The day arrived too quickly.
For the first time in months, there was no training.
No running.
No sparring.
No mountains.
No cliffs.
No bruises waiting around the corner.
Just silence.
And the uncomfortable realization that tonight...
They would leave.
The official story had already been prepared.
A foreign academy.
A rare international program.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Their families believed it.
Had to believe it.
The truth was impossible.
How were they supposed to explain another dimension?
Another world?
A place called Nythara?
No.
Some lies were necessary.
Even when they hurt.
Dak arrived home around noon.
The smell of food hit him immediately.
His mother was cooking.
His father was setting plates.
His younger brother was stealing food.
His older sister was recording everything with her phone.
"Why are you filming?"
"So I can embarrass you later."
Dak sighed.
"You're the worst."
"Love you too."
Lunch became dinner.
Dinner became hours.
Stories were told.
Old memories returned.
The entire family seemed determined to spend every second together.
As if they already knew.
At one point his father raised a glass.
"To Dak."
Everyone looked toward him.
The sudden attention made him uncomfortable.
His father smiled.
"You drive me insane."
The room erupted with laughter.
"You spend more time causing problems than solving them."
More laughter.
Dak groaned.
His father continued.
"But no matter where you go..."
The smile softened.
"...remember that you'll always have a place here."
Silence filled the room.
Dak looked down.
For once...
He had no joke.
His little brother suddenly hugged him.
Hard.
"So bring me something cool."
The room laughed again.
Dak hugged him back.
"I will."
Yet a strange feeling settled inside his chest.
Because he wasn't sure if he could keep that promise.
Matthew's farewell felt quieter.
More mature.
More difficult.
His entire family gathered for dinner.
Parents.
Older brother.
Grandparents.
Even relatives he barely saw.
The conversation remained normal.
Mostly.
School.
Life.
Travel.
The future.
Everyone pretended nothing unusual was happening.
Everyone failed.
After dinner, Matthew found himself sitting alone on the porch beside his father.
The night air felt cool.
Peaceful.
His father stared at the stars.
"You've changed."
Matthew smiled.
"I hope that's a good thing."
"It is."
A pause followed.
Then:
"You know..."
His father leaned back.
"When you were younger, you always wanted answers."
Matthew laughed softly.
"Still do."
"I know."
His father nodded.
"But life isn't about finding all the answers."
Matthew looked at him.
"Then what is it about?"
His father smiled.
"Finding people worth searching with."
For several seconds...
Neither spoke.
Then his father placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm proud of you."
Three simple words.
Yet somehow...
They weighed more than mountains.
Ozias expected a calm farewell.
Instead...
His family turned it into a war zone.
His younger siblings attacked him the moment he entered the house.
Questions.
Demands.
Complaints.
"You better call."
"Bring gifts."
"Don't forget us."
"Bring gifts."
"You already said that."
"I want two."
The entire house burst into laughter.
For hours the chaos continued.
Until finally...
The younger children fell asleep.
The house became quiet.
Ozias found his mother sitting in the living room.
Waiting.
The moment he sat beside her...
The smile disappeared.
Not completely.
Just enough.
"You're really leaving."
The words were soft.
Almost fragile.
Ozias nodded.
"Yeah."
Another silence.
Then she reached over and fixed his collar.
A habit she had since he was little.
"You know..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"No matter how old you become..."
She smiled sadly.
"...part of me will always see the little boy who ran home crying after falling off his bicycle."
Ozias laughed.
"I was seven."
"You were dramatic."
The laugh turned into something else.
Something much harder to hide.
His mother pulled him into a hug.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
Kael's house was different.
Quiet.
Disciplined.
Reserved.
The entire family sat together around the dinner table.
Mother.
Father.
Younger brother.
Older sister.
Conversation came slowly.
But the emotions were there.
Hidden beneath every word.
After dinner, Kael stepped outside.
His father followed.
For several minutes they stood in silence.
Then:
"You've grown."
Kael looked at him.
His father wasn't talking about height.
Both knew it.
"You don't need me anymore."
The statement hit harder than expected.
Because it wasn't true.
Not completely.
Kael shook his head.
"I always will."
For the first time...
His father looked surprised.
Then he smiled.
A small smile.
A rare smile.
And before returning inside...
He pulled Kael into a brief hug.
One second.
Two.
Then it was over.
Yet Kael would remember it forever.
Finally...
Zeven.
The hardest goodbye.
His adoptive parents waited for him in the living room.
The same room where they had helped him study.
Celebrated birthdays.
Watched movies.
Shared countless ordinary moments.
Moments that suddenly felt priceless.
His adoptive mother smiled first.
"You packed?"
"Twice."
"Good."
His adoptive father laughed.
"He definitely forgot something."
"Probably."
The three of them laughed together.
Then silence followed.
A dangerous silence.
Because nobody wanted to acknowledge reality.
Eventually his father stood.
Walked over.
And placed a hand on Zeven's shoulder.
"You know..."
His voice remained calm.
"When we adopted you..."
Zeven froze.
His father smiled.
"I was terrified."
His mother laughed through moist eyes.
"You were terrified?"
"I had no idea what I was doing."
The room laughed softly.
Then his father looked directly at Zeven.
"And somehow..."
His voice cracked.
Just slightly.
"...you became the best thing that ever happened to us."
Silence.
Zeven couldn't speak.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
His mother finally stood and hugged him.
Immediately.
Without hesitation.
The tears she had been hiding finally appeared.
"We love you."
Three words.
Simple.
Ordinary.
Yet they shattered every defense he had.
His father joined the hug.
For several seconds...
The three remained there.
Holding onto a moment that none of them wanted to end
Because somewhere deep inside...
Zeven suddenly realized something.
Nythara.
The Institution.
The Conclave.
Black Lightning.
The future.
None of it mattered more than this.
Home.
The front door closed behind him.
For several seconds, Zeven simply stood there.
The night was quiet.
Too quiet.
The lights from the living room still glowed through the windows.
His parents were still inside.
Probably talking about him.
Probably pretending they weren't worried.
The thought made him smile.
Slowly...
His hand rose toward his neck.
His fingers found the necklace immediately.
The silver wolf.
Cold against his skin.
Familiar.
His thumb brushed across its surface.
And instantly...
His mind returned to that night.
The night everything changed.
The night he awakened.
The night black lightning first appeared.
Chaos.
Confusion.
Fear.
Questions.
Too many questions.
After everything happened...
After the change.
Zeven had returned to his room with the others.
Exhausted.
Unable to think.
Unable to understand what was happening to him.
Then he noticed it.
A small box resting on his desk.
The gift from his mother.
Inside rested a silver wolf pendant.
And a folded note.
His mother's handwriting.
He remembered opening it.
The message wasn't long.
"I know things are changing."
"And I know you're probably scared."
"That's okay."
"Being scared doesn't mean you're weak."
"It means you're stepping into something unknown."
Then the final lines.
The ones he remembered most.
"Wolves aren't fearless."
"They get hurt."
"They get lost."
"Sometimes they even walk alone."
"But they keep moving forward."
"And eventually..."
"They always find their way home."
The memory faded.
Zeven stared at the pendant.
The silver wolf reflected the moonlight.
Back then...
He hadn't fully understood her words.
Now he did.
The awakening.
The training.
The Vanguard.
Nythara.
The Institution.
The Eclipsera Conclave.
Everything had started that night.
And now...
He was standing at the edge of another unknown.
His grip tightened around the necklace.
For a moment...
The fear returned.
Not fear of Nythara.
Not fear of battle.
Not fear of the future.
Fear of leaving.
Leaving home.
Leaving family.
Leaving the people who had always been there.
Then he looked at the wolf.
And smiled.
A small smile.
A real one.
"I'll come back."
The words escaped quietly.
A promise.
Not to Nythara.
Not to the Vanguard.
To his mother.
To his father.
To the home waiting behind that door.
Then Zeven released the necklace.
Took one final look at the house.
And started walking toward Raven's.
Toward his friends.
Toward the last night before everything changed.