Hero did not sleep after hearing Jade's confession. The night felt endless. His heart was full of fire and ice at the same time. Before sunrise, he picked up a knife and walked behind Jade, who was still tied to the chair.
His voice was quiet but sharp.
"You destroyed everything , my father, my childhood, my family."
Jade didn't beg. "If killing me will give you peace… do it."
Hero pressed the knife closer. His hand shook. He could end the pain right now. But the longer he held the blade, the more he realized something:
Taking Jade's life would not bring back the people he lost.
He stepped back, breathing hard.
"No. I won't kill you. You will live with what you did. That's worse than death."
Without another word, Hero walked out of the hideout and didn't look back.
Outside, the morning light touched the ground. But Hero didn't feel warmth. He felt empty, broken, and lost. For the first time, his goal was not treasure. His goal was the truth of his family.
He needed to find his mother.
He traveled with nothing but the half map and the necklace of his father. He walked across towns, mountains, and dirt roads. He didn't rest unless his body forced him to. He didn't care about danger. He didn't fear dying. What he feared was living the rest of his life without answers.
At night, he lay anywhere he could — beside rivers, under bridges, on concrete and staring at the sky and whispering:
"Mom… where are you?"
Sometimes he asked strangers in villages:
"Did you ever see a woman traveling alone? Not young… not old… someone who carries pain in her eyes?"
But no one knew. Hero continued walking.
Days turned into weeks. His clothes became dirty, his shoes wore out, and his face grew thinner. He stopped caring about comfort. Only one thought kept him alive:
"My mother didn't die. She ran. She's still out there."
But the deeper he walked into unfamiliar lands, the more another question tormented him:
"If she loved me… why didn't she come back? Why didn't she look for me?"
The question crushed him more than hunger.
Rain poured one night. Hero sat under a broken bridge, shaking from cold. His stomach hurt. His body was weak. Yet his voice came out soft, almost like a child:
"Mom… why did you leave me? Did you forget me?"
No one answered. Only the sound of rain.
The next day, he reached a coastal village. His legs could barely move, but he still asked the same question:
"Have you seen a woman traveling alone many years ago?"
Everyone shook their head — except one old woman. She grabbed his arm gently.
"Yes," she said. "There was someone. She cried at night. She looked like the world broke her. She didn't stay long."
Hero's eyes widened. "Did she say where she was going?"
The old woman nodded.
"She took a boat to the island of those who wish to disappear."
Hope hit Hero like lightning.
"She's alive," he whispered. "She didn't run away to abandon me… she ran away to hide."
He turned toward the pier , ready to find a boat , but his body had reached its limit. He hadn't eaten properly for days. He hadn't slept in weeks. His vision began to fade.
His legs collapsed under him.
He fell face-first onto the ground.
Voices echoed around him but seemed far away.
"Hey! Someone call for help!"
Footsteps ran toward him , one voice louder than the rest.
"Please stay awake! Can you hear me?"
A woman leaned over him. Hero couldn't see clearly, everything was just light and blur. Her hands touched his face gently, checking if he was still breathing.
He tried to speak. His lips barely moved.
"Mom…?"
The woman froze.
Her hand shook. Tears filled her eyes instantly. For so many years, she dreamed of hearing that word again.
"Yes… it's me," she whispered inside her heart.
But aloud she said nothing , only held his face softly.
"You're safe now. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."
Hero tried to focus on her face, but darkness pulled him deeper. He couldn't stay awake. His body surrendered.
The woman — his mother was pulled him into her arms and cried silently.
"I never forgot you… I never stopped loving you. I'm so sorry, my son."
She pressed her forehead to his softly , the way she did when he was a little boy.
Then, slowly, with all her strength, she lifted him.
"Let me take you home," she whispered.
Hero remained unconscious , unaware that the person he spent his whole life searching for… had finally found him first.