On the tenth year since he left his home, Mugu finally prepared to leave Lysithara. His aura had reached the Fourth Class, and power clung to him like a second skin.

Valcara tried to stop him from leaving. She stood in his path and held his arm, but Mugu gently removed her hand. She could not bring herself to use violence to restrain him, even if she had the strength to do so.

So she did the only thing she could.

She equipped him.

A faster means of travel. Escape artifacts. Protective artifacts. Potions in alarming quantity. She placed each item into his hands with careful deliberation, as if the act itself could delay his departure.

Valcara was worried, but she still let him go. This was part of her philosophy after all.

You cannot change how the world treats you, only how you react to it.

Mugu had many friends. A crowd gathered to say goodbye, hands clasping his shoulders, voices wishing him safe passage. He left with the blessings of the entire city behind him.

He mounted a wyvern and soared into the sky toward his homeland.

Damon’s astral form watched him quietly before speaking to Ashcroft.

"This is where everything begins to go downhill, isn’t it?"

"Yes," Ashcroft replied within his mind.

"I have reason to believe there is more to his fall than meets the eye," Ashcroft added.

Damon did not understand, but he knew he would find out eventually, so he remained silent.

Days passed as Mugu crossed the sea. When his wyvern reached the Doom Continent, a travel worn expression rested on his face. Fatigue pulled at his features, but his eyes remained sharp.

Mugu had finally returned.

He was here to save Abellona.

By sunset, he reached the Valtheron Kingdom. It was small, with a small army. The strongest among them were merely Fourth Class, the same as him.

But Mugu was far more powerful than they were.

He guided the wyvern down outside the capital city of Valerion and dismounted. His boots touched the ground softly as he walked toward the gates.

His heart swelled until breathing felt tight. Each step stirred memories of what he had endured to reach this point.

The pain. The anguish. The guilt.

Now it would end.

He would take back Abellona.

He would kill the prince of Valtheron.

His eyes blazed with killing intent.

Mugu traced a concealment rune across his chest with practiced precision. He needed to rescue Abellona before he did anything else.

He slipped past the castle gates unseen. Inside, he seized a passing guard and slammed him against the wall hard enough to rattle the stone.

"Scream and you die," he whispered.

The guard nodded quickly. He could sense the overwhelming difference in strength between them.

"Now then," Mugu said coldly.

"Where is Abellona?" His voice was calm, but thick with killing intent.

The guard’s eyes widened.

"Yo... you want... what do you want with the queen?"

Mugu frowned and tightened his grip on the man’s arms.

"What do you mean, the queen?"

"Ahh... ahh..." the guard gasped. "Her Majesty Abellona is the queen of Valtheron."

"And where is she?" Mugu asked.

"I will never betray Her Highness," the guard spat.

Mugu pressed his palm against the man’s head.

His body began to decay, flesh breaking apart as if rotting in seconds.

"Oh, you will."

Mugu stepped onto the balcony where flowers climbed the stone rails and spilled their scent into the night air. A woman sat there, her posture still, her eyes fixed on the twin moons with a distant, fragile calm.

He stood in silence, watching her for what felt like an eternity before he finally found his voice.

"Is there anything particular about the moon tonight?"

"No, not at al—"

She stopped mid sentence. Her head turned slowly. Her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.

A tear slid down her cheek. She did not hesitate. She did not question her sanity. She rushed forward and threw herself into his arms.

"Mugu... you’re alive."

He wrapped his arms around her as if afraid she would vanish. His hand rose to cup her face, his thumb brushing gently against her cheek.

"Abellona... I missed you."

She searched his eyes with aching longing. Then reality returned to her. Her hands tightened around his wrists as she pulled them away.

"You need to go. Before someone sees you."

Mugu shook his head, a faint smile forming.

"Do not worry. I will be fine. I have grown much stronger now. I can protect you."

He spoke as though strength alone could mend the past.

Before he could say more, a young child burst into the garden, chased closely by an older girl.

"Mother, mother, she is going to hit me," the younger child cried, darting behind Abellona and clutching her dress.

Mugu’s eyes widened slightly, but he forced his expression into calm.

The children noticed him. They slowed, staring at him cautiously before looking up at their mother.

"Who is this?" the younger one asked.

Abellona inhaled deeply, steadying herself before answering.

"Mugu... these are my children. This is the youngest. This is the middle child. The eldest is not here."

Mugu nodded slowly and offered them a small, restrained smile.

"Hello there."

They gave him shy waves, half hiding behind their mother.

Damon watched from the side, his gaze shifting between Mugu and the children. He could not tell what Mugu felt seeing them, knowing who their father was.

"He is a stronger man than me, that is for sure," Damon muttered quietly.

Ashcroft gave a low sound of agreement.

Mugu reached out and gently took Abellona’s hand.

"Come. We need to go. We can take your children with us. We can go far away from here."

Her eyes widened. The hope in his voice made her lower her head.

"I... cannot," she whispered.

Mugu frowned, confusion creasing his brow.

"It is alright. You do not have to be afraid. I have the power now. I can stop them from coming between us."

Abellona bit her lip as two sets of footsteps approached from behind. One light and quick. The other firm and measured.

Mugu did not turn. His shoulders stiffened. A cold killing intent radiated from him as he slowly faced them.

"You," he said, his voice turning to ice.

The prince who was now king met his gaze.

Mugu searched his face for the cruelty he remembered, but the man standing there looked calmer, almost gentle. There was no hatred in his eyes.

Ten years had passed. Mugu had never forgotten that face.

"So I was not worth remembering? Do you even know who I am?"

The king gave a small smile and glanced at Abellona before nodding.

"Yes. You are Mugu. You have changed a lot. I almost did not recognize you."

This was not the monster Mugu had kept alive in his memory. This was a husband. A father.

The king stepped past Mugu and gently stroked Abellona’s hair.

"Are you alright, darling?"

She nodded faintly.

That single touch shattered Mugu’s restraint.

In a blur, he appeared beside the king and seized his neck, lifting him slightly off the ground.

"Do not touch her, you scum."

The king choked, his hands clawing at Mugu’s wrist as he struggled for air.

"Let him go, Mugu. Let him go."

Abellona pushed against Mugu’s arm with both hands, trying to force him to release her husband. The king staggered back as Mugu let go, coughing, his neck reddening.

"What are you doing, Abellona? He deserves to die," Mugu shouted, his eyes colder than ice.

The three children rushed to their father, hiding behind him, crying openly.

"Stop trying to kill my husband."

"Your husband? Did you forget what he did? He is a monster," Mugu roared.

"He has changed. He is not the same man," Abellona said through trembling lips. "What happened in the past is gone."

"Just... just leave," she cried.

The color drained from Mugu’s face. It felt as if his heart had stopped beating.

"I... I do not understand. I only wanted to save you. Do you know what I have done to get here? To save you?"

She looked at him with hardened eyes.

"I do not need you to save me. I never asked to be saved."

Her words struck deeper than any blade. The look in her eyes tore through him. Everything he had endured. Everything he had become. None of it mattered.

"Leave me and my family alone," Abellona said as she helped her husband stand.

Damon watched the light in Mugu’s eyes dim. The will that had driven him for years faded into emptiness.

"Hm," Ashcroft murmured. "Something does not feel right."

Mugu stood still as Abellona walked away.

She did not need him. She did not want him. She did not love him.

He did not remember how he left the palace. Only that he did.

The world felt darker and heavier than before.

He found his wyvern, climbed onto its back with slow, mechanical movements, and it carried him toward Soltheon on pure instinct.