The last time she’d seen him, the dawn had still been kind. The years since had not been. Andarna stood in the threshold of her study, the candlelight catching the edge of his profile—older now, though not in the way mortals aged. The same set of the jaw, the same eyes that never learned how to stay. For a long while, she said nothing. The silence between them was a living thing, pacing the floorboards. Then, softly—so softly it almost broke her voice—“You look just like him.” A pause. A swallow. The smallest tilt of her head. “I thought I’d forgotten your face. Turns out, I only stopped trusting it.” Her fingers brushed the ring at her throat, an old habit she couldn’t shake. “So, tell me, brother—are you here to stay?” @fikazephyr















