Emma received a message from Silas. She immediately typed back, 'I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just wait patiently—I've got a surprise for you.' A surprise? Silas stared at her reply, a faint smile tugging at his lips. 'Alright. I'll be waiting.' At the worktable, Kieran had been watching quietly for a while. Once Emma finally finished texting Silas, he couldn't hold it in any longer. "Ms. Tibarn," he said, pointing at the figure on the table, "is that puppet your work?" The puppet Emma made was exquisite—painted and lifelike, almost indistinguishable from a real person. Marcus, Corvin and Edric had been asking for the same thing these few days. So she knew exactly what Kieran wanted the moment he spoke. "You want one too, don't you?" she asked directly. Kieran's face flushed, and he nodded nervously. "Can I?""Of course." Emma had always been generous with her own people. … At the Aquadome, the Second Elder of Drakonid, Thero, watched anxiously as Drake continued to issue orders. "Mr. Smith, please, you should rest. Ever since you returned from the battlefield, you haven't stopped working. You're still injured—if this goes on, your body won't hold out." Drake glanced over the stack of documents in his hands. After confirming everything was in order, he signed his name and handed them to the officer waiting before him. "Ashenfall suffered the heaviest losses this time. Follow the Grand Elder's suggestion—priority goes to rebuilding Ashenfall." "Yes, sir!" The subordinate took the papers and hurried off. With Sebastian stationed in Ashenfall, much of the burden had been lifted from Drake's shoulders—but the rest still fell squarely on him. He could already feel his mental strength beginning to unravel. If the therian across the four domains weren't pacified soon, chaos would spread. He had to finish everything before his mind collapsed completely. "Mr. Smith, please, I beg you—take a break!" Thero's voice trembled, almost breaking into tears. He knew how badly Drake had been injured. If he kept pushing himself without treatment, something terrible would happen. "Mr. Smith, I just received news—Ms. Emma Tibarn's coming to the Four Domains. You've been thinking about her all this time, haven't you? You've wanted to see her again. Please, rest a little, gather your strength. You'll want to be at your best when you meet her." At the mention of Emma's name, Drake finally stirred. "Yes," he murmured. "I'll see her." His usually cold voice softened. "I will see her." But deep down, he knew the truth—this time, he couldn't appear before her again. The Beast God had shown him mercy. At least enough to let him catch one last glimpse of the woman he'd longed for, before the end came. … The tartrail landed in Frostveil the next afternoon. Bundled in the temperature-regulating outfit Marcus had prepared for her, Emma stepped off the ramp—and spotted Silas waiting outside. He had no idea how long he'd been standing there. A thin layer of snow dusted his uniform. He looked thinner than before—worn down. Seeing him, something inside Emma ached. "Silas!" She called, hurrying toward him, her voice laced with worry and tenderness. "Have you been waiting long?" "Not long," he replied, pulling her tightly into his arms. The warmth of her body seeped into him, filling the emptiness that had gnawed at him for days. "Emy… I missed you so much." "I missed you too." She wrapped her arms around his waist and planted a firm kiss on his cheek. "Look, Silas! The vine on my head grew a lot today—I think the first leaf's about to sprout!" That morning, she'd noticed it had grown longer, and tiny green buds were forming. The vine was only as thick as a matchstick, hidden among her hair—almost invisible. Of all things, this was what Silas least wanted to see. But since she wanted him to look, he had to. He gently parted her hair and saw the vine, now two centimeters long. "The leaf's already forming," he said softly. "By tonight, it should reach full size." Then he looked at her with a mix of guilt and heartbreak. "Emy, I'm sorry. You're suffering because of me." Emma just smiled and shook her head. "Don't say that. I wanted the baby—and honestly, it hasn't been that bad." Since conceiving the little one, she hadn't felt much discomfort except for sudden bouts of drowsiness. And ever since then, she'd even advanced smoothly to Rank 7.If anyone was in for hardship, it would be Silas—later. The snow was falling harder now. Marcus walked up and said, "Ms. Tibarn, it's getting late. Let's head home." This time, Emma would be staying in Marcus' house in Frostveil.