Jack looked at him one last time. He didn't recognize the man anymore.
"I'll be gone three days," Jack said.
His father didn't look up.
"I don't care if it's three years," he muttered. "Hell, don't care if it's forever."
Jack stood in the doorway for a long moment.
Then he stepped out into the cold morning light, alone—Eluna waiting just beyond the rise, silent, her hair
floating in wind that hadn't begun.