It could have been a second, an hour, a year, a hundred millennia; all were correct. The first thing I saw when my wits returned was the utter shock in Sethian’s eyes. It had been my thought that the experience was the elf’s doing. His expression was telling me I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Meaning: A difficult day can cast a shadow over the evening that follows. The saying expresses how trouble carries on in experience, but its word never is an exaggeration: later rest, support or a change of circumstances can still help.

Meaning: People or matters that are absent for a long time may lose their place in everyday attention. The saying describes a risk of being overlooked, without proving that distance ends affection or that a forgotten person has less worth.

Meaning: Advice offered after an irreversible action cannot prevent what has already happened. Give relevant guidance while someone can still use it, and distinguish prevention from help with what comes next.