Aurelthia's eyes rested on him, deep and ancient.
"Before my death," she said softly, "my son and I made a promise."
Her gaze drifted slightly, as if remembering something that belonged to another lifetime.
"He told me… that when the day came that Zeradros stood close to death, he would come to meet me once more....and looks like he kept his promise, even after reborning as Leo "
Leo's small smile returned. "Oh… so that's why."
But Aurelthia did not smile. Instead, she looked at him with sorrow-filled eyes. A single tear slowly slipped down her cheek.
"Why… are you doing this, my child?"
Leo blinked in confusion. "I don't understand what you are trying to sa—"
"That potion…"
Leo's smile faded.
"The one you have been feeding your mother." Her voice trembled. "It is poison."
Silence fell between them.
Slowly, leo lowered his eyes.
Aurelthia's tears fell more freely now. "Why are you killing yourself… while still inside your mother's womb?"
Her voice cracked with grief.
"If you do this… you will die as well."
She stepped closer, her trembling hands reaching toward him. "You know that, don't you?"
Her eyes burned with desperate pain.
"Unlike ordinary souls… Zeradros cannot exist separately across different timelines. No matter how many worlds are created… no matter how many paths fate takes… he remains one."
Her voice dropped into a whisper. "All versions of him are bound together."
"If one dies…"
Her tears fell onto the mist beneath them.
"…the others will die as well."
Leo's voice came quietly. "I know."
"If you… know?" Her voice broke as she looked at him. "Then why?"
Leo slowly lifted his head. His red eyes were filled with tears now.
"My mother… will die because of me." His voice trembled. "I can't let that happen."
He clenched his small hands tightly.
"The only way to stop my mother from dying… is to kill the child before he is born."
The mist around them fell into a heavy silence.
Aurelthia stared at him, her heart shattering as she looked at the child standing before her—carrying the soul of a king who had once ruled dragons, yet now willing to erase himself for the sake of his mother.
(Note — This conversation did not end here. It would return again… in another chapters between scenes)