"No, Mother… it's me. Your son."
Caspian's voice caught halfway through the sentence, as though something had lodged itself in his throat.
The emotions inside him churned violently.
The part of him that had merged with the original Caspian was no longer separate—it was him. He felt everything the young prince had felt.
A boy born with everything… only to watch it all slip away as his body failed him. A boy who lay helpless in bed while his mother's eyes filled with guilt and torment, drowning him in shame for not becoming the son he thought she deserved.
The guilt might have been self-imposed.
That didn't make it hurt any less.
Sera didn't respond to the correction.
She moved.
Faster than Caspian could properly register, she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.
Her face buried itself into his shoulder.
"Of course it's you, my son," she whispered. "How could I mistake you for anyone else? I'm just… overwhelmed. I never thought I'd see this day."
She pulled back and looked him over, her hands hovering as if afraid to touch him too much.
"And you look… incredible," she said, breathless. "What happened?"
Caspian opened his mouth to scramble for an explanation—
But the dam broke.
"I'm sorry, Cas," Sera said suddenly, the words spilling out in a rush. "It was all my fault. I couldn't say it when you were bed-bound, but now—now I need to—"
Caspian smiled gently, cutting her off.
"Mother," he said softly, "I already know."
She froze.
"I'm a hybrid, aren't I?" he continued. "Part angel. That's why my body couldn't handle my mana."
Shock flickered across her face.
But guilt won.
It always did.
She took a breath—and told him everything.
Sera had been the youngest of the Dragon King's children.
And the weakest.
At one hundred and fifty years old, she was still only a Level 2 Evolved—while her brothers had long since surpassed her. Among dragons, weakness was shameful. Among royals, it was unforgivable.
Her eldest and second eldest brothers never let her forget it.
The only reason it never went further was their father.
Thalric loved her most.
She reminded him too much of the woman who had once given his long life meaning—his late wife.
But one night, drunk and worn down by years of humiliation, Sera confronted her father.
She accused him of coddling her. Of stunting her growth.
It was unfair.
But she had been breaking.
Thalric couldn't rebuke her.
She was his weakness.
The next morning, she left behind a letter and vanished.
Sera wandered the world in search of battle, of experience—anything that might finally push her to evolve. Eventually, her travels brought her to the outskirts of the angel continent: the Land of Virtues.
That was where she saw him.
Michael.
One of the Seven Virtues. The Saint-Warrior of the angels.
She first spotted him leading his forces on pegasuses toward the demon continent—the Land of Sins. Curious, she followed at a distance, watching him fight.
She told herself it was for study.
She lied.
The battlefield that unfolded before her was ancient and endless—angels and demons locked in war for millennia. Michael descended like judgment incarnate, carving through demons with terrifying grace.
Golden hair flowed behind him like a banner. Eighteen vast wings spread across the sky. His sword fell again and again, untouched by blood or dirt, radiant and merciless.
She was already lost.
Her attempt at discretion failed the moment her draconic presence was noticed.
Michael appeared before her in an instant, assuming she was an intruder—until she shifted into her humanoid form.
For a moment, even he seemed stunned.
Sera lied again.
She claimed to be a wandering dragon seeking strength, hoping to learn by observing someone powerful.
Michael believed her.
Despite being on a battlefield, despite being a legend, he was still a man—and one who had just fallen in love.
After fulfilling his duties, he visited the angel continent with her. They spent a year together before officially becoming lovers.
Some rebuked him for consorting with a "commoner dragon."
One word from Michael silenced them.
Nearly ten blissful years passed.
Then Sera became pregnant.
They were ecstatic.
After Caspian's birth, something unexpected happened.
Sera evolved.
She became a Moonlight Dragon—a rare, fairy-like species revered for wisdom and magic. Her black hair reflected moonlight. Her scales turned silver. Her horns softened into antler-like shapes radiating peace rather than flame.
For the first time, everything felt perfect.
That was when she told Michael the truth.
She expected everything to shatter.
It didn't.
Michael already knew.
Thalric had scoured the world twice searching for her. Anyone paying attention could connect the dots—and Michael was closer to her than anyone.
They prepared to return together. To seek forgiveness. To ask for her father's blessing.
Then the Sins attacked.
Four of them.
Michael didn't argue.
He opened a portal and pushed her through—baby in her arms.
The last words she heard were:
"Don't worry. I'll find you both. I love you."
When she returned, their home was gone.
Blood. Ruin. No bodies. No answers.
With a child to raise and nowhere to begin searching, Sera returned home.
Her father welcomed her back—ecstatic over her evolution.
But the light in her eyes was gone.
A child born out of wedlock. An unknown father. Silence.
The abuse worsened.
Thalric could only do so much. As Dragon King, he had to remain neutral.
Exile had been discussed.
This—seclusion, isolation—was the compromise.