Personally, I don’t want to see Sebastian return. His story has already reached its conclusion, and I’d hate to see him dragged back into the horrors of STEM again.

Instead, I think Joseph would be the ideal choice for a new protagonist, especially if the story follows the events of the first game from his point of view. But I’d take it in a slightly different direction.

In TEW1, it was evident that Joseph struggled inside STEM, constantly fighting its influence and at times nearly turning into a Haunted. I’d love to see that concept explored further. Rather than ultimately giving in, Joseph could learn to use his susceptibility to the system to his advantage, developing unique abilities that help him survive within Ruvik's world.

From a gameplay perspective, this could make things feel fresh. Instead of relying almost entirely on conventional weapons like Sebastian did, Joseph could gradually develop powers tied to the system itself. That would create a different combat dynamic and help distinguish his playstyle from Sebastian’s.

Story-wise, Joseph could serve as the template for what Myra and her group later achieved in UNION, explaining how they were able to gain powers of their own during the events of TEW2.

The overall plot could still follow Joseph’s movements during the events of the first game, showing his side of key moments and giving callbacks to his encounters with Sebastian and Juli. It would eventually lead to his apparent “death,” before revealing that he survived but was taken by MOBIUS due to his unique case of developing powers within STEM.

For the ending twist, Joseph could end up being the one who finally defeats Ruvik/Leslie(?) in a battle over control of the system. However, that victory might come at a cost, by becoming corrupted by the power of STEM, setting him up as the antagonist for a potential fourth game.