for all the light that i shut out; castile

[Castile]

and underneath the layers, I find myself asking what's left
a hollowed out form, the skeleton of a ghost, the pitiful echo of what once was

Wolfbane assured him that Lepis was on the cusp of returning, and from that moment, Castile acutely watched the Loessian border.

Her return is somewhat of a comfort, a vision that he has anticipated for months. She is one of the threads in the tapestry Nayl and Djinni wove years ago. Generations have come and gone, yet there remains a bond between the two families that Castile hugs onto. Ivar and Lepis, mainly. Once, there was Starlin and their son – whom is missing as of late – but she has seemingly faded with the seasons, her body disintegrated on the ocean floor. Djinni’s legacy, although not related by blood, are close enough to which Castile can welcome them with open arms, which is exactly how he approaches Lepis upon her return home.

”You’ve returned,” he says lightly with a broad grin pulling the edges of his mouth while interrupting her observance of the ferns. ”I’ve honestly missed you, Lepis.” She’s family, that’s why. Even now, years later, she refers to him as uncle, just as he would offer anyone else the simple explanation of niece. The familial love lasts even in the years of her absence. ”I was told by Wolfbane that you were expecting again. Congratulations, niece.”

castile