Adams stepped through the final rift and felt the familiar mountain air wrap around him like an old friend. The sect lights glowed softly in the gathering twilight below, steady beacons against the darkening sky. He took his time on the winding paths, boots crunching over gravel and fallen leaves, letting the tension from the nexus slowly unwind. The old gods' words still echoed in his mind — their divided loyalties, the temptation of the Hollow — but here, among the familiar ridges and the distant sounds of evening training, everything felt grounded again.
He made his way toward the main residential pavilions, lanterns already lit along the walkways. As he approached the largest one, the door slid open without a word. They were all there waiting, the way they always seemed to be when he returned from something heavy. Mabel, Inara, Akira, Nyx, Lilith, Aveline, and Naomi. No dramatic greetings or questions right away. Just the quiet pull of their presence drawing him inside.
