Virel and Aniel exchanged a glance.
"He called me a father… Are you the mother?" Virel teased as he turned to her with a playful smile.
Aniel rolled her eyes and dismissed him. She focused instead on Lucien who had collapsed on the ground.
"Beastman brother, you must be mistaken. We… don't know—"
Before she could finish, Virel cut her off. He leaned close and whispered cautiously,
"Careful. The war has made many desperate. Not all words are what they seem…"
They fell silent, turning their attention back to Lucien.
But then... The raw, genuine look in his eyes struck a chord deep within their hearts. Celestials were after all known for their compassion... and his expression was far too real for a mere deception.
"Perhaps… the beastman brother's parents looked like us." Virel reasoned at last. It was the only explanation that made sense.
"That could be true," Aniel said softly. "He might be carrying old wounds… projecting our faces onto the ones he lost in the war."
