Welcome, and thank you for giving this story a chance.
If you are a new reader, please pay close attention: Do not read Volume 001.
Volume 001 contains the original 18 chapters of this fanfic. It's an older, discontinued draft of this story. As my standards for writing evolved, I realized that the original foundation was too flawed to support the story I envisioned.
Instead of abandoning the project or trying to patch it up, I chose to completely rebuild it from the ground up.
Volume 002 is the true beginning of the story.
Volume 001 is only up for archival purposes for the time being and WILL be deleted later. With that out of the way, thank you for your time.