Although two weeks had passed, Theo was still damaged.

  Physically, he had broken one arm and two ribs, and had injured his forehead. But if it were only physical injuries, he would be relatively fine.

  "My son…" Camille thought, watching Theo drag a hose across the garden.

  The Young Master looked helpless, staring at nothing as he wandered through stained memories, letting the cold wind brush against his skin. His well-kept clothes swayed in the breeze, but he himself did not.

  His eyes gradually filled with tears; yet, with a simple sniff, he tried to recover from the bitter pain tightening his chest.

  The breeze ran across the field, through the threads of grass, before slipping into the woods.

  A few meters away, Camille sighed deeply, her mind clouded. A light touch on her shoulder brought her back.

  "He's still distant…" Ethan said, embracing his wife from behind.

  Melting into Ethan's arms as if all her worries had vanished, Camille nodded.

  "Is everything settled in Despinian?" she asked.

  "It will be…"

  They fell silent again to watch their youngest son. They enjoyed the breeze once more while Theo finished watering the last roses.

  "Mom, you can turn it off," the boy said, leaving the hose among the roots of a rosebush.

  Camille closed the valve at the side, cutting off the water.

  "Ready, champ?" Ethan asked, crouching to Theo's height while holding Camille by the waist.

  "Ready for what?" Theo asked, head lowered, only out of respect for his father.

  The couple exchanged a sincere, worried glance. Ethan took the opportunity to craft a decent excuse.

  "Well… We're going to Grandpa Leon's house…"

  "That's in Zethian, isn't it? It's very far from Mom…"

  "Yes, it is…" he hesitated. "But we'll also be able to see the sea."

  Theo's eyes shifted from sadness to the brightness they once carried. The paintings Camille used to make, along with some old photographs of the sea, returned faintly to his mind.

  His shoulders relaxed, and he grew animated.

  "We'll be able to see the color of the sea?!"

  "Of course! From a bit far away… but we'll be able to see it."

  "Really?! Mom…" he said, looking at Camille's face.

  "Your things are already packed, dear. Hamlet is waiting for you by Erling's statue," the Duchess replied.

  The boy ran across the lawn until he remembered why he was bandaged. His ribs hurt from the sudden movement; he lost his breath for a moment, then recovered.

  Hand in hand, the couple walked behind their small son. In silence at first, Camille then asked with sincere doubt,

  "Does he really need to go? For what reason?"

  "The doctors in Athenian are more experienced and have more resources… I'll see what they can diagnose about Tê…"

  Pulling her husband's chin and stopping him abruptly, the Duchess looked deeply into his eyes. They were dead, tired, almost without the glow of a soul…

  "When was the last time you slept?"

  "The night before the Cataclysm," Ethan replied.

  Her shoulders filled with concern, like a mother about to scold her child; after all, it had been two weeks since he had slept.

  "It's fine… I'll sleep on the train, on the way."

  "The railway was completed?" she asked attentively.

  "It was finished three days before the Cataclysm. Don't worry; the trains don't run on cores…"

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  She relaxed her shoulders but sighed heavily with tension.

  "Then why weren't the machines built that way? Wouldn't it have been safer?" she whispered, anger in her voice.

  "No. The trains run on coal; they heavily pollute the atmosphere. And with a polluted atmosphere, mana stops generating naturally in the region. If that happens on a large scale, we could face an even greater disaster…"

  "I know, I know. The extinction of Deviants… Still, they could think of another solution!"

  "They will, love. They're already thinking… But this isn't the time to attack those men. We must understand who is guilty and who is innocent in this situation."

  "Hmph…" she sighed deeply.

  As they reached the main steps just before the fountain at the manor's entrance, they saw Theo playing with Hamlet below, in the initial square. They stood atop a six-meter wall, beneath which a statue rose — of a tall man with both delicate and robust features, a sword planted between his feet.

  Here lies the greatest reminder that a man once fought for us. To the first Duke of Lawrence, its founder, Erling Lawrence, from the grateful people for his service, was written on a bronze plaque below.

  Two staircases flanked the statue, one in each direction, leading up to the Lawrence manor. From the staircase on the right, Ethan descended with Camille.

  "Who will be there?"

  "Luanne is coming with me… She wants to go north. And to see our Tê as well…"

  "Then I'm at ease. If there's another woman who can put you back on track besides me and Lady Cinzia, it's Luanne."

  "Oh really…" Ethan retorted in disbelief.

  When they reached Hamlet, they said goodbye with a kiss.

  "Bye, Tê! See you in a week!" Camille called.

  As Hamlet galloped with his magical leaps, Theo waved farewell to the Duchess — he was far more cheerful now.

  They arrived at the railway station three hours later. It stood at the foot of the Central Mountain Range, with a small town serving local workers and hotels for travelers.

  While thousands of people wandered — others rushed — across the station courtyard, trails of smoke rose from the mountain woods before vanishing into the sky. The sound of train engines echoed, urging passengers to board.

  Theo grew uneasy amid so many people. For someone who lived daily with little more than ten individuals, being in such a globally visited place was a new experience.

  Although he remained close to Ethan, the Young Master often clung to the Duke's trousers. The industrial pollution bothered even those accustomed to it.

  Noticing Theo's apprehension, the Duke grew curious and, resting a hand on the boy's hair, asked,

  "What's wrong, son?"

  "Too many people…" Theo said uneasily, feeling judged by everyone around him.

  But beyond judgment, there was something else — something Liam Mason would not overlook. A feeling so silent that his fragile eyes could not distinguish it, nor his mind.

  Self-comparison had become his greatest problem since the Cataclysm, but also a form of salvation. Theo was improving his perception of the world because of it; in exchange, he was losing sight of a lived and colorful world…

  Though still far from the gray world of the former Egorian general.

  "I also hate crowds, Tê," Ethan commented as they walked toward the central platform. "But we're together. Understand? Nothing will happen."

  "Hm…" Theo murmured, protecting his casted arm, which hurt even with light movement.

  Ethan stopped beneath a canopy in front of the train door. At first, Theo did not understand why; they could simply board if they had reserved a compartment. But Ethan had already taken care of that. So he assumed his father was waiting for someone.

  The assumption was confirmed moments later.

  Emerging from the crowd, a tall woman waved attentively. She had long black hair and eyes of the same shade, reflecting wisdom. Her face was rounded and delicate; she wore dark and silver-toned clothing suited for the cold.

  "Luanne," Ethan said, waving back.

  "Ethan! It's been so long, my young man!" she said with a broad smile.

  "My young man?" Theo questioned internally.

  Luanne did not appear older than Ethan in any visible trait…

  "Are we ready?" the Duke asked — the question reaching Theo as well.

  "Who is she?" Theo asked curiously, gripping Ethan's hand tightly.

  "She…" Ethan began, but was interrupted.

  "You don't remember me, Tê?" Luanne asked, mockingly wounded.

  She crouched and took Theo's hand, enclosing it within her own. The Young Master's mind wavered at the simple touch.

  The first image that surfaced was a blood moon.

  The cry of a newborn flooded his ears.

  'Hear the counsel of the owl…' A gentle voice slipped between the cries.

  Blurred images drifted between him and Luanne.

  "Oh! Is this my little Tê?" Luanne said, lifting baby Theo in her arms.

  "I've seen her before…" he thought, his head beginning to throb.

  "My little moon… These golden eyes reflect who you are…" Luanne had lifted him high, studying his eyes attentively.

  It was like a meeting of moons…

  And that same meeting returned in the present. Theo stood stunned, gazing into those beautiful, expressive eyes.

  "It was you…" Theo murmured.

  Among all the people in that station, Luanne was the only one with an unreachable presence — visible to the boy who could feel everyone.

  "I am Luanne Owlye. Your godmother, Tê," she informed him with a sweet smile and gentle touch. "Technically… I'm your second mother."

  "Don't get carried away…" Ethan said with playful disapproval. "But yes. If I can no longer get out of bed… I would entrust all your lives to her."

  After listening to the Duke, Theo turned his gaze back to his godmother; her pale skin was as smooth and clear as the moon's surface. She carried no negative emotion; everything she spoke felt like the purest truth.

  The purest of women.

  "Shall we?" Ethan called upon hearing the train's final boarding announcement.

  "We shall," Luanne agreed, standing.

  Before she could walk toward the train, Theo grabbed her hand and followed.

  "She's my owl…" he thought, looking at her almost divine features.

  As if reading his mind, she smiled lovingly.

  "He's mine," she said, glancing at Ethan while hoisting her suitcase onto her shoulder. "You lost the treasure."

  Ethan shot her an indignant look. Carrying the luggage and following them, he added teasingly,

  "So what? I'm the one who lives with him."

  A spark of jealousy struck Luanne's chest, leaving her momentarily speechless. Theo laughed — the purest laughter of a child — as they both tried to prove who loved him more.

  If Camille had been part of the contest, she would probably have won… And that playful argument brought the exact feeling Theo needed to break free from his gray world.

  He felt loved.

  And with that love, they traveled north — where the sea was cold, just like its people.