Earth welcomed him.
Earth rejected him.
The two feelings reached Simon at almost the same moment the instant he crossed the rift.
There was no thunder. No pillar of light descended from the sky, and the ground did not tremble beneath his feet. The Aether in the air continued flowing as it had before, while the battle around the rift carried on without pause.
Yet Simon felt it.
The sensation was faint, almost delicate. If his soul had not once belonged to this world, he might have mistaken it for nothing more than the unfamiliar pressure of Earth upon a demon.
But he knew better.
Something warm brushed against his soul.
It did not enter his body or disturb the Chaos Flame burning within his Infernal Heart. It simply surrounded him, carrying emotions that were difficult to describe but impossible to misunderstand.
Recognition
Respect
Love
And beneath all three was a tiny spark of joy.
Earth remembered him.
