It felt so strange to be back in the country of Toran, the place where so many things had happened to him. Luc would never forget that day when his life had changed forever, when the envoy from the Scarlet Moon Empire had come to Magician's Isle for the astral conclusions. There were even recent times when Luc would awaken in the middle of the night, sweating and shaking with reaction to his dreams.

They were dreams haunted by a pair of deep brown eyes, eyes that showed so much but still kept so many things hidden away below the surface. The man Luc had come to admire so much, whom he still did admire more than anyone else he knew. How the son of Teo McDohl managed to stay so strong with all the hardships he'd suffered Luc didn't know. But he wanted to know. He wanted to learn what Tir's secret was.

Maybe it could save him. Unless now he was too far gone, unworthy of redemption. That was far more likely, the wind mage thought.

He blended in with the other travelers that moved through the streets of Gregminster, following the familiar path toward the palace. But when he reached the fountain in the center of the bustling city, he turned and headed east, passing through the residential areas of the highborn and wealthy.

Luc had come here several times over the years since the fall of the Scarlet Moon Empire, just loitering in the shadows near the McDohl manor, watching. Some nights the light in Tir's room never came on. Other nights, it never went out. He knew that the bearer of the Souleater rune had his own problems, and didn't want to burden him with anything more.

Today, however, he had come for another reason. It had been almost ten years since the last time Luc had seen Tir, and he hated to approach him under these circumstances. But he'd given it a lot of thought, and he knew what he needed to do. Approaching the door to the house, he squared his shoulders beneath his dark green travel cloak and knocked firmly.

It wasn't Tir who opened the door, however, but his servant and guardian Gremio. Luc looked up at the blonde man, a little startled to find him looking exactly as he remembered him. He hadn't aged at all since the battle for Gregminster, exactly as Tir hadn't. That was more than a little surprising. In eighteen years, one would think that someone who did not possess a True Rune would have aged.

"Hello. Can I help you-- oh, Young Master Luc!" Gremio sounded about as shocked as Luc felt, recognizing the wind mage when he pushed back the hood of his cloak. "I-I'm sorry, but the Young Master isn't home right now. Today is..." He hesitated, looking troubled. "Young Master is gone to Seek Valley today," he finally finished after a long pause.

"I see." That explained a lot. "Thank you, Gremio. I'm going to go find him."

"Good luck to you, Young Master Luc," Gremio said doubtfully, watching Luc turn and walk off down the street.

Just a short distance away, Luc ducked into an alley between two of the large houses and looked down at his right hand. "Seek Valley, huh?"

Few people would understand the significance of the small, uninhabited valley west of the Dragon's Den unless they had been there. If they had been present that day, then they would understand that Seek Valley was where Tir's best friend had been killed, consumed by the very rune he'd passed on to Tir. Luc had seen it, watched the scene unfold with his own eyes. He'd watched the young leader collapse, seen the pain in his dark eyes. And later that night, he'd overheard his inconsolable sobbing in a dark corner on the roof of the castle.

---

The roof was Luc's favorite place in the whole castle. Very few people were there, particularly at this time of night, and the high elevation was perfect for someone so attune with the wind. But his place of solitude had been invaded, he could tell that before he even reached the top of the stairs.

It didn't surprise him that it was Tir who had found his hiding place, and was using it for a similar purpose. The bearer of the Souleater was not trying to muffle his sobs, curled up in a tight ball in the darkest corner and shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. Looking at him, Luc became aware of something he had rarely encountered; he could feel his heart going out to the other boy, and wanted to help him.

"McDohl?" Luc asked quietly, making his presence known before walking toward Tir. He knew just how good he was with that staff he carried.

The dark-haired leader glanced up, and the pain Luc saw in his moonlit eyes made the younger boy's breath catch in his throat. "...Luc."

Luc had seen Tir cry before. It wasn't a common occurrence, but it had happened. In Soniere Prison, when Gremio had sacrificed himself to save them all, Tir had beat on the unyielding door until his thick leather gloves were shredded and his hands bloody. He had worn himself into complete and utter exhaustion and defeat, only to have to lead the attack on Scarletitia Castle just days later. After his father's death, Tir barely spoke to anyone.

Both times, he had cried. But not like this. These were loud, heartbreaking sobs that wracked his entire body. Like he'd lost someone who was more than just a best friend.

The wind mage wasn't sure what to do, caught in the web of suffering that dwelt in Tir's dark brown eyes. Almost dreamlike, he walked over to the older boy and knelt beside him. He didn't know what to do, what to say, but he wanted to help.

"I can't believe he's really gone," Tir whispered after a long time spent trying to calm himself. "Ted...he..." He hugged his knees tightly to his chest, wiping his eyes on the back of his left hand. "I loved him, Luc," he finally admitted, breaking out into a fresh wave of tears.

Without thinking, Luc gingerly wrapped his arms around Tir, stroking the bandanna that covered his head. "You can cry on me, Tir," he said softly, the words escaping him before he could stop them. "I might not be him, but I can be here for you."

He held him like that for a long time, Tir eventually shifting to hug Luc tightly. Only when the exhausted leader had fallen asleep did Luc move, summoning the power of his True Wind Rune to take them to Tir's room so he could put him to bed.

---

Luc smiled slightly at the memory, raising his rune hand into the air and summoning the power like he had on that night. With very little ceremony, he disappeared from Gregminster city, teleporting himself to the place where he knew he'd find Tir.