TESSA
The ride into Ylarc was quiet, but not an uncomfortable one. I leaned against the window, watching the scenery shift from the familiar routes of Fenra into something softer and quieter. The streets here were narrower, the people a little more ordinary.
I had been here before—years ago, when my parents were still alive. They brought me to the markets sometimes, or to the festivals where lanterns lit up the river. I remembered laughing, holding my father’s hand, my mother’s voice humming in my ears. But after they were gone, I never returned.
Zaria and Cameron’s family often came to Ylarc. They’d speak about it as if it were their second home. Summers by the river, dinners at little taverns, strolls through the town squares. They never invited me along, though. I used to tell mysel
