Flashback ( PDFDrive )

but still recalls almost nothing from the days before his sanity
shattered.”
“But my dad got his memories back,” Fitz reminded them.
“Yes, because his sanity was only fractured for a few weeks,”
Tiergan countered. “The damage had far less opportunity to spread.
And honestly? I’m sure your father has lost some of his memories. You
saw what he was like after the breakdown. Do you really think that
level of trauma wouldn’t cause at least some permanent damage?”
Fitz frowned. “But . . . he seems normal.”
“No, he seems like himself—because he is himself. Just like all of
you remain true to yourselves despite the traumas you’ve endured. It’s
a coping mechanism we all have, a way of recentering and regrouping
as we recover. But it doesn’t mean we aren’t also altered. Sometimes
the changes are noticeable. Sometimes they’re hidden. Either way, I
promise you, no one fractures the way your father did and escapes
unscathed. Let’s not forget that there’s now a Wanderling that bears
the name Alden Vacker and grows with his DNA. He’s done a brilliant
job of returning to life as though nothing happened—but that will
never change the fact that something did happen. I would tell you to
ask him about it, but your father’s a proud elf, and I know in many
ways he feels like he failed you when he let himself fracture. I doubt
he’s eager to admit the incident has had any lasting effects.”
Sophie wanted to argue with what Tiergan was saying—wanted to
keep believing she’d fixed Alden 100 percent. But . . . as someone who
also had a Wanderling bearing her name and was still haunted by the
nightmares that came with it, she probably should’ve realized that
Alden would be waging his own battles.