### Chapter 8: The NPC Epiphany
Months of failure piled up. Elrik's ambition was a ghost. He'd been sidelined in every major event: Sky Fortress (carried supplies), Vampire Queen (swept battlefield), Meteor Crisis (made coffee for the party). Kael's face was on Aeloria's coins. Elrik's? On a "Lost Dog" poster, mistakenly.
At the bakery, Mira asked, "Why keep trying?" Elrik stared into his coffee. "I was supposed to be *someone*." Mira shrugged. "You're the guy who buys stale bread. That's something."
It clicked. Aeloria's heart wasn't its heroes—it was the NPCs. The bakers, blacksmiths, even Tobin with his stupid signs. Elrik's ambition shifted. "I don't need to be a hero. I just need… this." He swept the bakery, chatted with Mira, watered his houseplant. When Kael's party fought a multiversal threat, Elrik watched from the bakery, eating a cookie. A butterfly landed nearby. He smiled. "Not my problem."