They did not want a grand spectacle.
They wanted something more personal.
So the date was set quietly, and the place chosen was the great tree outside Zodiac City—the very tree where, fifty years ago, they had confessed their feelings before Emery left for his first true mission.
That night had marked the beginning of everything.
Now they returned to close the circle.
The hills were alive with early summer wind, tall grasses bending like waves beneath a sky washed in gold. The ancient tree stood at the summit, its trunk vast and weathered, its branches stretching wide as if remembering them.
Thirty witnesses stood beneath the canopy—close friends from Golden City, Zodiac City, Terra City, Dawnstar City, and Earth. Companions who had shared blood and years together.
Emery felt deeply honored that one of the elders he respected most was available and agreed to lead the ceremony.
