Arelus stood beside Azron's bed with his brows slightly furrowed as he looked at Azron, then at Sera, clearly trying to understand what was happening despite the innocence still written on his face. His little hands stayed clasped together in front of him while his curious eyes moved back and forth between them.
Azron looked back at him while leaning against the frame of the bed, patient and quiet, waiting for the boy to speak first or ask whatever was running through his mind. His chest felt strangely tight just looking at him this close. There were too many emotions inside him at once—happiness, disbelief, longing, guilt. He did not want to overwhelm him by suddenly revealing the truth that he was his father.
Sera looked at Arelus, then at Azron as well, carefully searching for the right words to explain everything to her son. For the first time in her life, she found herself nervous over something so simple. She had faced wars, death, and enemies without fear, yet explaining love and family to her own child made her heart pound uncontrollably.
She was just about to speak when Arelus suddenly opened his mouth first.
"I knew you…" Arelus started, making both of his parents raise their brows in surprise. "You were the one who gave me that candy bar."
Azron slowly nodded, amused by the boy's sharpness. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he remembered their first meeting in Orchid Village. Back then, he never imagined the little boy standing before him would turn out to be his son.
Then Arelus turned to Sera.
"Is he stable now?" the boy asked seriously.
"Yes, he is…stable. Why do you ask that?" Sera asked softly.
"Just making sure…"
Then Arelus looked at Azron again. His eyebrows furrowed deeper as his eyes lingered on Azron's face with innocent concentration.
"Do you realize our eye color is the same? And…and your birthmark…"
He pointed toward Azron's bandaged shoulder where part of the birthmark was exposed beneath the wrappings.
"…look, I have one too."
Arelus quickly lifted his sleeve and showed the birthmark on his shoulder. It looked exactly like Azron's, even resting on the same spot.
Azron stared at it quietly.
His chest tightened painfully.
The resemblance was so obvious now that he wondered how he failed to see it before. The same eyes. The same birthmark. Even the stubborn way the boy looked at people reminded him of himself.
Then Arelus stepped closer to Azron and covered his mouth with his tiny hand like he was about to share a dangerous secret.
"Don't be shocked…but I think you're my father." He whispered.
Azron immediately smiled, deeply amused by his son, but his eyes turned glassy with emotion. Happiness filled his chest so suddenly that it almost hurt. The boy recognized him so easily, while he himself had failed to recognize his own son the first time they met.
Guilt quietly crept into his heart.
He missed six years of his child's life.
Six years of hearing his voice. Six years of watching him grow. Six years of being absent from both his wife and son.
"Mom…I think he's shocked." Arelus turned to Sera with concern. "Are you sure he is stable? I don't want his wound to open up again."
Sera let out a soft laugh through the tears threatening to escape her eyes. Her chest ached warmly at Arelus' innocence. Even now, the child was more worried about Azron's wounds than the overwhelming truth in front of him.
She reached for Arelus and gently pulled him closer to her before turning his little body around to face her.
"Honey, he's just happy we are together again." Sera said with a warm smile.
"Are the bad guys gone now? Can he stay with us now?" Arelus asked, remembering what Sera once told him—that his father had gone away to fight bad people and would come back once they were gone.
The question made Azron's throat tighten.
Sera slowly nodded, her smile softening even more despite the tears gathering in her eyes.
"Yes…he's staying with us now."
Arelus smiled brightly, relief instantly washing over his face, before turning back toward Azron.
"Come here." Azron called gently as he stretched his arm toward him despite the pain in his injuries. "Can you give your father a hug?"
Arelus immediately walked closer without hesitation and leaned his small body against Azron's large frame.
Azron carefully wrapped his arm around him, holding him close like he was afraid to lose him again. The warmth of his son in his arms made something inside him finally settle after years of emptiness.
Then his gaze slowly lifted toward Sera.
She stood quietly beside them, trying her best to stop herself from crying at the sight of the two people she loved finally together.
For years she had convinced herself she did not need this. That she could survive alone. That love would only trap her.
But watching Azron hold Arelus so carefully, so naturally, made her realize how badly she had wanted this all along.
...
Rin sat silently inside the medical tent where Runar was being treated. His gaze remained locked on the floor while wounded warriors and physicians occasionally glanced at him from across the tent. It was rare for them to see one of the feared Mort generals personally watching over an ordinary warrior for days.
But Rin stayed.
He had been checking on Runar constantly ever since the battle ended.
The medical tent smelled strongly of herbs, blood, and medicine. Groans of wounded soldiers echoed softly around them, yet Rin barely noticed any of it. His thoughts remained heavy from everything that had happened—the truth about himself, about Sera, about Azron. It still felt unreal to him sometimes.
Runar's eyes slowly opened, but Rin's mind was too occupied to notice immediately.
Runar blinked weakly as his vision adjusted to the dim light inside the tent. Pain spread through his body the moment consciousness returned to him. Then his gaze shifted toward Rin sitting nearby.
"What's wrong with you?" Runar weakly asked, his voice rough and tired.
Rin immediately snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him. Relief instantly appeared on his face, so visible that even Runar almost laughed at it.
"You're awake." Rin stood up quickly and stepped closer to him. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm…hungry…" Runar muttered weakly before his face suddenly turned serious. "Wait…how's Aila and Arelus?"
"They're fine."
The tension in Runar's body immediately loosened as relief washed over him. His eyes closed briefly as he let out a slow breath, thankful that Sera and Arelus were safe.
Silence settled between the two of them afterward.
Both of them remained quiet, thinking about everything that had happened. The war. Sera's true identity. Rin being General Rin. Azron being Arelus' father. It all still felt impossible.
"Uncle Runar!"
Arelus suddenly stepped inside the tent, instantly pulling both of their attention toward him.
The warriors and physicians inside immediately straightened their bodies and bowed.
"Young master!"
Their loud voices echoed through the tent, startling the little boy enough to make him flinch.
Arelus stopped walking and looked at them with wide eyes while Rin and Runar watched him.
Then Sera stepped inside after him.
The entire tent grew even more alert.
"Your Ladyship!"
The warriors greeted again with the same powerful voices, making Arelus flinch for the second time that day.
Sera gently held Arelus' head and pulled him slightly closer to her side.
"It's fine." She softly assured him.
Then she signaled for the warriors to stand down.
Everyone immediately returned to their work, though many of them still secretly glanced toward Sera and Arelus with curiosity and admiration.
Runar slowly tried to lift himself up, but pain immediately flashed across his face.
"Slowly." Sera quickly moved beside him while Rin supported his other side, helping him sit properly.
"Let me see your wound." Sera carefully pulled the cloth covering his shoulder aside to inspect the injury.
Her movements were gentle yet skilled as she removed the old bandages and applied antibacterial ointment before wrapping the wound again with clean cloth.
Runar quietly watched her while she worked.
Even now, after everything had been revealed, Sera still treated him with the same sincerity and care she always had.
"Does it still hurt, Uncle Runar?" Arelus asked innocently while staring at him with worried eyes.
The little boy walked toward Rin and climbed onto his lap comfortably as if it had already become natural for him.
Runar smiled softly and shook his head.
"No. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Arelus visibly relaxed after hearing that answer.
"Thank you, Runar, for saving Arelus." Sera finally spoke as she sat down beside him after finishing the bandages. "Thank you."
There was deep sincerity in her voice.
Runar looked at her quietly for a moment before forming a small gentle smile.
He nodded.
For him, saving Arelus was never something he would regret, even if it almost cost him his life.
Then Arelus hopped down from Rin's lap and began wandering around the tent curiously. He approached wounded warriors one by one, innocently talking to them while Sera, Rin, and Runar continued their conversation.
"Do you have news of Orchid Village?" Runar asked quietly.
"Before we left for Vaiels Territory, Lord Azron already sent army units there to help and guard the village." General Rin answered while crossing his arms. "They're still there keeping Orchid Village safe."
Relief flickered across Runar's face.
"The army will march back to Mort State tomorrow." Sera added while looking at Rin.
"I have to go back to Orchid Village. They need me there." Runar said immediately.
"You still need to heal." Sera answered firmly. "Orchid Village is several days away. Your wound won't survive that long journey yet."
"Let's go to Mort City first and let you recover." Rin added. "I'll return with you to Orchid Village afterward and check the situation there myself."
Runar looked at the two of them before slowly nodding in agreement.
Then Rin glanced toward Arelus, who was now busy talking to an injured warrior about swords.
"I'll leave you two to talk." Rin stood up and approached Arelus. "I'll take him outside."
Arelus immediately followed Rin happily, and the two of them stepped out of the medical tent together.
Silence settled between Runar and Sera afterward.
Silence settled between Runar and Sera afterward.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Too many things had changed between them in such a short time.
Then Runar finally broke the silence.
"You don't have to explain anything. I understand." He gave Sera a reassuring smile despite the exhaustion visible on his face. "You had your reasons for hiding the truth from us. You don't owe me an explanation at all."
Sera looked at him quietly before smiling back, touched by his understanding.
"Thanks, Runar."
Runar cleared his throat awkwardly before letting out a small amused smile.
"So…Lady Mort, huh?"
Sera lowered her gaze with another helpless smile.
"Yeah…that." She softly laughed. "I didn't even know they gave me that title."
"It suits you." Runar said honestly as he looked at her. "You and Lord Azron…you're a perfect match. You deserve each other."
Sera's smile softened even more at his words.
Runar looked away shortly, trying to hide the heaviness quietly lingering inside his chest.
The truth still hurt him.
For years he stayed beside her, hoping that maybe one day she would finally look at him the same way he looked at her. He had loved her silently through ordinary days in Orchid Village—through shared meals, quiet mornings, and small moments with Arelus that slowly began to feel like a real family to him.
But now he finally understood why there was always a distance he could never cross.
It was not because Sera was incapable of loving.
Her heart had simply belonged to someone else from the very beginning.
And seeing her beside Azron made that truth impossible to deny.
The image of the battlefield suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
Sera and Azron standing beside each other in the middle of chaos and death. Azron covering her with his own body while arrows pierced through him without hesitation. Sera holding that strange weapon in her hands while Azron guarded her back, protecting her while she protected their son.
The two of them moved through the battlefield like they belonged beside each other.
Even surrounded by thousands of enemies, they trusted one another completely.
Sera never looked afraid while Azron stood behind her.
And Azron never once doubted her, even when she held a sword against him.
Runar realized then that what tied them together was something far deeper than love alone. It was trust built through surviving life and death together.
No one else could stand in that place beside them.
Runar lowered his gaze and smiled faintly to himself.
Strangely, despite the pain, seeing Sera finally reunited with the man she truly loved also brought him relief.
For the first time since he met her, she no longer looked like someone carrying the world alone on her shoulders.
She looked at peace.
And somehow, that made him genuinely happy for her.
Her family was finally complete.
When Azron's condition finally improved and traveling became safe again, Mort's army began their journey back to Mort State.
The massive army that once moved together across the battlefield slowly separated once more according to their divisions. Raptor, Eagle, Hawk, and Falcon troops each returned to their respective fortresses across the territory, resuming their duties guarding the borders of Mort lands.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix troops escorted their Lord and his family back to Mort City.
The journey home was calmer than the march to war, yet the scars of battle remained visible everywhere. Wounded warriors traveled beside their comrades, broken weapons were carried back with them, and silence often settled between the marching soldiers whenever memories of the battlefield resurfaced.
Sera sat quietly beside Azron during the journey.
When Mort City finally came into view from a distance, Sera's eyes lingered on the towering walls surrounding it.
The same walls she once desperately wanted to escape.
The same city that once felt like a cage slowly suffocating her.
Yet now, as she stared at it again after years away, it no longer felt the same.
Perhaps because the life waiting for her inside those walls had changed.
Or perhaps because she herself had changed.
Azron quietly reached for her hand before they passed through the gates.
His fingers wrapped around hers firmly but gently, and when Sera looked at him, she immediately understood the silent question in his eyes.
Are you truly okay returning here?
There was worry hidden beneath his calm expression. He feared that bringing her back to Mort City might make her feel trapped once again.
Sera looked at him for a moment before giving him a soft reassuring smile.
Then she squeezed his hand back.
A simple gesture, yet it immediately eased the heaviness inside Azron's chest.
For the first time, Sera was not entering Mort City because she was forced to.
She was returning because she chose to.
The huge gates slowly opened before them.
As soon as they entered the city, loud cheers instantly erupted across the streets.
A massive crowd had gathered to welcome them home.
People threw flower petals toward their Lord, their Ladyship, their young master, and the four generals as the army passed through the city roads. The entire place overflowed with relief and celebration after hearing news of their victory and the survival of the Lord's family.
"Lord Azron!"
"Lady Sera!"
"Young master!"
Voices echoed everywhere around them.
Arelus looked around with wide eyes, overwhelmed by the number of people cheering for him. Flower petals landed on his hair and clothes as he stayed close beside Sera and Azron.
Meanwhile, the entire Mort family waited anxiously inside Mort Mansion.
Relief and happiness filled the household ever since news of Sera's return arrived. Many of them still could not believe it was real.
Grand Ersi had nearly collapsed upon hearing that Sera survived.
And when news arrived that Rin was alive as well, the shock and happiness became even greater.
The young heir they thought they had lost forever had finally returned home after all these years.
The entire mansion waited in anticipation, emotions heavy in every corner as they prepared to welcome back the family they once mourned.