Sixteen years later.
Home.
He was back home, at least. He thought as he stood over the mountain hill, looking down at Velmere town beneath the sunset, the houses small from this distance. He had been away from home for twelve years, and in all those years, he had only returned to Velmere twice.
One should feel accomplished after gathering the kind of knowledge he had gone away to learn and practice, yet he felt no such pride in his heart. Instead, there was only a hollow closeness to emptiness. Perhaps being home again, and finally accomplishing his life goal of saving the people on his list, would bring back the joy he had lost during his years at Asterfall Academy.
It felt good to be home, but the one thing he hated was the feeling lingering inside him. Still, perhaps if he pretended to be the person he had been before he left home, everything would feel okay, if not perfect, and he would enjoy this time with his family.
