C108 The promise

The mansion was unusually still when Riku returned.

The soft hum of the night wind brushed through the garden, carrying the faint scent of rain and wisteria.

He removed his coat, the weight of the evening still clinging to him — the weight of endings, of farewells, of a life finally left behind.

As he stepped into the main hall, he saw a figure by the window.

Arun stood there