Sofía was directing her troops to tend to the wounded when the shouting stopped her and forced her gaze toward the center of the square.
Larriet opened its jaws… and roared.
The roar crashed through the tension like thunder.The entire plaza fell silent.Even the soldiers of the Duchy halted in place.
Sofía Douglas stepped forward with a fury she made no attempt to hide. Her footsteps made the stones tremble, and her presence—surrounded by the three magical beasts—felt powerful enough to crush wills.
Her eyes, as cold as a runic blade, locked onto Alejandro and Leonardo.
"Do you dare…" Her voice was a weapon. "…to speak to my son like that?"
The Duchy's soldiers instinctively parted, as if even they feared standing between Sofía and her target.
Despite his temperament, Alejandro took an involuntary step back.Leonardo lowered his gaze.
"I don't care if you think you're a hero," Sofía continued, every word heavy with brutal authority. "If you say one more word… you will die here."
Larriet stepped forward half a pace, a deep growl rumbling in its chest, making it clear the threat was not empty.
The civilians backed away.The priests froze in place.Even Lusian closed his eyes for a moment, as if fearing what his mother was about to unleash.
One by one, the heroes lowered their heads.
All except Emily.
She stepped forward… straight toward Sofía.
"Mother-in-law, please," Emily said softly, though tension trembled in her voice. "This isn't the moment."
Sofía slowly turned her gaze to her.
There was no hatred in her eyes—only a fierce, maternal, ancient pain.
Emily took a steady breath, holding her gaze.
"They're hurt. They're exhausted. We all lost something today.But fighting among ourselves… will only open more wounds."
Sofía clenched her jaw. Thunder crackled with lightning. Umber's growl deepened.
And yet… she took a step back.
Lusian looked at her in surprise.
Emily had done what no one else dared to attempt:she had stopped the formidable Sofía Douglas.
Without a word, Lusian stepped away. His armor still vibrated with remnants of power, but his eyes looked empty.
When everything finally settled—or at least paused for a moment—Emily went looking for him.
She found him far from the others, sitting on a broken section of wall, staring at the ruins illuminated by dying embers. His hands trembled slightly, not from exhaustion… but from something deeper.
She approached slowly.
"Lusian…" she whispered.
At first he didn't look up. He simply breathed deeply, as though every word was a burden he didn't know how to carry.
"Emily…" he murmured at last. "I shouldn't have arrived so late."
She sat beside him without saying anything, waiting.
Her patience always broke him.
Lusian clenched his fists.
"I… was protecting my territory. An Omega-class magical beast appeared at the border. I couldn't ignore it. If I had let it advance…" He shook his head, his voice cracking. "Douglas would have been left in ruins."
Emily placed a hand gently over his.
He continued.
"While I was fighting, a group of lesser monsters passed nearby. They must have fled when they saw the battle. And… every time they moved forward, more joined them. Like a river sweeping everything away." He drew a shaky breath. "By the time I managed to kill the Omega… it was already too late.The horde had become something impossible to control."
His voice broke completely.
"When I tried to chase them… when I finally could…" He swallowed hard, anger directed at himself. "They had already reached here. And you were fighting. And the city was collapsing.And I… wasn't there."
Emily looked at him with a pain that carried no accusation—only empathy.
"Lusian… you couldn't be in two places at once. You did what you had to do. You protected your home… your people."
"And this one?" he whispered, looking at the shattered remains of Valther. "Who protects this one?"
Emily didn't answer with words.
She moved closer, slowly, with the gesture she only ever used with him.
She rested her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around him.
Lusian took a moment to react. Then he lowered his forehead against her hair, closing his eyes with a fractured sigh. Emily's hands moved gently across his back, her embrace soft yet firm, like an anchor.
"Things spiral out of control sometimes," she said quietly. "No matter how strong you are… no matter how hard you try.What matters is that you came.That you're here now."
Lusian inhaled slowly, as though the world weighed a little less.
"Emily… I don't want you to think I failed because I didn't care."
She lifted her gaze, her face so close he could feel her breath.
"I would never think that," she whispered. "I know your heart better than anyone."
He closed his eyes with a painful relief and held her, one hand resting on her back as though the embrace was the only thing keeping him standing.
"Thank you…" he murmured. "For understanding."
Emily didn't answer.
She simply held him tighter.