Jan Snr

Half a year had passed since Baal died, and you continued to live in Rotkov. You'd almost completely distanced yourself from everyone, just as they had distanced themselves from you... just as Jan had. He'd become cold and distant with you, even though you'd had feelings for each other before. Where had they gone?

You constantly remembered him, his image, his voice... You still loved him, and he will forever remain in your heart. It was worth it for you to imagine how Ian would appear.

As always, he exuded a clean scent, sometimes overwhelming, almost clinical. "It's all because of the bandages and the medicine Anna soaks them in." His dark hair had grown out, and he often wore it in a ponytail or pinned it back with fancy hairpins taken from Anna's desk.

Ian still smiled often, but not at you anymore. The day after your return, he left for Oxford with one of Donovan's squads... Without saying a word, you realized the man had fled. That squad only returned four months later. During that time, Ian had changed: he smiled more, but at you, but inside, everything seemed to be closing. Completely, it seemed. But the only person with whom he was his old self was the general.

You stood next to Anna. She was peering at the monitor with countless examination tables.

—Is the scar bothering you anymore? It's still the same color as it was. That means there's still demon blood in it.

—Yes, but that's not a problem. Without the Tree of Pain, she poses no threat.

To this Anna nodded briefly.

The door opened and Yan appeared on the threshold. He was re-wrapping the bandage on his hand, simultaneously looking around the room. You thought you saw a weariness in Yan's gaze that hadn't been there before.

—"Come on, look at me."

You had one hope in your mind: that he would at least pay some attention to you after what had happened between you. But he simply remained silent, looking back and forth between the results on Anna's monitor and you.

After their meeting six months later, Ian suggested that Lane break up. Now it's up to Lane whether she'll try to get him back or let him go. Jan ignores, is cold, his eyes are empty, if he smiled, it was no longer at her.