Chapter 65: Compassion Behind the Mask

When Kael opened his eyes, he found himself in a mountainous region rising at the westernmost edge of the Central Kingdom. However, Kael was in no condition to see his surroundings. The pure darkness of mana overflowing from his body due to the seal ring's release swirled like an uncontrolled vortex, and his consciousness was fading rapidly because of the hybrid power coursing through his veins. The masked man standing before him turned around and called out to Kael.

"The more you fear the magic, the more you burden your body... Don't panic, son. Close your eyes, take a deep breath. Don't think of the dark energy as a poison to be expelled, but rather as if it had always been a part of your body from the very beginning."

Kael forced himself to follow the masked stranger's instructions, struggling to keep his mind clear. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and imagined the dark energy within him calming down.

As Kael did this, the two black wings on his back slowly shrank and somehow retreated back into his body. The overflowing dark essence also gradually subsided,

When everything had completely calmed down, the masked man took a step toward Kael. He slowly slipped the seal ring he was holding back onto Kael's finger. The moment the ring settled into place, the last remnants of Kael's unsettling aura vanished completely, and his body returned to its former, ordinary appearance.

Kael breathed a sigh of relief as the terrible pressure on his body lifted. He sat up and looked at the stranger.

"Thank you, sir..."

"But... I don't understand. Why did you help me? I don't even know you."

The masked man didn't utter a single word. He simply bowed slightly before Kael and placed his hand on Kael's disheveled hair. In that touch, there was a strange tenderness that Kael had never felt before, yet felt deeply familiar to him in the depths of his soul.

"All this time... Forgive me, my son, for not being there for you whenever you needed me..."

In the masked stranger's tone, there was nothing but regret, longing, and the heavy burden of the years.

Before Kael could even process what was happening, he slowly bent down and cradled the boy in his arms. He gently rested Kael's head against his chest.

Kael was at a loss for words in the face of this sudden wave of warmth. There was such a strange, yet reassuring sense of security in the masked man's arms... It was that "fatherly" warmth he had never felt in his life, yet had always sensed was missing deep within his soul. Kael's throat tightened; he couldn't utter a single word, and simply remained there, cradled in those safe arms.

Kael tried to lift his head, struggling to free himself from the heavy flood of emotion weighing on his heart. Just as he was about to say something...

The arms holding him suddenly dropped into the void.The moment Kael opened his eyes, the masked man had vanished as if he'd never been there. Not a trace of meaning remained, nor a shadow. On the mountaintop, only Kael and the sound of the harsh winds blowing through the rocks remained.

Kael looked around in bewilderment.

"Wait! Don't go!" he shouted into the void. As his voice echoed off the cliffs, no one answered him.

Just then, something gliding slowly across the ground at his feet caught his attention. When Kael bent down to look, he saw a teleportation parchment glimmering on the stones; the masked stranger had left Kael one final way to return home safely.

Kael took the parchment in his hand and pressed it to his chest. With astonishment on his face and that indescribable warmth in his heart, he stared out into the void for a long time.

When Zephyros returned to the Krowel mansion from the Central Kingdom, his face was as white as chalk. The moment he stepped through the door, Nerya—who had been going mad for hours in front of the magical screen—lunged toward him and clung to his robe.

"Kael... Where is Kael, Zephyros?! Why did the screens go dark?

Zephyros felt crushed under a weight heavier than anything he'd ever borne in his life. He bowed his head, averting his eyes from Nerya as he began to explain what had happened:

"When the spell lifted..." said Zephyros, his voice trembling.

"Kael wasn't on the field, Nerya. I left no stone unturned in the Central Kingdom. I searched the city from top to bottom, but... I couldn't find even the slightest trace of Kael, not a single clue..."

Hearing this, Nerya's world came crashing down; just as she was about to collapse to the ground, arms reached out from behind and caught her. Vaelmon held his daughter tightly against his chest, but he too was clenching his teeth in anger and helplessness. Zephyros, meanwhile, couldn't lift his head from the ground; he had promised his brother he would keep his nephew safe at any cost, but now that child was gone.

As a deep silence settled over the mansion, a glow from a powerful teleportation spell seeped in from the garden. Immediately afterward, the outer door was pounded violently.

When Vaelmon flung the door open, they saw Kael standing before them, covered in dust but otherwise unharmed.

The moment Nerya saw Kael, she rushed toward her son without a moment's hesitation, clinging to him so tightly it was as if he would vanish again if she let go.

"Kael... My God, you're here!" she sobbed. "I'll never... send you to other kingdoms again! I... thought I'd lost you!"

When Zephyros saw his nephew standing before him, he was both utterly astonished and took a deep breath, as if the massive weight pressing down on his chest had lifted. Vaelmon stepped forward to calm the situation down a bit:

"Nerya, okay, calm down... You're literally choking Kael. Let the boy come inside and tell us what happened."

When Kael sat down on the chair in the hall, he recounted everything that had happened to him, word for word, without letting go of his mother's hand: finally, he said that the masked man had teleported him to the western mountains.Vaelmon slammed his fist down on the wooden table next to him so hard that the table split in two.

"Luminos...! Damn him! If I ever get my hands on him, I won't listen to the Central Kingdom—I'll drown him in his own light!"

Zephyros, however, was in a state of shock and began pacing back and forth in the room.

"I don't understand... If Luminos saw that Kael is a half-demon there and the seal was broken, why hasn't an army from the kingdom already arrived at our doorstep? They know very well that Kael is from the Krowel family."

Vaelmon's gaze darkened. "I don't know what that bastard is planning behind our backs... But whatever he's after, I'll bring the kingdom crashing down on their heads!"A day later, Kael returned to the Eastern Academy, having shaken off some of the shock. The moment he stepped out of the garden, Rota and Lyra rushed over to him, frantic with worry.

Rota shook Kael's shoulders. "Kael! Where the hell have you been?! We were so worried about you! Lyra's been driving me crazy all morning, saying, 'Something's happened to Kael'!"

Just as Kael was about to speak up to explain the situation, Lyra quickly grabbed his hand, cutting him off. Her eyes were shining with worry.

"Kael, after the tournament ended, the officials said they had rushed you and Ronan to the infirmary due to the blast. But when Rota and I rushed to the infirmary, we couldn't find you there! Why did you leave without telling us?"

Kael was taken aback by what he heard: "The infirmary? Apparently, no one saw what happened on the field—the seal breaking or the masked man."He immediately put on a sheepish expression and made up an excuse:

"Ah... Right, I'm so sorry, guys. I was conscious after the explosion, but I was shaken up from the blow. I was overwhelmed by the chaos and the crowd at the tournament, so I went straight home to my family to avoid being a burden on anyone. I'm truly sorry I didn't let you know."

Rota patted Kael on the back and let out a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, buddy, the important thing is that you're here safe and sound! You fought really well all the way to the finals; everyone at the academy is talking about you and Revia right now. But..."

"Ever since Revia arrived, her already cold face has become even more lifeless. I don't get it—she won the tournament's biggest prize; shouldn't she be happy? That plant will elevate a genius like Revia to the 5th ring in no time."

Kael said, "You're right... I'm truly happy for Revia."However, Kael hadn't yet given up on that plant or his hope of saving his mother.

"When the time comes, I'm sure I can find another Astra Lumina no matter where on this continent... I'll restore my mother to her former health," he thought to himself.