u/KadenzJade

the 2nd image is just a concept i thought looked cool but kinda defeats his status of just being a regular knight.

With all the time travel turmoil going on, wouldn’t it be fitting to see Gerald face his past too?

Back before Lumenir anointed Gerald as paladin, he just blended in with the other knights of Linirea. Though, he was one of the competent and mighty soldiers of the King, and managed to land in the high ranks. However, despite their chivalry and oath to the kingdom, the knights were known to follow their King’s personality and were usually full of pompous jocks that always flaunted their “macho-ness” and might. Gerald was no exception, also joining in to adhere to the hierarchical norm of the army. But deep down, he held an indomitable spirit and noble will, that he always kept down low in favor to stick with the social norm with the other knights.

But in the day he was chosen by Lumenir, despite his overjoyed pride, he was confused on why he was picked specifically. In his early years as a paladin he sworn to practice the way of Elynie and finally pursued his innate nobility and discipline. But over the years of war and the influence of the king and other knights, he slowly indulged back into his pompous ways back in his knighthood. This weakness gave Vez’nan the opportunity to finally strike him down out of his prideful pedestal.

In the time he was captured, he was remorseful and reflected on his defeat, constantly regretting his downfall for taking his status as a paladin for granted overtime. But when the day Asra freed him, he took this as the chance to finally swear for good to stick with the will of Elynie and to never fall back in his old ways.

Fast Forward to Genesis (let Ironhide do the in-between storytelling on how time travel happened)

Gerald finds himself in inverted dynamics with the people he looked up upon in the old times, where now he’s the one leading the battle. It was a strange feeling indeed, but it was very poetic in a way. Amidst the on-going battle for the fate of Linirea, he finds himself facing his younger self in the barracks, back before his entire promotion that lead into his whole journey to who he is now. How does he react? How much cringe can he take from his younger self? How can he teach him to not go into his path of downfall? Whatever the answer is, he has another ally for the cause in the fight for the kingdom’s fate.