Slowly, Orion opened his eyes.

  “Hng…”

  His blurred vision steadied, pink threads drifting lazily through his sight.

  Then Tetra’s smile came into focus, his head resting across her thighs.

  “How are you feeling, Orion?” she asked softly.

  “Tired…” he replied with a sigh, memories of everything that had happened while he was unconscious surfacing at once.

  “I can imagine.” Tetra leaned forward, her face filling his field of view.

  “It’s good to see you’re doing well, even after all that.”

  She leaned back again, revealing the open blue sky above.

  “You’ve been out for three days. We were starting to worry.”

  She spoke as Orion sat up and then rose to his feet, stretching with an audible release of tension.

  “Did anything happen while I was out?” he asked, turning toward Marie.

  The black-haired maid shifted slightly, a warm smile on her face before it faded into professionalism.

  “Nothing of note,” she said. “We found land, and we’re currently flying over it.”

  As she finished her report, she raised her left hand.

  The sound of wings filled the air as an owl swooped down and settled gently on her arm, hooting softly.

  “I’ve been using her for surveillance. She’s the one who guided us here.” Marie scratched her companion’s head fondly.

  “That’s good to hear. Thank you for your hard work,” Orion said with a smile.

  “Think nothing of it. I’m glad I could help.” Marie turned away, a restrained smile slipping through.

  “Henrietta?” Orion turned toward his mother-in-law.

  “I’m enjoying the view,” she replied, glancing back with a faint smile. “It’s not often I get to relax like this.”

  But Orion noticed her fingers fidgeting at her side and the crooked smile etched on her face.

  “…”

  He nodded silently, understanding her worry for her daughter, and chose not to press further.

  Turning forward again, he felt a deep rumble beneath him.

  “Grooow!”

  Libranil lifted her head, her dark eyes shifting toward Orion as her growl vibrated through her massive frame.

  Orion smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

  “Thank you as well, Libranil. You've been carrying us without breaks, haven't you?”

  As he surveyed their surroundings, a thought surfaced.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  We should stop soon. Libranil needs rest too.

  And Marie can’t stay on watch forever. I don’t want Olivia worrying about her.

  His gaze swept the land below, searching for a suitable place to descend.

  “Libranil…” he began.

  Then something caught his attention, high in the sky.

  “!”

  Orion stiffened, his focus snapping sharp. His face followed his eyes slowly, and with it, a sudden realization.

  “Land immediately!” he ordered.

  Before anyone could question him, he warped away.

  “Where are we going?”

  Stella asked, seated on Ophion’s back beside May and Deveralna.

  “Honestly, I can’t say,” the lamia replied, her eyes darkening at the thought of crossing paths with that woman again. “Anywhere far from that monster is a good start.”

  A brief silence followed.

  “I wonder what our next stop will be like,” May said, lifting her gaze to the clouds drifting above them.

  The wind brushed their faces, tugging at their hair as their thoughts wandered toward imagined horizons.

  “What do you think?” Deveralna asked.

  The three of them lowered their heads almost in unison.

  “Ah… in a world like this, there’s a chance nothing’s left to appreciate,” Stella said, shrugging the thought away.

  “You’re right,” May agreed quietly. “There’s no trace of hope left here.”

  She turned her head aside.

  “Barren lands, ruined cities, Devourer fields, subdued civilizations… there’s probably nothing worth protecting anymore.”

  “This is what happens to worlds conquered by powerful beings,” Deveralna said. “No freedom. No will to live.”

  The words were obvious, yet they weighed heavily all the same.

  “…”

  The silence stretched as a thought took hold.

  “What if…” Stella began. “What if we had used our power only for ourselves? What if Dad had given in to his darker thoughts?”

  Her voice wavered.

  “Would Triazils have ended up like this too?”

  May lowered her gaze, staring at her open hands.

  “I can’t say Orion’s heart was pure back then,” she said slowly. “I remember his expression the first time we met. Dark. Closed off. Bitter.”

  Deveralna nodded.

  “And yet, he chose to stand with humanity instead of against it,” she said. “He found the strength to seek out the source of everyone’s pain, rather than inflict more.”

  Her lips trembled.

  “That choice is what separates him from those monsters. Orion never sought control. He was a desperate man in desperate circumstances.”

  “I was the same,” she added softly. “So I understand. Weren’t we all?”

  Stella and May lowered their heads, memories surfacing unbidden.

  Amelia. Karteira. Mia. Nia. May. Deveralna. Senia. Olivia. Tetra.

  Nine women, each once desperate to change their lives.

  “Some of us were close to giving up,” May murmured. “But because of that one man, we found happiness again.”

  “Without him,” she added, “we wouldn’t have even had the chance to change our country.”

  They fell quiet, eyes closing as the truth settled.

  “Well,” May said at last, glancing at Stella, “it probably wouldn’t have happened.”

  “Your father isn’t someone who delights in the suffering of others,” she continued. “He adopted you the moment he could—long before he even knew you were a Remnant’s daughter.”

  Stella nodded, a small smile forming.

  As the calm returned and the wind carried their thoughts away, Deveralna tapped Ophion’s scales.

  “Ophion. You can stop here. You need to rest.”

  Lightning flickered in his eyes as he acknowledged the order, his descent beginning slowly.

  Then, suddenly, he stopped.

  The three women rose to their feet at once.

  “What’s happening?!” Deveralna’s wings burst open as she launched herself into the air. “Are we under attack?”

  May and Stella readied their weapons.

  Scanning ahead, Deveralna froze.

  “Ah…”

  Her arms dropped. Her mouth fell open.

  “Ophion. It’s been a while,” a familiar voice said warmly. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

  A man stood below, rubbing the massive serpent’s nose with an easy smile.

  The difference in size was absurd, yet he acted as though it meant nothing at all.

  “O-Orion?” Deveralna whispered. Her voice broke as tears welled and spilled freely.

  Hearing his name, Orion lifted his gaze to meet hers.

  For a heartbeat, the world went silent.

  Then Deveralna dropped toward him at reckless speed. He opened his arms to catch her.

  “Orion!”

  Her cry echoed as May and Stella hurried up Ophion’s body.

  “Really?! Dad’s here?!” Stella gasped, peering past Ophion’s massive head.

  She saw Orion holding the lamia, murmuring comforts as he gently stroked her hair.

  Her breath caught. Her legs gave way.

  “Haha… we really found Dad,” she said, tears spilling freely.

  May watched her sob, her own chest tightening.

  She clenched her hands and looked at Orion.

  "..."

  Then she smiled, the tension finally leaving her face.

  “You took your sweet time, idiot.”

  Wiping her tears away with her sleeve, she stood there, emotions swirling as the moment finally settled.