So many things were different now and yet utterly the same. The World’s Edge had been divided, replaced, or at the very best relieved of its monotony. The leaves still turned crisp with the coming of winter and the air still succumbed to the chill of cool frost, but those things were only a reflection of what I already knew. It was no surprise that the sea still rushed headlong into the cliff’s face and it was not unusual to find that the mists had grown thin since the rainy season had passed. Everything concerning the land I’d come to know was still entirely unchanged… but now it was somehow unrecognizable.

Rohan had decided to take me up on my offer to visit the Edge, and though I prayed it was not because I’d dared to press him, I still felt as if I’d obtained some small form of victory. Even if it had been by the skin of my teeth. Maybe the selfless parts of my own personality were changing just as much as the place I called home… I didn’t care how I’d come by this opportunity, but only that I had. If wearing such a benevolent guise happened to aid in the matter, then so be it. My name couldn’t be changed nor could my appearance, but there was a shifting in my soul that created a hardness I’d never before indulged. In a way, I kind of liked it.

In a way, it was somewhat freeing.

As I turned away from both Sialia and Lakota, I titled an ear back toward Rohan listening for the telltale sounds of footfall against the dry dirt. Though I couldn’t determine his motives just yet, I felt as if the brute would serve well as a warrior, what with his thick build and keen wit. However, many had thought the same of me… and I’d defied their expectations on numerous occasions. It’s funny how little we pay attention to the equilibrium of our bodies or how accustomed we are to the lifting of our legs or the tilting of our ears… Sometimes I feel as though I’ve forgotten what I am and what I was built for; sometimes I tend to overlook the power I embody. How I wish I’d turned out differently. “This way then,” I called over my shoulder as I moved toward the west. I didn’t want to waste any more time in returning to the Edge; it was quite the trek after all.

For the first part of the journey I opened my stride to the land, a lively trot, and was content to travel in silence. I’d said enough in the way of information back in the Threshold and didn’t want to risk single-handedly delivering Rohan to the Basin on a guilty, silver platter. Besides, Helovia was truly beautiful this time of year with most of the land painted in orange, yellow, and red. The trees were shedding their summer leaves to prepare for the cold bite of snow and while the season worried some, I was more than ready to forget the blistering heat of the previous harsh TallSun.

When at last the looming shadows of the World’s Edge drew near, I slowed into a lofty half-walk, eager to again lay eyes on the cooling mists and the woman I loved. I’d spent so much time away from Evangeline of late, recruiting and otherwise, that it was a relief to know that some of my efforts had finally paid off. With the presumption that Rohan would not be far behind, I motioned toward the borders and the shattered glass wall that once protected them. “This is it- the World’s Edge,” I offered warmly. Nightfall was hanging just over the horizon, but the last rays of evening were still slanted across the tall forests that made up my home. They titled through the limbs and twinkled across the dying grasses where they touched the crumbled shards of the crystalline fortress that was a fortress no more.

“Welcome Rohan. I hope that you’ll one day be as delighted as I am to see this place.”

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