By the time Erian returned to Firefly Pavilion, the night had grown deep and still.
The courtyard lay wrapped in silence.
The lamp in Caelith's room had long since been extinguished.
He walked beneath the old locust tree and lowered himself onto the familiar stone beneath its spreading branches.
Leaning against the rough trunk, he lifted his eyes toward the moon.
For more than twenty years, he had never once thought about the future.
When he had followed Osvald, survival itself had been the only goal. Staying alive until tomorrow was what the future meant.
After his master's death, he had come to seek refuge with Caelith.
At that time, he had believed his future would be simple: he would remain by her side. Protect her. Watch over her.
And when the day came that she no longer needed him, he would quietly leave.
But now... He no longer wanted to leave.
