The moon hung low over Corzedar Manor, its silver glow draping the rooftops in soft silence.

The streets below were empty; only the whisper of the wind moved through the lamps and the leaves.

Khael stood before the gates of his home a place both familiar and foreign.

The iron bars rose before him, tall and blackened by rain, vines threading through the gaps like veins of memory. Beyond them, the manor's windows glimmered faintly, eyes half-asleep, waiting.

He took a slow breath.

"Three years…" he murmured. "Three years of fire and flight—and now, I'm home."

The gates groaned open, the sound echoing through the still night. Moonlight spilled across the gravel path as Khael stepped forward, boots crunching against stone. The air smelled of pine and steel and faint embers his family's scent.

(Has it really been this long?)

The manor loomed ahead, vast and quiet, but before he could lift his hand to knock, the great doors burst open.

Light flooded the courtyard.

"Khael!"

The voice broke through the silence like sunlight through cloud.

Lady Corzedar rushed down the steps, her silver gown catching the moonlight as she ran. Her hair once neatly pinned tumbled freely as she reached him, and before he could speak, she wrapped him in her arms.

"My boy…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "My kind-hearted boy…"

Khael froze for a heartbeat—then the tension melted. He held her tight, his eyes closing. "Mother… I missed this. I missed you."

Behind her, laughter boomed through the doorway.

"Hah! I told her you'd come tonight!"

Lord Corzedar strode forward, his cloak flaring behind him, a mountain of warmth and thunder. "And here you are, our stormbreaker himself!"

Khael barely had time to turn before his father's arms enveloped him in a crushing hug. "Three years and you greet your father like a stranger? No, no—come here, lad!"

Khael coughed against his chest, laughing breathlessly. "You still hug like a bear, Father."

"And you still talk like a knight pretending not to cry," Lord Corzedar shot back with a grin. "By the gods, you've grown."

"Dear, let him breathe," Lady Corzedar said softly, though her eyes glowed with joy.

"Breathe later. Tonight, we feast!"

The Lord gestured, and at once, the servants lit the courtyard lamps hundreds of small green flames blooming in the dark like stars reborn. The once-silent manor came alive.

From the great hall poured the sound of music strings and flutes, laughter and clinking cups.

Ren and Lyra came rushing from the doorway, their voices overlapping.

"Brother!"

"Khael!"

Ren was taller now, his grin wide and unrestrained. Lyra's braid shimmered as she ran to him, hugging him so fiercely he nearly staggered.

"You're really here," she whispered. "Not a dream this time."

"Not a dream," he promised, smiling down at her. "I'm home."

They led him inside.

Lanterns hung from the vaulted ceiling, their light glinting off the banners of the Corzedar crest a dragon coiled around a broken sword.

The long dining hall was alive with warmth and scent roasted pheasant, spiced honeybread, windlight wine that shimmered faintly blue.

Khael's seat was at the center. His parents sat beside him; his siblings opposite. For the first time in three years, all laughter, all love in this house turned toward him.

Ren leaned forward, eyes wide. "Brother, tell us! Did you really fight above the Peaks?"

Khael smiled faintly. "Yes. But the real battle was surviving Mother's lectures before I left."

Lady Corzedar gasped in mock offense; Lord Corzedar roared with laughter. "He lives! My son's humor survived the wars!"

The sound filled the hall like firelight bright, unguarded, whole.

Later, as the laughter softened and the wine dimmed, Khael stepped onto the balcony. The night was cool, the moon still high. The wind touched his hair like an old friend.

His mother joined him quietly, the lamplight framing her face.

"You're quieter than before…" she said softly.

Khael's eyes drifted to the horizon. "Three years can teach silence."

"And what did it teach you, my son?"

He looked at her, eyes steady. "That strength means nothing if it cannot protect what you love."

Her gaze shimmered, pride and tenderness entwined. "Then the boy who left has returned a man."

They stood together for a while, watching the lanterns drift like fallen stars over the manor.

Inside, laughter still echoed, his father's booming voice, his siblings' teasing.

Outside, the wind curled around Khael, carrying the faint whisper of dragonfire.

(After all the storms… I like this serenity...)

He closed his eyes, breathing in the night, the scent of home, of family, of peace.

For the first time in years, Khael Corzedar, the Dragon Knight, smiled without weight.

The first rays of dawn slid through the manor's tall windows, turning the air pale gold.

Soft wind brushed against the curtains, carrying the scent of pine resin and dew. Somewhere beyond the orchard, the bells of Windlight Vale chimed the morning hour.

Khael stirred.

He sat up slowly, stretching until his joints cracked, the faint shimmer of draconic scales flashing briefly along his arms. The sound of faint laughter and clattering dishes drifted up from the lower hall. For a moment, he just breathed listening to a house alive again.

He smiled.

(Home… it still feels like a dream.)

Pulling on a loose tunic, he stepped into the corridor. Morning light spilled through colored glass, painting the walls in hues of emerald and sky-blue, the colors of House Corzedar.

Downstairs, he found his mother in the sunroom, trimming herbs with practiced grace. The warmth of her Shinrei lingered in the air soft, soothing, like a constant breath of healing wind.

"Morning, Mother," Khael said, voice still half-drowsy.

Lady Maricar looked up with a smile that could quiet any storm.

"Khael. You're awake earlier than I expected."

"I suppose the wind doesn't let me sleep in anymore." He rubbed his neck, then glanced around. "Where are big brother and big sister? I didn't see them last night."

Her hands paused for a moment over the herbs, then resumed their careful work. "Arden and Serenia are still at their posts," she said gently. "Your brother commands the Northern Vein Guard, he's overseeing patrols along the frost border. And your sister is serving as envoy to the Skyfront Alliance. Strategy meetings, reports, endless negotiations."

Khael nodded slowly. "Still working, then. They always did outpace me."

Lady Maricar chuckled. "You forget, they trained you once."

"I remember," he said, smiling faintly. "Arden's sword lessons were more bruises than wisdom. And Serenia never lost a single argument."

"That's because she inherited my wit," she teased softly.

Khael arched a brow. "And Father's stubbornness?"

"That too."

They shared a quiet laugh, one filled with years of memory of practice yards and long afternoons beneath wind-carved trees.

Then Lady Maricar's gaze softened, studying him as sunlight traced his face.

"You miss them."

He exhaled slowly. "I do. But I think… I understand them better now. Duty doesn't wait for comfort."

Her eyes warmed. "And neither does love. Your father writes to them often—his letters always start with reports and end with recipes."

Khael laughed quietly. "That sounds like him."

He leaned against the wooden post beside her, watching the morning mist lift beyond the glass.

"Mother," he said after a pause, "you've kept everyone together."

Her hands stilled again, but she didn't look up. "It's what mothers do. Wind or storm, the house must stand."

Khael nodded, words caught in his throat. The silence that followed wasn't empty, it was full, alive with everything that didn't need to be said.

Outside, Ren's voice broke through the calm, loud and unrestrained.

"Brother! Come spar with me! I finally learned the first form of the Gale Step!"

Lyra's laughter followed, bright and bubbling. "You almost fell into the pond yesterday!"

"I was training my balance!"

Their mother smiled, shaking her head. "Breakfast first," she called.

Khael grinned, stepping toward the doorway. "I'll deal with them before they break something."

As he left, Lady Maricar watched him go, the wind stirring her hair like a soft prayer.

"Three children grown by the storm," she whispered. "And one who returned from it."

To be continue

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