"'Hello, Eiden. I've heard you returned. Not only that, but I am also hearing that two more members of the Ten Celestials died. And I suspect you are most definitely the one responsible.'"
Eiden paused briefly, the weight of the accusation hanging in the air.
"'I write this letter because I heard the bodies of both Solmara and Kharos were found in the exact area of Vaelus's cottage. I still assume you killed them, but it's not confirmed yet.'"
Vaelus didn't look away from the wall, but a faint, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"'And if you did, then you most definitely met up with Vaelus. He probably informed you how Seraphaine was attacked by the Ten Celestials.'"
At the mention of that name, Iris's breath hitched. She bowed her head, her long lashes shadowing her eyes as she closed them tightly. Is she okay? The question echoed like a frantic prayer in her mind.
For a long moment, the room was swallowed by a vacuum of sound. Only the distant, hollow whoosh of the wind wandered through the open window, mourning the silence. Nobody moved until Eiden spoke again.
"'Just know she is safe. I saved her. She is currently with us. With Dravien and me.'"
The transformation in Vaelus was instantaneous. The tension that had locked his shoulders for days simply evaporated. A small, fiercely proud grin broke across his face. I knew it… I knew Morvath had her…
Eiden's grey eyes scanned the next lines. "'Currently, we lie in my mansion—yes, I have multiple. But since I write this with ink, I can't get rid of that. So to make it clear, we lie in my mansion, the one behind the invisible barrier. If you don't remember, find and ask Selyndra. She knows. I hope you get this letter and get a chance to read it. Please come to us. We've missed you. —Morvath.'"
Eiden lowered the letter. Silence stretched again, but the flavor of it had changed. Selyndra stared at the ceiling, her thoughts racing through ancient memories of hidden barriers. Iris felt a soft, glowing warmth bloom in her chest, her heart fluttering like a bird released from a cage. Vaelus leaned back against the wall, his jaw set in a hard line of satisfaction. "I knew it. I freaking knew it," he muttered.
Eiden looked toward Selyndra, but Dyuke intervened first.
"Eiden," the Council leader said, straightening his blue-and-gold robes. "There is one last thing I must say. As Zanders said… word of your return spread quickly. Your mother figured out you were staying here. But since she didn't want to send a letter through someone weak, she sent it to me three days ago. That's why I came to this kingdom."
Dyuke unhooked his grimoire and withdrew a white envelope sealed with pristine white wax. He slid it across the table. Eiden caught it mid-slide, lifting it to eye level.
"Should I open it—?"
Selyndra groaned, her head lolling back. "Well, obviously! Jeez."
Eiden nodded, a thin blade of aura sharpening at his fingertip. He sliced the seal and pulled the letter free.
"'Hello, Eiden. It's me, your mother. I write this letter because after hearing about your return, I was actually happy… and smiled for the first time in a long while.'"
Eiden stopped. He blinked, the words blurring. His mother—the embodiment of the harsh, cold North; a woman who viewed weakness as a terminal flaw—had smiled for him. His eyes softened, and an involuntary smile tugged at his own lips.
"'Over the many years, I wanted to check on you. But you traveled constantly with the Great Sages, never staying in one place long enough for me to find you. And I know you have many enemies—enemies far stronger than Uzak'me—so I want you to come to the village soon. You may be strong, but you might not be strong enough. I want to give you something you left behind many years ago.'"
Selyndra's eyes flicked toward him, sharp and inquisitive.
"'I want to give you the other two swords you left here. The two swords you said made you "too strong" for your enemies.'"
Vaelus's eyebrows shot up. Iris leaned forward, her tea forgotten. Eiden's expression darkened, the shadows of the past creeping into his gaze.
"'But look what happened. You died. And why did you die? Because the three swords you wielded were bound to you. You poured enormous amounts of your mana—your soul—into two of them. Leaving them here weakened you. You fought Uzak'me with only the sword that held the smallest fraction of your mana.'"
The revelation hit the room like a physical weight. Selyndra's eyes widened; Iris covered her mouth in shock. Vaelus breathed a low, stunned, "Damn..."
Eiden swallowed hard, his voice dropping an octave. "'You died because you were not at your full potential. You are an idiot, Eiden. A real dumbass.'"
Eiden went silent, tracing those harsh, familiar insults. He could almost hear her voice.
"'So, please come to the village. I miss you. Your people miss you. We haven't seen you in over fourteen decades. I don't want you going anywhere else but here. I don't want you fighting anyone else until you get these swords. I don't want my son to be found by one of the many powerful enemies you have. But of all of them… I don't want you fighting someone as powerful as Civilar. So please… come home. —Your mother.'"
He lowered the letter slowly, his fingers tracing the edges of the parchment. The silence that followed was sacred. No one dared speak after hearing the raw fear of a mother who refused to let her son die twice. Selyndra's face was unreadably still. Iris pressed a hand to her chest, her heart aching. Vaelus looked away, struggling with a strange, hollow ache of his own.
Dyuke watched Eiden, observing the quiet storm brewing behind those grey eyes. Eiden sat there, the letter resting in his hands like a relic.
Come home.
After fourteen decades, the First Divinity didn't know what to say.