He had. Deep down... He had wished for a miracle.
’A place like this... a treatnt like this... it has to work... right...?’
But now...reality felt cold. Unforgiving. Like a hand pressing firmly against his chest, forcing him to accept the truth.
His shoulders slumped slightly as he turned away. "I understand..." he muttered faintly, his voice almost breaking.
He took a step forward, ready to leave... "Son..."
The voice was soft. Faint. Yet unmistakable. Xander froze. His entire body stiffened as if struck by lightning.
’Did I... hear that...?’
For a brief mont, he wondered if it was just his imagination... or the cruel echo of his own longing.
Slowly, almost afraid of what he might see, he turned back.
Casey was still there. Her posture hadn’t changed much. Her appearance was still that of a zombie.
But... Her eyes... They were no longer empty. There was sothing in them now.
Sothing alive. Sothing human. She looked at him... As if she didn’t want him to leave. Xander’s chest tightened painfully.
"Mom...?"
His voice trembled as he rushed forward, stopping just a step away from the barrier.
"Have you... regained your consciousness?"
For a brief second, Casey simply looked at him.
Then... she smiled.It was faint at first. Awkward. Unsteady.
But undeniably real. "Yes..."
Her voice was soft, yet it carried warmth that had been absent for so long. As she spoke, sothing incredible began to happen.
The faint greenish tint on her skin started to fade. Slowly... Gradually... Her complexion returned to a natural, healthy tone.
The stiffness in her body eased. Her movents beca fluid again.
Right before his eyes like a miracle unfolding... she transford back into the person he rembered.
Xander’s vision blurred instantly. Tears welled up, spilling over before he could stop them.
He covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders trembling violently. "Impossible... impossible..."
His voice broke as he whispered those words. To anyone else, it might have sounded like disbelief...
But only he knew... Those words were filled with overwhelming hope.
One of the researchers quickly stepped forward and unlocked the cell door. The heavy tal door creaked open, the sound echoing through the corridor.
Casey flinched slightly at the noise, then looked toward the researchers with a hesitant expression.
"Is it... alright for to co out?" she asked softly. "Have you done enough testing?"
Her voice carried caution, but also consideration. The researchers exchanged glances. A faint admiration appeared in their eyes.
Even after everything... She was still thinking about others.
One of them stepped forward and smiled reassuringly.
"You’re fine now," he said gently. "The antidote has already proven effective. You won’t harm anyone."
Relief flooded Casey’s face. Her shoulders relaxed as she slowly stepped out of the cell.
Then...she opened her arms, her eyes soft and filled with affection.
"What...?" she said with a light smile. "Are you not going to hug ?"
That was all it took. Xander broke.
A sob tore through his chest as he rushed forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"Mom...!"
His voice cracked completely. His body shook uncontrollably as he buried his face against her shoulder.
The sound of his crying echoed throughout the prison halls. But he wasn’t alone.
All around... Others were crying too. So fell to their knees. So clung to the glass. So embraced their loved ones as if afraid they might disappear again.
Only they knew... The despair they had endured.
Even though they had kept their loved ones close, visiting them, watching them from behind barriers... Their hearts had always ached with one painful truth:
’We may never hold them again...’
But now... That truth had been shattered.
One by one... Families reunited. Gratitude spread like wildfire.
People began thanking the creator of the antidote. They praised SiIvy base with heartfelt sincerity.
"If it wasn’t for them..."
"We wouldn’t have this chance..."
Many even thought about what their lives would have been like otherwise... Still struggling. Still hopeless.
Their gratitude surged to unimaginable levels. The KB points reflected it clearly. From 10 billion... It skyrocketed to 200 billion.
And it didn’t stop. It kept rising, like a flood that refused to slow down. It felt as if it wouldn’t stop until it reached the trillion mark.
Even the Temporal Storage seed impressed.
[If this continues,] it remarked, its tone unusually lively, [you could skip the standard upgrade conditions and directly use KB points to upgrade .]
Ivy rolled her eyes slightly, though a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"You really only know how to ask for upgrades, don’t you?" she replied.
The Temporal Storage responded almost imdiately, as if it had been waiting.
[Not upgrades I am just telling you about the possible better outcos.]
Ivy let out a small breath, amused despite herself.
For once... She decided to rest. A rare decision. Since Silas’s departure, a quiet emptiness had lingered in her heart.
A subtle absence she couldn’t ignore. To ease it, she spent more ti with her family... Her parents. Ember and her siblings.
Even her in-laws. The warmth of their presence softened that hollow feeling, even if only a little.
And the truth was... She no longer had to handle everything herself.
With multiple departnts established and information being delivered efficiently, most issues were already managed before they even reached her.
She only needed to focus on expansion. And with the vast land available to her... That was the easiest part.
’I’ve been pushing myself nonstop...’
She exhaled softly. ’I deserve this much... at least.’
And so, for the first ti in a long while... Ivy allowed herself to take a day off.
She decided to invite her parents and the rest of the family for a hotpot. The thought alone brought a faint warmth to her chest.
’It’s been a while... since we all sat together like this.’
With so many vegetables and seasonings already grown, and with rare free ti finally in her hands, Ivy chose to prepare everything herself.
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