(Surrounded by the ruins of Ixtal, Leo's POV)
"Did this really happen because I went away for a single hour?"
Leo couldn't help but wonder, as his mind raced back to the argument he had with Amanda a few days ago, where she had asked him as to why he could not simply stay home for a few years, instead of chasing distant threats across the universe.
He remembered how calmly he had answered her then, as he explained that he could not remain home all the time because dangers did not wait politely at the doorstep, and because someone had to look beyond the horizon to ensure that the horizon itself remained safe.
And yet because of that very decision, because he had chosen vigilance over presence, he now no longer had a home to return to, no longer a family waiting behind its doors, and no longer a Cult capital where he could pretend to be a leader instead of a man who had just lost everything.
"Amanda… baby… where are you?"
