Zen sighed heavily, calming his breathing as he slowly raised his arm. Though the skin had long since healed, the scar showed through the thin fur, the discolored flesh still causing him to shudder as he remembered the pain. Pain that he was trying to grow used to. Slowly, he raised his left arm, watching it tremble as he struggled to lift his hand barely above where it normally rested. It was painful and strenuous, but he had been told to start working the muscle again, so here he was. It seemed so pointless and stupid, both what he was supposed to be doing, and the lack of ability to do it. All he had to do was move his arm around, lift it and rotate it slowly, and yet he could not even manage that. It frustrated him still that even two months later, after being cared for for so long, after everything everyone had done for him, after all the resting and recovering, he still was broken. And though he knew he would never heal fully, he had hoped that everyone was wrong. Sadly, that was not the case.

It would never be the case.

Still, he did his best. For twenty minutes he slowly did the exercises, like instructed. Through the pain and great effort, he managed to almost raise his arm out in front of him, but the tears of pain forming in his eyes made him stop. He couldn't do it. He closed his fist, still in pain as he lowered his arm, letting it hang by his side. He would have been lost in self pity, had conversation not suddenly reached his ears. "Seriously? Now? Of all the times?"

Curious, he walked out of the training room, following the voices to the main hall. "Look, we all knew this day would come, sooner or later. I'm gonna miss you too." Evals voice carried up to the balcony over the main entryway. Zen glanced down, seeing him, Mike, Eric and Kathrin standing in a cluster near the door, several small bags on the floor.

"I can't force you to stay, and I can't go with you. As much as I've come to see you as a friend, I know that your life is taking you in a new direction. I wish you all the luck in the world." Eric said with a sad smile, handing him a small pouch that jingled as it shifted.

"Know what? You're not too bad, now that you aren't barking orders at me." A pained chuckle was shared between them, but was quickly stuffed by a heavy sigh. "Thanks. I… I hope that Fate is kind to you. Both of you. All of you. In the last few months, you've really changed. I'm glad."

"If you ever come to Wreathwood, you'll always be welcome with us, and I'll always have the kettle on." Kathrin said with a smile, hugging Evals before stepping back.

"Same, if- no, when you make your way out here again, you can stay here." Mike said, grinning. Zen watched from the shadows when a hand brushed against his side. He glanced over to see Haelith standing there too, listening. "Once the world calms down and life goes back to normal, Trace would probably be willing to let me take a vacation every now and then, so I could visit you too!"

Evals grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Then I guess I'll have to find a way to tell you where I am. I'll always remember you all, even if I can't visit."

"So, how are you going to get back home?" Kathrin asked, and Eric smirked.

"I just so happen to have a ship in port right now, dropping off some silk and taking back some marble to the western peninsula." Evals smiled as Eric spoke. "They'll be more than happy to charter you back home."

"I can't thank you enough. You've been too kind to me the last few months."

"You flatter me. I figured I'd try to make up for what I did to you. Both of you. I'm pleased that you both have made a name for yourselves."

A clock chimed ten on the far side of the lobby, and smiles faded as they looked at the time. Evals picked up the bags around him, sighing deeply. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

"I guess so." Mike said, suddenly pulling him into a tight hug. "I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you." They let go, and Evals turned to the door. It seemed for a moment like he would stay, hesitating to even turn the doorknob, but he had a life to live. Another heavy sigh and he opened the door, walking out. "Take care of each other for me." With that, he closed the door, and was gone.

"Strange." Haelith said beside Zen in a whisper. "All my life I've seen people come and go, and while saying farewell is usually sad, they do not seem to think it is the end."

"It's not." Zen whispered as he turned away, hiding himself from the three standing in the lobby still. "His life will go on, and so will theirs. It's just a life without each other now. I know they've been through a lot together. Storms, fires, the attack last fall and earlier in the spring. Sure, he wasn't very close to me, and felt rather distant at times, but at least he didn't try to kill us or sell us out. Wouldn't have blamed him too much if he did, especially given how Eric treated him."

"I had almost forgotten that he and Mike were slaves." Haelith said as she slowly started walking away from the balcony. "I'm glad I don't know what that's like. I hate that it happens, but no one can do much about it right now. Until the war is over, things won't be able to change."

Zen nodded, walking behind her. "You grew up as the daughter of a Templar commander. Did he have any slaves?"

"That's complicated." She said with a smirk. "He would often go out and buy slaves, often spending large amounts of his monthly finances on buying the ones that looked the least well cared for or the oldest and weakest slaves he could find. He'd strike deals with traders to buy in bulk, often coming back after a week of being out with fifty or so new slaves. So, yes, he did have slaves. He didn't keep them though. I learned a few months before he died that he would smuggle them out of the estate, away from Durlon and back to Keidran territory. It's one of the reasons he was branded a traitor. It's why Trace…"

Zen reached up and stopped her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "That was someone else. You know this."

"I know." she said with a shudder. "But I can see him. Every time I close my eyes I can see him, his sword dripping with blood. I can see the malice and anger. I know that the Trace I knew is dead, but that's still the same man. What if he still has that monster lurking deep within him?"

"His past has reared it's ugly head enough times to know to stay down. We've battled literal demons, ripped this building apart, broken every tie to the past, fought the people he put in power, stood strong against an army that he created, and he's still fighting." Zen walked past her and waved his arm as he spoke, gesturing all around him. "This used to be a stronghold of power and death, and now it's a sanctum of regrowth. Every day, he puts up the greatest fight ever, and it's left him scarred in more ways than one. He's risked his life over and over and over for everyone, including you. The old Trace is long dead and buried, slain by the new one, broken and destroyed, turned to nothing more than a bitter memory. He's made mistakes. We all have. But I trust him with my life. I know that you've trusted him with yours."

She was quiet for a minute as she processed her feelings and thoughts. "I suppose. I have learned to trust him, but every fiber of my being still wants to run from him. The more I think about it, the stronger the urge to get away from him becomes. I haven't spent a lot of time with him like you have, and most of what I know is from other people talking about him. He's been busy, and I admit that I've been trying to avoid him. Maybe once he gets back, we can sit down and talk, just the two of us."

"I think that would be a great idea. Spend some time with him, really get to know who he is. He's worked hard to forge a new life for himself, and he really cares for everyone around him. He really changed when he learned Flora was pregnant the first time, and I can't say I blame him. Shook him to his core, made him rethink a lot of things…" Zen walked past her as she came to a slow stop. "You okay?"

"I think so." she said with a frown. "Just… suddenly don't feel well. I… should go lay down." Zen was left in mildly stunned silence as she walked down the hall to her room.

He had never seen Barret or Haelith get sick before, but he wasn't sure why he was shocked. Everyone gets sick at some point, so perhaps Ishtaer just are more resistant to sickness. Zen shook his head, hoping that she was okay, turning back to the main hall when he saw Eric and Kathrin walk up the stairs. "So, he's really gone?"

Both turned to him with sad smiles on their faces. "Yeah, he is." Eric said. "He'll be alright. He may be lazy and lethargic, but when he finds something he's passionate about, he fixates on it."

"I always found he had a passion for sleep." Kathrin said with a smirk, eliciting a chuckle from Zen. "He was more reserved about it, but he also enjoys music. I once found him singing in an empty room, quite happy performing for no one but himself."

"Really?" Eric asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It wasn't anything special, just a song he learned while under you."

Zen joined them as they walked to the back balcony. "He also enjoyed eating, but I think that had more to do with your cooking than his love of good food."

Kathrin blushed at the compliment, leaning on the railing. It was hot and humid outside, but there was at least a breeze, making it preferable to staying inside, where the air was stagnant. "You really think my cooking is that good?"

"Oh, absolutely! Natani and I would sometimes steal food from our targets if they were high class, and you could easily have cooked for them."

"I didn't realize that it was… hang on, you stole food from people you were about to kill?"

"What? It's not like they were gonna eat it later!" Zen laughed. Eric and Kathrin rolled their eyes, basking in the warmth of the sun. "Hey, can I have you check on Haelith later? She said she wasn't feeling well, and ran off before I could ask her more."

"I'll make sure to do that before I go to sleep." Kathrin frowned. "I didn't know Ishtaer could get sick."

Eric frowned with her. "Me neither, but I suppose they are living beings just like the rest of us."