{SE} Bittersweet Echoes

Anden

The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek

As the long days, and warm Sun of Longheat faded into the past, the cool and crisp nights of Leafchange arrived. Anden had continued to explore. After his first real training session with Alina, he'd been less afraid of the world. He knew he still wasn't a warrior of any kind, but he had a new form of confidence. "It's not much further." Anden called out to Dani who trailed behind him.

Dani.

Much like Leafchange, Dani was a welcomed change to Anden's life. She was an outlander, and new to the Grounds like he was. More importantly she seemed happy. It was strange, but Anden felt like he had to be better. To try harder, to keep up with her bright smile. He'd come to accept that he might never see Eloise again. It didn't mean he was happy about it, but he knew he couldn't linger on the thought forever. He had Dani to watch over now. She wasn't Eloise's replacement, but Anden couldn't help but compare them sometimes. He hoped that Eloise would forgive him for trying to move on. For trying to move forward - without her.

He'd been waiting to show Dani the Glade. He'd discovered it when he took a wrong turn heading back to the Grounds only a few nights prior. A happy mistake, he thought. As he pushed past another branch his eyes lit up. There it was, The Glade.

The change was sudden. From the almost barren outlands, to the dense and lively Glade. A hidden grotto tucked away, safe from outsiders. He walked over to sit on overgrown roots that had surfaced and made a makeshift bench. "So what do you think?"

---

Dani

The Sun and the Moon
In an endless game of hide and seek