The mansion was quiet when Leah returned.
Not silent.
Just peaceful.
The kind of peace that only settled over the house on rare occasions.
She stepped inside, closing the front door behind her.
Her day with Clara had been enjoyable. It had been nice spending time together again without worrying about schedules, responsibilities, or anything else demanding her attention.
Still, she found herself smiling slightly as she slipped off her coat.
She had missed them.
Especially Zarek.
A familiar voice reached her from upstairs.
"...No."
Then another voice.
Much smaller.
"Yes."
Leah paused.
Her smile widened.
"...No."
"Yes."
"...No."
"Yes."
Leah immediately recognized what was happening.
Zarek was arguing.
And judging by the tone, he was winning.
She followed the voices upstairs.
The closer she got, the clearer they became.
"...I'm not sad."
"Yes."
A pause.
Then:
"...Maybe a little."
Leah blinked.
That sounded like Izana.
And Izana almost never admitted things like that.
Curious now, she walked toward their bedroom.
The door was slightly open.
Leah gently pushed it wider.
And stopped.
The sight before her immediately softened her expression.
Izana was sitting on the edge of their bed.
His hair was slightly damp.
A towel rested beside him.
And curled comfortably against his chest was Zarek.
Freshly bathed.
Freshly dressed.
Still slightly sleepy.
The flower crown from the garden sat crookedly on top of his head.
Several petals were missing.
One side had partially collapsed.
But somehow it was still there.
Leah had to bite back a laugh.
Zarek noticed her first.
His eyes immediately brightened.
"Mama!"
Leah smiled.
"Hello, sweetheart."
Zarek sat up instantly.
"Mama!"
Then he pointed dramatically toward Izana.
"Da-da bath!"
Leah looked at Izana.
One eyebrow lifted.
"You gave him a bath?"
Izana's expression remained calm.
"He was muddy."
Leah nodded slowly.
"Fair enough."
Zarek bounced slightly.
"I help!"
That earned another look from Leah.
"You helped?"
"Yep!"
"Really?"
Zarek nodded enthusiastically.
"I make tower."
Leah blinked.
"...Tower?"
"Bubble tower."
A pause.
Then she looked at Izana.
"...Should I be worried?"
"No."
That answer came a little too quickly.
Leah immediately became suspicious.
"How large was the tower?"
Izana remained silent.
Leah stared.
Izana looked away slightly.
"...Large."
Leah laughed.
"I knew it."
Zarek looked incredibly proud of himself.
"It big."
"I can tell."
"And Lion help."
Leah blinked.
"...Lion wasn't there," Izana said.
"He help."
"Of course he did."
Zarek nodded seriously.
Satisfied she understood.
Leah sat beside them on the bed.
Immediately Zarek climbed into her lap.
Then just as quickly climbed back into Izana's.
Apparently unable to choose.
Leah smiled at the sight.
"Did you have fun today?"
"Yep."
"What did you do?"
Zarek started counting on his fingers.
Which quickly became impossible because he only remembered one thing at a time.
"Garden."
Leah nodded.
"Okay."
"Flower crown."
"I can see that."
"Fall."
Leah immediately froze.
Her attention snapped toward him.
"...Fall?"
Zarek nodded.
"Trip."
Leah looked at Izana.
Instantly.
"What happened?"
Izana answered calmly.
"He tripped on the path."
Leah's concern grew immediately.
"Was he hurt?"
"Scraped his hands and knees."
Leah gently took Zarek's hands.
The injuries had already been cleaned.
The scrapes were small.
Nothing serious.
But enough to make her heart ache.
"Oh, sweetheart."
Zarek shrugged.
"Hurt little."
Leah kissed his forehead.
"I'm sorry."
"It's otay."
Then Zarek pointed proudly at Izana.
"Da-da fix."
Leah's eyes softened.
"He did?"
"Yep."
Izana remained silent.
Which was confirmation enough.
Leah smiled.
"Thank you."
Izana glanced at her.
There was something quieter than usual in his expression.
Something she couldn't quite place.
But before she could ask—
Zarek yawned.
A huge one.
Leah laughed softly.
"Tired?"
Zarek shook his head immediately.
Then yawned again.
An even bigger one.
Leah smiled.
"That's a yes."
"No."
Another yawn.
Izana reached up and gently smoothed Zarek's hair.
The motion was absentminded.
Natural.
Leah watched it carefully.
Then noticed something.
The atmosphere felt different.
Not bad.
Just...
Different.
Quieter.
Softer.
As if something important had happened while she was gone.
Something she hadn't seen.
Eventually Zarek's eyelids began drooping.
He fought it bravely.
Lost immediately.
And within minutes he was asleep against Izana's chest.
Leah smiled.
"He really wore himself out."
"Yes."
Neither moved for a while.
The room remained peaceful.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Finally Leah spoke.
Quietly.
"What happened?"
Izana looked at her.
"You already know."
"No."
Leah shook her head.
"I know he fell."
A pause.
"But that's not what I'm asking."
Izana was silent.
Leah waited patiently.
Eventually he looked down at the sleeping child in his arms.
Then spoke.
"He saw it."
Leah frowned slightly.
"Saw what?"
Izana hesitated.
Only briefly.
Then touched his chest.
Understanding immediately appeared on Leah's face.
The scar.
The word.
Monster.
"Oh."
The room grew quiet.
"What happened?"
Izana looked down at Zarek again.
"He asked what it said."
Leah listened carefully.
"I told him."
A pause.
"And?"
Something almost resembling amusement flickered briefly across Izana's face.
"He disagreed."
Leah blinked.
"What?"
"He informed me I wasn't a monster."
For a moment Leah simply stared.
Then a small smile appeared.
Despite herself.
That sounded exactly like Zarek.
"What else?"
Izana looked away.
"He asked where it came from."
Leah's smile faded slightly.
"And?"
"I told him I did it."
The room fell quiet again.
Leah reached for Izana's hand.
Their fingers intertwined naturally.
"And then?"
Izana stared at their joined hands.
Then spoke softly.
"He hugged me."
Leah felt something tighten painfully in her chest.
A good kind of pain.
The emotional kind.
The kind caused by love.
"He hugged you?"
"Yes."
A pause.
Then:
"He kissed my forehead."
Leah's eyes widened.
"He did what?"
Izana looked genuinely confused by her reaction.
"He kissed my forehead."
Leah covered her mouth.
Because suddenly she understood exactly where Zarek had learned that.
From him.
Every forehead kiss.
Every gentle moment.
Every quiet reassurance.
Zarek had simply copied what Izana always did for him.
And returned it.
Leah looked down at the sleeping toddler.
Then back at Izana.
For a moment she said nothing.
Because there wasn't much to say.
Finally she squeezed his hand.
And smiled softly.
"He's right."
Izana looked at her.
Leah held his gaze.
Completely serious.
Completely certain.
"You're not a monster."
The room fell silent.
Izana said nothing.
Neither did Leah.
They simply sat together.
Their son sleeping safely between them.
The evening sunlight filtering softly through the windows.
And for the first time since she'd arrived home—
Leah understood why the atmosphere felt different.
Something had changed today.
Not dramatically.
Not visibly.
But quietly.
Deeply.
And as Izana looked down at Zarek sleeping peacefully against him, Leah thought perhaps he felt it too.