Interlude: Astrolabe

The evening sun cast a warm glow over the town of Lunaris as Talia approached the familiar cobblestone path leading to her family’s home. The air smelled of earth and fresh bread, just as she remembered, but somehow it felt different now—distant, almost foreign. She hadn’t set foot there since the day she left. She could still remember the knot in her stomach, the guilt clinging to her like a shadow as she walked away without saying goodbye.

She told herself they wouldn’t understand—that they would never forgive her for abandoning the family traditions, for rejecting the future they’d planned for her. Even now, the thought of facing them made her heart race.

She stopped in front of the gate, her feet suddenly feeling heavy.

What if they hated her? What if they never wanted to see her again?

“Do it,” she muttered to herself. She had fought rogue chrono-tech users, navigated time distortions—surely, she could face her parents.

With a deep breath, she pushed the gate open, and stepped into the yard, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Talia?”

The voice made her freeze in place. She turned to see her mother standing in the doorway, eyes wide with surprise. For a moment, neither of them moved. Talia had imagined this moment a thousand times, but now that it was happening, she didn’t know what to say.

“Mum…” Talia started, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m—”

Before she could finish, her mother rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her in a tight embrace. Talia stood there, stunned, her mind racing to catch up with what was happening.

“I missed you so much,” her mother said, her voice cracking. “We were so worried about you!” 

“I’m sorry, mum…” Talia managed to utter, but her mother looked firm in the eye.

“Me and your father… we knew you needed to do this.”

Talia blinked. This wasn’t the reaction she had expected. She had prepared herself for anger, for coldness—but this?

“I… I thought you’d be angry,” Talia admitted,“I thought you’d hate me for leaving.”

Her mother pulled back, looking into her eyes with a mixture of sadness and regret. “How could we hate you? We always knew you were meant for more than this. We didn’t want to hold you back. We were just… scared to let you go.”

“Scared?” Talia repeated.

“We thought we’d lose you forever,” her mother explained, her eyes glistening with tears. “When you left without a word, it broke our hearts. But we knew… we knew you had to find your own way. We’re just so proud of you.”

Talia’s chest tightened, the weight of her guilt suddenly crashing down on her. All this time, she had carried the burden of believing she had abandoned them, that she had betrayed their trust. But in reality, they had been waiting for her, missing her just as much as she had missed them.

“I’m sorry,” Talia whispered, her voice trembling. “I didn’t mean to leave like that. I just… I didn’t know how to say goodbye.”

Her mother smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair from Talia’s face. “You don’t have to say goodbye. You’ll always have a home here.”

Talia felt the tears welling up in her eyes, but for the first time in a long while, it wasn’t out of guilt or regret. It was relief.

Her father appeared in the doorway then, his expression unreadable. Talia held her breath, unsure of what he would say. But when he stepped forward, his arms wide, she knew.

“We missed you, kid,” he said, his voice gruff but filled with warmth.

Talia stepped into his embrace, letting herself melt into the familiar comfort of home. For the first time since she had left, she felt at peace. She hadn’t betrayed her family. She hadn’t abandoned them. She had simply been following her path—and now, she knew they understood that.

After a long moment, they stepped back, and her father gave her a firm nod. “Now, tell us about this life of yours as a Chrono Knight.”

Talia smiled, wiping away the tears that had escaped. “It’s… a long story.”

And finally, she was ready to share it.