That day, the whole of Lootwell stopped building.
Lucien had returned.
That was enough to suspend labor across the territory like a decree spoken by the land itself.
The avenues filled quickly. The atmosphere was not wild exactly, but it was bright with relief, curiosity, and a joy that had been held down too long to remain tidy when finally released.
Lucien stood at the center of it and began doing something that felt small compared to all the things he had survived, yet turned out to matter far more than he expected.
He introduced his people to one another.
That, more than anything else, made his return feel complete.
Seran and the ancient beasts had returned from the western campaign for the day as well. The moment Seran saw him again, his expression changed so openly that Lucien almost took a step back in confusion.
There was no restraint in the man's relief.
Lucien, for his part, could only blink.
He still did not fully understand why Seran cared so much.
