"Daddy?"
A soft, concerned voice echoed in Leon's ears.
"Hmm?" Leon snapped out of his reverie, his breathing slightly uneven.
Glancing to his left and right, he saw Stella and Charlotte watching him with worried expressions.
"Charlotte... Stella..." His voice was hoarse as he called their nas.
His face still pale, he scanned his surroundings and realized he was still in the garden where he had been monts ago.
"What... just happened?" He muttered, covering half of his face with his palm.
A sharp pain stabbed his chest, while cold sweat trickled down his neck and back, soaking his clothes.
Images flashed through his mind—an endless sea of corpses, Liliana and Athena's deaths, the appearance of the Evil God, Fiona's lifeless body, strange winged figures in the sky, and a majestic voice that shook his very soul.
Everything felt so real. Was it just an illusion… or sothing else?
Seeing Leon's strange behavior, Charlotte and Stella exchanged uneasy glances.
"Sister Stella, what's wrong with Daddy?" Charlotte asked nervously.
Stella bit her lower lip, her gaze lingering on Leon with concern. "I don't know… Could Uncle Leon be exhausted?"
Neither of them understood what had happened to him, so they could only stay silent and hope he was okay.
"Daddy!"
Just then, Fiona and Iris ran toward Leon, bright smiles lighting up their faces.
Leon was slightly startled and turned his head toward them.
However, the mont his gaze landed on Fiona, who stood to his right, mories of her sorrowful and desperate expression before her death ca flooding back.
"Daddy, I'm sorry... I failed to et your expectations. Mommy, Aunt Athena, and my sisters... they're gone. Every living being in this world has perished. I may have defeated the Evil God, but I couldn't save them... I failed... I'm sorry..."
Her last words felt like a thousand blades, rcilessly cutting through his heart.
He parted his lips to speak, but no words ca out.
Then, forcing a smile, he lifted the still-smiling Fiona into his arms.
"Did you have fun playing with your sister?" He asked gently, though the sadness in his voice was hard to hide.
Unaware of Leon's unease, Fiona blinked her innocent, round eyes and bead brightly.
"Hehehe! It was so fun, Daddy!" She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Before, Sister Iris always beat . But now… Hehehe… I won!"
"Oh?" Leon feigned surprise, rubbing her head affectionately. "That's amazing!"
Hearing his praise, Fiona's smile grew even wider. She giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"That's right! I'm the greatest!"
Watching their interaction, Charlotte, Iris, and Stella exchanged puzzled glances.
"Sister, do you feel like sothing's off about Daddy?" Iris asked curiously.
At first glance, their father seed normal, but there was an indescribable feeling that sothing wasn't right.
Charlotte and Stella slowly got up from the garden bench and gave small nods in agreent.
"There's definitely sothing strange about Daddy," Charlotte said quietly. "Earlier, he was telling us a story, but then he suddenly zoned out. We had to call him several tis before he snapped out of it. But what's even weirder is that the mont he did, his expression turned sad and worried, like sothing heavy was weighing on him."
"Yes, it's really odd. Uncle Leon is always so cheerful and full of smiles when he tells us stories," Stella added seriously. "Should we tell Aunt Liliana about this?"
Iris and Charlotte fell silent for a mont. Stella's suggestion made sense. Their mother should know about this. After all, if anyone could understand their father best, it was her.
Charlotte was about to respond when Leon's voice suddenly interrupted.
"What are you girls whispering about?"
The three of them turned to see Leon smiling at them.
A faint blush spread across their adorable faces, and in unison, they shook their heads.
"Nothing, Daddy," Iris said, walking over to hug his leg.
Leon chuckled softly. Even though they had spoken in hushed tones, nothing could escape his hearing.
Shifting Fiona slightly to his right lap, he lifted Iris and placed her on his left thigh.
"You must be tired after playing, right?" he asked, gently tapping her little nose. "How about we have a barbecue party tonight? It'll be fun."
"Barbecue?" A question mark seed to pop up above Iris's little head. "What's that, Daddy?"
Fiona, Charlotte, and Stella also perked up, eagerly waiting for his answer.
Leon smiled. "It's a way of cooking where we grill fish, beef, chicken, and other ats over firewood or charcoal. Coincidentally, I prepared the equipnt yesterday and planned to do it tonight. What do you think? Want to give it a try?"
Hearing his explanation, they could already picture how fun it would be and eagerly nodded.
"I want a barbecue party!" Fiona raised her right hand excitedly.
" too!" Iris mimicked her gesture.
Charlotte and Stella joined in. " too!"
Seeing their enthusiasm, Leon chuckled and gently ruffled Fiona's and Iris's hair as they sat on his lap.
"Good! Then—"
Before he could finish his sentence, sothing cold brushed against the right side of his face.
His heart skipped a beat, and a thought crossed his mind.
"Wow! It's snowing!"
Fiona's excited shout snapped him out of his thoughts. Leon looked up and saw the sky had darkened slightly.
Between the drifting clouds, delicate snowflakes began to fall, twirling gracefully as they descended toward the world.
Leon's face instantly paled as he turned to Charlotte, Stella, Iris, and Fiona.
Once he confird that nothing was amiss, he let out a quiet sigh of relief and rubbed his temples.
"Thankfully, it didn't happen again…" He muttered.
Shaking off his thoughts, Leon stood up, still holding Fiona and Iris in his arms.
"Let's head back. Winter is here, and I don't want you catching a cold."
Fiona, still srized by the falling snow, pouted slightly, reluctant to leave.
However, she knew her daddy was right, so she didn't argue.
With that, they all made their way back to the inner palace, while the snow in the sky continued to fall, growing heavier with each passing mont.
...
Inside his room, Leon gazed out the window, watching the snow fall in silence.
His eyes were fixed on the scene outside, but his mind drifted elsewhere.
"That… Was it just an illusion or a true glimpse of the future?" he wondered, his eyes narrowing slightly.
If it was just an illusion, it was disturbingly real, filling him with doubt. But if it was truly a glimpse of the future, why was Fiona the one battling the Evil God instead of him?
Questions swirled in his mind, each one piling onto the next, making his head throb.
He shut his eyes for a mont before slowly opening them again.
"The Evil God called Fiona the Fated One… But that doesn't make sense," he muttered under his breath. "I was supposed to be the Fated One, not her. But… is that really true?"
Lifting his head, he stared at the overcast sky, its heavy clouds casting a shadow over the world.
"If that vision was ant to happen… if Fiona is the real Fated One… then who am I?"
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