Ian returned with the tome, old, weighty, its cover worn and edges lined with strange geometric impressions that seemed to shift ever so slightly when light passed over them. There were no markings on the front, no title or language he could recognize, yet something about it felt precise and intentional. Inside, the pages were filled with compact symbols, layered diagrams, and fields of text that took him hours to decipher, if only barely. He became engrossed in it. Not just curious, drawn in.
Months passed like that. Ian stuck to his routine, but the tome Yeonelyth had given him had become a constant. He spent hours with it, sometimes late into the night. It was dense, abstract, filled with layered diagrams and unfamiliar logic. Whenever he hit a wall, he'd visit Yeonelyth, ask a few questions, get just enough clarity to keep going.
Meanwhile, Enira had grown a bit distant. Not cold, just off in small ways. She'd leave the room when Ian walked in. Barely looked at him. Kept conversations short. Ian noticed, of course, but figured she just needed space. He didn't press.
In the lab, progress moved steadily. The prototype they'd been building was finally complete. After several tests, they deployed it. It worked, smooth behavior, stable response times, accurate adaptation.
High Scholar Durlan returned not long after.
He reviewed the system personally. Checked the test logs, ran a few simulations, then turned to Ian."You did it. Good job."
Ian nodded. "It's mainly Yeonelyth's guidance. I just followed through."
Durlan smiled a little. "Still. You handled the implementation part. That alone counts for majority."
They talked more after that, some technical back-and-forth, some thoughts about the next steps and also on his journey. Then, Durlan mentioned something unexpected.
"Maybe I can take you with me next time I go out. It'd be good experience for you."
Ian blinked, surprised. "I'd... really like that. Thank you."
"Good," Durlan said simply. "Be ready."
After a few more exchanges, Durlan left.
Soon after, the break began. The lab wound down, students left. Ian, Myrra, and Axilya packed up and returned to Lylva. Myrra dragged Axilya along, more or less forced her to come, but Axilya didn't resist much, she also missed her home but was too embarrassed to return without any notice.
Enira stayed behind. She seemed more balanced now.
Returning to Lylva felt easy. The light, the air, the streets, everything was familiar. This was where Ian had first lived when he arrived. And somehow, it still felt like his. Maybe it always would.
Myrra's aunt and uncle, Selene and Darius, were there to welcome them. Their daughter, Lura, ran straight to Myrra and hugged her tightly. She'd grown a little, but her energy hadn't changed. Selene greeted them with a gentle smile, while Darius gave Ian a nod of approval and a quick, "Good to see you again."
They laughed and walked together for a bit, catching up on light things. Axilya stayed silent, half a step behind.
"You're heading home?" Selene asked her.
Axilya nodded. "Yeah. Didn't tell them I was coming."
Selene's brows lifted, but she didn't press. "They'll be glad to see you."
"I think so too."
Ian glanced at her as she turned away. "Want me to drop you?"
Axilya muttered. "It's fine. I am not a child, I know my way home." But there was still some tension in her expression.
Myrra and Ian smiled as Axilya left without another word.
Myrra headed back to her own house, and Ian returned to his place, quiet, familiar, untouched except for the care Selene had clearly taken to keep it clean and in order. He changed to a set of comfortable clothes and sat for a while, just breathing it in.
Later, he informed his old friends, Kara, Lirian, Velke, Holone, and Oryn. Most responded quickly, half-mocking him for not saying anything earlier. Oryn was still in Efsagroth, and Holone hadn't said where he was, just a vague message that he was fine.
In the evening, everyone gathered at Ian's house. Kara, Lirian, Velke, Myrra, and Axilya were all there. Lura and Vulre, the little ones, had also joined. Vulre had gotten a bit bigger since Ian last saw him, growing more into his playful, curious nature.
The conversation flowed effortlessly, with the group reminiscing about old times, laughing over shared memories.
Flori also made his debut and is liked by all, more so by Lura and Velke.
After a while, Kara and Lirian stood up, causing a hush to fall over the room. "We have an announcement," Kara said, a gleam in her eye.
Lirian smiled and took her hand. "We're getting married soon," he said, his voice full of warmth.
The room erupted into cheers and congratulations. Myrra laughed and clapped. "About time!" she teased, grinning at Lirian. "Took you long enough."
Ian raised a glass, his smile genuine. "Congrats, you two."
Kara playfully rolled her eyes at Myrra's teasing. "Well, we wanted it to be special," she replied, laughing. "Thank you, everyone!"
As the laughter died down, Ian turned to Myrra "So... when do you think we should get married?"
She didn't even look at him. "Who said I want to marry you?"
"Even after everything you've done to me?"
Her eyes narrowed. "What exactly did I do?"
Ian leaned in more, voice lower. Myrra's eyes turned red for a second and she gave him a firm pinch on the side.
"Ow... are you trying to kill your husband?"
"Hmph. You deserved it," she muttered, but the look in her eyes betrayed her. A little flustered. A little soft.
The night ended with everyone full and tired. Conversations faded into the background. One by one, they left, slipping back into the familiar rhythm of home.
The next morning, Ian made his way to visit Master Ordan.
Ordan still looked the same at first glance, calm, observant, but Ian noticed a subtle shift in his aura. He looked slightly younger, more energetic. His presence was sharper now, more refined. He had already stepped into the Second Order.
"I see Rulmose didn't wear you down," Ordan said as Ian stepped into his research facility.
"Not completely," Ian smiled.
The two spoke for a while, catching up. Ian told him bits and pieces about his time away, his training, his work, the people he met. At one point, Ian reached into his storage bracelet and pulled out the item Master Elara had asked him to deliver. Along with it, he took out a set of small souvenirs, carefully chosen keepsakes he had picked up during his journey. One by one, he had given them to people he cared about. One now rested in Ordan's hand.
Ordan turned the object over in his hands. The moment he recognized it, his fingers paused. His expression didn't change outright, but something shifted in the silence, subtle, tight. A breath held.
"This is from Elara," he said after a moment, voice low.
Ian nodded. "She asked me to give it to you."
Ordan looked at the item again, longer this time. "She never forgets things like this," he murmured, almost to himself. There was a quiet mix in his tone: old affection, restrained pain, and something else, respect, perhaps.
He set it aside carefully, almost too carefully, and didn't speak of it again.
The conversation shifted toward training and progress. Ordan moved with the familiar rhythm of old routines, but now with a noticeable precision that made Ian focus harder. Ordan watched carefully, testing, probing, measuring what Ian had become.
When it was done, Ordan gave a small, approving nod. "You've grown," he said.
Later that evening, Ian was at Myrra's home, having dinner with her family. He played with Lura after the meal, the little girl chasing him around the house with endless energy. Myrra laughed from the doorway as Lura jumped into his arms.
A day later, both Ian and Myrra were invited to dinner at Axilya's place.
Imryll greeted them warmly. At the table, she looked across at Myrra and said with a gentle smile, "Thank you for bringing Axilya along. She wouldn't have come back on her own."
Imryll glanced at Axilya knowingly but turned her attention to Vulre, who was sitting nearby. She stroked his hair gently and said, half-laughing and half-sighing, "All my older children are like time, always slipping away. I only hope little Vulre won't abandon his mother too."
"I won't," Vulre said, hugging her tightly.
Axilya puffed her cheeks but said nothing more.
Rolim, Axilya's father, asked Ian about the city of Ial Themar, curious about its changes. Aeson also listened intently, occasionally asking thoughtful questions in his calm, gravelled voice. The dinner was full of warmth and casual chatter, everyone sharing in the comfort of being together again.
Later, as night fell, Ian and Aeson sat together in the courtyard under the soft glow of lantern light.
Ian spoke about his time at Rulmose and Ial Themar, about the people he met and what he learned. He had always trusted Aeson, there was something grounding in his presence, something kind. Aeson had been one of the first to welcome him when he had nothing.
Eventually, their conversation drifted toward Yeonelyth.
Aeson gave a knowing chuckle. "That girl has been the same since she was little."
Ian looked over. "You know her?"
"Well, I'm friends with some of her seniors, so I know her," Aeson replied, with an easy smile. "She's always had that air about her."
Ian nodded slowly. "She's… just really otherworldly."
Aeson gave him a long, amused look. "Are you interested in her? I could talk to her seniors, arrange a..."
Ian nearly choked. "What? No, I mean, I was just curious. That's all."
Aeson laughed warmly. "Just teasing. But I get it."
They sat like that for a little while longer, trading a few more quiet words. Then Ian and Myrra stood, thanking Aeson and the family for the evening, and made their way home through the night breeze.
A few days later, Oryn returned. The group met again, slipping easily into familiar rhythms. Laughter came easy, old stories were retold with new exaggerations, and they roamed through the town, sometimes aimless, sometimes chasing a whim.
The rest of Ian's vacation passed in much the same way, visiting everyone he knew, sharing time in small ways that mattered, wandering to places nearby, enjoying slow afternoons and late conversations.
For the first time in a long while, Ian let himself be free. But soon, it was time to leave again.
He had to visit Wiokz's place, to get the Umbrahang core. So he packed up and returned to Ial Themar. Myrra and Axilya would come later. Ian didn't worry about Myrra's safety anymore. Those days had passed. She was becoming more powerful with each passing day, and Yeonelyth's protection still lingered around her.
Besides, this time, Ian was traveling farther than usual.
Wiokz's home wasn't on Idilia. It was on Relt, the other habitable planet in their solar system. Not the same one as Dara 9S, which High Scholar Durlan had visited earlier, but another entirely. Almost all elves lived on Idilia, while Relt was more like a back garden for the inhabitants of Idilia, but it was home to many other species that had come to live under elven sub-protection. Like the Lumivar.
To get there, Ian would have to take a spaceship. It wasn't complicated. Interplanetary travel was no different from air travel in many ways, and the trip itself would only take around three hours. The exact duration depended on the relative positions of Idilia and Relt around the sun, when the two were close, travel time was shorter.
Of course, there were faster, more expensive methods, direct transfer via transmission channels. Instant travel across planets. But that kind of transport was reserved for those in power, or with status. Definitely not something Ian had access to.
Not yet, anyway.
He supposed he could ask High Scholar Durlan to arrange something, but honestly… Ian wanted to experience the space journey. He wanted to look out the viewport and watch the stars drift by, feel that vast stillness pressing in from every side. In his previous life, he had always dreamed of that, just drifting from planet to planet, existing, exploring the unknown without a destination. But planetary travel was still in its early stages back then. Here, it was real. And he wanted to feel that for himself.
And so, he began preparing for the trip.