Aria stepped into the reception room, her thoughts still tangled in the web of her worries. But as her eyes scanned the space, she froze—there was no one there.
"What?" she murmured, stepping forward, glancing left and right. The absence was unsettling.
Perhaps the guest hadn't arrived yet? Just as the thought crossed her mind, a small blue bird flitted past, its wings a blur as it perched gracefully on her shoulder. She cupped it gently in her hands, instantly realizing—it wasn't a real bird.
A sense of foreboding crept into her chest, and when she turned around, her breath caught. There he was.
A familiar presence. A shadow from her past come to life.
Before she could react, the man stepped closer—closer still—until his lips brushed against her temple, near her eye.
"Missed me?" His voice carried a mischievous lilt.
Aria, frozen in shock, took a moment to register his face, his presence, his very existence. Then, without hesitation, she swung a fist, striking his abdomen with a force that made him double over.
"Damn you, Neli!" Her voice shook with anger and relief, her fingers latching onto his cheeks before yanking his sky-blue hair. "How dare you disappear for eight months and then just show up out of nowhere! Wait—are you even real?"
"Ow! Ow! Ow! A-Ari! I was wrong! Forgive me!" Cornelius pleaded, wincing as her grip tightened.
But instead of letting go, she threw her arms around his neck, embracing him fiercely. "It really is you… Don't you ever leave me alone again, you fool." Her voice trembled.
Cornelius returned the embrace, holding her as if afraid she might vanish. Eight months had felt like a century away from his home, from her.
"I promise," he whispered, sealing his vow with quiet resolve.
His mind wandered to the nightmare he had endured. In Stygian, he had poured his soul into building a portal, desperate to bridge the distances torn by war. But just as he had succeeded, fate had cruelly intervened. Blake, Erebus's butler, had summoned him to oversee the flood of refugees seeking asylum from the inferno of war and the monstrous wyvern that laid waste to the demon realm.
By the time he arrived, it was too late. Wahrheit was nearly in ruins, with only twenty thousand survivors clinging to existence. One man, Callum, had assisted Cornelius in gathering materials to erect a protective barrier. He had claimed to be Erebus's brother, an old friend, but he had vanished after leading a search party—never to return. Not even the bunkers had spared their occupants; the flames had devoured them all, even beneath the earth.
Cornelius shuddered at the memory. The destruction had extended beyond Wahrheit. Amanécer and the human realm fared little better. When he stepped through the portal, he found the Alchemist Tower reduced to rubble. Yet, the alchemists endured, clinging to hope, sending what forces they could to aid the war. His father was missing, his mother and nephews had evacuated to Olympus, and his brother, Canute, was drowning under the weight of crumbling state affairs.
"Neli," Aria said gently, pulling him back to the present. "Sister Luci came back to us."
Cornelius's breath hitched. Disbelief shone in his eyes. The weight of failure had crushed him—he had thought Luciana lost. He had prepared himself to face the Emperor's wrath for failing his mission.
He seized Aria's shoulders. "Where is she?" he demanded, frantic.
Aria hesitated, and for the first time, uncertainty clouded her gaze. "She gave birth," she whispered.
Cornelius felt the ground tilt beneath him. "What?"
"She's still unconscious."
The words sent a chill down his spine. His mind reeled, flashes of memory surfacing—Luciana's absent-minded touch to her abdomen, the faint blush on her cheeks. He had been too blind to see it then, but now—now, the truth was undeniable.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the couch, gripping his temples. It was true. All of it.
Aria kneeled beside him. "Have you seen your mother yet?"
He nodded absently. His mother had held him close, sobbing prayers of gratitude for his safe return. Even his young nephews, now toddlers, had clung to him with childlike relief. Yet, the news of his sister had cast a long shadow over his heart.
"And the other princesses?" he asked finally.
Aria hesitated, then lowered her head. His pulse quickened. Something was wrong.
She told him about Melody—but when she reached Avlynn, she broke. Wracking sobs shook her frame as she buried her face in his chest.
"She was just a child, Neli. Just a child!"
Cornelius's vision blurred with tears. Avlynn had been his precious little sister, a beacon of innocence amidst the darkness of war. But war had no mercy. It had stolen her from them.
Aria's cries grew softer, but her grief did not fade. "I won't be able to bear it if Sister Luci leaves us too and that again, Neli. Why is the world so unfair?"
Cornelius held her close, his own sorrow swallowing him whole. "I don't know," he whispered, his voice raw. "I don't know."
A knock at the door shattered the silence.
"Your Imperial Highness!" a servant called urgently. "I bring important news."
Cornelius straightened. "What is it?"
"Princess Luciana has woken up."
His breath caught. Aria's tear-streaked face mirrored his shock.
"Say that again," they demanded in unison.
The servant flinched before repeating the words. This time, Cornelius noticed the children at the servant's side. His gaze landed on a pink-haired boy—Tiberius. But it was the younger boy beside him that made his heart jolt.
"Nemesis?"
The boy's golden eyes widened. "Uncle?"
Aria blinked. "You know each other?"
Cornelius nodded. "Take us to her." He commanded the servants.
They followed the servant in a breathless rush, arriving at the chamber where Luciana rested. Leila greeted them, her expression guarded. Cornelius acknowledged her briefly before hearing a weak, yet familiar voice.
"Neli?"
Luciana struggled to sit up. Aria rushed to her side, embracing her with all the desperation of a sister who had long feared she was lost.
Cornelius trembled, seeing her frail yet alive. She reached for him, and he crossed the room in a heartbeat, wrapping both sisters in his arms.
"Hush now," Luciana whispered, stroking their hair. "Everything is alright."
But their solace was short-lived. A wail cut through the moment—Luciana's newborn son.
Luciana lifted him up and soothed him back to sleep. When she realized that Nemesis stood nearly in shock and tears she extended her arm.
"Come here my sweetling." She said. Nemesis hurried to the bed as Cornelius helped him beside her.
"Why were you sleep for long time mama?" He asked tearfully and buried his face in her bosom.
"I'm sorry for worrying you." She kissed him on his forehead.
And then another baby—a tiny girl, nestled in Leila's arms.
Nemesis, wide-eyed, asked, "Mama, what is that little thing?"
Luciana giggled. "Your baby brother."
His face fell. "But I wanted a baby sister."
A laugh rippled through the room, the first in so long. Then Luciana smiled. "Oh, but you have one too."
His eyes sparkled. "Where?"
"She's with your godmother." Luciana said. Much to everyone's surprise. But most of all it was Leila who looked up at her. She was sitting across the chambers in distance cradling her daughter. She felt left out and too lonely with no one by her side. No one who she could share sweet moments like she witnessed Luciana with her people.
It was only her and her daughter. But when she heard Luciana call her godmother of her children, nothing in the world compared to how she was feeling at that moment.
Leila hesitated, but at Luciana's nod, she cradled the infant toward him. "This is Apollonia."
Nemesis reached out hesitantly, his tiny fingers brushing her cheek. She cooed.
"She's so small and cute!" He perked up.
"Is she?" Leila asked in surprise. She was dreaded by the appearance of her own daughter as she hauntingly resembled Draco.
The people around her except for Aurora had shown uneasy attitude towards her daughter when they saw her blood red eyes.
Nemesis nodded with a bright smile.
It put a smile on her face. The warmth she felt from the innocent child was was genuine.
And for the first time in ages, warmth returned to their shattered world.
A prayer lingered in their hearts—may these peaceful moments last forever.