At last, after four and a half years, I am finally going to meet my Mom and Dad again. The excitement I felt was overwhelming. I had missed them both so much during these years, and now, finally, I was on my way to reunite with them. 'I'm coming, Mom and Dad. I've missed you both,' I thought to myself.

  Master, noticing the smile on my face, looked at me with a grin. "You're very happy today," he remarked, his tone teasing yet understanding.

  "Yeah, I am," I replied, my voice filled with joy.

  With that, the master raised his hand, moving it in a circular motion through the air. As he did, a thin, shimmering circle began to form. I knew what this was: a transportation gate. I watched closely, the memories of how to create one flooding my mind. To make such a gate, you had to draw on the mana that surrounded us, infuse it with your thoughts, and then focus on a clear mental image of the place you wanted to reach. You had to concentrate intensely while drawing the circle; if even the smallest mistake was made, the gate could open somewhere else entirely.

  The process was difficult, and the risks of failure were high. But once perfected, it would be an invaluable skill, especially in combat. 'It's complicated and tough to use,' I thought to myself, 'but it will give me an advantage in the future.'

  The master's voice broke through my thoughts, "Why are you just standing there? Come on, let's go."

  Aurora, who had been perched contentedly on my head, added eagerly in my mind,

  I chuckled softly, "Yeah, yeah, we're going. Just be a little patient, Aur."

  We stepped into the portal together, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation surge through me as the swirling energy enveloped us. This was it—I was finally on my way home.

  Master said, "We are in the back alley of the capital."

  

  It had been four long years since Rayon had disappeared from the forest. I still remember the day we opened our eyes after everything had happened, only to find that Rayon was gone. The beast was nowhere to be found, and neither was our son. His Dad went mad with grief as soon as he regained consciousness. We were all injured, but the pain of losing him was far worse.

  Rayon's Dad was ready to venture deep into the forest in search of him, but our party members intervened. They insisted we leave the cursed forest, arguing that continuing our search would only lead to more pain and death. We were powerless. Our son was gone, and we couldn't protect him.

  After coming to the capital Liam tries her best to make us a little calm but the tears won't stop from our eyes. How could we be? We were the parents who weren't able to protect their beloved son. We even cursed ourselves to not be able to protect him.

  We cursed the beast that took him, but that didn't bring him back. Rayon's Dad was consumed with anger and despair. He threw himself into training with a single-minded focus, determined to grow stronger, go back into the forest, and find our son, no matter what it took.

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  I, too, began training. I focused on mastering my magic, combining the earth element with the water element, and my core became a light orange. Though it was a powerful core, it was still not enough to confront the dangers of the forest. Rayon's Dad, on the other hand, became a solid yellow core, gaining control over a high-ranking aura, but even that wasn't enough to face the forest's depths.

  Day and night, he trained, relentlessly pushing himself. But despite all his efforts, we still couldn't shake the belief that Rayon was out there somewhere, still alive. Neither of us could accept the idea that he was gone. Our hearts refused to believe it.

  During this time, I gave birth to a daughter, Elvina. She is now two years old. Unlike Rayon, Elvina is just like any other child her age—bright, energetic, and innocent.

  I often find myself wondering if she'll ever know her brother. I can't bear to tell her about him yet, not until we're certain.

  We were now at the Liam Manor, as he had said. From now on, we were supposed to stay here. Rayon's Dad had already started his new role as an assistant instructor for the capital guard. Life seemed to settle into a routine, though the weight of our past still lingered in the background, haunting us.

  I was sitting on the balcony of the manor, trying to feed Elvina her meal. She was in one of her stubborn moods, refusing to eat no matter what I tried. I sighed, gently but firmly guiding the spoon toward her mouth. "Come on, Elvina, you have to eat," I urged, though she continued to turn her face away, making my task all the more difficult.

  Just as I was about to try again, a guard came running through the door. His face was flushed with urgency. "Ma'am," he said, catching his breath, "A young man named Agius, along with an eight-year-old child, are outside arguing to come inside. The young man is claiming to be your son and says his name is... 'Rayon Krater.'"

  I froze. The world seemed to blur around me. My heart raced, and I couldn't suppress the sudden rush of emotions that flooded over me. Rayon? Was this possible? After all these years, could it really be him?

  Before I could even gather my thoughts, I saw Elvina spot the opening and start running toward the manor's gate. My heart skipped a beat. She was too young to fully understand, but somehow, in her innocent way, she seemed to sense the weight of the moment.

  Tears began to well in my eyes, blurring my vision as they quickly started streaming down my cheeks. I wiped them away with the back of my hand, but there was no stopping them. It wasn't sorrow that filled my eyes—it was something far more overwhelming, something more beautiful. These were tears of joy, tears of hope, tears of relief. Could it truly be him? My son, the one I had lost so many years ago?

  Without thinking, I bolted from the manor, my feet pounding the ground as I ran toward the gate. The wind whipped through my hair, but nothing could slow me down. I needed to see for myself, to know for sure. I couldn't wait another moment.

  As I reached the gate, I saw them. A young man, likely in his twenties. And standing beside him was a boy, no older than eight, standing there, looking every bit the grown-up, yet something about him was unmistakably familiar. His features—sharp, confident, and yet gentle—reminded me so much of Rayon who seemed to be the spitting image of Rayon from when he was younger. My heart tightened at the sight.

  There was something else too, something strange yet familiar. Sitting on the boy's black, shining hair reaching to his shoulders, a small creature—no, a little beast—was perched. Its dark fur and crimson eyes glimmered in the light, and two delicate, wing-like structures sprouted from its back. It looked almost like a tiny kitten, yet so much more. The wings seemed to flutter slightly, giving the creature an air of quiet mystery.

  It was a vision I could never have imagined, yet somehow, everything about it felt right. The beast on the boy's shoulder seemed to fit into the picture as if it had always belonged there, a part of him.

  My breath caught in my chest. I took a step forward, unable to believe what my eyes were seeing. I reached out, trembling slightly, but there was no denying it—the young man, despite the years that had passed, had the same eyes, the same presence that had once been so familiar to me. This was my son. This was Rayon.

  "Rayon?" I whispered, my voice breaking with emotion, a mixture of joy and disbelief.