The morning sun rose over the mountains, painting the valley in shades of gold and amber. The birds were singing. The breeze was gentle. The world was peaceful.
And Ethan felt something he'd almost forgotten.
Contentment.
Not the contentment of survival. Not the contentment of victory. Something deeper. Something steadier. The contentment of purpose. The contentment of connection. The contentment of building something that would outlast him.
He stood on the porch of the community center, watching the light spread across the buildings below. It had been two months since the mission to Peru. Two months of watching the new arrivals settle in, make friends, find their place. Two months of watching the community grow stronger and more connected than ever.
The village had grown. What had on
