Juichi's breath came in shallow gasps. The woman who held him—her arms trembling, her warmth undeniable—wasn't just anyone.
She was his mother.
Lyrae Redwood. Kaito Nakamura's wife. A queen who had led armies. A mother who never stopped believing.
For Juichi, the sensation was overwhelming. For years, he had lived with a hole in his chest, convinced that a mother's love was something buried in the past. But here, in this foreign world, he found something real—something that shattered the walls he'd built around his heart.
"Juichi," she whispered, cupping his face, her crimson hair falling like silk between them. "I know it's sudden… but I've waited so long. In this world, I loved your father. And you… you are my son."
The word tumbled from his lips, fragile, raw, and full of everything he'd held back for so long.
"Mom…"
Alira, who had been silent until now, stepped forward slowly. Her voice trembled. "Wait… does that mean… you're really—my brother?"
Juichi turned, meeting her eyes. They were sharp like her mother's, filled with fire—but they wavered, uncertain, afraid.
Without thinking, he pulled her into a hug. "Yeah… I guess that makes us family."
Alira stiffened, then clung to him. "Idiot," she muttered, voice cracking. "Why'd you take so long?"
"I'm here now," he said quietly.
Lyrae smiled through her tears. "Yes… you're home."
The moment lingered—three people who had lost so much, finding something they never thought they'd get back.
But Juichi had to ask. "Mom… how did you know it was me?"
She held up a ring, its silver surface glinting with faint mana. "Your father gave me this before the final battle. It holds his mana—and it reacts when others with dragon blood draw near. The moment I saw you… I felt it. That same fire."
Juichi's heart pounded. "You mean… this power I have—"
"—It's from him. Your father left you more than a legacy… he left you strength."
He sat down as the weight of it all settled on his shoulders.
Lyrae joined him, her voice calm but heavy with memories. "After the war, most believed Kaito was gone. But I knew better. As long as this ring pulsed with his mana… he was alive. Somewhere."
She looked at Juichi, pride and sorrow mingling in her gaze. "I searched everywhere for answers. That's when I found the ruins of the Buddha Clan. Kagura Buddha… he told me the truth."
Juichi's breath caught. "I went there too. And I met a dragon. A multi-elemental dragon."
Lyrae's eyes widened. "A multi-elemental dragon?"
He nodded. "He said I carry his power. That my strength will awaken as I grow stronger."
Lyrae's expression turned serious. "Then it's already begun…"
She took a deep breath. "Kagura Buddha told me something else—something I never told anyone. Kaito's arrival in this world… was a mistake. The one meant to be summoned… was you."
Juichi froze. "Me?"
"Yes. A miscalculation. The portal was supposed to bring you here, but your father intercepted it."
"And… he got stuck here instead."
Lyrae nodded. "The portal could only be used once every 12 to 13 years. Kagura said… it would open again for you."
Juichi's fists tightened. So that's what this was. Fate hadn't just pulled him into this world—it had been waiting for him.
He looked at his mother, then at Alira. His family. This world.
His destiny.
"…Then I'm here for a reason," he said firmly. "And I'll see it through."
Lyrae smiled. "You are Kaito's son. Of course you will."
The camera would cut wide here—panning out over the inn, over the kingdom, over a world on the brink of darkness. But inside that warm little room…
…a fire had just been lit.
To Be Continued...