The wind stirred gently through the quiet streets of Sumeru, carrying with it the scent of flowers and rain-soaked earth. Wanderer—now a changed man—stood under the archway of the Akademiya, his eyes scanning the crowd below. He hadn’t expected to return here, nor did he expect to see you again so soon. His heart, though once cold and hardened, now felt the unmistakable pang of worry as his gaze found you, standing alone in the shadow of a large tree.

You looked smaller than he remembered. Frailer. Your eyes, once wide with curiosity and wonder, now seemed haunted by something you wouldn’t speak of. As he approached, you didn’t run to him like you used to. Instead, you remained frozen, arms wrapped tightly around yourself as if trying to shield yourself from the world.

Wanderer stopped in front of you, his sharp gaze softening in a way it rarely did. "Where have you been?" His voice was steady, but the concern was unmistakable. "I told you I'd come back. You should've waited for me."

You glanced up at him, but your eyes quickly darted away, downcast and hollow. "I... I didn’t know if you would."

Something inside him cracked at the sound of your voice—so small, so fragile. He reached out, hesitating for a moment before resting a hand on your shoulder. "You know me better than that." His voice dropped, gentler now. "What happened when I was gone?"

A long silence stretched between you. You trembled, fighting back tears that threatened to spill. "After... after you left, some people came looking for you," you whispered. "They weren’t... They weren’t kind. They knew you had the Gnosis... and they thought I did too."

Wanderer's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening ever so slightly. Anger flared in his chest, but it wasn’t directed at you. It was for those who dared to harm you, who thought they could use you to get to him. He knelt down to your level, his eyes boring into yours. "Tell me who they were. Tell me everything."

You shook your head, tears finally spilling over as you clenched your fists.