whatever you left behind, became all of me.

4.

Your return is triumphant.

You're hailed as a hero.

It almost seems as though all of the people under your protection have come out of their shelters to greet you. You can feel hundreds of pairs of eyes on you, watching you like you're someone worth watching ━ worth following ━ and you're not sure that you know how to be that person. They're all watching you with such joyous looks on their faces, confident that you'll lead them to a better life, that you'll be able to rebuild this destroyed country with your own two hands.

You manage to muster a smile for your people, though in truth, your body is still fatigued from combat. Your head aches, a dull, constant pain. You manage to force your hand to wave.

The crowd is overcome. Some wrap their arms around friends, others stand with their eyes closed. A woman lowers her head to cry, blotting her face with the sleeve of her shirt. Others move forwards to swarm towards you, and despite yourself, your stomach seizes. Your mind returns to the battlefield, the ground awash in red, and you instinctively brace yourself for an impending blow.

"Stop this at once."

You've never been quite so glad to hear Haitham's voice before.

The members of your guard are quick to surround you, and are even quicker to restore some semblance of order amongst the crowd. Haitham's visage is as frosty as ever as he takes in the crowd, now silent as the soldiers pour into the city square. His body is tense like a bow ready to snap.

"I'm fine," You say quietly, comforting both him and yourself.

Haitham looks at you then ━ really looks at you ━ and you think that he must be able to see it. The way your hair shines almost unnaturally, the way your lips and cheeks are flushed prettily, the immense power thrumming beneath your skin. You wonder if he'll ask you what you've done to obtain this power, or if he'll even call you a monster and abandon you.

But all Haitham does is release the tiniest sigh of relief and say, "You've returned, Lord Rukkhadevata."

All you can do is swallow back the tears threatening to fall, and nod. "I'm home, Haitham."