Liam wanted to go straight to the church with Rosie, but she insisted on checking on their mother first, just to be sure she was safe. They argued for a few tense moments before Liam finally gave in.
Before they could move, space warped in front of them, and Leo appeared.
"Mom isn't at the house," he said immediately. "I teleported everyone to the church. If I hadn't, Alad's mana would have wiped out the entire area."
Liam and Rosie froze.
Rosie stared at Leo, her large green eyes trembling. Then tears spilled down her cheeks. She ran forward and threw herself into his arms, sobbing openly.
Leo caught her and held her close, a small, tired smile forming.
"Idiot," she said between sobs. "Why did you take so long to come back?"
"I'm sorry, Rosie," he replied softly.
She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her eyes red, her nose flushed. "Are you… are you back for good?"
Leo shook his head. "Not yet. I still have a lot to do." Then his expression softened. "But I can stay a little longer. Let's go find Mom."
Rosie's face brightened instantly. She nodded, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve before stepping back.
The three of them walked toward the association together.
Along the way, Leo glanced at Liam. "How did you know something was wrong?"
"Alad warned me," Liam answered.
Leo nodded. "With Alad fully manifested, you're the strongest among us right now."
Liam slowed slightly, caught off guard by the statement. He knew Alad was powerful, but hearing it said so plainly made his chest tighten.
They continued the rest of the way in silence.
…
Inside the church, Lisa stood frozen in confusion. One moment she had been in her kitchen, preparing dinner, and the next she was standing beneath the high stone ceiling of the church. People crowded around her, all wearing the same shocked expressions, all whispering the same questions. No one understood what had happened.
The paladins were just as startled, but they reacted quickly. Some moved through the crowd, calming people and giving orders, while others rushed outside to assess the situation.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Lisa around the waist. She gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin before turning around.
"It's me," Belgilia said quickly. "Do you know what's going on?"
Lisa shook her head, still trying to steady her breathing. Then another thought struck her. "Have you seen Rosie?"
Belgilia raised her arm and pointed toward the entrance. "She's there."
Lisa followed her gaze and saw Rosie stepping into the church with two men. One of them was Liam from the association. The other…
Her breath caught in her throat. Tears spilled down her cheeks as recognition hit her all at once. She knew him instantly. No matter how much time had passed, she could never mistake her son.
She started running.
Halfway there, her foot caught on the stone floor and she stumbled, but a firm hand caught her before she could fall. When she looked up, Leo was standing right in front of her.
He pulled her into his arms without a word. Tears ran freely down his face as he held her close, as if afraid she might vanish if he let go.
They stayed like that for a long moment, the noise of the church fading around them.
"I missed you so much, Mom," Leo finally said.
"I missed you too, sweetie," Lisa replied, smiling through her tears. Wrinkles lined her face now, but her smile was as warm as ever. "Welcome home."
At that moment, Edmond stepped forward. Behind him stood several familiar faces, Liamond, Albert, Wina, Rorin, and Belgilia. Every one of them stared at Leo with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"So it was true," Liamond said quietly.
Albert turned toward him in shock. "You knew?"
"Not for long," Liamond replied.
"Then why didn't anyone tell us?" Wina asked, her voice tight.
Leo answered before anyone else could speak. "Because of exactly what you're seeing right now." His gaze hardened slightly. "Rosie was targeted just moments ago. The Mad God learned who I am."
The words settled heavily over the group. No one spoke.
Edmond broke the silence. "You were the one who brought everyone here?"
Leo nodded once. "If I hadn't, they would've been crushed by the pressure of mana."
Albert let out a slow breath. "You teleported everyone… just how strong are you now?"
"I'm S-rank," Leo said calmly. Then, seeing their stunned expressions, he added, "I'll explain everything someday. For now, my time is limited, and I want to spend it with my family."
Rorin stepped closer and placed a hand on Leo's waist, smiling faintly. "Welcome back."
Leo returned the smile. "It's good to see all of you." He then looked at Edmond. "I'll leave things here to you, Captain."
Before anyone could respond, Leo and his family vanished.
Edmond watched the empty space for a moment, then chuckled softly. "An S-rank… and he still calls me Captain."
…
Leo, Rosie, and Lisa reappeared inside their house. For a brief moment, none of them moved. The familiar wooden floor, the quiet walls, even the faint smell of dinner half-prepared felt unreal after everything that had happened.
"How are we here?" Rosie asked, breaking the silence, her voice tight with disbelief.
"I teleported us," Leo replied calmly.
Rosie turned to him at once. "How? When did you put an enchantment circle in the house?"
Leo gave a small, knowing smile. "Things work a little differently once you reach S-rank."
Rosie stared at him, clearly torn between amazement and frustration. "I have a lot of questions."
Lisa let out a slow breath and shook her head, pressing a hand to her chest as if grounding herself. "You can ask them over dinner," she said, already turning toward the kitchen. "Standing here won't answer anything."
They spent the night eating and talking. Leo shared stories from his travels, choosing the lighter moments, the strange places and people rather than the battles, while Rosie eagerly talked about her progress as an elementalist, her hands moving as she described each spell. Laughter filled the house, warm and familiar, and for a while the fear of gods and war felt far away.
Hours passed before Leo finally stood.
Lisa noticed immediately. "Do you have to go?" The worry in her voice was impossible to hide.
"Don't worry, Mom," Leo said softly. "Now that everything is known, I'll come back often."
He took a couple of steps toward the door, then paused and turned back, as if remembering something important.
"Oh, and I'm going to ask Elna to marry me soon. Next time I come, I'll bring her with me."
The room went completely still.
"Marry?" Rosie blurted out, her mouth falling open.
Lisa studied him for a moment. "You love her?"
Leo nodded without hesitation.
Lisa smiled, her eyes softening. "Then bring my new daughter home."
"But, wait…" Rosie tried to speak, clearly overwhelmed.
Leo chuckled and waved his hand lightly. "I will. Goodbye."
He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
Rosie rushed forward and pulled it open, but no one was there.
"What?" She frowned, scanning the surrounding. "You can't just say that and leave! Explain it first!" she shouted at the empty air.
…
The warmth from his time with his family still lingered in Leo's chest as he appeared above his domain, a quiet, genuine smile on his face. For the first time in a long while, his thoughts were not weighed down by gods, wars, or fate, only by the simple comfort of home.
Ilandra sensed him at once. She left the tree and walked toward the throne room.
Her expression was serious when she reached the top. "What happened? I felt the Mad God descend."
Leo turned toward her, surprised. "You can sense that? You're not at your full divine level yet."
She nodded calmly. "It isn't only about power. Once you approach that level, your perception of higher domains sharpens. You begin to feel movements that were invisible before."
"I see," Leo said, thoughtful, as an idea formed in his mind. Then he added, "Alad appeared. The Mad God retreated."
At the name, Ilandra smiled faintly. "Alad…"
Leo straightened and stepped forward. "It's time."
The world shifted, and they reappeared in front of the gathering hall. With a single motion of Leo's hand, space folded. Arthur, Briva, and Luciana appeared at once, all three already prepared, their expressions focused.
"What took you so long?" Briva asked.
"The Mad God learned who I am," Leo replied. "He targeted my family."
Arthur's eyes widened. "What?"
"There's no time to explain," Leo said firmly. "You have to move now. We begin the plan immediately."
Two portals opened beside him, their edges shimmering with power. Arthur and Briva stepped into one without hesitation. Luciana paused only long enough to meet Leo's eyes before entering the other.
Leo watched the portals close, the warmth in his chest fading, replaced by resolve.
Then he turned away and returned to the real world. He and Elna would have to travel to the Kingdom of Magic on foot. Creating another teleport would drain too much mana, and right now, that was a risk he could not afford.
…
Exhausted from maintaining Alad's summoning, Edmond sent Liam back.
The moment Liam stepped through the door, Steve rushed toward him. "Liam, what the hell happened?" Steve shouted. "Why did you run off like that?"
Liam glanced around the room. The servant was already gone.
"It was Alad," he said quietly. "I had to go."
"Alad?" Steve pressed. "What do you mean?"
Before Liam could answer, a dark portal opened behind them. The air grew heavy as Luciana stepped out of it.
Steve reacted instantly. He drew his sword and pointed it at her. "Who are you?"
"Wait!" Liam shouted.
Luciana turned her gaze toward Steve, her expression calm and cold. "Liam," she asked evenly, "who is this man? Should I kill him?"
"Kill?" Liam shouted. "He's my brother!"
Steve glared back at her, refusing to lower his blade. "Kill me? Who do you think you are?"
"Shut up, both of you!" Liam snapped, his voice sharp with exhaustion. "I'm tired from burning through all my mana."
That finally drew their attention. He took a breath and gestured toward Luciana. "Steve, this is Luciana. She's one of the Creator's ten angels."
Ten angels, that was how Leo had instructed them to introduce themselves from now on.
Steve froze. "The Creator?" His eyes widened. "The same god who stopped the God of Light?" He stared at Luciana in disbelief. "What is she doing here?"
"She's here for her mission," Liam said. "Just like me."
Steve turned sharply. "What do you mean, just like you?"
Liam met his gaze. "I'm one of the ten angels too."
Steve's eyes widened even further. Suddenly, everything made sense, the speed of Liam's growth, the power he had begun to show. He fell silent for a long moment.
Luciana broke the silence with a faint, devilish smile. "I'll be living with you for a while," she said. "Nice to meet you."
…
Marco paced back and forth inside his house, tension written all over his face. When a portal suddenly opened in the air, he froze. Two figures stepped through it, and the portal closed as quietly as it had appeared.
"What took you so long?" Marco whispered, glancing around as if afraid someone might overhear.
"There were some complications," Arthur replied, his eyes already scanning the room out of habit.
Marco's gaze stayed locked on both of them, studying them as if trying to confirm they were real.
Arthur noticed and raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?"
"No," Marco said quickly, then hesitated. "It's just… this is the second time I've seen one of the members up close."
Arthur thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose that's true."
Briva stepped forward and raised her hand with a small smile. "Then it's nice to meet you in person."
Marco shook her hand, then shook Arthur's, still looking slightly overwhelmed.
Arthur smiled faintly. "Get ready," he said. "I'm going to push you to your limits."
Marco swallowed, but there was excitement in his eyes.