They moved.
At first, the Verdant Veil hesitated.
No one said it aloud, but the thought was shared by all of them.
They should wait. Wait for Eirene. Wait for her return.
Leaving without her felt wrong.
Lucien was the one who broke the silence.
He had been sorting through the storage rings she entrusted to him when he noticed a glowing strip of folded material resting quietly inside one ring.
A note.
He unfolded it.
The handwriting was neat.
[ Return to the Verdant Veil first.
It will take time for me to come home.
Do not wait for me. ]
Lucien exhaled slowly.
He showed it to the others.
The reaction was immediate but restrained.
Eirene had already decided.
In the end, they could only accept it.
Before leaving, they turned back one last time.
The desert lay silent behind them.
Then they continued forward.
They did not leave alone.
