Despite her fierce appearance, Clifford's face still softened. It was evident that his feelings were still present, despite the passing of time. "I've found him," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He knew he didn't need to elaborate further.
But of all the reactions he expected from her, he didn't expect that even after his revelation, she would still maintain her stoic expression. Gazing at Clifford, Sarah couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. She had just gotten back from a meeting with the board, and finally, records of her son had been found. According to sources, the children who were kidnapped had all been killed shortly after. The board had just notified her that they had gotten some signs of the remains of the children and asked if they should still continue the excavation. However, she had to refuse; she had decided to let the past be, since when she stepped onto the madness path, she had long recovered from her grief.
But now, it seemed that even Clifford had gotten the news about their child as well. She imagined that he had gotten the remains of the child, which was why he had come. Though she put up a cold exterior, in truth, she felt warmed by his act. Sighing internally, she stated, "I heard the news as well."
Clifford was puzzled. It had not even been half a day since his clansmen had gotten hold of the boy; how had she gotten the information? Though he was curious, he got straight to the point. "Good, since you're aware, follow me. Let's go greet him together."
Sarah's eyes glinted. Since they lost the child, he had been doing everything in his power to repair their relationship. She was used to his stunts by now, but even at that, she nodded. At least, she still had to see the remains to have a proper burial. They both vanished as they were headed back to the citadel of the House of Night.
Nox had released Leo and taken him to a room where he was to spend the night. Leo was treated as a proper guest of the House of Night. Finally, Leo had time to take a breather since his transcendence. The moment he was left alone in the room, he quickly got into meditation, entering his sea of consciousness. He immediately accessed the information that he had sealed. His head jerked back at the sudden influx of information.
Allowing himself to land on the bed, Leo finally opened his eyes, which reflected his astonishment. The details he got were as follows: he had unlocked his human plane to the ninth dimension, which meant that without even needing to tap into his anchor at the ninth plane of the third dimension, his body itself had evolved to that point, using nothing but his human bloodline. Apparently, he had four bloodlines currently residing in his body: the first was his own human bloodline, which he had formed during his ascension as a progenitor; the second was called Storm-line, apparently, he had gotten it from his father; the third was called Mad Spirit blood, and also, this came from his mother; and finally, the fourth was called Shadow Body, this was the bloodline of the beast whose gene core he had assimilated.
Leo's thoughts drifted. The second and third genes came from his parents, meaning they were powerful existences. But that didn't make sense, as at the time when he was born, there was no advancement on the dimensional path yet. So, how could he have inherited their powers when they were normal humans when they gave birth to him? That aside, if they were so powerful that they had ninth-dimensional bloodlines, did that mean they were alive?
His head flashed with all kinds of conclusions about his parents. Among his parents, the only one he had met was his mother, back then, on each of his birthdays, they took him to go visit his mother, but he had never seen her conscious, as she was in a coma throughout, till he was kidnapped and went into slumber.
Just as he was contemplating, thirty minutes passed, and then he suddenly felt a slight heaviness in the atmosphere. His hair stood on end as he quickly opened his eyes, and he saw them: the Storm Sovereign, still dressed as before, and a woman stood beside him. Her face expressed intense confusion, but on looking closer at her features, Leo couldn't help but find that she felt familiar, as though he had seen her somewhere.
But his thought process came to an abrupt halt as he suddenly felt an attack on his consciousness, as he felt his rationality fading. The Sovereign of Madness and War was agitated, as she questioned, "What is going on here?"
Clifford flashed, standing beside Leo, protecting him from her aura, which helped Leo regain his senses. He then looked at Sarah with anger spilling from his eyes as he roared, ""What the hell are you thinking?!" Clifford roared, his anger spilling over. "You almost broke his mind!"
Sarah scowled, her expression a mixture of shock and guilt. She had lost control of her aura, and it was a testament to Leo's strength that he had withstood it without losing his mind. Her eyes were trained on the boy behind Clifford, and she could feel her Mad Spirit blood resonating with him. It was a sensation she had never experienced before, and it left her feeling both fascinated and unsettled.
"Who is he?" Sarah asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Clifford's expression softened, and he turned to Leo. "He is our child," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "And don't start asking me how he survived. That's why I brought you here, so we can communicate with him together."
Sarah's eyes widened in shock, and she took a step back. "How is this possible?" she asked, her voice shaking. "We were told he was dead. I had given up hope..."
Clifford's face twisted in a mixture of pain and guilt. "I know," he said. "I'm sorry. I should have been there for him. For you."
Leo watched the exchange between his parents, his mind reeling with questions. He had so much to process, and he wasn't sure where to start. But as he looked at Sarah, he realized why she looked so familiar, back when he was at the orphanage he was always taken to go visit his mother who was in coma on his birthdays, to think she had awoken and had come so far.
In truth since when leo had awakened he hadn't had time to think about his parents or dwell much on his past, but it seemed the heavens had given him another chance at a family
"It's okay," Leo said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm here now. And I have so many questions."
Sarah's expression softened, and she took a step forward. "We'll answer them," she said. "Together. As a family."
The three of them stood there, frozen in a moment of uncertainty, as the weight of their past and present hung in the balance. But as they looked at each other, they knew that they had a chance to start anew, to forge a new path together.
And as they took their first steps towards healing and redemption, the darkness that had haunted them for so long began to recede, replaced by a glimmer of hope.