Tense and extremely fragile moments had happened many times in the Sungley mansion. All from very different perspectives, and this time was no different. Points of view that completely clashed, leaving clearly separated extremes…

  Garbard had strictly ordered that the subject not be mentioned until those involved had recovered. Kael demanded that his wounds be treated and that he be attended while imprisoned, and he did not leave until the day of the trial. Caria was taken by Laret to her room; he explicitly asked that their son be treated and that they not be disturbed. He would take care of his wife himself. Kael also demanded silence until the day of the trial and spoke absolutely nothing with his servants, except what was strictly necessary.

  That morning, Redda was leaving the young master’s room after tending to the girl. When Tana saw her pass by, she approached nervously, speaking almost in a whisper.

  — Lady Redda… is it right that we take care of… that… creature? —Tana asked, tense.

  — It was a direct request from the young master to cooperate with the investigation —Redda replied—. It is our duty to obey.

  Everything was prepared. Garbard had summoned everyone involved.

  In the meeting room were the grand lord, the young lords, the guardians, and the head maid. All were in their places, waiting for the accused.

  Caria looked visibly exhausted, with deep dark circles under her eyes. Using her power that way and facing one of the greatest pressures a mother could endure had left her completely drained.

  Kael entered the room in an even worse state, since he had pushed his body too far. His parents’ eyes almost broke when they saw him… No matter how angry they were, even if this had been insubordination, their concern for his health and the danger he had faced screamed inside them. Even so, they remained firm in their place.

  Garbard stood up and, with a more serious and neutral expression, spoke.

  — We have gathered here to decide what we will do as punishment for Kael’s act of insubordination.

  He turned toward him with severity.

  — Kael, you committed disobedience. You ignored direct orders from your superiors… You put your life and your guards’ lives at risk. What do you have to say in your defense?

  — Nothing —Kael replied—. I am guilty. I submit to whatever punishment you consider appropriate. I will fully accept the punishment once the demon girl is well.

  Caria grew furious and, despite her exhaustion, responded.

  — How can you put your safety and your health before that thing?

  Kael looked at her firmly.

  — She is not a thing. She is a living being just like us… she is a girl… a girl with the word “demon” added, nothing more.

  Laret clenched his fists, holding back his anger. His voice was not an uncontrolled shout, but it carried authority.

  — KAEL! You put yourself in danger just to save demon children. That could be considered not only disobedience… but also treason against your nation.

  Kael held his gaze without backing down.

  — If defending innocent children from being cruelly tortured and killed makes me a traitor… then I am one.

  The air became heavier. The tension was no longer only political or disciplinary… it was ideological.

  — Kael —Garbard intervened firmly—, control your words. They are accusatory and go against everything we have built.

  Kael looked at him. What showed in his expression was not childish rebellion, but deep conviction.

  — Lord Garbard, I ask you to define what the word “demon” means.

  Garbard answered without hesitation.

  — A demon is understood to be a being made of pure evil, whose only objective is to destroy and devastate everything in its path.

  Kael let out a soft breath.

  — That is correct. I intentionally let myself be taken to that place because I knew something was happening. Yes, I found demons. Despicable and cruel demons. And I also found desperate and frightened children, dying and suffering because of those demons… although here they had another name. They were called bandits.

  Without realizing it, he began to release magic. It was not an explosion, but the air vibrated subtly. The injustice he felt leaked through his wounded body.

  — No matter how much you love me… if that is the way you think, then I do not belong here.

  What was meant to be a reprimand to correct a child was beginning to slip out of control. Kael’s posture was firm, even intimidating. He was not speaking on impulse… he was speaking from a decision already made.

  Laret took a deep breath, trying to contain his own emotions.

  — Kael, I understand your pain and your anguish, but you were not there. You did not live through the war we had to fight against them just to survive.

  Kael looked at him steadily. There was anguish in his eyes… but no doubt.

  — How ironic that the supposed beings who consider themselves bearers of love, respect, and fellowship, like humans… and especially you, speak about that while wishing to tear apart an innocent girl. Without a doubt, the ironies of life are cruel. And it was Cerva herself who could have killed me easily when she learned I am her son… but she did not.

  The three lords reacted immediately.

  — You encountered Cerva, the demon general? —Garbard asked sternly.

  — Yes.

  Enta stepped forward, firm.

  — Obeying your orders, my lord, to keep all information until now… I can confirm what the young master says. When we arrived, he was beside the demon king’s general. She chose to avoid a fight and withdrew with the rest of the children.

  The room fell into absolute silence.

  — Kael —Garbard said in a deeper voice—, before you continue forming mistaken ideas, explain everything clearly. What led you to do this?

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Kael looked at him. The exhaustion was more visible under the light. The dark circles marked his young face in a way improper for his age.

  — It all began when we were waiting for father and mother at the district building. The message came to me. The woman’s voice told me that the children were in danger and that I had to rescue them.

  Those present stirred slightly again. The woman’s voice returned to the center of the conflict.

  — The moment I felt the voice and accepted the mission, the clue to begin appeared, and above all, the trigger… the screams of fear, pain, and desperation from the victims. I felt the suffering of those children run through my body. It was not imagination… I truly felt it.

  No one interrupted him.

  — After Enta arrived to save me and the children had escaped, I thought the mission had ended. But it had not. It was still active. Then I understood there were more children suffering. That is why, when the mage kidnapped me… I let myself be taken. That way I could know where the others were.

  His parents watched him with contained anguish. Anger and fear fought inside them, but they could not find words that would not make the wound worse.

  — Were you aware of the danger you exposed yourself to by doing that? —Garbard asked.

  — Yes, my lord. And because of my inexperience and my inability to properly defend myself, I almost died. These bandages only hide the damage I caused myself for not knowing how to defend properly. If I had been more decisive and not so immature, that girl who is now critical in my room could have gone with Cerva to her home… but no. Now she is in critical condition because she defended me.

  An invisible weight fell over everyone.

  There was pain in his words, but not self-pity. It was guilt. Pure guilt.

  A thick silence filled the room. No one knew how to intervene without breaking something even more fragile.

  Kael lowered his gaze slightly, not in submission, but to organize his thoughts before continuing.

  — After killing the bandit leader… the goblins and the soldiers who were beginning to wake up became a threat. At that moment Cerva appeared… and she saved me.

  The mere mention tightened the expressions again.

  — Kael… —Garbard murmured, measuring each word—, what you are telling us is too delicate. And difficult to accept.

  Kael lifted his gaze again. There was no challenge in his expression, only conviction.

  — Tell me, Lord Garbard… I belong to a new generation. Why should I hate demons if they have done nothing to me? I am not saying what happened should be forgotten, nor that everyone must become friends. You have the right to hate them to the death… but I do not have to adopt that hatred. And neither do the children who were rescued. They are not guilty of what happened years ago.

  His words were not an attack. They were a firm position.

  — I will pay my debt. I will save that girl’s life, because she saved mine.

  Then he looked at each of them, one by one, with a determination that did not tremble despite his wounded body.

  — All of you are the most important people in my life. Especially my parents, who have cared for me and given me a love I may not even deserve. I would give my life a thousand times for you… but if our ideals clash like this… then, so I do not keep hurting you, maybe the best thing is that I no longer belong here.

  Those words were not spoken in anger. They were spoken in pain.

  The impact was immediate.

  Caria felt something inside her break. Laret remained rigid, but his gaze lost firmness for a moment. This was no longer a simple ideological discussion. It was the real fear of losing their son.

  Garbard stood up slowly and walked until he was in front of Kael. He studied him carefully, searching his face for any sign of whim or immaturity. He found none.

  — Kael… are you aware of the weight of what you just said?

  — Yes, Lord Garbard. And I repeat it. I am guilty. I did something I should not have done. You trusted me and I failed you. Of all the wrong things I have done, this has been the worst… because it was intentional. I have no right to ask you to forgive me. I do not deserve it. But I also cannot suppress what I feel. So that no one else suffers… that is the only option I see as viable.

  Garbard held his gaze for a few more seconds.

  — You inherited the most stubborn part of your mother and your grandmother… —he finally said—. You are facing this event with more discipline than we expected to apply. Your determination is strong, Kael… but you are still a child. And it is time for you to face the judges and their final verdict.

  Then he turned toward his children.

  — Laret. Caria. The resolution of this case cannot be decided in a trial like this. It must be resolved as a family. I want the three of you to go to the garden. Walk as long as needed… and reach the best possible resolution.

  There were no objections.

  The three left the room. During the walk, they did not exchange a single word. The silence was heavier than any argument.

  The garden welcomed them with a calm that contrasted with the storm they carried inside. The wind gently moved the leaves of the trees, and the distant sound of water from a fountain marked a rhythm unrelated to the conflict.

  They barely managed to reach a bench. Caria sat first, breathing with difficulty. Her body was exhausted, but it was her heart that felt heavier.

  Kael looked at her with concern.

  — The fight with the dark mage was very difficult… from what I can see.

  Laret answered in a lower tone than before.

  — If there is something your mother hates more than anything in this life… it is dark mages. That is why I did not allow anyone else to fight besides her.

  Caria did not lift her gaze. She only stared at the ground. Her emotions were disordered. She wanted to cry. She wanted to hug him. But the mixture of fear, guilt, and wounded pride paralyzed her.

  Laret also did not know how to begin. He had always been a man who struggled to express his feelings, and now he stood before the most painful moment of his life without knowing how to approach his own son.

  They were two young parents, carrying the traumas of a past war that they had not fully healed from… and now they saw how those same traumas were beginning to clash with their son’s vision of the world.

  Laret sat next to Caria, trying to remain calm, even though his interior was fractured.

  Then, without realizing it, one of his hands was taken.

  Kael.

  He looked at them without anger. Without reproach. Only with a vulnerability he did not try to hide.

  With difficulty due to exhaustion, he leaned slightly forward.

  — Mom… Dad… I… I’m really sorry…

  Kael struggled to breathe before continuing. His voice was no longer firm like in the meeting room. It was more fragile.

  — I wish I had been the normal and simple child that, by nature, you should have had. A loving child… an innocent child… not this being… this being who brought problems and traumas from a previous life. I’m sorry. I cannot take back what I did. If I had not done it, innocents would have died… but the highest price I have paid for this… is failing you.

  His hands trembled slightly.

  — The pain in my body does not compare to the pain I feel in my soul for having failed you… for not being the son you should have had…

  His voice broke.

  He began to tremble. Tears fell without him being able to stop them. His legs weakened, weakened both by his injuries and by the emotional weight.

  And before he could fall, his parents held him.

  They lifted him carefully and sat him between them.

  Caria hugged him tightly, almost desperately, as if she feared he would disappear if she let go. Her body trembled as she pressed her face against her son’s shoulder.

  Laret gently stroked his head, trying to transmit through that gesture everything he did not know how to express with words.

  Finally, Laret spoke from the heart.

  — Never in my life would I have thought of you as someone who could be replaced by another. You are and will always be the most important thing I have achieved in my life. Not even defeating the demon king compares to seeing your small face the first time I held you in my arms…

  Caria tightened the embrace even more.

  — I’m sorry for what I said… I couldn’t stop the avalanche of emotions I felt all at once. A dark mage kidnapping you… seeing you beaten and injured… and carrying a demon… all together made me collapse and kept me from thinking clearly. I still struggle to accept what happened… but if I can be honest about one thing… no matter what happens, no matter how difficult it is… I will always be by your side. I have never thought you were something bad. I have never wished you were different.

  She looked at him, tears still in her eyes.

  — You are my little candy… and no one will ever change that.

  Kael, without realizing it, allowed the true feeling that belonged to his body to come out. Not the reincarnated soul… but the child.

  He cried like a child.

  He clung to them like a child.

  And for the first time since everything began, he allowed himself to rest in their arms without thinking about duties, missions, or ideals.

  Time passed without any of them noticing.

  Almost an hour later, Laret returned to the house carrying in his arms an exhausted and sleeping Caria, who was still holding their equally exhausted son.

  The grand lord and the guardians were waiting with expectation.

  Garbard watched them for a few seconds and understood the result without needing words.

  — Tonight you will sleep in the guest room, Laret.

  Laret nodded softly.

  — I will take them to our room.

  Then he looked at the guardians.

  — Kael said he wanted to apologize personally to each of you for putting you in danger.

  The guardians nodded calmly. There was no resentment in their expressions, only relief and respect.

  And so, the dispute was resolved.

  From that day on, a slow but necessary recovery began to strengthen their bonds.