As they ventured deeper into the Fox Family compound, Silver grew quieter. The place was unfamiliar, yet it carried a strange sense of peace. Moonlight streamed through the trees, casting silver streaks across the polished wooden walkways. Soft, pale flames flickered within fox-shaped lanterns, their light dancing over the dark stone paths. Demon Fox women moved gracefully through the estate, some pausing to glance at the masked stranger walking between June and Julie. Silver paid them no mind—his thoughts were elsewhere. The twins seemed unusually excited; Julie strode ahead, glancing back as if he lagged behind, while June, calmer, let her tail sway gently. They knew their destination. Silver did not.
"Where exactly are we going?" he finally asked.
Julie turned, walking backward with a grin.
"To see someone."
Silver narrowed his eyes.
"Who?"
Julie's smile widened, while June hid hers behind her hand.
Silver let out a sigh.
They eventually wandered into a quieter part of the compound, where fewer people lingered. The buildings here were smaller, separated by gardens blooming with moonflowers and silver-leafed trees.
June suddenly stopped, and Julie halted beside her. Silver almost bumped into them.
"What?"
They didn't answer. Julie simply pointed toward a small house ahead.
Silver followed her gaze. It wasn't large—almost modest compared to the grand residences they'd passed.
A warm light spilled from one of the windows, catching Silver's eye. Something in his chest tightened, though he couldn't say why. Then the door creaked open, and a woman stepped out. Silver froze, his mind going blank. She froze too, whatever she'd been holding slipping from her hands, though he didn't hear it hit the ground. "…Mom?" He knew—it was just a feeling—but it was her. Lucia stared at him, unmoving, and he stayed just as still. The mask on his face felt unbearably heavy. Memories came flooding back—The Academy, Nella, Pandora, the journey with Rose, the volcano, Rin.
His hand slowly lifted to his face.
He pulled off the mask.
Silver Crow was gone.
Silva stood in the moonlight.
Lucia's eyes widened, disbelief flickering across her face for the briefest moment.
Then she ran.
"Silva!"
He barely had time to react before his mother reached him, wrapping both arms around him.
Silva froze.
Then, without thinking, his arms moved.
He hugged her back—tight.
For a long moment, they stayed like that in silence.
There was nothing more to say.
Lucia pressed her face into him, as if needing proof he was really there, her hands clutching the back of his clothes. Silva closed his eyes, only now realizing how much he'd missed this—missed her—until that moment, standing in his mother's embrace. He wasn't the masked stranger stepping into the demon world; he was simply Lucia's son. "I'm home," he murmured. She held him tighter. June looked away with a gentle smile, while Julie, for once, stayed silent.
The twins lingered a few steps back, quietly observing. Julie eventually gave June a nudge, and June glanced her way. Julie gestured toward Silva and Lucia, prompting a smile from June. They understood this feeling well—the comfort of knowing someone was waiting, the warmth of someone who had become home. At last, Lucia pulled away and looked past Silva, her face lighting up. "June. Julie." That was all it took. Julie darted forward first. "Sister Lucia!" June followed with graceful steps, and Lucia wrapped them both in a hug.
For a few moments, the four stood together under the pale moonlight.
Silva glanced around again.
June let out a low whistle.
Julie gazed up at the sky.
"Beautiful moon tonight."
Then—
Something entered the courtyard.
Silva sensed it before he saw anyone.
The air shifted.
There was no burst of mana.
But every instinct in Silva's body reacted.
June stopped arguing.
Julie's ears immediately stood upright.
Lucia looked toward the walkway behind them.
Footsteps approached.
Silva turned as a woman stepped into the moonlight. The first thing he noticed was her calm composure. She wasn't like Aster, whose strength radiated from a hundred meters away, nor like Zerath, whose every smile hinted at hidden schemes. This woman didn't need to prove anything—she simply walked, and the courtyard seemed quieter for it. Her long hair trailed behind her, fox ears rising elegantly atop her head.
Her gaze swept over the courtyard before landing on the twins. Julie smiled at once, while June straightened. "Master." The woman halted.
Her expression stayed composed, though something softened in her eyes.
"You're late."
June smiled.
"We missed you too, Master."
Scarlet sighed, her gaze shifting past them—first to Lucia, then to Silva. Her eyes lingered on his uncovered face. Silva noticed something odd. Scarlet paused, just for a heartbeat, but it was enough. Her eyes narrowed.
June's words at the gate came back to him—he looked like Raven. That face was his, almost entirely. Scarlet kept studying him: silver hair, red eyes, the features from his mother. Lucia stood beside him, and the mask was tucked under his arm.
Scarlet's gaze shifted to June and Julie, then back to him. Her voice was calm.
"So, you're Silva."
Silva straightened.
"Yes, Grandma."
Scarlet's eyes narrowed at the remark. Silence fell, and the air in the courtyard seemed to chill. Her eye twitched.
"Lady Scarlet."
Silva blinked.
"Right."
"Not Grandma."
"Understood."
Julie covered her mouth, struggling not to laugh.
Silva gave a respectful nod.
"Lady Grandma Scarlet."
BOOM.
Silver landed face-first in the dirt.
Scarlet calmly brushed off her hands.
"Just Lady Scarlet."
Groaning, Silver pushed himself up from the small crater she'd planted him in.
Lucia knelt beside him.
"You alright?"
He spat out a mouthful of soil.
"Your mother punched me."
She gently swept the dirt from his silver hair.
"You called Scarlet Grandma."
With a sweet smile, she kissed his forehead and stood.
"Which is why I suggest you never do that again."
From across the courtyard, Scarlet's voice carried over.
"I can still hear you."
Silver quickly lowered his voice.
"She's terrifying."
Lucia grinned with pride.
"I know. Isn't she wonderful?"
Silver gave his mother a look.
Later, when they were finally alone, Lucia sat beside Silva in silence.
For a while, she couldn't meet his eyes.
Then, slowly, her hand reached for his.
"Silva… I'm sorry."
He looked at her.
Lucia's fingers curled tightly around his.
"I left you when you were barely old enough to remember my face."
Her voice shook.
"You grew up without me. Every birthday I missed… every time you were hurt, scared, or needed your mom—I wasn't there."
Silva stayed silent.
"I had my reasons," Lucia said, "but that doesn't undo what you went through."
She finally met his eyes.
Tears welled up.
"I don't expect you to say it was alright. It wasn't."
Silva glanced down at their joined hands.
Lucia took a breath.
"I just need you to know I never forgot you. Not for a single day."
Her voice cracked.
"I was your mother… and I wasn't there."
Silva studied her for a long moment before leaning in to embrace her.
Lucia froze.
"You're here now," he murmured.
That was enough.
She clung to him, face pressed into his shoulder.
Silva closed his eyes. They couldn't reclaim the years they had lost, and neither of them pretended otherwise. But the years ahead were still theirs.
The next morning, Silva spotted Scarlet alone in the courtyard. One glance from her brought it all back.
Grandma Scarlet.
BOOM. Face. Ground. Pain.
He straightened at once.
"Good morning, Lady Scarlet."
She raised an eyebrow.
Silva repeated himself for the sake of survival.
"Lady. Scarlet."
A faintly pleased smile curved her lips.
"Good. You can learn."
He resisted rubbing his still-sore face.
"I learn quickly when properly motivated."
"Fear is an excellent teacher."
Terrifying woman.
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"Well? You didn't come all the way to the Sien Domain just to see Lucia."
Silva's expression hardened.
"No."
He stepped closer.
"I came because I want you to train me."
Scarlet's smirk faded.
"You trained June and Julie. You're training my mother," Silva went on, clenching his fist.
"I've met people far stronger than me. I know how big the gap is, and I'm done being the one who always needs protecting."
Scarlet studied him in silence.
"So you want strength."
"Yes."
"For what?"
Silva hesitated, feeling the weight of the question.
"To protect the people who matter to me."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And you think I'll take you on just because I trained your mother and the twins?"
"No." The reply was instant.
"I expect you to make me earn it."
For the first time, genuine interest sparked in Scarlet's eyes.
Silva lowered his head.
"That's why I'm asking you, Lady Scarlet…"
He made absolutely certain to get the title right.
"…please take me as your disciple."
Silence followed.
Scarlet stared at him for several long seconds.
Then she turned away.
"Follow me."
Silva lifted his head.
"Does that mean yes?"
"No."
Scarlet glanced back at him.
"It means I'm going to see whether you're worth teaching."
Silva smiled beneath his mask.
That was enough.
He fell in step behind her.
Then Scarlet, almost offhandedly, added, "And if you call me Grandma during training…"
Silva's smile disappeared.
"I would never disrespect you like that, Lady Scarlet."
Scarlet smirked.
"Very quick learner."
Silva trailed after her like his life depended on it.
Lady Scarlet.
Lady Scarlet.
Lady Scarlet.
He kept repeating the title in his head, like a mantra to keep going.