Rose’s POVAfter greeting everyone goodbye, we got back into our boats and set sail back to Varshan Hold.Goodbye wasn’t loud. There were no speeches, no grand gestures. Just tight embraces and the kind of silence that pressed heavy against the ribs.I hugged a few of the elders, squeezed hands, forced small smiles—but when I reached Tristan and Laura, my composure thinned.Tristan didn’t say much. He never did when things mattered most. He just pulled me into a hug, firm and brief, clapping my back once, like if he held on longer, he wouldn’t let go“Don’t disappear on us,” he muttered.“Never,” I said, though my throat felt tight.Laura stepped forward next. She looked like she was holding herself together by sheer will. The moment her arms wrapped around me, the familiar warmth of her nearly undid me. We had grown up side by side—whispered secrets under blankets, fought and made up in the same breath. Letting go of her felt like setting down a piece of my childhood.“You better vis
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