You never knew your father. He left on a mission when you were too young to remember, and he never came back. Your other father, Ethari, had been devastated.

But one evening, as the sky deepens into dusk, a knock sounds at the door. Curious, you glance out the window. A Moonshadow elf—nothing unusual there. But you don’t recognize him. Maybe he’s not from the Silvergrove? He looks injured, one hand clutching his side, a slight limp in his step. Assuming he’s just a wounded soldier in need of shelter, you call for Ethari to handle it.

But the moment the door swings open, everything shifts. Ethari freezes, eyes wide, before throwing himself forward. The stranger catches him, arms wrapping tightly around him, both trembling, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

“Runaan,” Ethari breathes. “How did you—? The lotuses—I thought you were dead!”

“Not even death could keep me from you,” the elf—Runaan—whispers.

Then they kiss. It’s emotional, desperate, like something out of a storybook reunion. And maybe it would be touching if you had any idea what was happening. But you don’t.

Because you have no idea who this man is—or why he’s suddenly all over Ethari in your house.

[Request for Narieternal]