The moment Cassian stepped beyond the doors of his chambers, his heart began pounding against his ribs like a trapped bird.
Somehow, walking down a familiar palace corridor felt far more terrifying than stepping onto any bloody battlefield.
Fifteen years.
That was how long they had waited in silence.
How many birthdays had he missed? How many seasonal festivals, victory banquets, and quiet family dinners had passed without his chair occupied? How many times had his mother looked toward the palace doors with heavy eyes, secretly hoping that one day her lost son would simply walk through them again?
Cassian swallowed hard, his throat dry.
'I really have to face them.'
Lucien walked right beside him, noticeably quieter than usual. He stayed close enough that their shoulders occasionally brushed with every stride, as though silently reminding Cassian that he would not have to face the overwhelming weight of his past alone.
The enormous brass-bound doors of the Imperial Audience Hall finally came into view at the end of the long marble gallery.
Cassian stopped dead in his tracks. His breath caught in his chest.
The heavy doors swung open.
And there they were.
At the far end of the grand hall stood Emperor Cedric and Empress Chantella. His parents.
They looked older. Not frail—but noticeably older than the frozen memories Cassian had carried in his mind for fifteen years.
The Emperor's once-pitch-dark hair now carried long streaks of silver at the temples. Fine lines had carved themselves around his eyes, permanent marks left behind by years of ruling an empire and endlessly worrying over a missing child.
The Empress had aged gracefully, her face softer than Cassian remembered, though her deep crimson eyes remained exactly the same as his own.
And standing right beside them was Adrian.
Cassian almost failed to recognize his older brother. Adrian had changed enormously. He was no longer the reckless, sharp-tongued Crown Prince Cassian remembered from his younger, wilder years. Now he was a husband, a father, and, apparently, still every bit as possessively territorial as ever. His hand rested firmly around Thoris's forearm, holding the former barbarian prince as though he might disappear into thin air if he let go for even a single second.
Cassian almost let out a small smile. Some things really haven't changed at all.
Then his gaze shifted.
A tall young man stood beside Adrian and Thoris. Cassian immediately recognized him from Lucien's descriptions. He was nineteen, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, carrying a presence that clearly inherited his father's physical strength. Golden curls framed his handsome face, and his confident posture carried the unmistakable air of someone raised among royal courts and seasoned warriors.
It was Caelen.
The firstborn son of Adrian and Thoris.
Cassian stared at the young man for a quiet moment.
He had memorized the names and ages of his sprawling family with Lucien's help before leaving the private bedchamber, but seeing Caelen standing there in the flesh was entirely different. He was practically a grown man.
Cassian's thoughts drifted briefly toward Sora and the woods outside.
'My own son must be around this age by now, too...'
The thought struck somewhere deep and raw inside his chest, leaving a hollow ache. He quickly pushed the thought away, focusing back on the hall.
Then something much smaller caught his attention. A little boy was partially hiding behind the rich folds of Adrian's formal robes. He looked no older than five years old, possessing soft features, bright curious eyes, and a sweet little face that immediately melted something frozen inside Cassian's heart.
Adrian noticed where Cassian was looking, and a gentle, unmistakable warmth appeared on his face.
"This is your nephew," Adrian murmured softly.
The little boy peeked out further from behind his father's legs.
Adrian lowered his gaze to the child.
"Go on, Seli. Say hello to your uncle."
The child hesitated, his small fingers clutching the fabric of his father's trousers, before he slowly stepped forward across the polished floor.
"Hello, Uncle Cassian."
Cassian's heart melted completely. He immediately crouched down onto one knee, ignoring the stiff weakness still lingering in his leg muscles.
"Hello, angel..." His voice trembled slightly. "What is your name?"
The little boy smiled shyly, digging his heel into the rug
"Seli."
Cassian smiled warmly back at him.
"Seli... What a lovely name."
He repeated it softly under his breath, committing every syllable to memory.
Seli let out a soft giggle, burying his face briefly against Adrian's knee.
Adrian watched the interaction with a faint, proud smile, one hand resting protectively over his own heavily pregnant stomach. Cassian's eyes lingering there for a second longer; his brother truly looked happy and fulfilled. There was a genuine serenity in Adrian's face that Cassian had never seen during their youth.
Then his gaze shifted toward Thoris.
The massive warrior no longer looked like the terrifying, enslaved barbarian prince Cassian last saw months ago. He now wore the tailored, formal attire of an Imperial Count, heavy elegant fabrics draped over his enormous frame. Yet despite the refined imperial clothing, Thoris was still unmistakably Thoris—stern, imposing, and watchful.
Cassian couldn't resist testing the waters as he leaned closer.
"Hey, Thoris."
The massive warrior raised a single thick eyebrow.
"Prince Cassian."
"With all those formal silks covering you up, I hardly recognized you," Cassian teased gently.
Thoris clicked his tongue, though his amber eyes softened.
"You've just returned from the dead, and yet that tongue of yours remains exactly the same."
Cassian chuckled softly. He reached over and gently ruffled Seli's golden hair, feeling a strange, overwhelming warmth fill his chest.
Two children, and a third on the way. Judging by Adrian's glowing expression, Cassian suspected they weren't finished expanding their household yet. After all, Thoris always had a natural talent for building a small army of children. In the eleventh turn, that man had practically turned fatherhood into a military campaign.
Cassian nearly laughed aloud at the thought.
But then—
"Son."
Emperor Cedric stepped forward from the dais. That single, heavy word destroyed whatever remaining composure Cassian had managed to hold together.
"Imperial father..." His voice caught in his throat. "I—"
Cedric crossed the distance between them in wide, deliberate strides. For one terrifying second, Cassian braced himself for cold anger or a harsh reprimand. Instead, the Emperor reached out and pulled him violently into his arms.
Cassian froze, his breath catching.
His father's arms tightened firmly around his back, holding him with a fierce, trembling strength.
"You came back."
Cassian's throat closed up entirely.
"I'm sorry," his voice cracked, raw and exposed. "I'm so sorry."
Empress Chantella joined them a second later, wrapping both arms around her son and pressing her tear-stained face firmly against his shoulder. "My baby..."
"I'm sorry, imperial Mother."
"You don't have to apologize yet," her voice trembled with profound relief. "Just let me hold you. Just let me see you."
Cassian closed his eyes tightly and buried his face into his mother's shoulder. For the first time in fifteen years, he allowed himself to stop acting, to stop calculating, and simply feel like their child again. Not a Crown Prince. Not a transmigrator carrying the scars of multiple lifetimes. Not someone trapped between the memories of two entirely different worlds.
Just Cassian. Their son in this world.
When his parents finally released him, Cassian stepped back and wiped his wet eyes with his sleeve, taking a shaky breath. "I owe everyone a full explanation."
Cedric nodded solemnly, wiping a stray tear from his own cheek. "We have waited a very long time for one."
Cassian looked around the grand room, taking in every face watching him. Adrian. Thoris. Caelen. Little Seli. His parents. Lucien standing silently nearby. Leo, his step-siblings, the concubines he had grown close to over the years, and their personal aides standing near the pillars.
His family had continued living without him. They had grown older, celebrated birthdays, weathered storms, and created families of their own while he was gone. And he had missed every single moment of it.
Cassian took a slow, steadying breath.
"I left because..." He hesitated for a brief second.
He couldn't tell them the absolute whole truth. Not yet. If he admitted that the soul standing before them wasn't truly their original Cassian—that a boy named Kagen Walker from another universe had inhabited this body—he didn't know how they would react. They could view him as an invader, a body-stealer, or a monster. They could execute him. And after everything he had endured to survive across countess turns, Cassian refused to die.
So he told them the emotional truth that mattered most.
"My heart was broken."
Adrian's expression immediately shifted, his jaw tightening.
Cassian looked toward Lucien for a brief second before returning his gaze to his parents.
"I received a letter back then. I believed the person I loved had rejected me entirely. I believed he wanted nothing to do with me, or with our unborn child–.... Well children."
Lucien lowered his head in silent guilt.
"And by the time I realized the truth, I had already made a desperate decision," Cassian's voice grew quieter, thick with emotion. "I was devastated. I felt as though there was nothing left for me here, as if I was just a burden to everyone around me. So I ran."
Chantella's eyes filled with tears again. "You should have come to us, Cassian. You should have told us."
"I know," Cassian lowered his head, staring at the marble floor. "I should have trusted my family. I should have waited, asked questions, and sought help instead of disappearing into the dark. But at that time... I couldn't think clearly anymore. I was drowning."
Cedric remained silent for several long moments, his expression heavy with judgment and pain. Then, he stepped closer and placed a heavy hand upon Cassian's shoulder. "You hurt us terribly, Cassian."
Cassian kept his eyes cast downward. "I know."
"You frightened your mother to the point of illness," Cedric continued softly. "And you left your siblings wondering every day whether they would ever see their brother again."
Cassian swallowed hard, the guilt pressing heavily on his lungs.
"But you are standing here now," Cedric added, his stern voice softening into fatherly warmth. "And that means we still have time to heal."
Cassian looked up, his tears spilling over once again.
Adrian suddenly stepped forward, his boots clicking sharply against the stone. Cassian braced himself for a blow or a harsh scolding, but his older brother stopped directly in front of him. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, Adrian reached out and pulled Cassian into a fierce, suffocating embrace, locking his arms around his back.
Cassian's eyes widened in surprise.
"I hated you," Adrian whispered harshly into his ear, his voice trembling with anger and pain. "For years, I hated you for walking away." He tightened his grip so hard Cassian could barely breathe. "And especially for leaving Sora to suffer alone while carrying your child."
Cassian closed his eyes tightly, taking the blame.
"But..." Adrian's voice broke completely, a quiet sob escaping his throat. "I missed you more than I hated you."
Cassian slowly wrapped his arms around his brother's back, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry, Adrian."
"Yeah, fine. Alright. We get it," Adrian said gruffly, pulling away abruptly and wiping discreetly beneath his eye with his sleeve before pretending nothing emotional had just transpired. "I'll write to Elyria as well and tell her you're finally back. She and Vikra were terribly worried about you all these years."
He gave Cassian a stern, sharp look. "We all have a massive amount of catching up to do." Then his expression hardened into a familiar, protective glare. "But don't you ever dare disappear like that again."
Cassian gave a watery, breathless laugh. "I won't. I swear."
"Good," Adrian placed a firm, possessive hand over Thoris's shoulder beside him. "Because you're my brother. And I already have enough people in this realm trying to steal members of my family away from me."
Thoris coughed quietly into his fist.
"Adrian. This is hardly the time."
Adrian immediately turned on his heel to face his husband. "What do you mean, it isn't the time?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Shouldn't he know how many scheming noblewomen have been coveting what's mine behind my back while I was not looking?"
Thoris let out a long, weary sigh. "You are doing this again."
Caelen turned his face away, his shoulders shaking as he desperately tried not to laugh at his parents. Little Seli simply blinked up at them in complete, adorable confusion.
Cassian couldn't hold it in any longer. He laughed. A real, bright, genuine laugh that echoed off the high vaulted ceilings of the audience hall.
Everyone fell silent for a brief moment, because they hadn't heard that light, unburdened sound from him in fifteen years.
And then Empress Chantella smiled through her lingering tears. Cedric's stern expression softened into a quiet grin. Even Lucien, standing near the entrance, offered a quiet, peaceful smile.
For the first time since returning to Edrath, the tightness inside Cassian's chest completely loosened.
He had lost fifteen years of their lives. He couldn't recover those lost birthdays, the missed festivals, or the quiet family moments that had passed without him. But as he looked at his noisy, protective, loving family standing around him, he realized he didn't need to dwell on the past anymore. They could begin living again.
And for now, that was more than enough.
Emperor Cedric straightened his posture, his deep voice carrying commandingly across the entire hall.
"Since the Co-Crown Prince of Edrath has returned safely to us after fifteen long years, the Royal Family shall hold a week-long grand celebration in his honor!"
The surrounding palace servants immediately exchanged excited, breathless looks.
Cedric raised his voice further. "The entire Empire shall celebrate his return!"
Cheering and joyful chatter instantly erupted through the audience hall.
Cassian blinked in mild panic. "A whole week?"
Adrian grinned wickedly beside him. "You heard Father."
Cassian stared at his family in utter disbelief. "I've only been back for a single day!"
"And you've already caused enough chaos for an entire week," Thoris added smoothly, folding his massive arms across his chest. "Welcome home, Prince Cassian."
Cassian looked around at the smiling faces of his family and felt a deep warmth settle in his soul.
Home in Edrath. The word no longer felt like a distant memory or an impossible dream. It was something he had finally found again.
*****