The air around the group seemed to still, as if the world had momentarily paused in disbelief. The adventurers, still kneeling and barely able to comprehend what they had just witnessed, exchanged stunned glances. Their minds raced to process the revelation.
Jargien Rayinor. The name hit them like a tidal wave of memories. The young boy who had disappeared years ago, the child of Martha, their old comrade. The same Jargien who had died with her in the forest, only to appear now as a young man, capable of such power that not even the mightiest of Giantkin could withstand him.
Celestine, still on the ground, her legs shaky from the last clash, was the first to speak. Her voice trembled in disbelief. "Jargien... it can't be you. We saw you fall with your mother... how? How are you alive?"
Jargien looked down at her, his expression a mixture of calm and sorrow, as though the weight of the past had not escaped him. "I didn't die that day," he said softly, his voice steady but distant. "I was taken. Rescued... trained by someone who knew of my potential."
Merek, who was still nursing his wounds, slowly rose to his feet, struggling to keep his composure. He stepped forward cautiously, his eyes scanning Jargien's face. "But... your mother... she... she died protecting you. We watched her die, Jargien."
"She did," Jargien said, his tone softening, and for a moment, his eyes flickered with the pain of the past. "But I was reborn. Not in the way you think. I didn't forget. I couldn't forget. And now, I've come back."
The silence hung heavily in the air as the adventurers absorbed his words. The truth that they had all assumed was lost forever—the truth of Jargien's survival—now lay before them. They had assumed his death was the end, that the boy they once knew was gone forever along with Martha. Yet here he was, a young man, a warrior in his own right, standing before them with the same fire in his eyes.
"Why didn't you come back earlier?" Lyra asked, her voice tight with emotion, as she wiped away the dirt and grime from her face. "We thought... we thought you were gone with your mother. Why now?"
Jargien's gaze fell for a moment, his eyes distant as though he was searching for the right words. "I couldn't return before," he said slowly. "I needed to understand. I needed to learn what had happened and become strong enough to face the past. To honor my mother... and to understand the truth of what she and the others had sacrificed."
He paused, looking each of them in the eye, his voice growing firm. "I'm not the same Jargien you knew. I've changed. I've been trained in ways you can't even imagine. But I came back for one reason."
Kaelen, still reeling from the shock, stood up shakily, his gaze unwavering. "And what's that reason?"
Jargien's eyes hardened, the intensity in his expression palpable. "To put an end to what was left undone. To finish what my mother started."
The adventurers exchanged worried looks. The weight of those words was not lost on them. They understood what he meant—Jargien was not just back to heal old wounds. He had returned with a mission of his own, a vengeance that seemed to burn through him. Yet, they couldn't deny the pain in his eyes. The past was not something he could simply move on from.
They were broken from their reverie by the distant sound of hooves approaching. A group of figures appeared in the distance, riding swiftly toward them. It was their families, the very people they hadn't seen in years.
Celestine's heart skipped a beat as she recognized her mother's form in the lead. Evelyn, who had once been her mentor and motherly figure, rode ahead, her gaze scanning the landscape. Behind her were Merek's family and Lyra's parents. The reunion that had seemed so impossible only moments ago was now happening before them.
"Jargien!" Evelyn cried out, her voice breaking as she saw the young man standing among the adventurers. Her horse stopped abruptly, and she dismounted in one swift motion, rushing to him.
Jargien didn't move for a moment, then, without a word, he stepped forward into her embrace. Evelyn held him tightly, tears streaming down her face as she whispered, "I thought we had lost you too... you were gone... but you're here. You're alive."
Jargien stood still in her arms for a moment, his face unreadable, before he spoke quietly. "I'm sorry... I couldn't come back sooner. But I'm here now."
Merek's father, a tall, stern man, approached next, his eyes searching Jargien's face as if looking for some sign of the boy he had once known. He placed a firm hand on Jargien's shoulder, his voice gruff with emotion. "You've grown into something... remarkable. I didn't think I'd see the day."
Lyra's parents were next, each of them looking at Jargien with a mix of shock and admiration. They, too, had assumed that Jargien and Martha were lost to time. But now, their former comrade's child stood before them, alive and well.
The reunion was nothing short of overwhelming. They embraced him, took him into their fold, as if nothing had changed. But in truth, everything had changed.
The adventurers, their own families, and the return of Jargien were a reminder of all they had been through together. They had come to the realization that their bonds, forged through battles and shared pain, were more than just the ties of comradeship. They were the ties of family, stronger than any force that could break them.
Jargien stood among them, surrounded by the people who had once been his family. Yet, in his heart, he knew his journey was far from over. There were still debts to be paid, wrongs to be righted.
He would never forget the pain of the past, nor would he forget the sacrifices of his mother, Martha, and the other heroes. But for now, as the sun set over the horizon, casting a warm glow over the group, Jargien allowed himself a brief moment of peace.
The road ahead would be long, but with his past finally facing him and his future unfolding before him, he could now see that there was hope. The battle was never truly over, but as he stood among his family, he understood that this—this was where his heart belonged.
And for the first time in years, Jargien allowed himself to smile, the weight of his journey momentarily lifting.