351 A Promise Fulfilled

Rowena's eyes, usually so firmly armored against the tumult of her emotions, now shimmered with a rare vulnerability. 

The universe seemed to hush its breath as her gaze locked with the man she had been yearning to see again, the crimson in her eyes reflecting a figure that felt simultaneously like a distant memory and a piercing present.

"Asher..." The name escaped her, a whispered prayer finally answered after 14 agonizing months of void.

He had finally returned, alive and well.

She could hear her heart race in her ears.

Her foot lifted, a step to bridge the distance between them, when the immediate reality buzzed back into life around her.

Eradicator slowly raised her head to look at the royal consort, the red slit in her eyes briefly flickering.

The guards' eyes flicked among each other, their armor barely concealing the tumultuous mix of shock, excitement, and anticipation.