Neo and Paul looked at each other.

Paul swallowed hard.

He could see Elizabeth was genuinely angry.

Neo, on the other hand, forced a strained smile.

"Yes, Sect Master," he said, trying to sound obedient.

"Pfft."

A laugh suddenly rang out from behind them.

"Hahaha! You already have him under your thumb. Good, good," the woman said with a bright voice. "You need to keep a tight leash on your husband, or he'll start acting out of line. Darling is like that too."

Neo turned, ready to ask who would dare say something like that.

Then he saw her.

"…Mom."

Persephone stood there with a lively smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Neo coughed awkwardly and looked away.

Just then, something black and gold shot toward him at terrifying speed.

It slammed straight into his chest.

Neo reacted instinctively, catching the figure as his feet skidded backward across the ground.

He looked down, confused, only to find someone clinging to him tightly.

"N-Neo… sniff… sniff… you bastard. Why didn't you contact me? I missed you," a familiar voice said between sobs.

"Moraine?" Neo said, genuinely stunned.

She buried her face into his chest and tightened her grip.

Neo stood there, frozen, his mind struggling to keep up.

Moraine and Elizabeth had come out together.

Peacefully.

That alone raised countless questions.

For now, though, he gently patted Moraine's head.

"I'm sorry. I was busy," he said softly.

"Stop lying, bastard!" Moraine snapped.

She stomped hard on his foot.

Neo winced internally as pain shot up his leg, but he somehow managed to keep his smile steady.

That was when he noticed Paul staring at him.

The look was… unpleasant.

'Wow. He's looking at me like I'm literal trash.'

"Mother," Paul said, turning to Elizabeth and pointing at Neo and Moraine, who were still clinging to each other. "What is this?"

"Come to the house. I'll explain everything there."

No one argued.

They returned to Elizabeth's residence soon after.

Once inside, Elizabeth explained everything. About Morrigan. About Moraine. About the Supreme of Darkness.

About why things were the way they were.

And how they planned to proceed.

Neo listened carefully, his expression unreadable.

Throughout the entire explanation, Moraine refused to let go of him.

She clung to him like a koala that had finally found its tree again.

After so many years without being able to touch him, she had no intention of letting go now.

She could feel Elizabeth's cold gaze on her.

She ignored it.

"I see," Paul said eventually, after everything was explained. He nodded once, then concluded, "In short, this guy is a piece of trash."

Neo's mouth twitched.

Paul calmly poured tea and handed a cup to Persephone.

"My lady," he said politely, his tone gentle and respectful, unlike with what he used with Neo, "is the tea to your liking?"

"Yes. Thank you," Persephone replied with a smile.

Neo stared.

'Is this bastard hitting on my mom?' he thought.

Paul glanced at him at that exact moment and smirked.

Neo rolled his eyes.

'Let's see if you can maintain that attitude after meeting Hades.'

Neo looked forward to it. He could gang up on Paul with Hades.

The day went on quite well… or at least, that was what Neo would have liked to say.

In reality, it was chaos.

Between Moraine and Elizabeth, problems kept surfacing one after another.

Some were small. Some were misunderstandings. Some were born purely out of stubbornness and pride.

Neo spent most of his time mediating, deflecting, or simply standing between the two whenever things started heating up.

By the end of the week, he was exhausted.

Truly exhausted.

Finally, he managed to secure a brief moment of peace.

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, not even thinking about anything in particular.

His body felt heavy, and his mind refused to move faster than a slow crawl.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Neo said.

The door opened, and Persephone stepped inside.

Neo immediately sat up and shifted to the side.

"Come in. Should I prepare some tea before we talk?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm here for something else," she said, waving it off.

"What is it?"

"It's about your first life."

Neo froze.

For a moment, the room felt strangely quiet.

Then he forced an awkward smile.

"I'm trying to talk it out with Ha— Dad," he corrected himself midway when he noticed Persephone's hands tremble slightly. "You don't need to worry about it."

Persephone smiled, bright and cheerful as always.

But Neo knew better by now.

Behind that smile was someone constantly working to keep everyone together.

Someone who desperately wanted a proper family.

"You think I don't know how much 'talking' is happening between you two? At this rate, even a thousand years wouldn't be enough."

Neo scratched his cheek, not knowing how to respond.

"I'll let you access Hades' memories. You'll see why he treated you that way."

"…What?"

Neo blinked, genuinely caught off guard.

"No, wait. Isn't it wrong for me to watch Ha— Dad's memories without his permission?"

"Don't worry. He's only a fragment, so you'll only see a portion. But it should be enough. As for his permission…"

She snorted.

"That's his punishment for treating you so badly in the Ninth Eon."

Neo gave a troubled smile. "Mom, I know you're doing this for my sake, but—"

Before he could finish, Persephone tapped his shoulder.

A foreign power flowed into his body.

His vision spun, and he realized he was falling asleep.

'Damn it,' he thought. 'At least let me prepare.'

With the last bit of clarity he had, Neo activated Ignition and reached into his Cosmos.

He pulled out Severant, gripping the cold hilt tightly in his hand.

Persephone's eyes widened slightly at his action.

The moment Neo felt the familiar chill of the demon sword, his consciousness slipped away.

…

[Hades' Memory]

[1st Eon]

"Mother!"

A child's voice rang out, bright and full of life.

Young Hades ran after his mother, a wide smile on his face.

The Mother of Dragons held his hand as they walked through the town together.

Her grip was warm and reassuring.

The townsfolk greeted her with smiles.

They handed her baskets of crops, fruits, and small gifts. Some bowed. Others simply waved.

They liked her.

Everyone did.

She was kind. She helped whenever she could, never asking for anything in return. Because of that, she earned a title.

[The Benevolent One].

She was the Second Witch, born after the First Witch—the Witch of Greed.

The strongest witch.

And, at that time, the kindest of them all.

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