Epilogue: Arin: Ten Years Later

Arin reflects on love as a devastating force that reshaped him when he found and then lost Essiya. In the years since, he has managed his rage and grief by riding into Essam, waking gasping at night, and clinging to the home her memory carved in him—untouched by death but barred to him.

Traveling to Sirauk Bridge on horseback with Ehal, while his kitmer Niseeba circles above, Arin follows his ritual: buying sesame candies in Har Adiween and arriving early to find the bridge empty. He resents how the world has moved on from Nuzret Kamel’s anniversary, even as he admits time hasn’t moved for him.

As Supreme and Commander, Arin has steered Essam into prosperity and cooperation with neighboring kingdoms, fulfilling promises while avoiding his own magic. Malik Lateef has closed access to the bridge for safety, sending Arin a brief note of remembrance. Sefa wished to accompany him, but Arin refused, unwilling to reopen her grief for Marek and unwilling to bring someone who believes Essiya is dead.

Stepping into the mist, Arin grips his fig-bead necklace and confronts reality: no one has ever returned from Sirauk. Yet he chooses the realm of “almost,” remembering that the greatest turns in his life defied certainty—the return of magic, meeting the Jasad Heir, and loving Essiya.

As frost clings to his coat, Arin gradually senses warmth and light; the mist thins to reveal the bridge’s far end for the first time in a decade. In its center, four figures take shape. One, a woman with wind-tossed curls and dark eyes, smiles and steps toward him. Recognizing Essiya, Arin finally lets hope consume him and says, “Welcome home, Suraira.”