Almost a year before, he had first set himself on the path that would lead him to Val's tower. At that time, too, Adrien was carrying much upon his back. Everything that was about to happen had already landed on his shoulders, but he couldn't see any of it yet; and with each step he took, he went only further from home. But curiosity had kept him moving, and curiosity had brought him to his destination; and again curiosity had made him become himself. He still was the same; he wished to see what would be, to plunge into his next unknown - but the only path he wanted was the one at Val's side. He had rarely wanted for something so much; and the more he wanted, the more he feared to lose. Because his fear, too, was made of the same fabric as his wishes - indivisible, one's darkness matching the other's light, both just as beautiful. He could learn to love this fear, too; he could welcome it as a companion to his joy. He had come to understand that this quiver of his being, this chaos, was part of himself, was who he was. It had been Val who had showed him - it had been Val who had guided him through the abyss that was him; and Adrien trusted Val to guide him once more towards their future, no matter what it would be.