It was strange that he had come home and the house was empty.
Not just that others were out, nor that Yuan had left once again, but the house was never empty.
And yet there was no prick at his senses when he crossed the barrier, and he had known Anda had disappeared before his hand even made it to the door. Pressing a hand flat to the door, there was...Simply nothing. As though he had gone to work earlier that day and come back to a completely different space.
It was normal, typical, to remain when others leave, but this was different. Anda had never left. Anda leaving was...A horrid concept - Yuan, Grey, Rider - all of them were returning to a known. A solidified concept, and they were all safe (to varying degrees). But this was...
No, this was different. This sent a chill down his spine. Not just for himself and his own loneliness (dulled as that loneliness was, and never quite alone as he could ever be), but for Anda's sake. For Anda's present in their own time.
And for what would happen if Anda were to learn something new - unpleasant, experience something horrid and then return, dropped back into this place.
He swallowed, hand pressed against the door. There was no way of knowing how long he had to prepare. Based on the last eclipse, it could be moments. Or it could be years.
It had, in reality, been little more than 24 hours. There was no guarantee it would be today, but he would be waiting by the platform, focused on the incoming individuals, scanning the crowd with determined features.