Chapter 148: A Welcome Return

"Brother, please WAKE UP!"

Amelia’s desperate voice filled the room. Tears rolled down her face and fell onto Ethan’s cheeks, while Elena held his hand tightly.

The grey expanse began to fade. Ethan felt himself being pulled away, his thoughts growing heavy as darkness slowly closed in around him.

A few minutes prior...

More than ten days after the Beast Tide, a carriage stopped in front of the guest house in the Outer District.

It didn’t carry the Ravencrest insignia, unlike the carriages Elena usually travelled in. She didn’t want anyone to know of their presence in Northwatch, so they had chosen a plain one instead.

Before it had even come to a complete stop, the door swung open, and Elena stepped out, with Sarah and Amelia right behind her. Van dismounted from his horse and followed after them.

Aisha was already waiting at the entrance. She had received word of Elena’s arrival only a few minutes earlier, from one of the Black Raven Knights Van had sent ahead. The moment she saw Elena, her composure faltered, and she hurried forward.

It had been a long time since the two friends had last seen each other, but neither had imagined their reunion would take place under such circumstances.

"Elena..."

Elena pulled her into an embrace. Despite her efforts to remain composed throughout the journey, her body trembled slightly. Aisha felt it and held her tighter without saying another word.

Just as they parted, Amelia jumped onto Aisha.

"Did you forget about me... Aunty?" Amelia pouted.

Aisha could only smile helplessly. Had this been any other occasion, she would have been overjoyed. But Ethan still lay unconscious, and no one knew when he would wake.

"You’ve grown so much, my little princess," Aisha said, gently stroking Amelia’s hair before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Hehe..." Amelia smiled happily.

Watching them, Elena and Sarah felt some of the tension they’d carried throughout the journey ease.

Aisha led them inside, staying beside Elena while Amelia followed, looking at everything with curious eyes. It was her first time seeing Northwatch, and her eyes sparkled as she bombarded Sarah with question after question.

"How is he?" Elena asked quietly.

Aisha lowered her gaze, unable to meet her friend’s eyes.

"H-He still hasn’t woken up."

Elena stopped in her tracks.

Her heart began beating rapidly as the words sank in. In that moment, the composed mind of House Ravencrest’s lady was completely replaced by a mother’s worry for her child.

Aisha quickly took her hand. She didn’t know what to say... but she gathered her courage to tell her the harsh truth.

"Ethan’s injuries have completely healed," Aisha said, her face pale. "B-But we believe it’s Hollow Sleep."

When Ethan still hadn’t woken despite his full recovery, Marcus had checked his condition thoroughly and even brought in several high-tier healers. But all of them had arrived at the same conclusion.

Hollow Sleep was a rare condition that affected a person’s soul and consciousness. Even though the body was completely fine, the person remained asleep, and no one could say when they would wake... it could take months, years, or they might never wake at all. No one knew what caused it or how exactly it affected the soul. That was why there was no cure, and all anyone could do was wait and hope that their loved one would one day open their eyes again.

Elena’s chest tightened, and she bit back her tears.

Marcus was sitting beside the bed when they entered. He rose to his feet at once and met Elena’s eyes for a brief moment, but neither of them said a word. Marcus couldn’t bring himself to say anything, and neither could Elena. He quietly stepped back towards the window to give them space.

Van stopped at the doorway and stayed there, his gaze fixed on the bed.

Ethan lay motionless beneath the covers, his breathing slow and even. Rune was curled against his side, but as Elena approached, the cub lifted his head and looked at her. After a moment, he rose and moved towards the foot of the bed.

Ethan looked as though he were simply sleeping.

Elena stopped at the foot of the bed, her eyes settling on both Ethan and Rune.

She stood there without moving. She had held herself together through the entire journey, through every sleepless night in the carriage. But now, seeing her son lying there, she couldn’t take another step.

For a few seconds, she remained completely still, simply looking at him. Then, slowly, she walked to his side and sat on the edge of the bed, taking his hand in hers.

"E-Ethan..."

The words stuck in her throat, and her voice came out raspy.

Just a few seconds later, Amelia and Sarah entered, Amelia’s face bright with excitement.

"Brother! Rune! See, I’m here!" she declared proudly.

But her voice soon faded as she noticed the expressions around her.

The smile slowly disappeared from her face.

"Mother...?" she whispered. "What’s happening? Why is everyone like this?"

Her gaze moved from Elena to Marcus, then to Aisha and Sarah.

"Uncle...? Aunty...?"

She hurried to the bed and looked down at Ethan.

"Why is Brother still asleep?"

Elena couldn’t answer. Neither could anyone else.

Sarah gently placed a hand on Amelia’s shoulder. She didn’t say anything either. Even without being told, she had already understood what had happened. Her eyes slowly grew moist, and her other hand clenched tightly at her side.

Amelia’s lip trembled as she looked from one pale face to another. She walked slowly to the other side of the bed and took his other hand in both of hers.

"Brother... wake up."

Amelia held on to his hand, waiting for even the slightest response. But Ethan remained motionless.

"I came all this way to see you..." Her voice trembled. "I’ll cry if you don’t open your eyes. Please, Brother... wake up."

Tears began to stream down her face. She leaned over him, her tears falling onto his cheeks.

"Brother, please WAKE UP!"

"Amelia..." Elena began softly, reaching towards her.

Before she could say anything more, Rune’s ears suddenly twitched. The cub turned towards Ethan and hurried back to his side.

Then Ethan’s fingers moved.

Amelia gasped. Elena froze, her breath caught in her throat, while Marcus stepped forward and Aisha instinctively covered her mouth.

Ethan’s eyelids fluttered once, then slowly opened.

———

Everything was blurry. Light seeped in through his half-open eyes, and for a moment, Ethan couldn’t tell where he was. His mind was still reeling from the memories of the battle and the silver-haired man’s words. Slowly, the blurred shapes in front of him began to take form, and the first thing he saw was a small face hovering right above him, her eyes red and swollen and her cheeks wet with tears.

"...Amelia?"

His voice came out hoarse, barely more than a whisper. Why was his sister here? She should have been in Ravenhold. For a moment, he thought it might be another dream. But his thoughts were quickly broken by what she did next.

"BROTHER!"

She threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Why... are you crying?" he murmured.

"Why were you sleeping for so long?!" Amelia sobbed into his shoulder, complaining between her tears. "I called you so many times... and you didn’t wake up..."

Just then, he felt a gentle touch on his forehead and turned his head slightly. Elena was sitting at the edge of the bed, still holding his other hand, slowly brushing his hair back from his forehead as though making sure he was really awake. Then she leaned forward and pulled both Ethan and Amelia into a gentle hug.

"Mother...?" Ethan’s voice cracked.

Her tears fell onto his shoulder, soaking his tunic. Elena didn’t say anything. She simply held on to them, as if letting go even for a moment would make him close his eyes again.

Meanwhile, Rune pushed his way up the bed and squeezed himself between Elena and Amelia to reach Ethan, pressing his head firmly against Ethan’s hand and letting out a low whine. He refused to move until Ethan stroked his head gently.

"I know... I know," Ethan said softly. "I’m here."

Ethan glanced around the room and found Marcus and Aisha watching him with relieved smiles. Marcus had barely slept since the Beast Tide, unable to rest properly while Ethan remained unconscious. Now that his nephew had finally opened his eyes, some of the weight he had carried for the past several days began to lift.

Ethan’s gaze then settled on Sarah, who stood nearby with one hand pressed against her mouth. Her eyes were moist, and she quickly turned away to wipe them, seemingly unwilling to let him see her tears.

Sister Sarah...

A few minutes passed before everyone’s emotions finally settled down. In those few minutes, Ethan had quietly asked how many days had passed since the Beast Tide, careful not to let Amelia notice, and understood why everyone had been so worried.

While the memories had played out, he had been completely absorbed in them. They had stretched on for what felt like days, even months and he had forgotten everything else. He had known Marcus and Evelyn would handle the aftermath... and with Mythralis having returned to herself, knowing her personality, she would help them too. So he had focused entirely on everything unfolding before him, from the ancient magic to the final battle between the silver-haired man and the Demonic Dragon.

But there had also been one more reason... the ancient civilization.

Even Ethan himself knew very little about it. The Dukes and even the Emperor had been searching for traces of how it had fallen to ruin, and Iris remained obsessed with it. That was why he couldn’t let even a single detail slip past him. He had to imprint everything into his mind.

And he had gained enormously from it.

Only then did he check his own condition. His body felt stronger than before, renewed strength surging through every part of it, and his mana pathways were even clearer and wider than they had been earlier.

That was when he noticed something on his finger. A pristine white ring rested there, ancient draconic runes etched along its surface. He quickly realised it must have been something Mythralis had given him, and his lips slowly curved upwards.

She’s still the same...

He knew the changes in his body must have been related to her as well. He wanted to check his body thoroughly, along with the ring, and find out what had happened after he lost consciousness. But now wasn’t the time for it.

"It seems I’ve made everyone worry," Ethan said as he lifted himself up to sit on the mattress.

"You did!" Amelia pouted, wiping her face with her sleeve. Then she suddenly turned around. "Sister Sarah... come here, quickly!"

Sarah blinked, then seemed to understand. A small smile appeared on her face.

"Bring it out!" Amelia urged.

Ethan looked from one to the other in confusion, unable to understand what was happening.

Sarah walked to the bed and took out a small cake from her storage ring. It was round and covered in smooth white cream, with fresh red berries arranged neatly around the edge, and in the centre sat a small wolf shaped from sugar, its tail curled around its body. Amelia had insisted on ordering it from one of the most renowned bakers in Ravenhold before they left. It was the same cake Rune had especially liked, the one that had first brought her and Rune close, so she had chosen it without a second thought.

Elena and Aisha wore gentle smiles, while Marcus looked caught off guard, as if he had completely forgotten as well.

"Happy birthday, Brother!" Amelia shouted, and the others joined in one after another.

Ethan stared at the cake for a moment. His birthday... he had completely forgotten about it. In his previous life, somewhere along the way, amid all the wars and conflicts, it had simply become just another day for him. The only times he remembered it were when Isabella reminded him.

Then he let out a quiet laugh and gently ruffled Amelia’s hair.

"Thank you... everyone."