Subaru clapped his hands, breaking the soft stillness like a pebble dropped into a calm pond.
"Alright, that's enough getting to know each other."
Ruin jolted, as if yanked back to reality. She quickly dropped Raphael's hand, her ears twitching in startled panic.
"Y-Yes, Grandpa! You're right!" she squeaked, stumbling back a step, her cheeks pink. "I-I wasn't— I mean, it was just—!"
Raphael tilted his head, brow lightly furrowed. The shift in her energy caught him off guard — the sudden nerves, the way she pulled back like she'd done something wrong. He didn't say anything, but something in his posture stiffened. Subaru only chuckled.
"…So, Ruin," he said after a beat, casual in tone but not in meaning, "where is everyone? They not home?"
Ruin blinked, caught off guard again. Her ears flicked. "Oh! They're home," she said quickly, offering a nervous smile. "Just, um… busy! Lots to do, you know? Dreadholm doesn't run itself."
Subaru raised a brow. "Busy, huh?" His eyes scanned the quiet halls again. "Funny kind of busy, if it makes the whole house go dead quiet."
Ruin's smile wavered. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides. "We've had to pick up a lot lately… everyone has. It's been… a bit hectic."
She forced a little bounce into her voice. "But! No need to worry. Come, come, Grandpa—let's go see what they're up to!"
She turned quickly on her heel, skirt fluttering behind her as she motioned them forward. Her pace was a touch too quick, a touch too eager.
Subaru followed, his expression thoughtful. But halfway through the first step, he turned, glancing over his shoulder.
"You coming, Raphael?"
Ruin paused too, glancing back. Her ears drooped for half a second.
Raphael remained still for a moment, head tilted slightly as if catching something unsaid in the air — some undercurrent the others missed. Then he gave a slow nod.
"Yeah," he said simply.
His steps were quiet but steady as he moved to follow. Ruin watched him for a breath longer, her ears twitching once more — then, with a determined little hum, resumed her bouncy stride down the hall, her steps echoing softly through the grand, rune-lined corridors.
The mansion's interior unfolded like a living memory—refined wood halls brushed with warm polish, subtle runes glowing faintly in the grain. Crystal-paneled screens shimmered softly, casting fractured rainbows that danced along the floorboards. A breeze drifted through open windows, carrying the gentle scent of cherry blossoms. Mana lingered beneath it all—not loud or boastful, just quietly present, like an old heartbeat.
Subaru took it in with a low hum, his steps slowing. "Still feels like home," he murmured, voice thick with nostalgia.
Raphael moved beside him, silent, his head faintly tilted as if listening for something beneath the surface—the rhythm of the place, the unseen threads that made it hum.
As they walked, Subaru glanced toward Ruin with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"So, Ruin, my darling," he said lightly, "what've you all been up to in the years I've been away?"
Ruin perked up immediately. "Oh, not too much!" she said with proud cheer. "I've been looking after everyone. Cooking, laundry, running errands... mostly helping Auren with the important things."
"Wow." Subaru chuckled. "You really have become the big girl now."
"I am!" she beamed, puffing her chest slightly. "But Auren does the heavy lifting. And there's Old Man Wǔ Zhìyuàn too—he handles all our potions and weapons."
Raphael turned slightly, his brow twitching. "…Wu… Zhii… Y'wan?"
Ruin giggled, covering her mouth with both hands. "Close enough! It's Wǔ Zhìyuàn. He's kind of hard to get along with, but he's amazing at what he does."
Subaru burst out laughing. "Still a grump, huh?"
She nodded sheepishly. "That's just how he shows love."
Subaru looked like he was about to say more, but Ruin's eyes lit up as she remembered something.
"Oh! And he has three apprentices now!"
Subaru blinked. "…Wǔ Zhìyuàn? Apprentices?"
"Mmhm!" she nodded proudly. "Three!"
Subaru gave a low whistle. "Never thought I'd live to hear that. He used to refuse help from anyone but Bram."
Ruin tilted her head, ears twitching curiously. "Do you mean the Forge Father?"
Subaru laughed. "That's the one. You haven't met him yet, huh?"
She shook her head. "Nope!"
Subaru turned to Raphael, giving him a knowing nudge. "But you have, haven't you?"
Raphael tilted his head, ears flicking faintly. "I don't know who that is."
Subaru grinned. "Right, right—you wouldn't know the title. He's the blacksmith back at Balmount. You know… the uncle."
Raphael's brow lifted a fraction. "Oh, Uncle? So he's got a strong title now—Forge Father?"
"I gave him that name," Subaru said proudly. "Fitting, right?"
Raphael paused a beat. "…Not really."
Subaru gasped, clutching his chest like he'd been stabbed. "I'm starting to think you're not on my side!"
Raphael's voice was dry as sand. "Says the old man who didn't even carry his own bag."
Subaru's mouth fell open in mock betrayal. "You're still hung up on that?! It's called exercise. E-X-E-R-C-I-S-E!"
Raphael muttered, just loud enough, "That's the only excuse you could come up with."
Subaru clutched his chest dramatically. "You wound me, Raphael."
Ruin let out a bubbling giggle. "You two are really funny together."
Raphael sighed. "I doubt that."
Subaru, undeterred, slung an arm toward him. "You could say me and Raphael are like brothers. Close brothers."
Raphael's head snapped toward him. "I'm not your brother, Grandpa. I'm your grandson."
Subaru sighed, turning dramatically to the nearest wall. "How dare you reject our beautiful bond… after all we've shared?"
Raphael groaned internally. After all the torment you've inflicted, Grandpa.
Ruin leaned in slightly, a playful smile on her lips.
"I would never disagree with you, Grandpa."
"See, Raphael?" Subaru beamed, throwing a triumphant look sideways. "You could learn a lot from her."
Raphael's tone was flat. "I already learned what not to do."
Ruin giggled again, visibly basking in Subaru's playful praise. Her ears gave a tiny, proud twitch.
"Well," she said, the topic shifting in her thoughts, "coming back to old man Wǔ Zhìyuàn—it was a real shocker for everyone when he suddenly said he needed an apprentice. Told us to start gathering people who wanted the job."
Subaru raised a brow, intrigued. "Wait—he asked for help? That doesn't sound like him."
Ruin laughed nervously, lifting a hand to her mouth. "I know, right? I didn't believe it either."
She paused, then perked up. "Wait—I think I remember exactly how he said it."
She cleared her throat, straightened her back, and lowered her voice into a deep, gravelly imitation.
"I… need new apprentice," she grunted, slipping into an exaggerated accent. "If no one come, I no make potion. No make weapon. Maybe I go vacation. Forever."
Subaru doubled over laughing, nearly stumbling into the wall. "That sounds like him! You even nailed the tone! The grumpy old master voice!"
Even Raphael let out a quiet chuckle, his shoulders giving a slight shake. "He sounds… like a lot."
Ruin beamed at their reactions, clearly proud of her performance. "He is. But when we need weapons? He gets the job done. And not just making anything—he always knows what works best for you." Her voice softened, ears drooping just a little. "That's how he shows love."
Subaru's laughter faded into a fond smile. "Yup… that's exactly him. Miserable old mountain bear, but all heart under the growl."
Raphael tilted his head slightly, sensing something in her tone. "So… does he have a soft side?"
Ruin blinked, thinking. "I think he has… a hidden soft side. Very, very hidden."
Subaru chuckled. "That's about right."
He slowed his steps a bit. "And what about Baek Dae-won? He still hanging around?"
At the name, Ruin's expression brightened instantly.
"Oh! He's good! Just… he doesn't really talk much. But he's always there when it matters."
She paused mid-step, ears flicking as if sensing something ahead.
And then, as if summoned by her words, a quiet presence emerged at the end of the corridor.
A tall snow leopard beastkin stood beside the orc who had carried their bags. He wore a high-collared arcweave uniform—precise, unwrinkled. His pale silver hair was tied back into a low, functional knot, and his eyes, the color of glacier ice, flicked down to the journal in his hands as he scribbled something quickly—before offering a quiet, clipped nod to the orc.
No metal armor weighed him down, only a sash marked with a silver claw resting over a starlight shield at the chest. He looked like someone who moved with precision—and preferred silence over spectacle.
Ruin's ears perked and she bounced on her toes.
"Baek Dae-won! Baek Dae-won!"
The snow leopard's head lifted.
His expression didn't change at first—quiet, neutral. But then he saw Subaru.
A flicker of disbelief crossed his face. Barely there… but present. His eyes widened just a fraction, the pen in his hand hesitating mid-page.
Without a word, he closed the journal and slipped it carefully into his pocket.
Then he began to walk.
Each step was measured. Quiet. Like someone moving through a memory they hadn't touched in years.
The orc beside him stepped aside with silent understanding.
Subaru waited, his hands loose at his sides, his smile touched with something deeper than joy.
"My boy," he said softly. "You've grown so much."
Baek Dae-won stopped in front of him. His hands trembled for half a second… then he reached forward.
Not a dramatic gesture. Not a show.
Just a quiet, firm pull into a hug.
His arms wrapped around Subaru like he'd been carrying the weight of waiting—and could finally let it down.
"I missed you," he murmured, his voice quiet, steady. "Granduncle."
Subaru's reply came low and full of warmth, his hands clasping the snow leopard's back.
"I missed you too… my boy."
No one else spoke.
Ruin stood beside them, her bouncing stilled, ears tilted forward in quiet awe.
Raphael didn't speak either—but he didn't need to. The energy in the space shifted—gentle and deep. Like an ember coaxed back to flame.
He could feel the air still with reverence, the moment cradled in quiet gravity. The heartbeat between old pain and something warmer.
It wasn't just reunion.
It was return.
It was healing.
It was home.