I've always wondered...
Just what exactly is a dream?
Everyone has always said that a dream is a state of being. It shows you multitudes of images that blurs the line in-between the truths and lies. It also brings a person's hidden, and deepest, secret into light—uncaring about the harm or trauma it brings.
People have also said that a dream is intending to show a hidden message, or meaning, that one holds deep into their heart.
Like a type of symbolism.
I wonder... am I currently inside a dream?
My eyes are closed shut, and I can't seem to open them as the heavy nebula of ocean water surrounded my whole body.
But somehow, I could still breathe.
After finally having control of my eyes, I opened them wide. In the far distance, I could see the familiar red flame. Still submerged in the ocean water, I stretched my hand towards it.
Soon, a bright beam of light filled my vision, and forced me to close my eyes once more.
As I felt the light dwindle, I now find myself in an empty white space with nothing in existence.
I looked around, trying to see just where exactly I was before I saw the red flame in front of me once more. I slowly walk towards the flame.
Once I stood before them, I breathed in before speaking.
"... Azar, did you bring me here?"
They didn't utter a single word. Only after a few moments of silence did they finally begin to speak.
"... I didn't expect you to be able to learn how to sense mana. I was joking when I said it, but..." They hesitated to speak. "You exceeded my predictions. If it's you..."
They stayed silent once again, not daring to finish the sentence. The sound of their flame burning continued on before they somehow let out a sigh.
"Setting that aside, it seems that you have the potential to reach the third ring."
"The third ring...?
"Yes. There is a huge difference between a person with a second ring and a third ring. While the second allows you to manifest your elements using mana, the third ring allows you to manipulate the elements into what you call magic. With this power, you'll surely be able to accomplish your goal."
Azar began to fly forward without stopping. Seeing that he wasn't stopping, I began to follow them throughout the endless space.
"I know you still have many questions to ask regarding your situation. I understand, but we have no time now. I didn't tell you this earlier since you're still young but as you continue to get stronger, some of my restrictions are permanently removed, allowing me to be of more use to you."
"... Then does that mean I can finally ask about my siblings?"
Azar stayed silent once again as they continued to move forward. "... You must get stronger if you wish to ask such questions."
Once again, silence filled the air around us as we continued to move forward. Just as I was getting tired from the constant walking, Azar suddenly stopped.
"... Because you were able to attain the first and second ring around your heart, I am able to show you something that I couldn't previously do before."
The floor in front of Azar quickly began to shatter—exposing a dark abyssal hole that seemed to stretch infinitely.
"Jump into this gate, and you'll soon learn of something important: the memories of the original Lysander."
My whole body tensed at the mention of those words.
The original Lysander... The one who became a villain and brought forth violence wherever he went...
Does that mean... that the events of the novel have already happened before?
As if knowing what I'm thinking, Azar quickly spoke out. "Time is limited. But through this experience... I hope for you to attain the third ring, and be able to protect the people you now care about."
"I see..."
As I gazed at the black abyss before me, I couldn't help but hesitantly step back.
But... that very same hesitation was soon clouded by the thought of saving my mother. I walked towards the edge of the hole before looking back at Azar, whose flame turned blue.
"... Why did your color change—"
"Hurry. We don't have much time."
Unable to ask him that question, I gazed back at the abyssal hole. The more I stared at it, the more I could remember that eerie sensation just before I died...
It was something that I never want to remember... something I wish I could forget...
But...
I didn't hesitate to fall in it; I didn't hesitate to let the familiar dark space consume me once more...
As my senses slowly began to dwindle, I looked up to see Azar floating near the edge of the hole, uttering some final words before my consciousness disappeared.
"I truly hope that you can change the fate of these characters...."
With those final words, their blue flame dispersed into the empty, white space. The little blue embers fell down into the hole with me—as if guiding me in this new journey…
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself inside one of the rooms of the mansion. I tried to move my head and body, but for some reason I couldn't...
But shortly after, my gaze shifted into the paper filled with countless ineligible words before looking at the nearby mirror of the room.
It was me, but all grown up.
I was wearing a black long-sleeved button down with a white coat over my shoulders. A sword was also resting on the arm of the chair that I'm sitting down on.
A sudden knock emerged from the door before it slowly creaked open.
A gray-haired butler hesitantly entered the room, slightly shaking with slight fear, before they bowed down with all their might.
"Y-Your Grace...! We have locked Seraphina in her room as per your orders!"
My mouth slowly opened, getting ready to respond to the butler words.
Despite not knowing the situation at hand, I somehow knew what I was going to say and do—despite not having any control of this body.
"... I see, you may leave then."
The butler bowed once again before leaving the room in a hurry.
I slowly placed the paper down on the table in front of me, and let out a deep sigh. All the current thoughts that this body is having are flooding my head.
I only know how to sense mana within me and the people around me, while also manifesting it into a materialized form—the state of having the first and second ring around your heart.
But the way he's using mana... is peculiar. He spread it thinly throughout not only the room, but around the mansion, the garden, and even the forest near the estate.
With enough focus, I could sense the presence of every living being within the vicinity.
Because of that, I also felt nine individuals isolated in the forest region. If I could feel those people's presence, then that means that the current Lysander can also feel it too.
I stood up, grabbed the sword near the chair and attached it to my waist.
An intrusion of thoughts once again filled my head, showing me an insignia filled with so many complicated and unknown equations that I have never seen before.
"... Teleport."
My location suddenly changed from the bedroom to an empty plain in the forest.
The nine people that were once gathered at a single location when I was in the bedroom now surround me as they hid in the nearby trees and bushes.
Once again, an insignia appeared in my head, but with a different set of equations and patterns.
"... Vermin's like you truly don't know how to give up now. Is the power of the spirits truly something you wish to attain in exchange for your life?!"
But even as I yelled at them, none of them moved or responded.
I aggressively adjusted the black glove around my hand, and fiddled with as I continued to have the insignia stuck to my head. "... Ha, whatever. You will all die by my hand as painfully as possible."
I quickly flicked two of my fingers upwards.
The insignia in my head activated. Soon a thick spike of ice formed underneath the people, and impaled them right through their hearts.
Seven bodies were brought to the air before they began to slide down the spike of ice with their hearts still pierced. Their presence also began to fade from the mana that was thinly expanding around me.
The two people, who were wearing hoodies to disclose their identities, that survived instantly dashed towards me with two short blades. By the smell of it, it seemed to be covered with lethal poison.
An insignia once again appeared in my head, different from the last one, but looked somewhat similar in terms of calculations and patterns.
A wall of ice soon emerged and blocked the attack. After their attacks were deflected, they immediately took a step back. But at that moment, the same insignia that was used for the teleportation earlier appeared in my head.
I quickly appeared behind one of the two people, silently placed my hand near their heart, and another summoned forth a spike of ice that stabbed right through the person's heart—killing them instantly.
The last person soon stumbled back, hesitating to attack me.
I began slowly walking towards them, extending my arms so nonchalantly with a forced smirk.
"What's the matter? Getting cold feet now, are we?" I then chuckled before gazing at all the ice around the forest. "Well I guess that's to be expected when the whole place is now filled with ice."
A smile slowly formed on my face—displaying such cruelty and sadiscity. "But don't think I'll be sparing your life just to capture or interrogate you."
The last person standing clenched their jaw before dashing towards with desperation. As they got closer to me, I could feel my face letting out another sadistic smile.
Multiple insignia were already formed during the small conversation—the same one used at the beginning. Once they got close to me, the insignia activated.
In an instant, a spike of ice impaled them from different areas of their body. From their knees, elbows, arms, and joints.
As the person coughed out blood, I walked towards them once more. Once I stood before them, I aggressively grabbed their hair.
"From the moment you stepped into this land, your fate was already sealed." I yanked their head up even more. "You don't deserve any pity. You don't deserve any mercy. The only thing you deserve is the most excruciating death that I can bestow upon you..."
After uttering those harshful words, I aggressively grabbed their mouth before freezing it shut. A few muffled noises could be heard as they tried to beg to live, but they were met with no avail.
The person's body slowly began to freeze. From their legs, the ice slowly reached their torso before it began to shatter and dismembered their body.
The muffled noises immediately transformed into screams of agony.
Slowly... the ice reached their lower abdominals, heading towards their chest before finally reaching their head, completely silencing the scream before their whole body shattered into many pieces.
"This... This is so cruel…"
I tried to close my eyes from the obscene scene in front of me, but it was met with no avail.
Just as the shattered ice of the person reached the floor, I slowly looked up at the night sky. My arms then stretched towards the moon.
Once the illuminating moonlight that was covered by a cloud embraced my whole body, my eyes finally closed shut before I whispered out something.
"... I'll do whatever I can to protect you, Seraphina. Even if it means making you hate me..."
With those final words, I could finally control my body. I slowly opened my eyes, and was greeted by the same empty white space. I then looked in front of me to see Azar floating there silently before speaking.
"... Did you see it?"
I stammered to create an answer, and looked away to the floor before clenching my hand. "... Those memories. Was the original Lysander really that cruel?"
Azar didn't answer my question for a long moment before they slowly floated closer to me. "It seems like you were able to view the memory, how fortunate. I presume you were also able to memorize the magic?"
I stared at Azar for a few moments. Judging by how they are avoiding the topic, it seems like a taboo topic to talk about.
I still have questions regarding the vivid dream that I experienced.
The original Lysander... was indeed the cruel villain described in the book.
So cruel and merciless.
But despite the cruelty that I saw, I continued to feel the same emotions behind that stoic face he expressed: Sadness and Loneliness.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that any of my questions will be answered at the moment.
I slowly closed my eyes, and tried to remember that feeling of spreading my mana as thinly as possible—just like how the original Lysander did.
In the dream, I was able to sense the presence of all living beings at a radius of around... three kilometers. But currently, the maximum I can extend it is about fifty meters.
"The more rings you have around your heart, the more distance you'll be able to sense."
I gazed back at Azar. "I see... Then what about the magic I saw in the dream?"
"Try and recall every single detail that came with the insignia. To normally reach the third ring, you must have a superb understanding of the fundamentals of magic and mana. But... you're a special case. Memorizing everything like you saw is more practical and faster at this moment. Once you successfully cast a magic spell, you will have attained your third ring."
"Is casting magic different then summoning ice or fire...?"
"I suppose so. Summoning your own attribute requires no calculations, like using ice to freeze an object. That is a law that ice must follow: to be cold and to freeze. But magic... Magic is manipulating that law to do something that ice wouldn't normally do—like create a shield to protect, or create a spike to kill. You're changing the law that it is required to follow in exchange for mana—"
"I see. It seems simple enough then."
During the whole conversation, I instantly remembered the insignia, alongside the necessary calculations and patterns for the wall of ice that the original Lysander summoned.
"This is quite... something. You succeeded in your first try. Even with the Blessing of Mana, this is normally impossible..."
Azar just continued to float there motionless before quickly flying through my body, and dispersing into tiny embers.
"With this, you'll surely be able to save Isabella."
"Save her!"
An unknown child's voice suddenly echoed in my head. But before I could comprehend it, cracks began to emerge underneath me, before shattering—forcing me to fall down in the black abyss once more as my vision slowly faded.
"Listen to my voice, my child, for you're not alone. I will help you guide you in this long journey."
I slowly closed my eyes, and heard a new voice echo through the space.
Their voices... It sounds so familiar.
Is it Azar...? No, their voice has a different pitch than the one who is currently talking.
But still... Their voices make me feel so warm and calm.
It sounds so familiar... so nostalgic...
It kind of sounds like the voice of my past life...
I slowly opened my eyes, and saw a blurry figure endowed in white light near the edge of the crack. The more I looked at the light, the clearer I can see a man-like figure—probably the one that is talking to me.
My eyes slowly closed once again, and soon... my consciousness faded.
I continued to experience this tranquil feeling within me, despite being submerged in the everlasting darkness.
"This world is your present, and your past, and will soon lead you to a new future where Hope remains in your heart. No matter the challenges you face—no matter the choices you make, I will always be on your side. For this present is not only a gift from me to you, but also an apology for what I have done..."
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Under the whimsical light filtering through the open window, the pink-haired girl pointed the tip of her sword to the people laying down in the bed. Mia continued to stand in front of them, and positioned her two swords in front of her—ready to protect them with her life on the line.
The pink-haired girl quickly covers her sword with a light pink aura. In response, Mia also began to cover her two blades with her peach aura, and glared at the pink-haired girl in the process.
During this moment of a standoff, Mia quickly grabbed the red crystal gem in her pocket, and held it near her mouth before whispering.
[Mia here! The magic swordsman is currently in the room where I'm protecting the young master and her grace. I request immediate backup!]
[This is Nilo. Me and Qadir are currently unavailable. There is suddenly a surge of strong mercenaries on our end.]
[Veda here. Just like Nilo said, there are many more mercenaries who have infiltrated than expected. Currently unavailable.]
[Same goes for me and Priya. A group of strong mercenaries have also appeared. I'm sorry, Mia, but we can't provide any support at the moment!]
Mia clenched the red gem with distress.
"The situation seems to be getting worse. Many of the mercenaries with five rings and above have started to move. I'm not confident enough to defeat the person in front of me, even if I give up my life. But I made a vow to protect Her Grace and the Young Master...!"
The pink-haired girl quickly dashes towards her. Mia struggled to block and deflect the attack before another voice echoed out through the red gem.
[Mia, are you there!?]
Mia backed away instantly before bringing the red gem close to her mouth once again.
[Your Grace, is that you?!]
[Mia, if you can handle the magic swordsman for at least five minutes, then I should be able to reach you!]
Mia let out a relieved sigh before nodding.
[Okay! I'll try and protect them as much as I can, Your Grace!]
But without warning, the pink-haired girl appeared behind Mia.
"You dare be distracted?!"
But just as she was about to slash her back, Mia narrowly blocked the attack, but one of her swords was flung far across the room.
Not even a minute had passed, but Mia was overwhelmingly being overpowered by the pink-haired girl. So many cuts appeared all over hen, and blood began to ooze everywhere.
Nevertheless, Mia continued to protect the people behind her with so much determination in her eyes.
The girl clicked her tongue at her constant pestering before kneeing Mia in the stomach.
Mia collapsed on the floor, but continued to try and protect the people behind her at all cost. She quickly reached out for her sword, and clashed swords with the girl once again.
Both their swords clashed against each other over and over again. But soon, Mia's other sword was flung to the ground. Just as she was about to grab it back, the girl kicked the sword away and slammed her feet on top of Mia's back.
Pinning her down on the ground, the girl carefully positioned the tip of her sword on Mia's back, and was ready to stab her in the heart.
"This is the end—"
But a spike of ice suddenly emerged around Mia, and was close to impaling her.
She quickly dodged it, and created distance between Mia before gazing at the spike of ice.
"Ice...?"
The girl quickly looked around the area to see who could've cast the magic. Her gaze lingered to the bed before she saw the white-haired boy fully awake—his hand stretched out covered with cold mist.
Without a moment of hesitation, the boy screamed at her.
"Get away from Mia!"
A new wave of ice spike appeared below her once again, and almost impaled her.
But just like before, she was able to dodge by jumping back up. However, the young boy predicted such an evasion before summoning another spike near her face.
Once again, she dodged it by slightly bending her back. Just before she could be at ease, a third spike appeared in front of her face, and was about to impale her whole head.
"... You intentionally aimed for this?"
She grabbed her sword, and destroyed the ice in front of her. But by that time, Mia had gotten up and grabbed both of her blades.
Blood began to trickle from Mia's arm, and into the hilt of the sword while her breathing became increasingly rapid. But even then, the first thing she made sure to do was warn the boy.
"Young Master, please don't worry about me! Just stay there until His Grace gets here!"
"No! I don't want you to risk your life for me. I know you want to protect mother and me, but I also want to protect you, too!"
The eyes of the young child sparkled as he continued to keep the girl at bay with his magic.
Mia's eyes widened, but she couldn't help but smile brightly at the determined eyes that she never saw before.
"You're quite the cheeky child... But are you confident enough to support me, Young Master?"
In response to her words, I smirked. "Don't worry. No matter what you do, I'll make sure not to let my magic hit you."
"Alright then. But make sure to stay inside the barrier!"
Mia then dashed towards the pink-haired girl, all while I continued to summon spikes of ice underneath her at different intervals.
As the girl moved in one direction to avoid Mia's swords, I used magic to try and hinder her movements—while also giving Mia the opportunity to deal more damage.
Mia continued on with her fierce strikes, while I quickly calculated the positions to summon the magic. As the amount of damage began to accumulate, the pink-haired girl's movements began to slow down.
Just as Mia was about to strike her neck, the girl was able to dodge. In response, I summoned a spike of ice behind her head, but she moved her head slightly to the right and dodged once again.
Not long after, Mia placed the tip of the sword near the girl's chest, and was about to stab her before a mana shield appeared around her—deflecting the magic and all of Mia's attack.
"This is getting too annoying!"
Fire began to cover the girl's sword before she quickly dashed towards Mia.
Mia managed to block the attack with her two swords, but the fire began to burn her hand. Nevertheless, she continued to block the attack before parrying the sword.
Once again, I summoned a wall of ice to separate the two, but the girl slashed through it. She then glared at me before lunging towards the bed.
"I'll eliminate this annoying brat first!"
Mia tried to stab her from behind, but the girl continued to ignore her and dashed faster than Mia could reach. Her sword was just about to strike the barrier that surrounded me and mother.
But...
Annoying her to this point and getting her to attack me.
This is all part of the plan.
The same magic that the original Lysander used on the last guy to incapacitate... I will make use of it on this person. I planted the magic beforehand, and waited for her to walk right into the trap. But even the slightest milliseconds of delay will make her notice the magic, and dodge it just like she's been doing.
"I can't fail here…!"
In that single moment where her sword was about to strike the barrier, I activated the magic. All the spikes of ice instantly impaled the girl—from her shoulders, knees, arms, wrist, and torso.
She was completely immobilized, and was unable to finish her strike on the barrier.
Mia took the opportunity to finally stab her in the back before kicking her away from the barrier
Vomiting out so much blood, the girl tried to stand back up using her sword as a balancer, but only managed to get up to her knees before scoffing.
"T-To think I will lose like this... To the child and maid of THAT Duke..."
She gritted her teeth, and squeezed the hilt of her sword supporting her. "N-No! I won't die here! Not until I kill the wife and child of the Duke who killed my sister!"
Her eyes glared at me with pure madness. "I'll kill her, and the child, and let him know the misery of losing someone! I'll make sure to see him grovel in despair as he mourns their deaths before killing him with my own hand!"
She looked up at the ceiling, and began to laugh hysterically. The light suddenly illuminated her whole body as she then reached for her pocket.
"I-I'll make him realize what I felt throughout these years!" She then gazed at the pill she took out. "I was supposed to use this on the Duke, and make him go mad..."
She clicked her tongue in response before putting the pill on her mouth. As she cracked the pill with her teeth, the color of her mana slowly turned sinister and disgusting that even from here… I could feel a wave of chills going through my spine.
Her eyes turned black, and her pupils became a shade of purple and dark blue. Dark cracks began to appear in her body. She suddenly stood up once again, despite the many fatal injuries all over her body.
After grabbing her sword, she quickly lunged towards Mia, instantly grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her up into the air.
Mia gasped for air and struggled to escape her grasp, but failed.
She then grabbed Mia swords, and threw them far away from her before pointing the tip of her sword towards Mia's torso.
"I'll make sure to kill you slowly and painfully..."
I tried to cast as much magic as I could to separate her from Mia, but the barrier around her deflected them all.
"What can I do at this moment to rescue Mia?!"
An idea suddenly appeared in my mind: Teleportation.
Although it's risky to leave the current barrier, I must save Mia!
I quickly recalled the insignia for the teleportation magic. Once I activated it, my body suddenly moved from the bed onto Mia's shoulders. I held on to her before using the same magic to transport both Mia and I near the bed.
The girl stayed motionless on the same spot, trying to process what just happened before plopping the hand that was strangling Mia down. She then looks at us with dead, cold eyes.
In an instant, she lunged towards us with her sword still on fire.
I quickly summoned a wall of ice, but she managed to destroy it in two slices.
With no way to go, the only thing I could do was look into her bloodthirsty eyes that signal no sign of hesitation to kill even a child, alongside the insanity and madness.
It was an emotion so clear and vivid... That I couldn't help but stare at her, despite the danger I was in.
But just as she was about to strike us, her movements suddenly stifled.
From the corner of her eyes, she glanced down on her limbs that were being chained down by a dark shadow emerging from the ground. Even as she continued to try and move her limbs, she couldn't break free.
Quiet footsteps then emerged across the room.
I slowly looked away, and saw father walking towards us—his clothes, face, and sword covered with blood.
He continued to walk with his sword clenched tightly his hand, and coldly stared at the girl.
The girl slowly moved her head, and finally saw father walking towards her. Her eyes widened with complete anger and madness. It was so strong that she even managed to destroy the shadows that chained her, and immediately dashed towards him with her fire-covered sword ready to slash him down.
Mia quickly covered my eyes—trying so hard to not let me witness the cruel scene that was about to unfold.
But in Mia's eyes, she saw everything.
As the girl continued to dash angrily towards the Duke, he clenched his sword and dashed towards her in an instant before appearing behind her.
As he sheathed his blood-covered sword, the girl's body suddenly splurged blood before collapsing onto the ground.
She raised her face, and with her mad eyes she saw her sword laying right in front of her.
With all her might, she tried to grab it. "I can't... die here... not until… I get my... revenge"
The Duke heard those words, and slowly began walking back towards the fallen girl. Once he stood in front of her, he knelt down and just looked at her with slight pity.
She looked up, and her eyes were filled with even more anger and madness than before. Seeing the pity ingrained in his eyes, she desperately tried to grab the sword in front of her.
"You...! I'll never... forgive you...!"
The Duke only stared at her for a few more seconds before grabbing something from his pocket: a pair of black glasses.
He then placed it in front of her before walking towards Mia and his child.
Baffled, she slowly looked at the thing he placed in front of her before her whole body began to tremble. Her eyes were now consumed with despair as she just gazed at the familiar glasses in front of her.
Helplessly, she tried to reach out to them—trying so hard to touch even a glimmer of it as tears began to form.
The same whimsical light gently began to embrace both the pair of glasses, and the dying girl.
Once she finally touched the glasses, she saw the image of the same black-haired girl with glasses in front of her, gently stroking her hair with a soft smile. The girl's eyes widened once more before she let the tears roll down her face.
"S-Sister...!"
Even though she knew it wasn't real, she couldn't help but cry silently; silently until she finally collapsed onto the floor, and let out her final breath into this world.
The duke now stood in front of Mia, who was still covering the white-haired boy's eyes. He silently grabbed the red gem from his pocket, and whispered.
[Mia, make sure to... clean up here while I talk to Lysander.]
Mia immediately nodded before gently taking her hands off the white-haired boy. The Duke then kneeled in front of him to intentionally cover the dead body in front of him while Mia began to clean up the mess.
"Lysander... are you alright?"
As he asked about my wellbeing, he quickly took off his stained gloves before gently placing his hand on the side of my face.
Seeing his worried eyes and asking about my well-being... I couldn't help but smile. I couldn't help but realize that I finally have a caring father...
"I'm alright, father. Thank you for saving me."
He let out a small smile when he heard my answer, and slowly moved his hand towards my hair before gently patting it.
"... I'm sorry. I put you in such a dangerous situation."
I shook my head with a smile. "But in the end, you managed to save me."
He let out a small chuckle. "Barely... Who knows what would've happened if you didn't help Mia out."
He then looked down at the ground—trying so hard to avoid my eyes while his hand began to shake immensely with fear.
"... I know you have many secrets that you want to keep hidden. I truly understand. But no matter what, you are my child. I promise to be there for you whenever you need it. I'll make sure to not let something like this happen again... I promise I'll do a better job at protecting everyone... I promise to do a better job as a father..."
I stared at him, trying to understand the meaning behind those words before hugging him so tightly.
"Don't worry, father. Everything is fine now, so there's no need to worry anymore."
Feeling my hug, father slowly wrapped his shaking arms around me before softly stroking my hair once more. "I'm sorry… I'll make sure to never let you see me like this…"
Letting his words sink in, I slowly closed my eyes, and let his warmth embrace me all over before falling back to sleep.
"I-I guess I pushed myself a little bit… too much…"
During this moment, voices began to whisper in the duke's head.
[Your Grace, this is Veda. The rear area of the mansion is finally cleared of mercenaries.]
[Nilo here. We just finished clearing the west section.]
[This is Nila. The east area of the mansion is fully cleared of threats now.]
The Duke smiled once more at the relief of the mansion finally being cleared of enemies. With the early light of the sunrise filtering through the window, he looked down at his child, who was now sleeping peacefully in his arms.
Once again, he smiled—but bitterly. He then lifted his child up, making sure his body didn't touch anymore of the blood splattered on his body, before carefully carrying him to the bed.
[Good work everyone. I'll make sure to prepare proper compensation for your work, alongside a feast for you all.]
Slight cheers and Thank You's spread throughout his head due to the red crystal shard. But he continued to carry his son towards the bed. Once he carefully laid him down, he couldn't help but gaze lovingly at the three people in front of him.
Isabella, Lysander, and the newest child in the family curled up in her mother's embrace:
Seraphina.