Chapter 47: Surprise
The Serenity Trees throughout the world were hunted till their extinction, without any rcy or chance for survival. Sadly, the countless races who were blinded by their greed only realized afterward the consequences of their action.
Anything related to the Serenity Tree beca an exotic commodity and was never sold for money but was only exchanged for similar items or artifacts. The demand was overwhelmingly high but, there was no supply to satiate those demands, causing its price to skyrocket beyond asure.
The Royal Family of the Luminaire Empire also had their fair share of such treasures stored inside their Empire’s Vault. Sadly, the previous Emperors driven by their greed for longevity used them and left nothing behind, not even a single leaf.
Not only the Royal Family but the other noble families too had already used up their share of Serenity Tree for similar purposes.
’How unfortunate.’ Cassian shook his head in disappointnt, lanting the shortsightedness of his ancestors. They had indulged in their greed without considering the needs of their descendants. What a foolish waste.
"W-Where did you get that?" Alexander’s voice was barely above a whisper, laced with weariness and disbelief.
"I got it from the dungeon." He replied, having no intent of hiding the information. He was already prepared to expose the dungeon location and monoplize the entire area. ’I will just wait until Lucian discovers that place and unlocks the seal.’
The seal was the only thing stopping him from looting the entire dungeon. ’Well, I can’t completely empty that place anyway.’
"The Legacy Dungeon huh..." Alexander contemplated how he should use this information. He was planning on sending so scouts to determine its location and safety first but, there was a high chance of the information getting leaked. ’Let’s just wait for now.’ He thought, deciding to ask about it later with Cassian.
He wasn’t in any kind of rush for the dungeon since it was within his territory and was still hidden inside the Silver Mountain Range, away from civilizations.
"I’m planning to wake Mother using the sap, what do you think?" Cassian asked, breaking him away from his deep thoughts. His eyes burned brightly with newfound hope and motivation as he placed his hand on Cassian’s shoulders. "I’m proud of you, son. You did sothing even I couldn’t do, despite being the Emperor of the strongest Empire." His words were filled with praises and encouragent, from a parent to his child.
Cassian’s heart felt warm upon hearing those words. It was rare—perhaps even unprecedented—for his father to express such open praise. Alexander von Luminaire was a man of steel, a ruler whose every decision shaped the course of an empire. And yet, in this mont, he wasn’t speaking as an emperor. He was speaking as a father.
A father who, despite his pride and strength, had once been powerless to save the woman he loved.
Cassian took a deep breath, steadying the emotions stirring within him. He had co too far to falter now.
"Should I use it now or later?"
"We will use it now." He replied with a reminiscent smile across his face. "The longer the curse drags on, the more she will suffer and I don’t want that, not when I have the cure right before ."
Cassian nodded his head and passed the vial to him, feeling a sudden sense of accomplishnt. His shoulders felt light as if a burden that had been troubling him till now was finally uplifted.
’Truly, Good deeds always get recognized.’ He chuckled, feeling a wave of calmness spreading through his soul. His body-soul synchronization had deepened ever further and he felt more emotionally and spiritually attached to his new family now.
Awakening from his trance, he turned to Alexander and awkwardly scratched his head.
"Were you in a trance just now?"
"Yes."
’He truly is a genius.’ Alexander thought, faking a light cough to ease up the atmosphere.
"Let’s go, your mother is waiting for us."
With those words, Both of them exited the room and headed toward Seraphina’s chamber. Entering inside, their eyes fell on Serephina’s body, as both of them displayed so level of longing and hope across their eyes.
Seraphina was lying on her bed, sleeping peacefully with a relaxed look on her face.
’She looks as graceful as ever.’ Alexander smiled, his eyes longing to see her beautiful eyes and hear her sweet voice again.
’Ah, he sure misses his mom.’ Cassian gently placed his hand over his heart, feeling his heartbeat throbbing excitedly under her presence. A surge of mories resurfaced inside his mind, the mories of the old Cassian with his mother.
’Ti feels so long yet so short at the sa ti. I’ve only been in this world for a month, yet it feels like years have passed. The paradox of living fully, without regret... it’s intoxicating. How I wish life was—’
Cassian cut off his own thoughts, shaking his head. Now wasn’t the ti for reflection.
He took a steady breath and turned to Alexander, who stood beside Seraphina’s bed, gazing at her with a longing that only a husband who had waited too long could understand.
"Father," Cassian called softly, pulling him from his reverie. "It’s ti."
Alexander exhaled deeply and took the vial from Cassian’s outstretched hand. For a mont, he simply stared at the glowing, erald liquid—the purified essence of the Serenity Tree. It shimred faintly, a beacon of life and purity, holding the power to supress the curse that had plagued Seraphina for years.
With careful hands, Alexander uncorked the vial. The faint scent of the sap—sothing between moonlit jasmine and morning dew—spread through the room.
"Seraphina..." Alexander murmured, his voice uncharacteristically tender. He leaned over her, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face. "Wake up."
He parted her lips gently and let the golden liquid trickle into her mouth. The mont the sap touched her tongue, a faint hum resonated in the air, as if the world itself was responding to the long-awaited mont.
Cassian’s eyes narrowed as he watched mana surge through her veins, visible beneath her porcelain skin. The curse that had bound her for years—an insidious darkness—began to stir, resisting the foreign power invading its territory.
For a brief second, Seraphina’s body tensed. Then—
BOOM!
A pulse of energy exploded from her, rippling through the room like a silent wave. Cassian instinctively activated his mana barrier, shielding himself as the curtains fluttered wildly and the chandeliers overhead swayed.
Alexander, however, stood unmoving. He simply watched, his golden eyes filled with unshaken faith.
Then—slowly—Seraphina’s fingers twitched.
A deep breath. A soft sigh.
And then—her eyelashes fluttered open.
Vibrant silver eyes, like twin moons in a midnight sky, t Alexander’s gaze.
A mont of silence.
Then—
"...Alex?" Her voice was soft, uncertain—like a drear waking from a centuries-long slumber.
Alexander sucked in a sharp breath. His lips parted, but no words ca out. For a man who ruled the strongest empire, who had faced countless wars and crushed enemies with his bare hands—at this mont, he was nothing more than a husband seeing his wife again after far too long.
"Seraphina..." His voice cracked, raw with emotion.
A gentle smile spread across her lips, her hand reaching up to cup his cheek. "You look older."
A strangled laugh escaped Alexander as he clutched her hand tightly, pressing it against his face. "And you... look as beautiful as ever."
Cassian, watching from the side, exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. His heart, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, felt impossibly light.
’So this is what it ans to have a family.’
A soft smile graced his lips, resonating with the longing atmosphere in the air. The mories of his own parents resurfaced in his mind—the image of his dear mother, whose warmth had once been his world, and his father, who, despite his strictness, had always been the silent pillar of support.
’How nice would it have been... if only you were alive?’
His eyes softened as fresh tears welled up, leaking quietly from the corners.
He didn’t wipe them away.
Not this ti.
They weren’t tears of sorrow, but of rembrance... of gratitude.
For everything his past life had given him. For everything he had lost.
And now, for everything he had regained in this world.
Cassian gently stepped forward, taking one last glance at Seraphina, whose eyes now shimred with the sa kindness he had glimpsed in dreams and fragnts of old mories.
Seraphina turned her gaze toward him, her expression tender. "You must be...my son."
He froze, surprised. Her voice was soft, like a lullaby wrapped in moonlight.
"You’ve grown so much..." she whispered, tears glimring at the corners of her eyes.
Cassian’s heart clenched, but he smiled through it. "Welco back, Mother."
Seraphina reached out, her hand trembling, and Cassian moved to hold it gently. In that mont, sothing clicked—an invisible thread pulling tight between past and present, old wounds and new bonds.
Alexander looked at the two of them, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The quiet room, once filled with silent grief, now blood with the promise of healing.
And in that mont...
The family was whole again.
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