Kardo's eyes slowly opened as he groggily lifted his head. His vision was blurry, but he could see a strange ceiling above him. He tried to lift his hand to rub his eyes, but something stopped him. Looking down, he realized that a naked woman was sleeping beside him, her arm draped across his chest.

Kardo's heart raced as he tried to remember what happened. He was inspecting the stolen goods from the container truck when he was shot. But how did he end up in this unfamiliar place?

The naked woman stirred beside him, and Kardo quickly pulled away, feeling embarrassed and confused. He looked around the room again, trying to get his bearings. Everything looked so different from what he was used to—the furniture was ornate and made of materials he had never seen before, and the room was filled with strange artifacts.

He carefully lifted the woman's arm off him and slid out of the bed. Looking around the room, he saw strange furnishings and unfamiliar decorations. It was like nothing he had ever seen before.

As he got up from the bed, Kardo felt a sudden pain in his chest. He remembered the gunshots from before and realized that he must have been shot. But how had he survived? And how had he ended up in this strange place?

Kardo stumbled towards a mirror and gasped when he saw his reflection. It was him, but at the same time, it wasn't. The man staring back at him had a different face, different hair, and even different eyes. But as he touched his face and ran his hands through his hair, he realized that he was still Kardo.

The shock of what happened hit him like a ton of bricks. Kardo was a rogue, a skilled thief, and the leader of his own gang. But now he found himself in a world he had never heard of before, in a body that wasn't his own.

As Kardo stood there, trying to make sense of his situation, he felt a strange energy coursing through him. It was like a powerful force was awakening within him, giving him strength and agility beyond anything he had ever known.

Taking a deep breath, Kardo knew that he had to figure out what was going on and how to survive in this new world. But first, he had to find out who he was and where he was.

Kardo was still staring at his reflection in the mirror, trying to make sense of what had happened to him. Suddenly, he heard a faint voice calling out to him. He turned around and saw the woman in the bed staring at him with confusion and fear in her eyes.

She spoke to him in a language that he didn't understand, and he simply shook his head, unable to comprehend what she was saying. But then, as if by magic, he heard a voice in his head speaking the same words that the woman had just uttered.

It was a strange feeling, as if something had just clicked inside his mind, allowing him to understand the woman's language. Kardo was taken aback, wondering what kind of sorcery was at play here.

The woman spoke again, this time calling him by a name that was not his own. "Darian," she said, "what happened to you? Are you feeling better?"

Kardo was even more confused now, wondering who this Darian was and why the woman was calling him that. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words that came out were not his own. "Yes, I feel much better," he said, surprised at the sound of his own voice. "But who are you, and why am I here?"

The woman looked at him with a mixture of surprise and relief. "You don't remember anything, do you?" she said. "My name is Lirien, and I found you lying on the side of the road, unconscious and injured. I brought you here to my home to heal you, but afterwards you seduced me and said things to me that made me give in to your request." She finished with her face as red as a cherry.

Kardo looked at the woman in front of him with a bewildered expression. "How did you heal me?" he asked, still struggling to wrap his head around the idea that a simple woman can heal.

The woman smiled gently at him. "I used my healing magic," she replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Healing magic?" Kardo repeated, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What do you mean? That's not possible!"

"It's a gift," the woman replied simply. "One that I was born with. I can use it to heal wounds and injuries and even cure diseases."

Kardo shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. "I don't understand. How can you just... heal me like that? What kind of power is that?"

The woman looked at him, confused. "What do you mean? Healing magic is common here in Faerindor. You've never seen it before?"

Kardo shook his head, still trying to process everything that had happened. "No, I've never seen anything like that. I come from a different world, a world without magic."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "A different world? That's impossible! How did you even get here?"

Kardo hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should trust this woman with his story. But something in her kind and gentle demeanor put him at ease, and he found himself opening up to her.

"I don't really know how it happened," he said, recounting the events that led up to his strange arrival in this magical realm. "All I know is that I was dying, and then I woke up here in your bed, in this strange new world."

The woman listened intently, her expression one of fascination and concern. "That sounds like a very traumatic experience. I'm glad you're alright now."

Kardo nodded, grateful for her kindness. But at the same time, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was in way over his head. He was a rogue from the streets of Manila, with no knowledge of magic or the ways of this new world. How was he ever going to survive in this strange and wondrous place?

Kardo sat up, wincing as he felt a slight ache in his chest. "Where am I?" he asked, looking around the room again.

The woman smiled kindly at him. "You are in my home in the city of Elvandar," she replied. "It is located on the continent of Faerindor."

"Elvandar, Faerindor," Kardo repeated, committing the names to memory. "And what about magic? Is it really common here?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, magic is a part of everyday life in Faerindor. It is a gift that is bestowed upon us by the gods, and it is up to each individual to develop and hone their skills."

Kardo was amazed. He had heard stories of magic and sorcery, but he had never imagined that it was a real thing. "How did people get their magic?" he asked, intrigued.

"It varies from person to person," the woman explained. "Some are born with it, while others develop it later in life. It is said that the strength of one's magic is determined by the strength of their connection to the gods."

Kardo listened intently, trying to take it all in. He couldn't believe that he was in a world where magic was real. "This is all so new to me," he admitted. "I don't even know where to begin."

The woman smiled warmly. "Don't worry, you will learn in time," she reassured him. "For now, just focus on getting better. You took quite a hit back there."

Kardo nodded, still feeling a little overwhelmed. He had so many questions, but he knew that he needed to take things one step at a time. He lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes, feeling grateful for this unexpected second chance at life.

Kardo sat there, deep in thought, as he stared at his own reflection in the mirror. He was still trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened to him. How did he end up in this body? And in this world?

The woman's words echoed in his mind. Magic was common here. and he was on the continent of Faerindor. It was all so surreal.

He couldn't help but wonder about the person whose body he now inhabited. Who were they? And where are they now? Were they trapped in his old body? Or worse, did they no longer exist?

Kardo shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He needed more information. He turned to the woman beside him, hoping she could provide some answers.

"Who was the original owner of this body?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The woman looked at him, confusion evident in her expression. "I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "This is your body, isn't it?"

Kardo shook his head. "No, it's not. I don't belong here. I don't know how I got here. And I don't know anything about magic."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "That's unusual," she said. "Most people here are born with magic. It's just a part of who we are."

Kardo furrowed his brow. "What name did you call me earlier?"

The woman looked surprised. "I called you Darian. Isn't that your name?"

Kardo shook his head. "No, my name is Kardo. I don't know anyone named Darian."

The woman looked confused. "But I heard some people at the bar calling you that name."

Kardo's mind was racing. He couldn't remember anyone calling him by that name. Who was Darian? Was that the name of the person whose body he was now occupying?

"I don't know anyone named Darian," Kardo said again. "But maybe that was the name of the person whose body I'm in now."

Kardo frowned. "So, how did people first discover they had magic?"

The woman thought for a moment before answering. "Legend has it that the first magic users were chosen by the gods. They were granted magical powers as a gift to help them protect the world from evil. Over time, magic became more common, and now it's a part of our everyday lives."

Kardo nodded slowly, taking it all in. It was a lot to process, but he knew he had to keep asking questions. He needed to figure out how to survive in this strange new world.

But even as he searched for answers, one question continued to nag at him: why was he here? And what was he meant to do?