The Broken Circle Duology

Thane is dying. His body is failing, his mind is fraying, and the world feels like a cruel joke. When a cutting-edge VR game promises an escape, Thane logs in to lose himself in its fantasy world, Arbelon—a land of fractured beauty, prophecies, and dangerous magic. But what begins as a way to vent his bitterness soon spirals into something he can’t explain. Arbelon feels real. Too real. The people call him the Chosen One, a savior sent to heal their breaking world. Thane dismisses them—just NPCs in a game.

Thane is running out of time. His body weakens under experimental treatments, and every cure feels more like a gamble than salvation. Yet when the pull of Arbelon surges again, he returns to a world on the edge—a land of broken strongholds, unraveling prophecies, and a Heart that falters with every breath he takes. What once felt like escape now feels like consequence. Arbelon feels tied to his fate. And he to it. The people look to him as a savior returned, but many remember the ruin he left behind. Thane doubts their faith and his own failing strength.