But apparently, her joy was one-sided.
Instead of greeting his sister with the childlike enthusiasm she remembered, Rufus’s small hands only clutched Cassius’s bloodstained coat tighter.
His little frame seemed to shrink, as though he were trying to disappear into the older boy’s side. His face buried itself in Cassius’s chest, refusing to acknowledge the one person who had rushed to him with open arms.
Amelia’s steps faltered.
"Rufus...?" she said softly, crouching down to his level, her voice trembling with equal parts hope and disbelief. "It’s me, Amelia. Your big sis. Come here, sweetie. Give me a hug."
She held out her arms.
But the boy didn’t move.
Didn’t even glance at her.
Instead, he shrank further behind Cassius, hiding beneath the flaps of his coat, as if she were a stranger—no, worse—something dangerous.
That hollow silence between them stung more than any wound. Her arms slowly dropped as she knelt there, stunned. "Rufus...?"
Cassius frowned slightly. His body was aching, mind fogged by pain, but the boy’s reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed.
His patience, already razor-thin from overuse of his abilities and the emotional toll of the massacre, was fraying.
And without thinking, he grabbed the boy by the shoulders and lightly nudged him forward toward Amelia. "Come on. She’s your sister."
His little fists gripped the front of Cassius’s coat tighter, knuckles whitening. His eyes darted toward Amelia for only a second before quickly looking away.
Cassius exhaled through his nose and dropped down to one knee.
His sharp gaze locked onto the boy’s trembling eyes.
"Hey," he said, his voice louder than intended. "What’s the problem? You’re not brain-dead, I know that much. You followed me all the way here of your own will. So why the hell are you running from her?"
Rufus flinched, his eyes widening in fear.
’Shit. Fuck. He’s just a kid. Arawn, you dumb bitch. Get your act together.’
His internal rebuke was swift and filled with regret. He lowered his tone, his hand gently landing on Rufus’s small shoulder as he softened his expression. "Sorry, buddy... I didn’t mean to snap."
He waited a beat, then continued, quieter this time.
"Can you tell me what’s wrong? Look, I promise you... she’s your sister. She cried her heart out looking for you. She’s been searching nonstop. She’s not going to hurt you, okay?"
Rufus met his eyes for a brief moment. Something flickered behind the crimson irises—confusion, fear, a storm of emotions too big for someone so small. Then, without a word, he looked down... and hugged Cassius again.
Clinging like he was the only thing keeping him grounded in this ruined world.
He simply stood still, his arms slack at his sides. He looked down at the boy latched to him, feeling the weight, the trembling. It wasn’t fear of Amelia. Not exactly. This wasn’t rational.
’He’s traumatized. Mentally unstable... Probably broken.’
Cassius thought quietly, glancing at the tear-stricken Amelia. She looked shattered.
’I should’ve waited. Should’ve given him time. Fuck...’
With a heavy breath, he slowly rose to his feet, lifting Rufus with him. The boy climbed into his arms naturally, now resting against his shoulders, legs loosely wrapped around Cassius’s waist like a sloth clinging to a branch.
Cassius’s voice was flat, tired, but clear.
"He needs time. He wasn’t in the best condition when I found him. Physically or mentally."
Amelia’s lips quivered. Her fists clenched at her sides. But she nodded, forcing her face into something resembling calm. "As... you wish. I’m just... glad he’s alive. That’s all."
The sorrow in her voice made even Freya step in, placing a gentle hand on her friend’s back. "He’ll come around, Amelia. Like Cassius said... he just needs time. The important thing is that he’s safe now."
Amelia took a shaky breath and wiped the corners of her eyes. "You’re right..."
Evelyn, who had remained silent thus far, finally walked over to Cassius. Her eyes swept over his bandaged torso, the blood dripping from his fingers, and then the broken boy clinging to him.
"You need rest. Medical attention. He needs therapy. The best place for that right now is Rose Academy. We have the resources, and more importantly... you won’t be alone."
Cassius narrowed his gaze at her.
"There’s therapy... at an academy?"
Evelyn blinked. "Of course there is. You think everyone in our world can just murder people and sleep fine afterward? Some can’t even kill beasts without shaking for hours. What you went through... both of you... this much is definitely covered."
Cassius’s brow furrowed as he processed that. "Huh..."
He hadn’t expected that. For a world so steeped in blood and ambition, the idea of institutional mental health support seemed almost... surreal.
Before anyone else could speak, Art cleared his throat dramatically.
"Alright, alright—look at you two going off on your little therapy date—cough cough—I mean, healing trip."
He exaggerated a gesture of wiping a fake tear. "How adorable."
Zyon rolled his eyes. "Grow up, Art."
Cassius sighed, shifting the weight of the child in his arms. "We’ll head to the Academy. I’ll need access to the infirmary and the psyche-wing, apparently."
Art nodded solemnly, his usual cockiness dialed down for once. "Yeah... we’ll look into Aunt Liana’s disappearance while you’re gone."
Rufus stirred faintly in Cassius’s arms at the mention of the name. His small body gave a slight shudder, though he said nothing.
Amelia caught it, but chose to stay composed, even as worry began pooling in her chest again. She turned to Cassius with quiet resolve. "Please, Cassius... take care of him. I know he’s clinging to you, but... he’s still my little brother."
Cassius met her eyes and gave a tired nod. "I will."
Zyon crossed his arms and joined in, letting out a deep breath. "But let’s be honest—what the hell can we actually do? We’ve got nothing. No leads, no evidence, no trail."
Cassius tilted his head slightly, confused. "Wait... who exactly is Aunt Liana again?"
The silence that followed could’ve crushed steel.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Freya’s eyes widened. Art blinked in disbelief. Zyon’s brows slowly arched. But it was Amelia whose expression fell the most.
Her shoulders sank slightly, her lips parting in a silent gasp before she quickly tried to compose herself—masking the heartbreak with a tight smile.
Freya stepped forward, clearly unsettled. "You’re joking... right?" she said slowly, searching his face for some sign of a lie but he was wearing a mask. "There’s no way you could forget her. That’s Amelia’s mom. Your mother-in-law, remember?"
Cassius blinked again. His face remained expressionless, but internally—
’Ahh... right. Her mother...’
Truthfully, the name hadn’t even registered. In the original game, he had only bothered learning the names of the main characters.
Unless someone was a notable NPC, a boss, or someone renowned, they barely held any weight in his memory. Aunt Liana... hadn’t even crossed his mind.
He scratched the back of his head, feigning casual forgetfulness. "Right, yeah. My bad. It just... slipped. I’ve got a lot going on, as you can see."
His words were followed by a dead silence.
Not that he cared much for what they thought—but this time, even he could feel the chill in the air.
Amelia looked away, her eyes cast downward. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. "He doesn’t even care..."
Freya turned toward Zyon and Art, seeking backup, but the two just offered noncommittal shrugs. Typical.
So she took a deep breath and returned to Amelia’s side, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Hey... he’s not in his right mind either. He’s bleeding, exhausted, carrying your brother on his back, and probably hasn’t slept in days. I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that."
Amelia didn’t respond, but the corners of her lips trembled.
Cassius, sensing the weight of the silence and the fact that he was no longer needed here, glanced at Evelyn. "Let’s go. We need to get patched up."
Evelyn, sensing the growing tension and reading the room quickly, activated the teleportation device.
A swirl of white-blue light encircled her and Cassius, and in an instant, the two—and Rufus—vanished.
Left in the scorched remains of Region-60, surrounded by the remnants of battle, blood, and a silence that was now louder than ever.
Amelia stood still, her gaze lingering on the spot where her brother had just been.
"He doesn’t even care," she muttered again, more to herself than to anyone else.
Freya, watching her closely, sighed. "He’s just... broken right now, Amelia. Like Rufus. Give him some time."
Art, who had stayed quiet long enough by his standards, suddenly clapped his hands together loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.
"Alright, enough moping and brooding! We’ve got work to do."
Zyon raised a brow. "Such as?"
Art grinned, a glint of mischief returning to his eyes. "It’s simple, really. We invade Opalcrest."
The three stared at him, stunned.
"...What?" Freya deadpanned.
Art’s smile grew even wider. "Yup. We head into Opalcrest territory. You know—poke around, stir up some dirt, see what secrets fall out."
Freya crossed her arms. "You do realize what you’re saying? That’s an entire nation. A militarized zone. Invading it would be a violation of multiple treaties and—"
Art held up a hand, grinning smugly. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down, bookworm. I didn’t say invade like an army. I said visit. Like students. We are on an educational field trip, remember?"
Freya blinked, then frowned. "So... we just walk in?"
Zyon’s eyes widened. "Wait... holy shit. He’s right. As long as we’re not committing crimes, no one can touch us. Rose Academy students have unrestricted mobility across most borders."
Freya’s eyes narrowed. "Except their homeland."
Art pointed at her dramatically. "Exactly. And we’re not in Alaris. Opalcrest is fair game. If we keep it low-key, there won’t be any diplomatic backlash. It’ll just look like a bunch of curious students stretching their legs."
Amelia lifted her head slowly. The spark in her eyes was faint... but it was there. "And if Mother is there..."
"We’ll find her," Art said, suddenly serious.
Zyon raised a brow, glancing sideways at Art. "You’ve actually been thinking ahead. Since when are you the strategist?"
Art scoffed, flicking his golden hair back. "I’ve always been the brains of the group. And the looks. And the charisma. And the—"
"Enough!!" Amelia snapped.
Freya shook her head, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward. "Let’s just go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we’ll find out what Opalcrest is hiding."
They nodded, each feeling the weight of their next steps.
But as they turned toward the horizon, Art—of course—wasn’t quite finished.
He turned back with a smirk. "But seriously... I am the best-looking one here, right?"
"Hey, no need to get jealous..."
And with that, the group—four hearts beating in sync with purpose—set off toward Opalcrest.