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Eva's eyes fluttered open to a vast emptiness. Shadows stretched endlessly in every direction, and silence pressed against her chest like a weight. Her lips trembled.
"Am I… back in time?"
She turned, searching, but saw nothing. Her voice cracked, fragile with fear.
"What is happening? Did my wish not work?"
Then—like a ray of light cutting through the darkness—came a voice. Gentle, steady, and filled with relief.
"Your wish was granted, Mother. You are back in time."
Her heart surged. "Leo!"
She rushed toward the sound, and when his familiar figure appeared, she threw her arms around him. Her tears fell freely as she buried her face against his shoulder. "Leo…"
For a moment, she clung to him as though afraid he might vanish again. Then, with trembling hands, she cupped his face and searched his features. Her voice softened, quivering with memory.
"Once, you told me that you look like your father, right?"
Leo smiled faintly. "Yes, I did tell you that, Mother."
Her thumb brushed across his cheek. Her eyes shimmered with sorrow and love. "But you don't look like your father at all…"
Leo's smile grew wistful. His voice dropped, low and gentle. "That's because… this isn't my real face."
Her breath hitched. "Then… can you let me see your real face, Leo?"
His gaze softened with resolve. "Of course, Mother."
A faint glow shimmered around him, threads of light unfurling like woven silver. Slowly, his black hair bled into a radiant silver-white. His once-blue eyes burned into a deep crimson red, piercing yet warm, carrying the weight of both power and bloodline.
When the light faded, Leo stood transformed—otherworldly, breathtaking… and achingly familiar.
"Here, Mother. This… is how I truly look."
Eva's breath caught. Her fingers reached out, trembling, brushing through his silver hair, then tracing the lines of his face. A smile broke through her tears. "You do look like your father… You look exactly like Eyan."
Leo's crimson eyes softened as emotion welled within them. His lips curved in a tender smile.
"Mother, when you first told me I looked like Father, I wasn't convinced." He lowered his gaze for a heartbeat before lifting it again. "But when I finally saw Father with my own eyes… I realized. We really do look the same."
Her gaze lingered on Leo, searching his face as if every answer she longed for was hidden there. After a pause, her tone turned more serious, her hands still gently cupping his cheeks.
"Leo… now can you tell me everything about yourself? How did you even know the Dragon King would agree to be born as my child?"
The boy's red eyes glimmered with a truth too heavy. "I knew… because that's how it went last time too."
Her brows furrowed, confusion tightening in her chest. "Last time? When?"
He exhaled slowly, his voice steady. "Mother… I am the Dragon King."
The words struck her harder than a blade. Her breath caught. "You… you are Zeradros?"
"Yes." His answer was calm, unshaken, as though he had carried this truth for an eternity.
Her heart raced in panic, fear rising with each beat. "But—"
"Mother, calm down." His hand, warm and strangely comforting, pressed over hers. "I'll tell you everything from the start."
Her lips trembled, but she nodded.
He began, his words weaving a story that chilled and broke her in equal measure.
"I came from a different timeline."
Her eyes widened. "Different… timeline?"
"Yes. The world you live in now, and the world I came from—they're not the same. I crossed over."
"I don't understand…" Her voice was barely a whisper, yet desperate.
"You will. I'll tell you the story of my mother and father."
Eva's heart twisted violently at his words. He continued, unflinching.
"Everything started when my mother married my father."
Her throat tightened. "I… I married Eyan? In your world?"
"Yes," he answered, a faint smile ghosting his lips. "It was an arranged marriage. Your father and Father's father… they were the ones who tied you both together. But after marriage… you both fell in love. Deeply. My mother always told me about how much Father loved her."
Her vision blurred as she clutched Leo's sleeve. He went on, voice both sorrowful and steady.
"and When my mother was pregnant with me, Prince Velco captured her. He demanded Father release the Dragon King. Father had no choice… he wanted to protect her, to protect me. So he released Zeradros."
Eva's blood turned cold, her nails digging into her palms.
Leo's gaze softened as he recalled the pain etched in his story.
"When Father received punishment for what he did, he begged my mother to leave. He promised he would return. She trusted his word… and left with Uncle Luca."
Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest.
"My mother waited… she waited for him in the palace. But he never returned. Only his lifeless body was brought before her."
Eva's knees weakened, her breath shaking as silent tears slid down her cheeks.
"It was like thunder striking her soul," Leo whispered. "She refused to believe it… she clung to denial. And Velmoria was already falling apart. With the Dragon King released and the empire without its ruler… chaos devoured everything."
His voice dropped lower, heavier.
"To stop it, Uncle Luca stepped forward.And he made a wish."
Her lips parted. "A wish?"
"Yes." He looked straight into her eyes, unwavering. "Uncle Luca wished and asked the Dragon King to be reborn as me. That's how I came into world with Zeradros's power."
Her chest tightened. "But… what about the sacrifice? Every wish demands one. What did brother Luca sacrifice?"
A shadow passed through Leo's red eyes. "He sacrificed all his magic."
Eva's lips parted in shock. Her heart clenched tightly, her hands trembling as she gripped the fabric of her gown. "Brother… sacrificed his magic?"
Leo's eyes glimmered faintly, as though his next words carried a weight even he still carried with reverence.
"Yes, all of it. A magician's power is equal to a life… so Uncle Luca sacrificed his magic."
Leo's voice softened, his tone carrying the memory of a truth long buried.
"Father was already searching for a way to erase the Dragon King from existence. He asked Uncle Luca to find one as well… but it wasn't possible."
Her brows knit together, her voice trembling. "Then… how did brother Luca think of that?"
He shook his head gently, his silver hair catching the faint glow of their strange realm.
"It wasn't Uncle Luca who thought of it. It was his master."
"Brother's… master?" Her voice wavered in disbelief.
"Yes," Leo replied firmly. "He was the one who told Uncle Luca that the Dragon King could never be erased from existence. But he could be reborn… as a mortal. It was also Uncle's master who revealed that such a wish could only be granted if he sacrificed all of his magic."
Eva's heart ached at the thought, but another question tugged at her. "But… you called brother Luca your master, and not uncle. Why is that?"
A faint smile lifted on Leo's lips. "It's because he taught me sword fighting. And Master always nagged at me, always telling me I wasn't as good as Father with a sword."
For the first time, Eva's lips curved into a laugh—a sound so fragile yet genuine. The sorrow in her chest eased for a fleeting moment.
Leo blinked at her, half-pouting. "Mother… you're laughing at me too."
She covered her lips, eyes damp with unshed tears. "I'm sorry."
His pout gave way to a proud tilt of his chin. "I may not be as good as Father with the sword, but I have magic." His eyes shimmered with a quiet fire. "Even though the Dragon King's power is limited… it's still powerful. It took me twenty years until I finally gained control over it."
Her breath caught. "It took you that long?"
"Yes," he answered without hesitation.
She leaned closer, curiosity mingling with awe. "Then… what can you do with your power?"
Leo's lips curved into a smile that carried both pride and mystery. "I can do many things. But the greatest gift of my power… is that I can speak to any person through their dreams." His gaze softened as it settled on her. "That's how I spoke to you, Mother."
Eva's hand trembled as she reached for Leo. "Thank you for helping me, Leo."
His shoulders sagged slightly, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry… I could only do this much. I could only give you hints about what will happen in the future."
Eva shook her head, her tears glimmering in the dim light. "Leo, you were a great help. You did everything you could to help me out."
A heavy silence fell between them, filled only by the soft crackle of magic lingering in the air. Finally, Eva asked in a trembling voice, "Leo… what about your mother? You told me last time that she… left you too."
Leo's lips quivered, and tears slipped down his face. "Yes… my mother is not with me anymore. She died."
Eva's own eyes welled up as her chest tightened.
He sniffled, wiping at his tears. "After she died, I found her diary… and I read it. She wrote that diary after Father died. Every page… she wrote about how much she missed him." His voice broke. "I didn't know… the mother who was always smiling at me was suffering inside all this time."
He paused, his voice shaking with grief. "She also wrote… that she was only living because of me."
Eva, overwhelmed by emotion, pulled him into a tight embrace. "Oh Leo…"
"I never wanted my mother to go through that," he whispered into her hair. "She never understood why Father took his own life… but I know. I know he did it because he didn't want to harm mother—or his child—with his own hands."
Eva's eyes widened in shock. "Leo… what do you mean by that?"
He looked up at her, sorrow and resolve mingling in his gaze. "Mother… do you know the cost Father had to pay for releasing the Dragon King?"
She shook her head, her voice trembling. "No…"
"The cost," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "was a punishment."
Eva echoed, stunned. "Punishment?"
"Yes," he continued. "Do you know what the punishment was?...Whoever releases the Dragon King… will eventually kill all of their bloodline… and in the end… that person will have to kill themselves."
Her hands flew to her mouth. Tears streamed down her face. "What…?"
"Yes," Leo said softly, grief etching every word. "It's cruel, isn't it?"
"That's why your husband… he took his own life before he could ever harm you or his child."
Eva's body shook as she whispered, her voice breaking, "Eyan…"
Leo's hands cupped hers gently, his voice steady but tender. "But, Mother… you don't have to worry about that anymore. You already made the wish… and this time, he's not going to die."
Her breath hitched, disbelief and hope warring in her chest. "Are you… telling the truth?"
Leo nodded, tears glimmering in his red eyes. "Yes, Mother. I swear it. This time… he's going to live."
Eva's hands trembled as she clutched at Leo's sleeve, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Leo… tell me one more thing."
He tilted his head slightly, red eyes watching her with quiet patience.
"Did you know," she continued, her voice breaking, "that I was living my second life? That in my first life…" Her breath hitched and her gaze faltered. "…your father was the one who killed me?"
Leo's expression darkened. His hands curled slowly into fists at his sides, yet his voice came out soft, heavy with guilt. "I know."
Eva's eyes widened, searching his face. "You… knew?"
He looked away, shame flickering across his features. "Because," he murmured, his words like a blade cutting through the air,
"I was the one who made Father kill you."