---
He clutched Eva's cold hand, his voice cracking with desperation.
"Eva… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
On the floor beside the bed, Leo knelt—his small frame trembling, breath ragged. Suddenly, faint cracks began to spread across his pale skin like fractured glass. A sharp, piercing pain shot through his chest, forcing him onto one knee.
"Leo!" Luca rushed to his side, catching him before he could collapse completely.
Leo gritted his teeth, clutching his heart. "I'm… fine—" His voice broke into a scream.
Luca's eyes widened as he saw the spreading cracks glow faintly beneath Leo's skin.
"Leo, your body… it's breaking apart! You've used too much power!"
Eyan stumbled toward them, panic lacing his voice. "What's happening to him? Luca, why does he look like that?"
"It's backlash," Luca said gravely. "He used his power too much."
Leo pressed a trembling hand against his chest, his breathing shallow.
Eyan knelt before him. "Leo—are you alright?"
Leo forced a weak smile. "I'm fine…"
Luca shook his head, eyes sharp. "Eyan, call your wolves."
Eyan frowned. "Why?"
"Only your wolves can heal him!" Luca barked.
Eyan closed his eyes and called out in a low, commanding voice. Within moments, the three wolves—Talon, Fen, and Mara—appeared in a flicker of shadow and wind. Their dark fur shimmered faintly under the dim light, eyes glowing an eerie silver.
They approached Eyan first, sensing his bloodied hand and wounded chest. The wolves nuzzled against him, ready to heal.
Eyan shook his head. "Stop. Don't heal me—heal him first."
The wolves hesitated, then obeyed. They padded toward Leo, licking the cracks on his arms and chest. The faint glow dimmed, and Leo's breathing steadied slightly, but the fractures on his body remained.
Luca's brows furrowed. "Why isn't it working?"
"It won't work," Leo whispered hoarsely, his voice barely holding together.
Luca turned sharply to him. "Why not?"
Leo's weary eyes drifted toward Eva's still figure on the bed. "Now that Zeradros is stirring again… his power is beginning to fade. The wolves are bound to his seal. As the dragon grows stronger, their strength weakens."
He paused, wincing as pain tore through his chest. "And when the child is born…" he looked at Eyan with quiet gravity, "they'll lose all their powers completely — they'll become nothing more than ordinary wolves."
Eyan froze. His voice, though calm, carried the sharp edge of disbelief. "Did you just say… Zeradros?"
His gaze hardened. "How do you know about the Dragon King?"
Leo winced in pain. "Uncle… tell him everything," he said, turning to Luca. "I… can't… right now. I need to return and heal my body."
Luca caught his arm. "Return? How will you go in your condition?"
Leo straightened slowly, wincing. "There's a magic circle in the capital—it connects both realms. That's where I came from… i need to return to my world."
Luca's voice softened. "Then let me help you get there."
Leo shook his head. "No. Stay here. Mother's still unconscious, and he—" Leo's gaze flickered toward Eyan, "—is injured. You need to look after them."
Leo forced a small, tired smile. "I'll come back. Once I've healed fully… I'll return. It might take time, but I will."
Luca exhaled, accepting. "Alright. Go, then. And be careful."
With slow, determined steps, Leo walked out of the room. The faint sound of his boots echoed down the corridor until it vanished into silence.
Luca stood still for a long moment before turning back to Eyan, whose shirt was drenched in blood.
"Eyan," he said quietly, "we need to treat your wounds. You're still bleeding."
Eyan didn't move. His gaze was fixed on the door where Leo had vanished. "No. Not until you tell me everything."
Luca sighed, frustration and sympathy blending in his tone. "At least let me stop the bleeding, or your son will scold me when he returns."
Eyan blinked, startled. "...Son?"
Luca gave a faint, tired smile. "Yes. As you've already guessed… Leo is your son, Eyan."
Eyan's breath caught. "My… son?"
"Sit down," Luca said quietly. "And listen. I'll tell you everything… from the very beginning."
---
Luca carefully wrapped the last strip of bandage around Eyan's hand and chest. His movements were steady, but his eyes carried the weight of something far heavier.
Eyan's voice broke the silence. "Now… can you tell me?"
Luca paused, his hand stilling. "Alright," he said quietly, "but prepare yourself, Eyan. What I'm about to tell you will change everything you know."
Eyan frowned. "Just say it."
Luca exhaled deeply. "Eyan… sister-in-law knows everything."
Eyan's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by everything?"
"She knows," Luca said, his tone calm but grave, "that you are Kyel."
Eyan froze. "What—?" His breath hitched. "How… how could she know that? And since when?"
"From the very start," Luca answered softly.
Eyan's brows furrowed in disbelief. "That's impossible. how could she know, I never told her."
Luca looked at him steadily. "You did. But in another timeline."
Eyan's voice dropped. "Another timeline?"
"Yes," Luca nodded. "Eyan sister in law came back in time."
Eyan staggered back a step, his eyes wide. "She came back in time?"
"Yes," Luca said again, the weight of truth heavy in every word. "And she knew about the punishment you'd face if you ever released the Dragon King, Zeradros."
Eyan's voice cracked. "How could she know that?"
Luca's gaze softened. "Because in that timeline… you did released Zeradros."
Eyan's heart pounded in his chest. "And… what happened then?"
Luca's voice trembled slightly. "You were punished, Eyan. To save her—and your unborn child—you took your own life."
Eyan's knees nearly gave way. "She was… pregnant?"
"Yes," Luca said quietly.
Eyan's lips trembled. "Then how… how did she come back in time?"
"She made a wish," Luca said, lowering his gaze. "To Zeradros himself."
Eyan's eyes widened. "If she made a wish… then—"
"Yes," Luca finished for him. "She sacrificed her own life. And her child's."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Eyan's vision blurred with tears. "Why… why would she do that?"
Luca's voice was tender, almost breaking. "Because she wanted to save you, Eyan. The man she loved."
Eyan covered his face with his hand, his shoulders trembling. "She went that far… for me?"
Luca nodded. "Sister came back in time One day before your birthday, she came to the Magic Tower. And told me everything—that she was your wife, that she had come from another time. At first, I didn't believe her… until she told me things no one else could have known."
Eyan's voice was hollow. "So she married me again… knowing I was Kyel?"
"Yes," Luca said softly. "She endured all the pain, all the fear, just to save you. To change your fate."
Eyan's tears fell silently. "Eva…" he whispered. "You suffered so much…"
He lifted his head suddenly. "Luca why did Leo look at Eva's belly and say now that is Zeradros stirring again? Why did he say the wolves' power is fading?"
Luca hesitated. "When sister-in-law made her sacrifice, Zeradros granted her two wishes."
Eyan's breath caught.
"One," Luca continued, "was to go back in time. The other…" He paused, his voice softening. "Was that when she get pregnant again, Zeradros himself would be reborn as her child."
Eyan's body went rigid. "You mean… the child she's carrying now—"
"Yes," Luca said. "It's Zeradros himself."
Eyan's heart pounded violently. "Then who is Leo?"
Luca took a deep breath. "Leo came from another world—his world. He was the one who told sister-in-law to make those two wishes, to sacrifice her life and her child's… to save you."
Eyan could barely breathe.
"In his world," Luca continued, "you married sister-in-law as Eyan. And when she was captured, you released Zeradros again… to protect her. You died saving her and your unborn child."
Eyan's throat tightened. "Then Leo…?"
"Leo," Luca said softly, "is the Dragon King Zeradros himself. Born in that world as your son. He used his power to cross dimensions and help her in this timeline."
Luca's voice lowered further. "He said his mother was devastated when you died—that she wept for years. So he did everything he could… to give both of you another chance."
Eyan closed his eyes, tears slipping silently down his face. "A child went through all of this… just for us…"
Luca gave a small, smile. "Eyan, Leo isn't a child."
Eyan looked up. "What do you mean?"
Luca chuckled faintly. "He's twenty-one. He took the form of a child so no one would recognize him—because he looks exactly like you."
Eyan exhaled, a broken smile forming. "Yes… he does look like me."
"And not just that," Luca added gently. "He has your stubbornness, your temper… your heart. You saw it yourself."
Eyan let out a shaky laugh, tears still in his eyes. "I saw that."
Silence fell again. Then Eyan slowly stood and walked to Eva's bedside. She lay there, peaceful, unaware of the storm that had passed.
He took her hand gently, his voice trembling. "Eva… wake up. Please. There's so much I have to say… so much I need to apologize for."
----