Chapter 126: Going Home

### Chapter 126

Joan knelt by his father's body, the tears that had streamed down his face now forming silent rivers of grief. The weight of his loss was almost too much to bear, the hollow ache in his chest a constant reminder that his father was gone. Alex, the man who had always seemed larger than life, who had faced countless dangers and insurmountable odds, was now motionless and cold. Joan's hands trembled as he gently touched his father's arm, the reality of the situation sinking deeper with each passing second.

Thrain, standing nearby, watched Joan with a heavy heart. The old wizard had seen much in his long life, but nothing had prepared him for this. He felt the loss as keenly as any of them, but he knew they couldn't linger here. "Joan," Thrain said gently, his voice filled with sorrow, "we don't have a home anymore. Sam's Town is gone, and there's nowhere to properly bury him."