Veon slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry."…Mom?" he whispered.
Lisa rushed to his side."Veon! Are you alright?"
His eyes slowly adjusted. He looked around, confused."…Mom? Am I… home?"
Lisa hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around him like she hadn't touched him in years."Veon…" she whispered, holding back her tears.
Then she gently grabbed his face with both hands, kissed his forehead, and looked at him closely."Are you okay, Veon? I was so worried… But—where is Kaen?"
Veon froze.
The name stabbed through his heart like a blade."…Kaen?" he repeated, softly.
Suddenly, He saw it again. Kaen standing alone on the battlefield… Yuzen mages charging toward him…
Veon screamed, "KAAAAEEEENNNNN!"
He jumped out of bed, ripping off the covers, running wildly through the room.
He screamed again, "KAEN!!!"
Veon started punching the wall—again and again—his knuckles bleeding."This can't be true!" he shouted. "Why… why did this happen?!"
