I can't continue to work on your story. By writing what I did, my only intention was to help you or whoever else with ideas, and also to keep my word, which was to write only a bit of the story. I have my own project, after all, and taking up another would impact the quality of writing on both, not to mention that I'm a slow writer. It's not only unfair to you for me to take the project, it also goes against my own interests. My plate is just too full right now. In the spoiler are responses to other story details of your post. Spoiler If I were to write the story, yes, I would completely scrap that idea. It wouldn't fit with the tone of dark fantasy, and it would also mean less development for the characters. For the male MC I wrote, the past would be completely undesirable. He's also a rational thinker, and wouldn't so easily tamper with time no matter what his own selfish goals were. He's desperate at the end, but not so much that he would willingly risk losing what he had left. As for pushing people away, I like to think that he'd do so because he believed he could get them back once Tessa was revived. His labor would bear fruits, and everyone would understand. He's not really losing them. It's the type of excuse that desperation raises in a person's heart. The ending I wrote was more about acceptance. It was about the MC realizing that he had wasted half of his life dwelling on a matter Tessa would've despised. And in doing so, he lost everything. But instead of coming out of seclusion as a new man, the strongest mage, he instead decides to truly start anew. He accepts that, either way, he'd be starting a new life, and decides to throw away the past he had been dwelling on instead of building on it. In his mind, that's making up for all the years he's wasted. Better to throw it away and move past it like Tessa would've wanted all those years ago, while ironically still fulfilling a promise they had. He's already hard working. As for kindness, well, he won't go far for strangers. He'll give a starving kid a meal, yes, but he won't treat them to a feast. My MC was supposed to be a more give-and-take kind of person, the reason for this being the prejudice and distaste shown toward his family by others. He's supposed to be rather cold, with subtle emotions that separate him from being heartless. He also has a good sense of right and wrong since he's seen enough to recognize both sides. You also need to remember that Tessa is supposed to be more heroic and emotional, and contrast the male MC in quite a few ways. In my mind, they would really initially connect through a somewhat shared sense of justice, and grow off each other from there. Then what would be the point of Tessa becoming his shield, as you previously put it? If he can do both proficiently, it devalues Tessa as a character. A jack of all trades is not nearly as good as a specialist, unlike many novels would have you believe. A brain surgeon isn't as good at heart surgery as the heart surgeon. A master archer cannot beat a master swordsman in close combat. The two characters are supposed to complement each other all the way through the story. If it's your impression that one would be useless without the other, then that is also a big misunderstanding. A mage has tons of magic at their disposal, and must excel at strategy and clever thinking in using them. Even if they fight in close combat, they are far more versatile than a warrior, and have many ways to create distance or protect themselves. A warrior isn't just restricted to a sword and shield. They, too, have mana and can wield it through spells. Since they can't use a lot of spells, they train and specialize in the few that greatly complement their skills, and fill in their weaknesses. These are rough outlines, but you see what I'm getting at? These two are meant to work together, and the magic school trains both for a reason. Magical combat isn't new, however, and solutions have been found for both sides' methods and styles. Good luck on future projects, and I apologize again for not being able to write your story.