It had been days since Inara and the others had returned to Waverith, days since they had found the colossal pit in its center, and the sweet but macabre scent of loss that clung to the stronghold like an obsessive lover…all while hearing the tale of the youngest Warborn killing Brain.

It had been days since she had been trying to meet him…something not particularly easy, given the current state of Waverith and, most importantly, the close scrutiny Meris was giving her.

And also, it had been days since she had been wondering what she would even say to him once she finally stood before him. But for that one though… was it really only days? It wasn't.

It had been five years since Inara had been wondering how she should act with him. Should she be herself? Or adopt another side so as not to appear strange in front of him?

Should she thank him for saving her life, since she never had the opportunity to do so? Or simply… act like—? damn it! She didn't know.

All these thoughts put so much stress and anxiety on her that even her monsters were beginning to wonder what was going on. But even though she was nervous, Inara wanted to see Kaden, badly.

So when Meris was with her mother for an important affair regarding their household, and Kaden happened to be free, Inara immediately made her way toward his room.

It was not an easy thing. Kaden was now regarded as someone valuable and vital to the new, crumbled Waverith, so people always had their eyes on his quarters. And in front of his room stood, as always, his maid, the ever-silent, ever-faithful Sabine.

The maid didn't say anything when she saw Inara. She simply stepped aside and cleared the way for her to enter.

Inara walked forward, dressed in black pants that clung tightly to her lower body, coupled with high black boots that reached her knees and a simple green top that perfectly accentuated her slim waist. Her green hair, like strands of interwoven emerald leaves, flowed behind her like an unfurled carpet of jade.

Her usual green snake was absent from her neck, as were all her other monsters. She didn't want to come across as strange in front of him.

She stopped in front of the door, raised her hand to knock, but paused just as her knuckles hovered an inch from the brown earthen surface.

Her heart was pounding so loudly, like the furious stomping of maddened elephants, that she was certain the maid beside her could hear it. Her breathing was sporadic, uneven.

'I am not the same anymore. I am Inara, Mother of Monsters. I have changed!' she screamed inwardly, trying to steady the turmoil inside her chest…but to no avail.

She was like a devoted fan about to meet her greatest idol. The rush, the nervousness, the stress of appearing awkward, of stuttering, of making a fool of herself…all of it flooded Inara's senses in a wave so overwhelming that even her monsters, who shared her emotions, grew restless.

The leeches inside her body stirred uneasily, puzzled by what they felt from their mother. She had never been like this since the day they were born.

But what they didn't know was that this was a glimpse of who Inara had once been, before she became the Mother of Monsters, when she was simply…

"Are you gonna stand there for long, crybaby?"

A voice from inside the room graced her ears, making her flinch in surprise. She immediately recognized the owner of that voice.

'Crybaby, huh…' she mused, recalling that embarrassing day when she had wept before the wolves, then smiled faintly and finally stepped into the room.

The moment she did, her green snake-like eyes went directly to the young man in front of her.

Black hair like threads of darkness, red eyes glowing faintly with amusement as he stared at her. He wore relaxed clothes, only a black shirt and black trousers, his arms crossed over his chest.

Inara immediately recognized him. His face might have changed in the meantime, becoming fairer, sharper, and more handsome, but it was unmistakably him. The young man who had saved her.

Kaden too was observing Inara. And at that moment, he couldn't help but want to give a small bow to fate.

How could the young snake girl he had once saved, in the middle of nowhere and for no particular reason, have not only come back before him but also become someone of this standing?

It was awe-inspiring. It was horrific.

Kaden had heard of the daughter of Medusa, Inara Serpentine, the one who controlled monsters like a puppeteer pulling the strings of her own creations. And now, seeing her again, he could feel the gaze of countless monsters watching him.

His perception was sharp enough to perfectly pinpoint their presence. All of them were inside Inara, within some strange inner realm crafted to house them.

'A controller of monsters… incredibly strong.' he admitted inwardly, then gave a faint smile to Inara.

"You seem to have taken my advice rather well, crybaby," he said, chuckling.

Inara didn't respond immediately. She was still reeling from the fact that she was finally standing in front of the man she had always wanted to see. The man who had made her grit her teeth and push forward. The man whose words had, in part, shaped who she had become.

Weakness is a sin.

Such simple words. Words even an old plebeian might tell their grandchildren before bedtime.

It was that obvious…in their world.

That's why, if anyone else had said those same words to her, Inara doubted they would have held any meaning. But Kaden was different.

After all, he had been the same age as her, yet possessed power far beyond her comprehension. And he had saved her without asking anything in return, without boasting, without expectation — as if he had done it simply… because.

And now, as she looked at him, she realized it was the same way he had saved his own stronghold.

That old thought resurfaced in her mind. 'Hero, huh…' she mused inwardly, before shaking her head and focusing back on Kaden.

"You didn't change. You're still going around saving people," Inara said, still standing before the now-closed door.

"What are you, some kind of hero?" she added, her tone lightly teasing.

Kaden laughed. "That's what they call me here." He shook his head. "But you know, crybaby, I'm no hero."

Inara didn't seem to mind the title Kaden gave her. A title that, if anyone else had dared to use, would've earned them the fate of becoming an amalgamation of monsters.

Feeling more at ease, she began walking toward him under the weight of his crimson gaze. Her lips twitched faintly, her steps hesitant, and her eyes couldn't hold his for long.

But eventually, she stood beside him, gazing at the destroyed stronghold through the window.

Kaden turned as well, watching the scene alongside her.

Neither said anything for a while, both simply admiring the ruins as though there was something worth admiring.

And there was.

It was the simple realization of how fragile life truly was. How one day you wake up and everything feels fine with the sky still blue, the air still clean, the water still warm, and your loved ones still near. Then, on another day, you wake up, and the sky is still blue, the air still clean but something else hits you like a crashing plane…

The death of a relative, the rejection of a long-awaited promotion, a sudden illness, a breakup with your lover…

All of it were things no one could control. Even a being as powerful as Brain had been unable to escape death. How could the weak, the unawakened, even dream of doing so?

They lived in a world where the powerful did whatever they pleased, simply because they could. Nothing else. Nothing more.

In such a world, where life and death flirted dangerously close, being born without power to protect oneself was perhaps the cruelest fate imaginable.

And as Inara looked upon the fate of the weak, she couldn't help but remember who she had been when she was young. Who she had been before meeting Kaden, before meeting Echidna.

She had been nothing. She had been no one.

But all of that had changed because of simple words.

Words.

Ah… what an appalling power, once again. They had so much strength it was almost frightening.

In the same way that the song of the little girl outside soothed the agony of the mourners, words too could give someone a reason to live…or just as easily, a reason to die.

And at that realization, Inara could only…

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice trembling beneath the weight of emotion.

It had been a long time since Inara had cried, not since the day she had inherited her power. But in that moment, her body no longer obeyed her. It was as if it needed to let it all out.

So, without her consent, the world became hazy.

Kaden fell silent at her words, then smiled faintly.

"It was hard, wasn't it?" he asked.

"It… it was."

"But it was worth it, wasn't it?"

"Yes. It was."

"Would you do it again?"

"Yes."

He smiled wider.

"Then that's perfect. As long as you continue your journey without flinching, that's thanks enough for me," he chuckled.

Inara's lips curved upward warmly at his words, then she chuckled too.

"Should I call you hero now?" she teased.

"I told you, I'm no hero."

"But you are one to me."

"That's…" Kaden started, awkwardly scratching his left cheek, his mouth curling into a wry smile.

Inara's smile grew even wider, amused by this rare glimpse of his embarrassed side. With that, her decision was made. Her green eyes flashed sharply, and she spoke.

"We no longer have homes back in the forest," Inara began. "My mother will try to find a way to live within this stronghold. We might be beasts, but as you can see, we don't look like ones."

Kaden nodded, still not quite sure where this was going.

Their eyes locked onto each other.

Green against red.

Jade against blood.

"I doubt they'll accept us unless we swear loyalty," she continued, pausing briefly before finishing,

"I'm not comfortable swearing loyalty to this stronghold. But if I have to swear loyalty…"

Her smile widened.

"…I want to swear it only to you, Kaden Warborn."

—End of Chapter 272—

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