Vol. 6 Ch. 4

After regaining some clarity, Mevis explained the story of her journey to this timeline and the events of the future to Leon once more.

When she finished, Leon fell silent.

After a long pause, he murmured,

"So that’s how it is… So, we lost to Shadow in the future."

He sat at the edge of the bed, holding the glass of water Mevis had handed him.

Leon stared down at the still surface of the water, which reflected his face—scarred, lifeless, and pale.

In that moment of quiet, Leon was reminded of a nightmare that had haunted him for years.

In that dream, the dragons had been defeated, Noa’s dragon ship was nailed to an iceberg, and he wandered alone through a barren wasteland littered with corpses.

But worse than the blood-soaked landscape was the torment of guilt and regret that consumed him.

He had failed to protect what he cherished most. His dreams of glory had become nothing but an empty illusion.

Yet, reality had diverged from that grim dream—they had won.

However, if it hadn’t been for Mevis’s intervention, Leon couldn’t be sure that the outcome would have been any different from the nightmare.

Even with Shadow defeated and the critical battle won, a lingering sense of unease remained in Leon’s heart.

"Dad."

Mevis’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Leon raised his head and looked at her. "Huh… What is it?"

"I know what you’re thinking," Mevis said.

"In the future, during those years when our family was on the run, you often blamed yourself for not being able to turn the tide like you had in the past, for not saving everyone from the flames of disaster."

"Mom, Tyne, and I all tried to help you move past that guilt and regret."

"But the defeat hit you too hard. It wasn’t just the immediate responsibility that weighed on you—it was also the uncertainty and helplessness about the future."

"We spent years in a dark haze. Even though you mostly kept an optimistic front, I knew better than anyone how desperately you wanted to change our situation."

"That’s why I came back, Dad."

Leon gazed into Mevis’s eyes, which shared the same dark hue as his own. Within them, he saw a steadfast conviction.

The room was utterly silent as everyone listened intently to this father-daughter conversation that spanned across time.

"I didn’t come back just to help you defeat Shadow," Mevis continued.

"I came back to help you reconcile with yourself."

Leon echoed her words, stunned, "Reconcile with myself…"

"Protecting this family isn’t just your responsibility, Dad," Mevis said gently.

"It’s the responsibility of every member of the Melkvey family."

She smiled. "Look at me—I’ve grown strong. In the future, Moon, Aurora, and Muse also grow incredibly strong."

"We won’t always be the ones being protected by you and Mom."

"When danger comes, we’ll fight with everything we have to defend our home."

"Whether we succeed or fail, we’ll face it together as a family."

"So—"

Mevis stepped closer to the bed, extended her hand, and lightly clenched it into a fist, holding it out to Leon.

"Past, present, or future—it doesn’t matter. Will you make peace with yourself, Dad?"

Her voice was soft, but it carried a profound understanding of Leon’s struggles over time.

Mevis understood her father better than anyone else.

His guilt and self-reproach were things she had lived with for decades.

This man’s pride and strength didn’t allow him to accept such a crushing failure easily, leaving him trapped in a cycle of self-blame.

But just as Mevis said, her return wasn’t just to defeat Shadow—it was to help Leon heal.

Her words wouldn’t have carried the same weight if spoken by Tylo or Charlotte.

Only Mevis, who had lived through decades of hardship and was both Leon’s daughter and someone who had experienced the tragedy, had the authority to say those words.

Leon hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and lightly bumped his fist against hers.

"Thank you, Noa," he said softly, his voice tinged with melancholy.

But then, as if brushing away the heavy emotions, Leon smiled faintly.

"You’ve saved me once again."

Mevis pulled back her hand, crossing her arms with a smirk.

"If I don’t snuff out your extreme individual heroism now, I’ll have to deal with an even more self-pitying Dad when I go back to the future. No thanks."

"Saving present Dad means saving future Dad."

"Who says Noa doesn’t know how to talk? This Noa sure knows how to talk!"

"Leon…"

As Leon’s mood visibly lightened, Rosvisser finally stepped forward.

"Rosvisser, I’m sorry for worrying you."

"As long as you’re okay."

Rosvisser shook her head, stepping closer to take his hand. She placed it gently on her lap and said softly, "That’s all that matters."

"Hmm…"

Leon pressed his lips together, searching for something romantic to say to lighten the mood in the room.

"Throw a bit of ‘dog food’ around to clear the room and have some alone time with my wife," he thought to himself.

But just as he opened his mouth, Rosvisser cut him off with a smirk.

"Now that you’re awake, let’s talk about the 3,000 times you called my name while you were unconscious."

"Nani?!"

"Three thousand times, Leon~ Rosvisser~ Rosvisser~"

Leon: -_-||

"Help! The boomerang of embarrassment is coming too fast, like a whirlwind!"

"I’m not talking about this! No way!"

"Come on, let’s talk about it."

"No!"

While the two bickered playfully, Constantine quietly picked up Hefei and left the room.

Marriage is terrifying, Constantine thought to himself as he retreated.

Meanwhile, Isha sat cross-legged nearby, resting her chin in her hand with an "auntie smile" as she watched her sister and brother-in-law banter.

Noa walked up to Isha and asked, "Auntie, did Dad really call Mom’s name 3,000 times?"

Isha picked her up, placing her on her lap, and replied,

"He did call your mom’s name quite a lot, but whether it was 3,000 times… Auntie doesn’t know."

"Then how does Mom know?"

"Because—"

Mevis joined them, sitting next to Isha.

"Someone who loves you will remember every word you say."

"Some people might remember the times you mentioned others in your sleep, maybe dozens or hundreds of times, just for fun. But 3,000 times? That’s love, that’s care, that’s seeing you as their everything."

Leon had called Rosvisser’s name 3,000 times, and she had remembered every single one.

As the evening sunlight poured in through the windows, casting its golden glow over the ruins of Sky City, the warmth within the room was unmistakable.

The Melkvey family, against all odds, had found their peace—together.

"Are you taking Noa back first? Why?"

The next day, the group bid farewell to the Tower King and several Dragon Kings as they prepared to return to the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.

Before departing, Mevis suddenly suggested that Isha and Noa head back ahead of them.

"Go back first… to prepare?"

"Mm-hmm."

Mevis didn’t elaborate. Instead, she transformed into her dragon form, lowered her body, and let Noa climb onto her back.

Leon still didn’t understand.

"Prepare what?"

"You’ll find out tonight when you and Mom return~"

With that, Mevis flapped her dragon wings and soared into the sky.

"We’ll be waiting for you at home!"

As the black dragon’s silhouette disappeared into the horizon, Leon and Rosvisser were left utterly puzzled.

"Do you think they’re preparing a surprise for us?" Rosvisser asked.

Leon frowned, thinking for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don’t think it’s a surprise."

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Suddenly!—

The couple turned to each other in perfect sync, and at the same time exclaimed,

«What!»