While the heart of Sien Domain rejoiced in the rise of its new Demon King, the fox compound remained strangely still.
Beyond its walls, the steady beat of ceremonial drums echoed through the endless night. Aster's coronation was already underway, with Leonida set to place the crown upon her brother's head, marking the end of her reign and the start of his rule over the demon clans.
Here, none of it mattered.
In the courtyard, under the soft glow of the pale moon, Raven sat next to Lucia. For the first time in a decade, there was no battle dividing them. No assassins lurking, no sudden vanishings, no rumors or trails to chase—only the two of them, together at last.
Lucia, her face uncovered and four tails draped loosely behind her, sat beside Raven, their shoulders almost touching. Neither knew quite where to start. A decade was far too much to squeeze into one conversation. At last, Raven spoke, breaking the silence.
"I looked for you, and now I understand why I couldn't find you… you were here in the domain while I searched everywhere outside."
Lucia turned toward him.
"I know."
His gaze dropped.
"Not at first. At first, I didn't even know what I was looking for. The village was gone. You were gone. Silva was gone. Every trail ended before it even began."
Lucia listened quietly, letting Raven speak. He told her about Shadow's investigation—the strange contradictions in the village, the rumors that led nowhere, and the people who either knew nothing or were too scared to talk. Years of arriving too late. Years of wondering if the next lead would confirm the truth he didn't want to face.
Slowly, her hand closed around his. Raven fell silent.
Her grip tightened.
"I thought you had abandoned us."
The words cut deeper than any accusation screamed in anger ever could.
Raven glanced at her.
Lucia spoke softly.
"Back then, I didn't know what had happened to your family. I had no clue what Zara was doing—only that you were gone."
Her eyes wandered to the trees surrounding the compound.
"By the time I understood the truth, too much had already passed."
Raven shifted his hand beneath hers until their palms met.
"You should never have had to understand it."
Lucia offered him a tired smile.
"And you shouldn't have spent over ten years searching for people who were still alive."
Neither placed blame on the other, and maybe that was what made it so hard.
There was no single person at fault for what they'd lost. Too many choices, secrets, and enemies had tangled together until a decade disappeared between them.
Raven's gaze fell to her four tails.
"You've changed."
"So have you."
"Not as much," Lucia said, her smile softening.
"You haven't seen yourself lately."
For the first time that night, Raven's expression eased.
Several metres away, Scarlet was grinding her teeth as she paced the courtyard, her crimson tessen clenched so hard its frame creaked. Left. Turn. Right. Turn. Her gaze never wavered from Raven. June clung to one of Scarlet's arms, Julie to the other—less to restrain her than to guard against any sudden act of violence.
Whenever Raven leaned a little closer to Lucia, Scarlet would take a step toward them, only to be pulled back by the twins. Each time Lucia smiled, Scarlet's eyebrow twitched—another step, another pull. Nearby, Silver stood with Shadow, watching.
He could practically feel the tension radiating from Scarlet. The darkness mana felt less oppressive now. Silver cast a glance at Shadow, who stayed purposefully silent. Years of serving Raven had taught him when loyalty demanded action—and this wasn't one of those times. Scarlet halted her pacing as Raven placed his hand gently over Lucia's.
Her eyes narrowed as June tightened her grip and Julie braced herself with both feet on the ground. Scarlet took a step, the twins sliding forward in sync with her, while Silver quietly edged farther away. Her glare snapped toward him, and he froze, deciding his original spot was just fine. Beneath the heat of her anger, though, Silver saw something familiar—she wasn't really upset that Lucia was happy.
She was angry because she remembered what Lucia had looked like when she wasn't.
Scarlet had been there through the years Raven had missed. She'd seen Lucia reunite with Silva, seen her wait and hope their family would come back together, and seen her eventually stop waiting.
Raven had come back, and within hours was sitting beside her daughter as if the last ten years had never happened. Scarlet knew it wasn't fair, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. Across the courtyard, Raven and Lucia kept talking. Eventually, Lucia told him about Silva, the Holy Empire, Cornelius, and the years Silva had spent growing stronger without ever knowing the whole truth about his parents.
Raven paid extra attention whenever his son's name was mentioned, his eyes now and then settling on Silver. Pride flickered there, but regret lingered too. He had missed so much. Silver noticed, though he acted as if he hadn't. Eventually, Lucia's eyes followed Raven's gaze.
Their private talk had run its course. There'd be more questions tomorrow, and probably the day after. Ten years couldn't be fixed in a single night, but they'd found each other—and for now, that was enough.
Silver finally stepped away from the pillar where he'd been leaning and crossed the courtyard. Raven and Lucia turned toward him. He stopped in front of them, the confidence built over the last decade slipping away. He'd pictured this moment before—sometimes Raven was angry, sometimes distant, sometimes a stranger. None of those versions had prepared him for the man now sitting beside his mother. Raven rose, and Silver looked up at him.
Over ten years ago, he had been a child, wondering if his father was searching for him. Now he stood just a short distance away. Raven seemed just as unsure. He had searched for his son as a missing child, yet the person before him was no longer that child. Silver broke the silence. "So…" His gaze flicked to Lucia before returning to Raven. "I think I've waited long enough to hear my part of the story." Lucia's expression softened.
Raven nodded. "You have." Silver sat down beside them, and Lucia shifted to make space, placing him between herself and Raven. For the first time in his memory, Silver sat with both parents at his side.
Across the courtyard, Scarlet fixed her gaze on the three of them. Her expression shifted, just a little. The anger lingered, but she no longer tried to move toward Raven. June and Julie slowly let go of her arms, and Scarlet crossed them tightly over her chest.
Her eyes stayed on her newly reunited family, lingering on Raven. She could put up with him—for tonight. Raven's glance slid to Silver, years of unanswered questions stretching between father and son. This time, neither was leaving. A knock echoed from the outer gate, pulling Scarlet's focus from the courtyard.
It was late, and most of Sien Domain had gathered at the central palace, where Leonida was officially handing the throne to Aster. With the distant beat of drums and the occasional roar of the crowd, the fox compound should have been calm.
Then came another knock—firm, patient.
Scarlet crossed the courtyard alone.
Behind her, Lucia sat between Raven and Silver, their conversation dropping to softer tones. June and Julie watched Scarlet go, while Shadow lingered near Raven.
She opened the gate.
Zerath was there.
The sight instantly put her on edge.
Not because he was there.
But because he wasn't smiling.
The usual spark of amusement was gone from the Demon Lord's face, replaced by a seriousness Scarlet had rarely witnessed.
"Zara's gone."
Scarlet kept her hand on the gate.
"Since when?"
"Not long after the tournament."
Zerath glanced over her shoulder. Through the gap, he spotted Raven sitting with Lucia, Silver at their side—a family slowly coming together again after ten years.
His eyes lingered for only a moment before returning to Scarlet.
"She saw them leave together."
That was all she needed to hear.
Scarlet stepped outside, pulling the gate most of the way closed behind her.
"You searched your place?"
"Everywhere she'd usually go. Her room was a mess. A few things are missing."
"So she left the domain."
Scarlet's face tightened.
After all that had gone down in the arena, Zara vanishing right after seeing Raven with Lucia was too much to chalk up to coincidence.
"Did she come here?"
"No. But she was watching."
Zerath's voice lowered.
"I saw her by the path when you all entered the compound. She lingered there for a few minutes."
"And you left her alone?"
The question had a sharp edge.
Zerath took it without protest.
"Yes."
Scarlet studied him.
Zerath could be calculating, irritating, and hard to read—but the man in front of her wasn't here as one of Sien's Demon Lords.
He was here as Zara's father.
And he knew he'd failed her.
"I know the history," he said. "Lucia. Raven. Zara. More than my daughter thinks I know."
Scarlet's eyes narrowed.
"Then you know what she did."
"Yes."
The reply was instant.
No defense.
No excuse.
"I know what her obsession cost Lucia. I know what she tried to take from Raven. I know Silver got caught in the middle of something that started long before he was old enough to understand."
Zerath looked away.
For once, the clever words just weren't there.
"When Zara was younger, I thought her bond with Raven was just childish. Then it shifted into jealousy. Possessiveness. By the time I realized how far it had gone, I made the mistake of trying to contain it instead of confronting it."
Scarlet's grip tightened around her closed tessen.
"You're apologizing to the wrong person."
"I know."
His gaze drifted toward the gate.
"I'll apologize to Lucia myself when the time comes. Whether she accepts is up to her."
Silence settled between them.
Outside the compound walls, a distant cheer rose for Sien's new king.
Zerath didn't even look at it.
"I should have been a better father to her."
Scarlet's expression changed— not sympathy, but maybe understanding.
Before she could speak, Zerath went on.
"I spent too long thinking Zara's anger was just a phase she'd grow out of. Every year it got worse, and every year I found another excuse not to make her face it."
His eyes hardened.
"Now Raven's back with Lucia, and whatever fantasy Zara held onto died right in front of her today." Scarlet picked up on his concern immediately. Zara had been dangerous enough when she thought Lucia stood between her and Raven. Now, Lucia had beaten her in public. Raven had acknowledged his wife before the entire arena, and afterward, Zara had watched the family leave together. Years of obsession had been resolved in a single afternoon. Scarlet opened the gate. "I'll tell Lucia and Raven."
Zerath nodded. "I'll check the boundary." Scarlet hesitated.
"If you find her?"
Zerath paused for a moment.
"This time, I'll be her father instead of pretending the problem will fix itself."
Scarlet watched him walk away before heading back inside.
The courtyard no longer felt calm.
Zerath was already too late.
At the far edge of the Sien Domain, Zara walked alone. There was no destination beyond the border, just the sword at her side and the few belongings she had brought. Her steps were uneven from the wounds Lucia had left her with, but she wouldn't slow down. Tears welled in her eyes; she brushed them away, only for more to follow. The image haunted her—Raven bursting into the arena the moment he saw Lucia's face. He hadn't paused. He hadn't questioned it.
Years had passed, and just one glimpse was enough. She followed them, keeping her distance so as not to be seen, close enough to watch Raven walk into the Torikku compound alongside the woman Zara had spent years trying to erase from his life. Lucia. Silver. Raven. Together. That moment shattered the last lie Zara had been holding onto.
Raven was never taken from her—he'd never belonged to her in the first place. Her breath came unsteady, grief shifting into humiliation, then boiling into anger. And anger was easier to carry.
Lucia had beaten her in front of the demon clans. Shadow had made a mockery of her. Scarlet had stepped in to shield them. Silver stood as living proof of the family Raven had chosen. Even her own father had watched her fall and done nothing. By the time Zara crossed the boundary, the tears still clung to her face—yet the woman weeping no longer wondered why Raven hadn't chosen her.
She paused at the edge of Sien Domain, glancing back for the first time at the place she had always called home. Her eyes were red and stinging from tears, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her snake sword. "You'll regret this," she muttered, though no one was there to hear. Maybe that's why the words came so easily. Zara stepped across the boundary, unsure where she would go or how long the journey would take, only knowing she couldn't stay and watch Raven live the life she'd wanted with someone else. One day, she would return—not to beg, not to challenge Lucia, not to prove she deserved what had been denied, but for reasons only she would understand.
She would come back strong enough to make everyone who had once stood with that family realize what it had cost her. Zara vanished into the darkness shrouding Sien. Behind her, the steady thunder of Aster's coronation drums echoed on.
A new Demon King had claimed the throne, and while the crowd roared in celebration, few noticed one of the domain's daughters quietly slipping away—destined to become a future foe.