Kaelen and Yolti couldn’t move.

Not because they didn’t want to—but because the weight of him was too much.

Zephryn stood where the Riftborn had fallen. Cloak torn. Mask gone. The last embers of his flame slowly flickering out around him.

Yolti broke the silence first. “You’re really back.”

He didn’t look at her. Not yet. His eyes scanned the village—ruins, smoke, but survivors. His voice came quieter now.

“I should’ve come sooner.”

Before Kaelen could speak, the pulse in the air changed again.

Not Riftborn.

Pulse-regulated frequency. Trained. Clean.

Footsteps pounded from the woods—soldiers.

Royal guards.

Their cloaks bore the sigil of Celestis Veil. One carried a halberd. One wore mirrored gloves. One—older—had a broken crest hanging from his belt.

They surrounded Zephryn in an instant, weapons drawn.

“Step away from the survivors,” one barked. “Now!”

Zephryn didn’t move. “I’m not your enemy.”

Kaelen stepped between them. “Wait, you don’t understand—he’s—”

The oldest guard moved first. He stared at Zephryn’s face. Then at the sword in his hand.

“…No,” he whispered. His own blade dropped to the ground. “It can’t be.”

Zephryn turned, gaze locked.

“…Tolan?”

The man fell to one knee.

“You’re alive…” the guard rasped. “After all this time… I thought they buried you with the flame.”

Zephryn took one step forward. “They tried.”

The others looked to Tolan, confused. “Captain—?”

“He’s not a threat,” Tolan said. “He’s—”

His voice broke.

“…he’s one of ours.”

Another guard—a woman Kaelen recognized from training sessions—lowered her weapon. Her eyes shimmered.

“I used to watch him spar in the garden,” she whispered. “Before the incident…”

Yolti glanced at Kaelen. “They know him.”

Kaelen nodded. “We all did.”

Tolan stood slowly. “Celestis Veil is still standing, Zephryn. But it’s changed. A lot has happened since you…”

Zephryn lowered his weapon. “Then take me back.”

Tolan nodded. “We’ll escort you ourselves.”

They turned, walking together toward the treeline. Toward the Veil.

And for the first time in six years—

Zephryn walked home.