Hearing this, Lu Mingfei seemed to suddenly lose his strength, as though his spine had been ripped out. He collapsed onto the ground, lowering his head: "It's my fault. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be like this."
"Don't blame yourself, brother. This isn't your fault."
Lu Mingze pulled him into an embrace, speaking softly: "This is my fate. Compared to the fate in the prophecy, it's already the best outcome, isn't it?"
"I can…"
Lu Mingfei was about to speak, but Lu Mingze guessed what he was going to say and shook his head: "No, brother. Don't forget, even though the dragon race is gone, the hybrids remain. There's still much ahead that needs you, right?"
Yes, the dragon race is gone, but the hybrids remain!
What comes next is the struggle among humans. As the last remaining force, he is an indispensable existence!
Or rather, he could be called the 'pillar that stabilizes the seas.' As long as he's around, the hybrid factions won't go too far. Otherwise, once he disappears, the whole world will fall into even greater chaos!
"I understand."
Lu Mingfei's mood sank. It felt as though he had become that lonely person again.
"Don't worry, brother."
Lu Mingze comforted him: "I'm not leaving forever. Maybe I'll be back sooner than you think?"
"Yeah, I'll stay here… waiting for you to come back!"
Lu Mingfei regained his composure, forcing a smile on his face.
He didn't want the little devil to leave seeing him in such a "miserable" state. Even if he couldn't help, at least he didn't want the little devil to worry about him!
"Hehe, this is the 'brother' I know!"
Lu Mingze looked at the boy with reluctance and waved his hand: "Go see the 'new world,' there are many surprises~ Brother."
"Goodbye, Lu Mingze."
"Goodbye, brother."
The familiar ceiling.
When Lu Mingfei opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the pure white ceiling.
Maybe it was because he'd been hospitalized so often recently that he had even started to get used to the smell of disinfectant in the air.
Lu Mingze... had really left!
He could feel the bond between their souls completely disappear, leaving no trace behind.
"Lu Mingze?"
He tried calling out the familiar name in the empty hospital room.
But all he got in return was emptiness and silence.
Lu Mingfei lowered his eyelids, holding back the overwhelming sadness inside, forcing himself to stay strong and pulling the corners of his mouth into a smile.
"It's okay, I'll wait here for you, I'll wait until you come back."
Making a silent decision in his heart, he turned his head to look at the neighboring bed, where the blankets were messily arranged, clearly showing that someone had just left.
He didn't know how long he had been lying there, but Lu Mingfei felt like he was about to stiffen up, so he sat up, held the edge of the bed, and stretched his back. His joints crackled like popping beans in hot oil, and he immediately felt much better.
"Let's go for a walk."
He thought to himself, then walked straight out of the room, taking the stairs down until he exited the sanatorium.
The sky outside was a bright blue, cloudless, and the warm sunlight shone on him, making Lu Mingfei instinctively close his eyes, feeling the fragrance of flowers, grass, and trees in the air.
The world had never seemed so beautiful to him; it felt like it had been renewed, reborn.
He didn't know what was keeping Cassell College so busy, but there wasn't a soul in sight at the sanatorium.
Lu Mingfei walked down the familiar path toward the deeper parts of Cassell College.
Finally, he saw a busy crowd working to repair the damaged Ironwood Forest lakeside, the teaching buildings, the clock tower, the library, and other facilities.
The place was full of young energy, and he even spotted someone familiar.
"Yo, big hero, you finally woke up?"
Caesar was leaning on a shovel, looking all dirty and tired. It was hard to believe he was a noble young master.
"How long have I been asleep?" Lu Mingfei looked around curiously and asked.
"Exactly one week," Caesar slapped his shoulder and joked, "If you hadn't woken up, we were about to hold a memorial for you."
"Seven days unconscious..."
Lu Mingfei gave a wry smile. No wonder his body felt stiff. He looked at the busy students, "Are you guys... building a building?"
"Not quite. Just cleaning up some trash."
Caesar sighed as he continued, "The damage was so extensive. Professor Guderian nearly died from anger. Once we clear all the debris, we plan to rebuild. All thanks to you, we might get a new building in our lifetime."
"Uh..."
Lu Mingfei felt a little awkward.
"Just kidding. Since you're awake, let's go see the principal."
Caesar patted his shoulder and went back to directing the students as they cleaned up.
Lu Mingfei smiled and headed to the principal's office.
However, after walking only a few minutes, he ran into a girl with a high ponytail, wearing a white dress, tall and graceful.
She was leaning into the arms of a tall, slender boy with a sharp Chinese face, wild black hair, and strikingly handsome features. They seemed to be whispering to each other.
"Wait, wait?!"
Lu Mingfei rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be seeing things.
Wasn't that... Xia Mi and Chu Zihang?!
"Hm?"
Noticing someone was watching, the tall boy immediately turned his head. When he saw it was Lu Mingfei, he spoke.
"Senior brother?"
Lu Mingfei swallowed hard, looking like he'd seen a ghost. He pointed at the girl, who looked almost like a fairy in her dress. "Xia Xia... Xia Mi? Didn't you die?!"
"Ahem, this is a long story."
Chu Zihang, who normally had an icy expression, actually looked a bit awkward, his earlobes turning red.
"To make it simple, Xia Mi lost the Dragon King's power, but miraculously didn't die. Instead, she turned into a Hybrid, and well, here we are."
"Hehe, didn't expect that, did you?!"
Xia Mi made a funny face and wrapped her arm affectionately around Chu Zihang.
"Not bad at all."
Lu Mingfei smiled. He genuinely wished the couple well.
"By the way, the principal is waiting for you. You should head over," said Chu Zihang with a knowing look. "There's a surprise waiting. Hope you don't get too excited."
A surprise?
Lu Mingfei scratched his head, a little confused. But he didn't want to interrupt the lovebirds any longer.
Just as he was about to reach the office, he heard shouting from inside.
"Fine! You've got guts, Hilbert!"
"Chu Tianjiao, I don't have time for your nonsense!"
A man was promptly thrown out of the office, scratching his messy hair—only to bump right into Lu Mingfei.
"You must be Lu Mingfei?" The man's eyes lit up as he grinned. "Nice to meet you! I'm Chu Tianjiao. Thanks for looking after my son!"
Chu Tianjiao?
Lu Mingfei froze. "You're... Chu Zihang's father?"
"That's right. I'm his dad."
Chu Tianjiao looked a bit embarrassed. "I was under Odin's control for a long time. Caused a lot of trouble for you guys. I'm really sorry."
"It's alright, really. You coming back must mean a lot to Senior Brother."
Lu Mingfei smiled. "And if we're talking about taking care of people... he's the one who looked after me more."
"Lu Mingfei?"
The principal's voice came from the office. "Since you're here, come in already."
"Hehe, I won't keep you then."
Chu Tianjiao patted the young man's shoulder with a smile. "Go on in. There's a surprise waiting for you inside."
Another surprise?
That made it the third time someone had said there was a surprise.
Lu Mingfei grew even more curious. Just what kind of surprise was it?
He nodded, said goodbye to Chu Tianjiao, and pushed open the door to the principal's office.
A middle-aged woman wearing the Cassell College uniform was sitting across from Hilbert.
Time had left clear traces on her face, but the sharpness in her eyes hadn't dulled one bit. Her uniform was crisp and commanding, with a silver badge pinned neatly on her collar.
The moment she saw Lu Mingfei, the woman seemed overwhelmed with emotion, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
The sharpness in her gaze faded, leaving behind only endless gentleness... and guilt.
Hilbert crossed his hands under his chin, the corners of his lips lifting into a smile.
"Perfect timing, Lu Mingfei. Let me introduce you. This is Giovanna—your mother."
Giovanna could no longer suppress the longing buried deep in her heart. She opened her arms and pulled the much taller Lu Mingfei tightly into her embrace.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
The woman wept as she softly repeated her apologies.
Lu Mingfei stood stiff and frozen for a long moment.
Then, slowly and hesitantly, he raised his arms and hugged Giovanna back.
"Mom..."
********
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