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As soon as the sun reached the highest point in the sky, the knights of the King of Megaris and King of Abetha returned to the underground cave to report the situation on the surface.

After discussion, their group decided to start heading back to the capital of Abetha as soon as possible. Seren was still unconscious and it was still not safe for her body to be teleported with Drayce. The knights arranged for a new boat to pick them up from a different part of the river, and while Martha and Yorian would accompany Seren, her protectors Sierra and Evanthe would stay in the shadows as they did before.

If nothing were to go wrong, the group should be able to reach the capital after sundown and secretly enter the royal palace with Armen\'s help.

Before leaving, Drayce wished to talk to his mother. With her avoiding him, he knew that this might be his last chance to see her again. Evanthe was aware of his thoughts. She somewhat envied Sierra, especially how lucky her friend was to be free from having such a difficult talk with her own child.

The blond witch waited for her son in the open area outside of the stone chambers.

As he reached there, Evanthe turned to look at him. Her caramel-colored eyes were filled with complex emotions, guilt being the most prominent, as she stared at the man standing in front of her.

Two decades lost. Her little boy had grown up so much…

There was a stretch of silence before Evanthe finally asked. "I believe you have something important to talk about."

Seeing her expression, Drayce got hold of his emotions and nodded.

"I wish to know what more I can do to protect Seren."

Evanthe let out an inward sigh of relief, but along with it, a twinge of disappointment spread across her heart. She had been mentally preparing herself for his blame, his anger, perhaps even disgust against her.

However, she was able to put her worries aside upon realizing her son did not wish to talk about the sensitive questions regarding their past.

Drayce continued, "Those we are fighting are otherworldly beings and I realized my powers are not strong enough to protect my wife. I don\'t wish Seren to suffer through that hellfire again. Rather than us protecting her, it ended up with her protecting us. I do not want a repeat of that to happen. There has to be a way for me to grow stronger in a short amount of time."

Evanthe could understand his worry.

"I am glad that you asked this." She pondered for a bit. "At this moment, though we are yet to know exactly how the power of earth and hellfire will affect Seren, it is safe to say both powers have grown many times stronger.

"What protects her from being discovered is the attribute of your magic. Hence, not only do your power of darkness need to match the two powers inside her, you also have to be always around her. As much as possible, do not leave her side for more than a day."

"I will do that."

"When I say you, it\'s not just you. It includes Erebus," Evanthe said, which made him look at his mother with confusion. Deep inside, he could understand what she was hinting at but didn\'t want to accept it.

"I know you are aware of his importance. For your wife\'s sake, you should stop suppressing him," she said.

"What I want to strengthen is my own power—"

"You are not enough," she cut him off. "Do you not want to protect your wife? Not even that, do you not want to protect yourself? Is your pride more important than your safety?"

He threw a puzzled look at his mother, wondering why she pointed out the need to protect himself. However, he did not linger much on that issue. It did make sense to him that with divine beings targeting his wife, his life would also be put in danger.

"You know it well that the power of darkness was yours to wield—until you made that choice of wanting to stay human, causing your soul to give birth to Erebus, and along with his birth, the greater part of your magic belongs to him. The fastest way for your power to grow is to stop suppressing Erebus."

Drayce frowned, and just as he was about to respond, Evanthe raised a hand to stop him.

"Listen to me. Erebus is the personification of your power, but deep in your heart, you reject him and alienate him. How can he grow when you never let him show up? Even the sharpest sword grows dull if kept sheathed. You wish to grow stronger in a short frame of time? Accept your other side. Allow Erebus to protect Seren. Only when you willingly give him freedom will you have complete control over your power."

"I will try to," Drayce replied, but reluctance could be seen on his face.

"You know the best way to protect Seren?"

His red eyes flickered with caution. His intuition told him what she was about to say next was not something he\'d like to hear.

"A mate\'s bond."

Drayce turned grim. He was aware that one day it was going to happen— that Erebus had to become mates with Seren— but knowing and accepting were different things.

"You understand the importance of a bond, don\'t you?" Evanthe asked, seeing her son\'s unwilling face.

"I… understand."

Mates.

Drayce might be Seren\'s husband but he needed Erebus for her to become their mate. For supernatural beings, being mates was not merely a vow of love but a union of souls. The bond between them would be a sacred agreement, blessed by the world itself, and this would mean that as long as they live, Seren would be their one true mate. Once their bond was initiated, Drayce and Erebus would be able to feel where their mate was, and the bond would also allow them to know if she falls in danger.

However, for Erebus to mark her and to own her body, Drayce could not help but feel aggrieved.

"Once Seren becomes your mate, this will allow both of your magic powers to grow."

Evanthe put forward her hand, and on her palm, an ancient-looking scroll appeared.

"Learn this and teach it to your wife after the mate bond becomes complete. This is a unique spell created two thousand years ago during the Dark Ages of the continent, back when the world was embroiled in constant wars. For divine beasts, the death of their mate also signals their own, that was why this spell was created as an additional layer of protection for their beloved. It is a secret spell that allows mates to rapidly improve their energy core by nourishing their mate\'s power through the magic of the mate bond."

Once again, what Evanthe provided was meant for when Seren and Erebus completed the mate bond. Why did it feel like his mother cared more about Erebus?

Drayce clenched his fists but his face remained calm. His wife was the only woman in his life, yet his own mother was telling him he needed to share his wife with another. So what if Erebus was his dark side? He was still not Drayce.

Nothing went unnoticed by his mother, but she could not afford to be soft-hearted. Some things had to be done in order to protect the ones you love. At most, she could give him time to process and accept her suggestions.

In a while, Drayce looked into his mother\'s eyes with a determined gaze.

"I will do everything that is needed to protect her. Rest assured."

"I know you will," Evanthe said. She felt relieved with his choice. That ancient scroll turned into a formless light that flew from her palm towards Drayce and was absorbed in his body. The details of the spell immediately appeared in his mind.

"Remember, teach it to Seren after she and Erebus complete their mate bond," he heard his mother say.

He simply nodded.

As he felt there was nothing more to talk about, Drayce turned to leave.

Evanthe could not help but stop him. "Dray?"

Her voice caused Drayce to pause in his tracks. She called him by his name instead of addressing him by his title?

He felt like it\'s been eternity since he heard his mother saying his name. As far as he was concerned, he had only heard her mention Erebus\' name, never his own.

A bittersweet sensation erupted in his chest. In the past, he always looked forward to the mornings and the evenings, loving it whenever he heard his mother\'s sweet voice waking him up or putting him to sleep. Even after so many years, the longing he felt was the same.

"Dray, don\'t you want to ask anything else?"

Her question made his mouth grow dry, and he could only take in a deep breath to calm himself.

"I want to," Drayce replied but he didn\'t turn to look at his mother. The moment he did, he was afraid he would turn emotional. "But this is not the time, I guess."

"I understand," she replied. After several seconds, her sweet voice once again reached his ears, "I…I am comforted you grew up well, strong and healthy and wise. I will strive to ensure the matters of the heavenly realm will affect your current life as little as possible. There is a chance things will be over soon, for you and your wife. Till then, take care."

As soon as Evanthe and Sierra figured out the circumstances of the Deity of Fire, then it would not be long for Seren\'s role as a vessel of hellfire to be over. Without the danger of hellfire, then Seren would no longer be targeted by the gods. She could finally live a normal life together with her husband.

\'I can only pray that they do not target Dray because of his relation to the Devil…\'

Drayce nodded and he left to go back to his unconscious wife. The pair of mother and son separated with both their hearts filled with worry over the future.