Theo walked towards the walls he hadn’t seen in decades. They were exactly how he remembered them; rough slabs of stone stacked upon one another. Almost quaint, if compared to towering cathedrals of polished marble, or labyrinthine obstacle course shanty towns made of wood and fire safety violations.

Union City felt a lot smaller after he’d explored the world. Humble, almost.

But he made a point to never judge a place by its looks, which was the only reason he still had all his fingers and toes at his age. To be in one’s mid-thirties wasn’t considered old, but in the adventuring profession it was old enough to consider retiring.

Which is, of course, why he came back.

That, and the fact he was getting tired and wanted to return to his home town.

As he walked closer to the walls, a copse of trees suddenly sprouted in his path.

Theo smiled, as Eva popped out and waved.

She had changed in the years he’d been gone, as he presumed most would have.

But most wouldn’t have grown glowing green hair, or equally vibrant veins and eyes. Her hair floated, waving in some unseen wind, held aloft by the storm of mana that surrounded her. He could feel the power radiating off of her.

“I see the herbs have treated you well.” Theo commented.

“I see the years have done the same for you.” Eva countered.

Theo rubbed his chin, where a short, scruffy beard now lay. He’d grown into his height, and filled out broad shoulders to cut a rather strong figure. It was a rather unkempt figure, sure, but that was a given when travelling to places nobody had been in years and sleeping around campfires. His hair was similar – thick and long, it wreathed his head in darkness, a veritable messy mane.

What he had grown into, more than just his looks, was his confidence. Years of fighting for his life and coming out on top had taught him to trust in his own abilities while still respecting those of his opponents.

The curtain of shadow that lingered at his feet dissipated, no longer replenishing itself while he stood still.

“After how long I’ve been away, you’d hope that I’d grow from the experience,” Theo joked. “I’m sure I’ll tell you all about the places I’ve been when I pop by the Guild.”

Eva smiled in genuine excitement. Theo wondered how it must feel to be tied to the land, unable to move and travel.

Then again, knowing Eva, it wouldn’t surprise him if she was entirely capable of doing so. Just because The Woods stayed roughly where they were, didn’t mean they had no choice in the matter.

“Are you just visiting, or…?” She trailed off.

“I think I’m done with adventuring.” He mused, and with that, he left behind the representative of The Woods, and headed into the city itself.

---

The Pub wasn’t exactly the same as he remembered it. Patch jobs on top of patch jobs continued to pile on, in a way that was unmistakeably unique, ever-changing yet clearly still just The Pub. The rest of the area, however, had vastly changed. The Outskirts were no longer undeniable slums, instead streets of modest yet clean wooden houses. In a way, it made The Pub stand out even more.

He walked through a door that creaked in a similar enough way to when he last visited, to see a man at the bar, similar enough to the bartender he remembered.

Alan had gained years without gaining weight, looking for the most part exactly like he had before. His hair, on the other hand, had turned a rather stark shade of white, and the wrinkles on his face had multiplied and borne generations of children.

“Welcome stran-“ It only took a moment for him to realise who had actually walked in.

The usually taciturn man choked on his words, hands fumbling the mug he had been polishing, but before it could clatter to the ground a simple whistle carried it back into his hands.

Theo’s pursed lips turned into a broad grin at Alan’s disbelieving eyes.

“It’s been a while, but that’s a bit harsh don’t you think?”

“Come here, you bastard.” Alan spit his way, but the moisture gathering in his eyes belied how he truly felt. He walked out from behind the bar, and pulled him into a tight hug. Theo squeezed back gently, unfortunately aware of how much more fragile Alan was these days. It was measured and controlled, another effect of all the internal magic he’d cultivated.

Alan gestured for him to sit down, walking back behind the bar at a relaxed pace, before slinging a beer his way.

It looked exactly the same as one from twenty years ago.

Tasted the same, too. Even through all his travels, he had never found anything that quite tasted like it, and he’d gone to many terrible bars to the consternation (and eventual resignation) of his adventuring party in his quest to find one as similarly horrible as this.

“So, what happened to the neighbourhood?” He asked.

“You remember Annie, right?” Theo did remember her. Once the war was over, the state of the city was in turmoil, and after a few years of things changing and Theo supporting what she was doing, she ended up on the council as a representative for the less fortunate areas, backed politically by House Flake and himself. Turns out being the man who almost singlehandedly ended a war resulted in having some say in how things were run.

“Well, after you graduated, she became head of the Union City Council, and really shook things up in here. Convinced people that investing here would end up being better for the city as a whole, and it really panned out. She’s still the president, a decade on.” Alan shrugged, and they settled comfortably into their old silence.

That is, until someone had the courage to come up to him.

“Th-the Unheard Melody?” Theo turned around, seeing a small girl shrinking into herself, almost hiding behind her lute. He had earned a name pretty early on, and someone much smarter than him had made sure lots of nuance was in it that he didn’t really understand.

“The one and only.” He smiled, as friendly as he could make it.

She mustered up her courage, and asked a question. “Alan says you used to perform here?”

He let out a full belly laugh. “Why yes, yes I did. Years and years ago, but I did. Alan took care of me when I was younger, so I thought it would be rude to come back without saying hi at the very least.”

“She’s the resident bard these days.” Alan supplied.

“Well then, I look forward to hearing my replacement. Maybe even play something together? I’m pretty good at improvising.”

---

The College District had changed very little since he last visited.

Sure, he had to convince the guards to let him into the inner (which hadn’t been a problem when he’d held the Coins of Unity and also knew who was on duty), but the districts themselves were the same as they had always been. Be it the weight of inertia, heritage, or simply the cost of changing those expensive materials, of all the places in Union City this was the closest to how Theo remembered it.

He sat in the park, watching students milling around as they ate lunch. On one level, he understood that they were all adults and he had been their age once upon a time. But looking at them now, they felt like babies.

He was getting old.

As he reminisced about his shenanigans when he was still at College, a few individuals sat down near him.

It took him a moment to recognise everyone.

Rowena had grown into the ice affinity that ran in her family. Her robe, while not as ornate as the one she wore to her ball all those years ago, still glistened in the sunlight, and her hair was tinged white from frost. She looked like a stern teacher, which didn’t surprise Theo at all.

She tucked her robe under herself as she sat down, holding onto Finn’s arm to steady herself. Finn, on the other hand, didn’t look anything like how he remembered. He oozed roguish charm, with hair that seemed perpetually windswept and a slight tan to his skin, but the clothes were formal in a way that didn’t clash with his image. The billowing shirt with a leather vest on top seemed ready for both a ball and a boat. He whistled innocuously as Theo looked over.

Francis slowly sat down, leaning on his staff. It was more ornate than before, almost resembling Eva. He wasn’t frail or old, just savouring his connection to nature even in the park as grass inched higher and vines used him as support stakes. His attire hadn’t changed at all, still the same brown robe, except it fit his frame better. The largest change was in his eyes; the wisdom within was almost tangible.

Finally, Jenny was a towering figure of a person. Even more than she had been before. Her thick, corded muscles were free of sleeves, instead covered by bracers and metal bands. Her pants were threadbare, worn through use and abuse in the course of battle. Her hair was short, with the sides of her head completely shaved.

“How exciting for The Unheard Melody to join the College of Song.” Finn opined to nobody in particular.

Theo sighed, trying to ignore the colour in his cheeks. “Unless you want me to start using all of your titles too, let’s stick to Theo.” He also tried to hide his smile; it was nice to know Finn hadn’t changed.

And neither had Rowena. She elbowed Finn in the ribs without looking. In fact, if one never saw the arm move or the impact connect, they would say that there was no indication at all of irritation or exertion on her face. Likewise, Finn took it without even reacting.

“How’s everyone been?” Theo was happy to ignore what had happened like everyone else.

“It’s been peaceful. We’re the only ones who’ve returned so far, but we get letters from everyone now and then.” Francis supplied. “I still work with Eva to support The Woods.”

After graduation, everyone went on their separate ways to explore the world. Some went in parties, some went in pairs like Finn and Rowena, and some went by themselves like Theo did. It was encouraged to go adventuring and help out for a few years at least before finding the place they wanted to settle down in. For some, that meant coming home.

“I took over as the head of the Flake Estate, to allow my father to retire.” Rowena said with pride.

“It’s been boring.” Finn said bluntly, earning another elbow to his side.

“Finn has become a wonderful teacher.” Rowena filled in, a genuine compliment through slightly strained teeth. For once, Finn did not reply with a witty remark, instead smiling bashfully at the praise.

The moment didn’t last.

“Single, and waiting.” Jenny said. There was a look in her eyes, not quite hunger, but definitely that of a predator. Some of the shyness around her feelings had worn away over the years.

A wave of relief washed over Theo. His biggest fear on returning was to find out that she had found someone in her travels. In all his years away, through countless flings and dalliances, he never found anyone who was close to as brilliant as Jenny, not for lack of trying to replace the irreplaceable. He was certain others would have seen what he had, and capitalised on the opportunity. He sent a quiet prayer to Gilth that she was sitting here, right next to him.

Francis’ eyes followed that spark of floating mana, but said nothing.

Theo smiled. “Well then, shall we pick up where we left off?” He asked, bracing as Jenny threw herself at him.

He caught her and swung her around, over the ducking heads of Finn and Rowena and Francis, sweeping her into a deep kiss. They ignored the resigned consternation of their friends, and the shock of the students that had surreptitiously surrounded their teachers and the renowned bard.

Even now, years after their return, gossip about Rowena and Finn being together abounded; soon to be outpaced by the incredibly juicy news developing before their eyes.

“To think I was hoping you would have grown up.” Rowena mused with a smile on her face, shaking her head gently.

“Go tell that to your husband.” Jenny quipped back, breathing heavily as she separated from Theo’s face in her attempt to permanently stamp her lips onto his.

And as they laughed and laughed like they were young again and students again instead of teachers, as the sunlight filled the park in the way it only could at this hour, as everyone else melted away as if to give them space for their reunion, Theo knew.

His adventures were over, and that was okay.

He was home.