Even though I'd tried to brace myself, it still felt like someone had ripped a hole in my chest. The pain was sharp and sudden, like a knife straight to the heart.

"You remember the year your company rang the bell in Novaria?" Thierry asked out of nowhere. "That was the same year you got your international driver's license, right?"

I thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Do you remember your last day in Novaria, before you flew back to Summit ...