Zucca smiled at the visitor who tentatively approached. “Hello.”

“I... what is this? Are you waiting for the Traveler too?” The visitor asked as they looked over the ruins. They felt underwhelmed by the chrome-armed stranger who sat on the steps of the ancient library.

“Oh! Yes, that’s me.” Zucca said with a smile. “Sorry things are a little wrecked. Haven’t gotten around to fixing things up. Somehow it looks worse than when I was in the middle of building it.” He sheepishly chuckled.

“What...? Built it? But that was almost nine hundred years ago!” The visitor exclaimed.

“Eight hundred and sixty four.” Zucca corrected.

“Then... my word... *you’re* The Traveler? But...”

“You were expecting something more grand, dignified, aloof. Not a battered, smiling goof.” Zucca said with a smile.

“Uh... well... yes. Everyone who comes back from here have stories about The Traveler. They talk in awe.”

Zucca shook his head. “I can’t help how I’m perceived. I’d stop that kind of thought if I hadn’t respect for people’s agency. No, I’m just... me. And you’re here because your brother wishes to join the military and you’re thinking back, realizing you weren’t the kind of big brother he needed. That you were harsh on him. And you’ve come to ask me what to do. You’re even contemplating lying to the army so he’ll be turned away.”

The visitor seemed ashamed. “Yeah...”

“You can’t change the past. Not even I can. But you can change the here and now. You can tell your brother how much he means to you. That you regret your neglect. That you want to turn things around. Because he may perish, fading from your reach and you’ll never be able to tel him the things that you wish you had.”

“But what if he doesn’t want to reconcile...?” The visitor asked.

“Then at least you’ll know. And you can work on yourself to become the kind of person your brother *wants* to reconcile with. But you’ll never know any of this unless you just sit down and talk.” The Traveler said.

“I... I suppose that’s all I can do. Thank you...”

“I know this better than most, friend. You’re never far from the things you’re running from...”