COLLECTED FRAGMENTS

The journey to the Delta Medical Enclave was a torture of hope and fear. Every shadow along the way made Asimil's heart pause, fearing an ambush; every clearing in the forest gave him a glimmer of hope, imagining he would find his friends behind the next tree. Luce, noting his anxiety, kept a fast and steady pace, her energy an anchor in Asimil's storm of emotions.

The enclave was not a building, but the ruins of an ancient healing temple, now protected by magical barriers that glowed with a silvery light. Inside, the air was solemnly calm. Wounded combatants rested on makeshift beds, and white-robed healers moved among them with quiet efficiency.

— You stay here. I'll go get the manager — said Luce, before disappearing inside the main structure of the temple.

Asimil stood in the courtyard, feeling out of place. He watched the wounded, each one a story of the war he had missed. Then he heard a voice. A loud, familiar, booming voice that cut through the silence of the place.

Asimil stood in the courtyard, feeling out of place. He watched the wounded, each one a story of the war he had missed. Then he heard a voice. A loud, familiar, lively voice that cut through the silence of the place. — ...and I said, if you think that wound is going to stop me from training, then you don't know Ikel Ken! — Asimil turned around. There, helping to hand out potions to a group of novices, was he. He was thinner, yes, and a new scar crossed his right eyebrow, giving him a fiercer air. But his red hair still defied gravity and his smile, though somewhat tired, was still there.

— Ikel...? — Asimil's voice was a choked whisper.

The fire fighter stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly, as if he dared not believe his ears. His eyes widened, utter disbelief followed by an explosion of pure, overwhelming joy.

— ¡ASIMIL! —

The name was a roar that caused several wounded to startle. Ikel dropped the potions, which fell to the ground without a care in the world, and ran. He closed the distance in three strides and enveloped Asimil in a hug that knocked the wind out of him and nearly broke his ribs.

— DAMN YOU, YOU'RE ALIVE! — shouted Ikel, his voice cracking with emotion, slapping Asimil's back with claps that resounded like hammer blows. — We thought you were dead! We've been looking for you for days! You idiot! You idiot! —

For a split second, her eyes widened, her lips parted in a silent gasp, and a storm of relief, shock, and deep pain crossed her face before the mask of coldness fell back into place.

Next to her stood a girl with long, wavy lavender hair, dressed in a pristine white robe. Her amber eyes watched them with serene calm. It was Lyra.

Overwhelmed by the sight of them all, by the wave of relief that drowned weeks of despair, Asimil could contain himself no longer. Tears welled up in his eyes.

— I'm sorry... — he sobbed, her voice breaking as she pulled away from Ikel. — I'm so sorry. I doubted you, I treated you... the way I spoke to you, Noelia.... I was an idiot. I thought you had betrayed me and.... —

— Shut up, you fool! — Ikel interrupted him, rudely but with immense affection, ruffling his hair.
— We thought you had died in the Cataclysm! That the green light had wiped you out! That's all that matters! You're here! —

Noelia did not move. She simply looked at him, and her voice, when she spoke, was surprisingly soft. — We all lost our heads in those days..... Forget about it. You're here now. —

Lyra approached, her presence was reassuring. — The joy of a reunion is the best medicine — she said with a small smile. — I am Lyra. It's a relief to finally meet the boy Ikel hasn't stopped talking about. —

Joy filled Asimil's heart, a warmth he had not felt in what seemed like a lifetime. They were alive. They were together. He looked around, his smile faltering a little. — And... Sacres? Where is Sacres? —

— Sacres... was left behind during the fall of the Bastion of Harmonia. — He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle.

— He was a real tank. According to the survivors, he held back an entire legion of the Void single handedly so that the younger ones, including us, could escape. His last act was to create an unbreakable barrier. No one who saw it would survive to tell the tale, but his sacrifice saved dozens. —

The final confirmation was a devastating blow. The joy of reunion was now irrevocably tinged with the sadness of their shared loss. They were reunited fragments of a team that would never be complete again. They looked at each other, the loud hero, the broken ice queen, the serene healer and the boy who had come back from nowhere. They were together again, united not only by friendship, but by grief and a new, burning thirst for vengeance.