The village looked different without the Rust.
William remembered the gray earth, the black water, the dying children. Now the soil was brown, the streams were clear, and children played in the streets. The change was not complete—the fields were still sparse, the trees still thin—but the land was healing.
Kaelen met them at the gate.
"You came back."
"The council exiled me."
"I heard." Kaelen looked at Elara. "Both of you?"
"She wouldn't stay behind."
Kaelen nodded. "There's a house at the edge of the village. Empty. The previous owners died in the plague. It's yours if you want it."
William looked at the small stone hut. The roof was intact. The door was sturdy.
"We'll take it."
---
The house had two rooms, a hearth, and a window facing the mountains.
Elara swept the floor wh
