Echoes of War, Ch 32: New Capital (Patreon)

The ground where the palace had been was a dozen feet lower than before, revealing the barren surface of stone that was polished smooth by the erosion of the elemental storm. There wasn’t even a single stone left of the palace itself. Everything that had been built to demonstrate the glory of the king and his authority was gone. The area was a glaring warning to anyone who had the same idea of undermining their kingdom for personal power.

The emptiness was a stark contrast to the rest of the nobles’ quarter, where there were other mansions and smaller palaces that were untouched by the destruction, including a quiet reflection pool that showed the sun and moons when the sky was clear, the queen’s palace, and the crown prince’s dwelling. There was no queen at the moment, so that one was empty, and Sam had broken part of the prince’s home, but those and the mansions of dukes and lesser nobles were all still there, sprawling out for a couple miles inside the quarter, all of them oriented around the great scar on the earth.

The pit where the outpost had been was rumbling as the lava at the bottom surged and popped, releasing waves of heat upward. With its presence, the area was still a mix of threatening residual elements. Plans flowed through Sam’s mind as it began to cool off and he turned to look at the crown prince who was still floating in a shield bubble.

He’d been enthralled by everything that was happening, his eyes wide as he stared at the storm and his father, but there was no trace of anger or disagreement on his face, just interest. Now, the man was currently laughing so hard he couldn’t stand up. He was slumped against the front of the shield for support, holding his side. Even a high Constitution couldn’t prevent giving yourself a stitch from laughing too much.

Sam shook his head as he reached over and dismissed the bubble, leaving the prince floating on a current of wind. His hair blew wildly as he tried to stand up, but he found he had no longer had any support. His legs just kicked in the air until he gave up and hung there like a scarecrow.

“Farzen really outdid himself in hiring you,” the prince said admiringly as he looked at Sam. “That’s a great illusion! What’s happening next? Are you going to make the palace reappear?” He raised his arms to gesture at the empty area.

“Wait for a little, broken prince,” Sam said quietly. “Then we will discuss your heritage.”

Whether or not he would allow the crown prince to become the next king depended on if the prince was willing to be better than his father. If not, he wouldn’t mind digging another grave. Either way, he planned to settle the succession of the kingdom before he left. He didn’t want the king’s death to turn into a civil war that would kill even more of the local defenders.

Since he had intervened, he had to take on the responsibility to set things straight or there would be a mess in the kingdom that would overflow into his territory, but he didn’t plan on ruling the kingdom himself. He had much more important things to do. If it worked out, he’d put this prince to work for him and act as his supporter.

That way, peace would be restored and people would be able to think of this as a momentary interruption. The kingdom would have a jolt from his visit, but the future would be better for it, like lancing a wound.

The prince’s eyes were still muddled from the effects of the spell that was woven around him, which meant the death of the king hadn’t immediately canceled it. Sam wasn’t sure if the king had created it himself, but that was the most likely. The man’s sorcerer class should have given him significant ability with curses and mind-altering effects, and it was in his interest to keep the crown prince under his control, but it was unfortunate he’d chosen to make him into an idiot who only looked for entertainment.

Now that Sam took the time to study the spell from close up, hints of mana showed it was anchored in the prince’s clothing and coronet. Small wisps of well-hidden runes were woven into the metal and cloth to create the structure. He shattered the enchantments with a flick of energy and then he left the prince to recover while he worked. If he needed more help than that, it could wait a little while.

“Now to leave an impression...” he said as he looked upward to where the enchantment that had supported the elemental storm was still hanging in the air.

The remains of his spell was made up of glowing lines of silvery runes and astral energy, with key spell nodes making loops around where the nagas had been. Most of the Silver Army had gone off to chase the king’s forces, but the structure here was still stable. At Sam’s gesture, the enchantment descended like trails of moonlight and settled onto the ground where the palace had been.

If he left this area alone, someone would only build a new palace on top of it and this lesson would be forgotten. That meant he needed to create something more permanent, to make sure the kingdom wouldn’t forget what he’d taught them today. Also, destroying the kingdom’s foundation wasn’t his intention, so he needed to give them something to take their minds off what had happened.

The price for a king.

With a gesture, he began to weave the astral energy into a new structure, swiftly creating a design at the center of the area. Repurposing runic magic was a difficult technique, but his Modify Aura and Spell Forging abilities made it straightforward. Lines of enchantment flowed toward him and then out again as he turned the spell to a new purpose.

The structure that began to rise in front of him was the foundation of the old palace traced out in silver lines that burned here and there with bright stars, ones that matched the stars constantly around Sam and that ranged from light silver-white shades to burnished antique silver, but it didn’t rise up the whole way. He stopped when there was only an outline that showed where the palace had been, a starry echo to remind people of the past. On top of that, something else was born.

The center of the palace was where the king’s throne room had been, directly over the remains of the Outsider outpost. The hole it had left behind was deep. Glowing wisps of yellow Earth and steel-grey Metal appeared in the air around Sam as he called on the elements to fill it. They flowed down into the hole and merged into the walls, which began to grow thicker.

Time passed and the walls closed in, sealing over the cooled lava below. The stone rose upward after that and filled in the rest of the hole until there was only a smooth plateau under the silver outline of the palace. Then Sam reached into his cloak and carefully pulled out an object that looked small in his hand.

It was the sapling of the Wild Tree, which he’d been holding onto until he found the right place to put it. It was about ten feet tall with faint golden patterns across its bark in a miniature version of the Wild Tree on Alora’s world. Its leaves were a mix of green and silver, some of them still fragile and a little curled as if they had just barely opened. Even this small, it radiated with a sense of balanced elements and wild essence, giving off a pleasant hum as he held it.

Asenya’s memory fragment in the Wild Tree had given it to him to help stabilize energy on Aster Fall. It was naturally able to link into nearby dimensions and pull them to itself, just like a tree extending its roots into the earth. Once it was grown, it would also be able to defend those dimensions in return, providing them with stability against damage.

More than that, it was able to absorb essence and the elements, as well as experience and other types of energy. All of them were different nutrients for the tree, and it would pour out a perfectly balanced and unique energy of its own in return. According to Asenya, it could help the damaged World Core balance the energy from the Nexus, which should reduce the number of Flaws on Aster Fall. It might even be able to help the World Core get the advantage it needed to repair itself.

Asenya had created the Wild Tree to balance energy in the Void and create a safe home for herself and her descendants. Her nature was split between two origins, Outsiders and Astrals, so she needed something that was equally balanced between essence and experience to make herself comfortable. Now, that same principle would be able to help the World Core balance energy here, acting as an assistant.

At the same time, the World Core could hopefully channel extra energy to it and help it to grow quickly. When it was larger, it would be a great defense for the world. Alora’s homeworld was in the Chaos Wild and outside of the regular and more stable border of the galaxy, but it was protected by the older version of the tree, which was why a Vos’Rekan hadn’t eaten it yet. Once this sapling grew up, it should be able to defend Aster Fall in the same way.

It would just take a while.

He’d considered planting it in one of Asenya’s old workshops, but he hadn’t found one yet and it was better if the tree was planted soon so that it would have time to grow. It would also be needed to heal Asenya if he found her injured somewhere and managed to bring her back to Aster Fall. If this idea worked, he planned to make the tree the new center of Veritan and the kingdom. It would be better here than in an abandoned workshop.

Plus, if Asenya did return, she’d probably have a much more interesting time here in the capital with some people to talk to rather than in a cave somewhere.

The natural life energy and magic that was given off by the people of the capital would help the sapling to grow, and in return it would balance the chaotic elements of the world for them, extending its blessing over the area. He wasn’t sure of the exact effect, but it wouldn’t be anything harmful. Its branches would shade the capital and bring peace and prosperity.

If things went well, this tree would become the new protector and symbol of Aethra.

He looked down at the sapling as he studied the area marked out by his enchantment. Lines of astral energy flowed out from him, connecting to the leylines of mana that ran through the earth and the sky. Subtle shifts of his hands brought the sapling into alignment with them as he created dimensional channels for it to absorb the mana, following the cultivation method that Asenya had taught him.

There were seven leylines in the earth and five in the sky that he connected. Several of them ran directly through Veritan, which was one reason the capital had been centered here, but others were more distant and needed the dimensional connection. As soon as the tree felt the mana flowing into it, its roots shivered and began to open. Gold-tinted elemental energy flowed along its bark as the swirling patterns on it grew brighter. Threads of balanced energy extended through the connection, sinking into the dimensional space like it was rich dirt.

Once the leylines were connected, he turned the sapling a little more to test the result. It was harder to move now. The weight of the dimensional spaces was anchoring it in place. A quick smile spread across his lips at that. Then he looked upward, sensing the local elemental energy, as he began to do the same with elemental mana of each type.

Wind from the clouds, lava and stone from the earth, wood and water from the plains, metal from the deep roots of the mountains, fire from the sun and stars...he brought a dozen sources and then even more to touch the sapling’s roots and let it weave its way into all of them.

With each connection, the tree became heavier, until even in his massive hands, it felt like he was holding a mountain, but he didn’t stop until it was finished. Eventually, the sky, earth, sun, stars, wind, water, and everything between was connected to the tree.

Each of the elements would nourish it.

This wasn’t the limit of the tree, but rather its first foundation. In time, it would access other sources of energy nearby and grow outward into them, burying its roots deeper into the nearby dimensions and stretching its branches into the sky. He wasn’t sure how high it would grow, but if it was like the original, it would be as tall as a mountain.

Slowly, he rotated the tree a final time as he aligned the sapling to the structure of the earth where the palace had been and then he lowered it down. It was very small for the amount of energy it contained and it glowed like a miniature sun as the golden swirls on its bark burned brightly. He placed it where the old king’s throne had been, right above the fragments of chaotic essence that still remained from the outpost and that were now buried in the earth.

The sapling’s roots sank into the stone like it was water, and then they stretched outward. Rippling waves of elemental energy flowed along its trunk as wisps of multi-colored light gathered in the air. The roots flexed, sinking deeper and spreading, until they extended twenty feet deep and the same wide around the base of the tree. The glow on its bark dimmed slightly in exhaustion, but currents of energy from the world began to flow into the trunk as it recovered.

“Now, for your recognition,” Sam said as he looked down at it. Then he looked outward to where he could sense the World Core in the Void, and he called for its attention. His voice was a rumble of elemental energy and essence, stretching out like starlight through the dimensions. “Asenya, your old caretaker, created this tree with you in mind. She is the World Forger and you are the World Core. This is a gift to you, to help with your purpose. Will you support this sapling in its growth and make it part of your world?”

The tree could grow without the World Core’s support, but it would be much better if the core agreed to help it. The only question was whether or not it would. It would have to divert some of its critical energy in the short run toward the sapling and bet on a future return.

A moment later, the answer came. The World Core’s attention settled on the area again, pressing down like a mountain. The last time, it had felt oppressive and judgmental as it censured the king, but this time it was attentive. There was a bubbling feeling in it that felt like excitement.

The World Forger? The voice was curious, its tone more human than Sam had ever heard before. It had always been authoritative and strict, but this time, it felt lonely. Its words were a question like a child who’d been left behind and who wasn’t sure if his parents would ever return. I sense her.

He felt the World Core studying the tree, its attention sweeping through the branches and across the roots, as well as over the half-completed structure of the enchantment that he’d created around it. Then its voice became more confident, its tone agreeable.

Matching aura signature detected. Origin identified as Asenya, the World Forger. Status: Missing. Significance: Irreplaceable. It has been ages since the World Forger last authorized a change to the planetary structure.

Analyzing artifact.

Artifact Identified as “Sapling of Wild Balance.” Artifact is compatible with the World Core and the energy of the Nexus. Potential impact is rated at the Divine tier.

Request approved.

Artifact will be integrated into Aster Fall to filter essence and chaotic elements. Now establishing energy parameters.

A series of pulses swept across the sapling, some strong and others barely present, as the World Core assessed its response to various types of energy. There were waves of heat, chilling cold, dimensional fluctuations, stray essence, a river of experience, and more, all of them pouring into it like waterfalls from afar. As each of them touched the tree, it soaked up the energy and its leaves began to unfurl, growing larger by the moment.

Assessment complete. The World Core announced. Its voice wasn’t what Sam would ever call cheerful, but it almost seemed like it this time. Integrating energy pathways and linking the artifact to the World Core and the planetary structure. Diverting 0.5% of core energy flow from the Nexus to support its growth.

For the World Core, even half a percent of its full capacity was a massive amount of energy. As soon as it finished speaking, it felt like the sky was breaking open. Sam’s storm had faded, but now dark clouds began to form again, this time even denser than before as they covered the sky from one side to the other. Millions of points of mana condensed in every cloud, so intense that it felt like at any moment they would rain down as pure destruction.

It was midmorning, but at that moment, night fell on Veritan. The streets filled with strange shadows like an eclipse had covered the sun. Citizens across the city looked up with fear as they saw the sky changing again, their arms rising to cover their heads, but at the same time, the World Core spoke to them all.

Citizens of Aster Fall, bear witness to this moment. It is a rare event for the world’s structure to be altered. Be reassured that this process is safe for you.

The World Core speaking on a broad scale was something that almost never happened, but today it had already happened twice. To those from the church or who were followers of the World Law, it was a day that would be recorded in history as having two great blessings descend.

A massive current of energy fell from the sky and struck the sapling. The earth shuddered around it like it had been struck with a giant hammer. The energy felt strong enough to completely engulf the small sapling, but the tree only glowed brightly as the swirls in its bark radiated like flame. A rumble went through it as its roots flexed, swelling with power as they were suddenly energized. Its leaves stretched outward, each of them like a miniature whirlpool as they drank in the energy all around.

Then the tree began to grow.

Its branches stretched upward and its roots spread down, each of them expanding like crazy. The sapling that had been ten feet tall became eleven feet, then twelve, and then it swiftly grew to twenty feet in a slender needle point that dangled a green-silver leaf before it continued more slowly. As it grew, the trunk broadened at the same time, swiftly expanding from the few inches it had been before to six inches and then to twice that across.

Within a minute, it was twenty-five feet tall with a foot-wide trunk, and it showed no signs of stopping there. The energy pouring down into it was endless and it continued to grow at a slower but still furious pace, adding inches by the minute. The earth around it shuddered as the roots expanded at the same time, writhing like dragons in the stone as they dug deeper.

It wasn’t just growing in this dimension either. Sam could sense the dimensional energy of the nearby subdimensions bending around it as it expanded. The roots and branches were extending their presence into the layers of the World Seal and all the subdimensions that it held, just like the roots of a normal tree sought out pockets of water and nutrients. Where they lived on dirt and water, this tree lived on magic and the energy of the Void.

As if that thought had summoned it, at that moment the clouds broke open in the middle, letting a massive beam of sunlight fall through the opening. The sun struck the leaves and coated them in an energetic light like liquid gold. In response, the leaves grew broader, unfurling even more as they extended their surface to soak it in.

Sam nodded as he stepped back, giving the tree more room to grow. At the same time, he pulled the prince along with him. The man was holding his head now, his expression pale, and it looked like he was going to vomit, but it had nothing to do with the tree. That was the backlash of the spell fading. It had affected his emotions for too long for it to disappear easily. Despite that, the prince’s eyes were fixed intently on the tree as if he couldn’t bear to look away.

The tree was already filling the area of the throne room and as the World Core continued to channel energy into it, it continued to grow at the same insane pace. Within five minutes, it was fifty feet tall, and another five minutes later, it was a hundred. Its trunk grew broader and its roots deeper at the same time, and the golden patterns on its trunk became richer and more complex.

Half an hour later, it reached two hundred feet and its upper leaves were on par with Sam’s head. Only then did the clouds begin to fade away from the sky, but the energy from the World Core continued to flow in the background. It was just more subtle, like a hum that pierced directly into the bark of the tree. The tree had finally grown enough that the core could send it energy directly, rather than through the air around it.

In Sam’s dimensional sight, a thin pillar of rainbow light rose from the top of the tree and stretched away into the Void. It was a miniature version of the same effect that the original tree had, but that one was a massive river of energy that made the sun in Alora’s home system pale in comparison. This one wasn’t to that point yet, but one day, it might be.

The tree was now so broad that its branches stretched for a hundred feet in every direction, forming a massive crown, and the entire central area of the palace footprint was shaded by its leaves. Its roots were entwined around the location of the old outpost three hundred feet deep in the ground, sunken deep into where the molten stone had been just an hour before. The fragments of old essence and broken artifacts that had been left behind were now entangled like rocks in its roots, their energy pouring upward as they were slowly broken down.

Sam reached out and patted a branch as his face creased into a smile.

He knew the tree would keep growing at an absurd pace, but it had a lot of other work to do at the same time. For every inch it grew in this dimension, it would be doing the same in dozens of neighboring ones. That sort of interwoven existence took an incredible amount of energy. The growth it had experienced just now was only a foundation to start the process. The World Core’s support would accelerate its growth by dozens of years.

With its current height, the tree was visible from all across the capital. It was matched on the skyline only by Sam who was still standing beside it. To the inhabitants of Veritan, it seemed like a giant golden tree with silver leaves had suddenly grown from the earth, its size swiftly rising until it matched the High Artificer who had just executed their king. Their eyes were wide with shock as they struggled to understand what was going on. Fortunately, the World Core’s attention was still weighing on the area, keeping them from worrying too much.

Now, it announced the results.

Artifact has been integrated into Aster Fall and is beginning to stabilize the local dimensions. Then it continued, speaking only to Sam. “Sanctum of Asenya” has been created. Key assigned to High Artificer of Aster Fall. Dimensional access granted and location beacon assigned.

A sudden awareness sprang into Sam’s mind, carrying with it the impression of a small dimensional space at the heart of the tree. It was very similar to the location where he had met the memory fragment of Asenya, but where that one was full of her energy, this one was still empty.

At the same time, he became aware of the tree as a dimensional entity, its unique signature flaring in his mind. As soon as it appeared, he could tell that he would be able to teleport back from anywhere on the world or in one of the local dimensions, including from the World Seal itself. It was very similar to an astral thread, where distance didn’t matter as much as the strength of the connection.

That opened up an opportunity he hadn’t expected, where he could return here instantly if he did manage to find Asenya. It would also be useful to be able to teleport here at the drop of a hat, so he could check on what the rulers of Veritan were up to. The realization made him rub his chin as he turned to look at the prince. Before he could say anything, however, the World Core continued to speak to him.

The Sapling of Wild Balance has been planted, but it was a tradition of the World Forger to grant a unique name when an artifact is first activated. High Artificer, in the World Forger’s place, please assign the sapling a more appropriate title.

Sam thought for a moment as the question hung in the air and then he nodded as an idea occurred to him. He couldn’t call it the Wild Tree, since that would only copy the original, but there was something else that would fit. Silently, he sent the name to the World Core. A pulse of acknowledgement came from the core as it accepted the name, and then a more formal announcement rolled out across the capital.

Citizens of Aster Fall, bear witness to the rise of a unique artifact: “The World Tree.”

This artifact will help to shield you from invasion. Protect it with your lives and it will bless your kingdom. Harm it, and you will fall with it.

With those words, the World Core’s voice faded away, leaving the full information about the World Tree as a notification in Sam’s mind. He looked at it immediately.

“The World Tree” (Sapling)

Divine-Tier Aura Artifact.

Age: 1 hour.

World Core Energy Assigned: 0.5%

Enchantments: Divine Growth, Wild Balance, Dimensional Stabilization, Wild Blessing.

[Divine Growth: The World Tree’s growth is fueled by the energy it has available. Its structural ability to grow is nearly limitless. As it grows, new abilities may develop over time.]

[Wild Balance: The World Tree is capable of absorbing nearly all types of energy for its growth and converting them into balanced elemental energy.]

[Dimensional Stabilization: Just as the World Tree’s roots grow into the soil, they also grow into the nearby dimensions. The older the tree, the more this anchoring effect will increase. In the future, the World Tree will not only be able to stabilize these dimensions, it will be able to open gateways to them.]

[Wild Blessing: While within the aura of the World Tree, all living things will feel an increased sense of calm and will gain subtle improvements to their crafting, fighting, and magical abilities. As the tree grows, this effect will improve. Current Aura Radius: 2,000 feet.]

Sam read the notifications with a sense of satisfaction. The tree had been on his mind ever since he got it from Asenya, and to see it planted now was gratifying. Hopefully, it would be useful. Its blessing only covered 2,000 feet in every direction, which wasn’t even outside the nobles’ quarter yet, but it was barely an hour old. It would continue to expand as it grew.

With this, he was satisfied that he’d given the city more than he’d taken away. The aura would make Veritan into a true capital, a city that was blessed in the arts and magic. As he considered that, he turned his attention to the prince.

The man looked a bit healthier now. He was basking in the World Tree’s young aura, his eyes half closed, and his cheeks had more color. The effect of the tree’s Wild Balance was helping to draw away the chaotic energy from the broken spell and set him to rights. In time, it might even be able to fix more lasting damage.

Sam rubbed his chin, but he wasn’t in a rush. He kept half an eye on the prince while he turned back to studying the tree, examining it from root to crown. As the one who’d planted it and as High Artificer, he had a deep connection to it. It was very similar to his link to the Moonlight Relic. The golden patterns on its trunk spoke to him like fragments of the Void’s deeper laws and he could feel its desire to grow higher, to stretch its leaves into the stars.

“Soon,” he said as he reached out to pat its branch. He would have to meditate on those patterns in the future. Even when he closed his eyes now, he could see them there, glowing faintly like golden veins.

Right now, however, he returned to work on the enchantment he’d started below the branches. The silver lines that marked out the palace’s old footprint now sprawled around the base of the tree like an ornate decoration, interrupted here and there by young roots that would one day grow to a massive size.

Sam let his height decrease until it was easier to see beneath the branches and studied the new layout. Eventually, he nodded and began to add new runic lines, connecting the enchantment into a ring around the base of the tree. The tree needed room to grow, but it wasn’t a problem. This enchantment would grow with it.

Near the trunk of the tree, a spinning sphere of silver and blue energy quickly took shape, followed by a brilliant crystal sphere and a distant spiral of grey. On the edge of the design, near the lowest branch of the World Tree, a brilliant yellow sun glowed majestically. As soon as it was there, the details of the other two objects developed swiftly, turning into an exact replica of Aster Fall, the World Core, and the Nexus.

As soon as those were in place, more objects began to appear, laying out the entire solar system surrounding Aster Fall. Except for the Nexus, everything was oriented around the sun that was hung on the branch of the World Tree, orbiting it just like they did in space. It made it seem like the tree was at the center of the solar system too.

Beyond that, Sam began to weave more spells from the enchantment lines farther out, creating a self-sustaining structure as he added more details of the Void, including distant stars. By the time he was done, if anyone stood here at the base of the tree, it would be very similar to standing in the Void above Aster Fall and looking out at the distance. All of the objects were directly copied from his own experience.

Then, all around Aster Fall, in a much fainter silver glow, he added tiny floating spheres of sub-dimensions and a large silver sphere of the World Seal, which was damaged with cracks and holes. Each hole looked like a miniature Flaw, filled with a chaotic rainbow light that was unmistakable to anyone who had seen one.

With a few intricate links, he finalized the illusion by linking it into the energy of the World Tree. It was an entirely insignificant amount of energy to it, so there was no harm in having it sustain it. Then he raised a stone slab from the ground and added some information to it, engraving it in elegant runes to explain to the viewer what they were seeing.

When he was done, he examined the result. He wanted anyone who came here to understand the situation on Aster Fall. Besides showing people directly, laying it out like this in the capital was the best way he’d come up with so far. Hopefully, this location would turn into a pilgrimage spot for everyone, to let them see what the world was really like.

He studied the result and then he added a final signature to the bottom of the stone slab, “The World of Aster Fall as seen by the High Artificer from the Void,” followed by the date in the kingdom’s calendar. Then he stepped back with a nod.

“That should be enough,” he said to himself. He could always improve the illusion later if he had more time and something occurred to him.

As he looked around, the wisps of elemental energy from the World Tree combined with the illusion to create a mystical world of magic and the stars. The resonance of the Void was strong here next to the tree, which was giving off a subtle and enchanting hum of its own.

At that moment, the World Core spoke in his mind, its voice quieter than usual, as if it had just been waiting for him to finish his work.

Find her if you can. It was a whisper traced with sadness. Then the voice was gone. It was normally cold and authoritative, but in those words, he sensed its loneliness. There was no doubt who it meant. It wanted him to find Asenya, its caretaker.

“I will,” he replied solemnly as he looked at the tree and gave it a nod. It was a promise to both the World Tree and the World Core. Both of them had an important connection to Asenya.

Then he turned to the prince, whose eyes were fluttering as he woke up and began to stretch. The man let out a massive yawn, wide enough that it looked like it should break his jaw, and then he looked at Sam with eyes that were clear for the first time in who knew how long.

“Where am I and...who are you?” he asked with confusion. The arrogance and distance in his voice were gone, replaced by a simple and open honesty. It was refreshing to see the difference.

“Welcome back,” Sam said with a nod. “It’s time for you to live up to your duty.”