The first face Averis saw upon opening her eyes was that of her grandfather.
"Old man..." she groaned, her voice raspy and dry.
The lava tube had already been removed for safety. Only the hearing pad remained, regulating her temperature.
Her core had started circulating mana as usual, though the damage was far from healed. Still, she was no longer in imdiate danger.
"Avy... how do you feel?" Argon asked, his voice thick with emotion.
Seeing his child fight for her life over the past few days had been agonizing. Sleep had been scarce, and he had stayed close, refusing to leave her side. Now, seeing her finally wake brought a long-awaited relief.
"It’s hot... I need a bath," she whispered, eyes half-lidded.
It would be days before she could stand or walk properly. Constant monitoring was necessary, which was why the dics hadn’t allowed her to get up.
Argon laid a warm hand on her forehead, his voice low but firm. "I am upset, Child. I didn’t raise you to be this weak. Why did you give up on your life?"
Argon’s jaw tightened, a growl escaping him. "Just a single rejection, and you were ready to throw your life away? Is that what you’ve been taught? Where is the stubbornness you showed when your parents forbade you from following your passions? Why didn’t you fight this ti?"
Anyone in the room could feel the depth of his pain—his grandchild, nearly lost, had shaken him to his core.
Averis knew she had hurt him. But the rejection in her Lord’s eyes—the disappointnt, the anger—shattered her heart into a million pieces every ti she thought of it.
"I... I disappointed you too..." Averis muttered slowly, her voice barely above a whisper.
A wave of regret washed over Argon for shouting at his child. But before he could respond, a new voice cut through the room.
"Well, surely you have disappointed him," it said.
Averis, barely able to lift her head monts ago, sat up straight in an instant.
The nurse panicked. "You shouldn’t—"
But Averis didn’t lie back down. Her gaze locked on the red-haired figure who had just entered the room.
Hades looked at her briefly, then gestured for the nurse to step back.
As the nurse hesitated, he moved forward. "How many years has this man cared for you? Think about that," he said, his tone sharp and asured. "And how many minutes have we spent together? Think about that too."
Taking a careful step closer, he continued, his voice colder now. "And you were ready to throw all those years away... just because soone you t minutes ago rejected you? That is... pathetic."
Argon flinched, his eyes darting toward Hades.
Before he could speak, Kaelith rested a steady hand on his shoulder.
As Argon looked at her, she conveyed a single silent ssage: Leave this to him.
Tears welled in her eyes. "I-I’m sorry... I... I just couldn’t think..."
"So you regret it now?" Hades asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you regret nearly giving up on your life?"
Averis looked up at him, sensing the uncertainty in his gaze. He was testing her.
She could tell he was furious that she had co so close to dying. While she couldn’t fully process her own relief at surviving, her focus now was on finding the right words.
"Yes... I regret it," she admitted, nodding.
Hades shook his head, scolding her. "Not like that. Say it properly. Say what you really feel."
She flinched but steadied herself. "I was wrong to give up after being rejected. I should have thought things through more clearly."
Hades nodded, arms crossed over his chest. "That’s better. Now... apologize to the man you’ve caused the most pain to these past few days."
Averis’s teary eyes turned towards her grandfather as she called, "Gramps...I am sorry."
Argon’s heart lted as he stepped forward and rested his hand on her head, "I am just glad that you returned."
Averis sniffled, lowering her head.
There was soone else in the room who was weeping silently.
That single person who never moved from the spot and remained standing there all this ti when her lady was fighting death.
’Thank you...thank you for giving yourself another chance.’ Her lips curved in a soft smile.
°°°°°°°°
"Mm..." Peri stirred awake as she felt soone gently shaking her.
With a groan, she lifted her head and t a familiar pair of red eyes.
"Hades... did sothing happen?" she asked, her voice still heavy with sleep. He wouldn’t have woken her in the middle of the night unless it was urgent.
As she straightened her back, she noticed Luna sitting beside her, her face etched with concern.
"I’m leaving," Hades said, his tone calm, "so I thought I should say goodbye."
"Where are you going?" Peri asked instinctively, gripping his hand tightly, reluctant to let him slip away.
Hades chuckled softly. "Just a small mission. It won’t take long."
Luna frowned, worry clear in her eyes. "But... why so suddenly? You’ve only been training for three weeks. Isn’t that too soon?"
This realm was nothing like the one they had grown up in.
Here, unimaginable dangers lurked at every turn. Laws worked differently. Strength ruled supre. In a battle, no matter who started it—or who was in the right—the victor was always considered justified.
Back in the human realm, Hades had never been sent out alone. Early on, he had worked as a support in a team; later, he had led one. But he had always had backup.
Here, however, he was being sent out without a single ally at his side.
Hades sat on the edge of the bed and gently held their hands.
Looking at them, he said, "If I want to face those giants in the tournant, I need to accelerate my growth. That’s why I have to do this."
Peri’s eyes widened. "Can’t we co along? Or at least Luna? She’s trained with you before—she’s not weak enough to get in your way."
Hades exhaled, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "Peri... I trusted you both, which is why I never ca to the forest to check on your training. I want you to trust in return."
Peri groaned, "But this and that are two different—"
"Peri, it’s okay," Luna interrupted gently. "If he says he can handle this, then as his partners we shouldn’t hold him back. Otherwise, all we beco is a ntal burden."
Understanding finally dawned on Peri, and she lowered her head.
Luna cupped her mate’s cheek softly. "Wounded or not, victorious or not... we’re always waiting for you. Whatever happens, make sure you co back to us."
Hades’s shoulders sagged slightly as he embraced her, nodding. "I promise."
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