Night fell....
The streets had darkened, shadows swallowing the remnants of light. Kaelen approached the warehouse near the docks, the paper from Tomas clenched in his hand. Every step felt deliberate, measured. He wasn't walking into a reunion; he was stepping into a question he wasn't sure he wanted to answer.
Inside, the air was thick with dust. A single lantern flickered, casting long shadows across crates and broken machinery. Elira stepped forward, eyes scanning the room before resting on him.
"You came," she said softly.
Kaelen's gaze didn't leave hers. "I said I'd think about it. That doesn't mean I'm here to fight."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "I know. But you also know him. The Governor. You've seen what he does when he's left unchecked and now… he's getting worse."
Kaelen felt a tightness in his chest, anger and fear mixing. Seven years ago, the Governor had cast him out, ruined him while claiming loyalty. The memory of that betrayal was still fresh, but fighting now? Walking back into the shadows he had once survived… was it for justice, or revenge? He didn't know yet.
"I'm not promising anything," he said finally. "I just… need to see for myself. If this city has any chance, I need to know the truth before I make a choice."
Elira nodded, understanding the hesitation. "That's all I ask. No promises. Just see the truth and then… whatever you decide, you'll decide for yourself."
They moved to a table where maps and notes were spread out details of the city, the Governor's influence, people who could be trusted. Kaelen leaned over them, eyes scanning, thinking, weighing risk and responsibility. The fight hadn't begun, not yet. But for the first time since he returned, he felt the stirrings of a reason to stay, a reason to act not, because he was asked, but because he remembered why it mattered.
In his mind the thought rang 'this is my home and I promise to myself. I will never run away again or even worse let it fall.'