Oh Hero Of Knowledge

Zayn had just finished setting down the last plate when he heard the door open.

Heavy footsteps and tired sighs filled the room as his party returned, looking as exhausted as he'd expected.

Bran dragged himself in first, his broad shoulders slumped from fatigue. His tunic was stained with dirt, and he barely spared Zayn a glance as he trudged toward a chair.

Tobias followed close behind, adjusting his cracked glasses with a frown.

With a muttered spell, a golden glow wrapped around the frames, mending them instantly.

Kara and Elisse stumbled in after him, their faces flushed, sweat sticking strands of hair to their foreheads.

It looked like their mission had been a rough one.

But the moment the scent of Zayn's cooking reached them, everything changed.

One by one, their heads lifted, their tired expressions shifting to something else — something almost primal.