"…I'm back!"
The sudden voice rang out across the council chamber.
And just like that, silence fell—heavy and absolute.
Every head turned. Seraphina, Elynn, and the other Hero Units… Balthazar, Auremax, and the Royal Units—they all froze. Eyes wide. Breaths caught in their throats.
Then, one by one, their expressions shifted—shock giving way to something deeper. Relief. Awe. And above all, overwhelming joy.
Whoosh!
"Master!" Elynn, the Elven Pegasus Knight, shot to her feet. Her head snapped toward the grand doors of the chamber, eyes locked on the entrance like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
And then—
He stepped into view.
That face—handsome, familiar, and impossibly dear—wore a soft, knowing smile. It had only been a few months, but something had changed. The boyishness had faded, replaced by a quiet strength. A maturity that hadn't been there before.
And just like that, Elynn felt her heart settle.