Chapter 557: The Worry of a Mother.

For several seconds, neither Serene nor Ardyn reacted. It was as though the words had failed to reach their minds.

Serene’s eyes widened.

"What did you say?" Her voice trembled.

The butler’s smile grew even wider. "The Young Master is back, Madam."

Serene immediately stood up.

The chair behind her made a scraping sound as it moved backward.

"Thoren?" The name escaped her lips almost like a whisper.

The butler nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Madam. The Young Master has returned from the Abyss."

Serene’s breathing stopped for a moment then her eyes quickly became moist. She covered her mouth with one hand as countless emotions surged through her heart at once.

Relief.

Joy.

Excitement.

She had imagined this moment countless times during the past month, but she had never expected it to arrive so suddenly.

Ardyn remained standing beside her and unlike Serene, he did not immediately speak.

He simply stared at the butler.

His face was still, but the slight trembling of his hand revealed the emotions he was trying to suppress.

"Where is he?"

"The Young Master is currently at the city defense base, Master." The butler quickly replied. "The soldiers accompanying him said he had just returned from the Abyss."

Serene wiped the corner of her eyes.

"Why isn’t he here?"

The butler hesitated.

"There was a beast tide."

"A beast tide?" Ardyn’s expression changed.

The butler nodded.

"The Young Master returned in the middle of the beast tide. The soldiers said he summoned several undead and helped them deal with the beasts."

Ardyn’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Undead.

That single word reminded him of how much his son had changed.

The boy who had once been considered useless had entered the Abyss and returned with an army of undead powerful enough to help defend an entire city.

But Ardyn did not care about any of that at this moment.

His only concern was that his son was alive.

"Is he injured?"

The butler immediately shook his head.

"No, Master. From what the soldiers reported, the Young Master appears to be unharmed."

Serene finally let out the breath she had been holding.

"He is alive..." She whispered.

Ardyn reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes."

For the first time in many days, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Our son is back."

Serene nodded, tears finally rolling down her cheeks as she did not bother wiping them away. All the fear she had been carrying inside her heart for more than a month suddenly disappeared.

Thoren had returned and that was all that mattered. But before the couple could say anything else, another sound came from outside.

A couple of minutes later, another group of military convoys entered the Starfall Estate. Soldiers came out of the jeep, standing in solid attention, their expression.

The moment Thoren stepped out of the military jeep the servants who had been waiting nearby could not hide the excitement on their faces.

Many guards stood straighter than usual as they watched the Young Master they had not seen for more than a month finally return home.

Thoren walked toward the mansion with a faint smile on his lips.

Everything looked almost exactly the same.

It felt peaceful.

For more than a month, almost every day inside the Abyss had been filled with danger.

He had fought beasts and had also fought awakeners. He had even encountered an ancient existence that could make an entire region tremble.

Compared to all of that, the Starfall estate felt like another world.

It was simply home.

And for the first time since returning to the surface, Thoren allowed himself to relax completely. The moment he entered the main building, he saw his parents standing at the end of the corridor.

Serene was already walking toward him.

Her eyes were slightly red, and the moment she saw her son standing in front of her, every trace of restraint disappeared from her face.

"Thoren!" She rushed toward him.

Thoren barely had enough time to react before his mother threw her arms around him and pulled him into a warm hug.

Her arms tightened around his body as though she was afraid that if she loosened her grip, he would disappear again.

Thoren’s body stiffened for a brief moment and then a warm smile appeared on his face.

He raised his arms and hugged his mother back.

"Mother." His voice was calm, but there was a trace of warmth in it that rarely appeared when he spoke to others.

Serene did not answer immediately as she simply held her son. She had spent more than a month worrying about him.

Every day she had wondered whether he was eating properly.

Whether he had enough water.

Whether he was injured.

Whether he had encountered some powerful beast.

Whether he was still alive.

All those worries disappeared the moment she felt the warmth of his body beneath her arms.

He was here.

Her son had truly returned.

Ardyn stood by the side, watching the scene with a broad smile plastered on his face.

He did not interrupt them as he simply folded his arms across his chest and looked at his son with pride shining openly in his eyes.

"I know you will come back to us." His voice was laced with pride and unshakable confidence.

Thoren looked toward his father while still holding his mother.

A faint smile appeared on his lips. "I told you I would return."

Ardyn laughed. "Of course you did."

His voice was filled with satisfaction.

But Serene was not willing to release her son yet. She hugged him for a long while before finally separating from him.

The moment she did, her eyes immediately traveled from his head to his feet.

Her brows furrowed. "Are you injured?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Did you eat properly?"

Thoren paused.

"Most of the time."

Serene’s expression immediately changed.

"Most of the time?"

Instantly, Thoren realized that he had answered incorrectly.

"I mean, yes."

Serene narrowed her eyes. "Did you lose weight?"

"No."

"Are you sleeping properly?"

"Yes."

"Did anyone bully you?"

Thoren blinked. "Mother, I was in the Abyss."

"I know."

"Then..."

"That is why I am asking."

Listening to this, Thoren could only smile helplessly.