The front door opened quietly, and four figures stepped into the entryway.
"We are home," Andrei said, his voice carrying further than he meant it to, filling the space the way he always did without trying.
Sophia was the first one moving, nearly knocking over the mug she had left balanced on the armrest as she pushed up off the couch.
"Brother." Just that her voice caught slightly on the single word, and then she was crossing the room toward Alex before anyone else had fully registered the door opening.
Alex smiled. The breath that left him carried real relief, his eyes settling on his sister and staying there, drinking in the fact of her. She looked tired, both physically and mentally, the kind that sleep alone didn't fix. But she was here, and she was safe. He searched, quickly and quietly, for any trace of abnormal mana clinging to her and found none.
