“Mum…ma…?”

Tears streamed down his face, his disheveled appearance suggesting he had just emerged from a long, long nightmare.

“Hush!” Anne dashed over to Leo and hugged him firmly. She rubbed his silky green hair and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t cry, mumma’s here for you.”

This further broke something within Leo as he began sobbing, tears flowing without pause.

Anne pursed her lips and wondered what caused such a strong reaction from her son. A few instances ago, they were talking about the Awakening Ceremony commencing, and all of a sudden, he went in a daze, then had tears leak down his emotionless face.

It greatly worried her, and before she could check, he called out to her in a really strange and… longing manner. It was as if he hadn’t seen her in a really long time.

For the time being, Anne pushed this matter to the back of her mind and concentrated on comforting her son.

Seconds turned into minutes, and after a whole hour, Leo’s emotions settled in and stabilized.

Throughout this time, Anne felt as if someone was firmly gripping her heart. She had never seen her child be so emotional. Even as a baby, he hadn’t cried for as long.

“Sniff… I..I’m sorry… for my outburst…”

Having calmed down, Leo became self-aware of his unsightly behavior and apologized.

“You don’t have to be sorry for it, my dear,” Anne said and kissed Leo’s head. She rubbed his back, providing a certain warmth Leo had long forgotten, and asked, “Are you feeling better now?”

Leo rubbed his runny nose with the back of his sleeve and said, “Yes, I’m fine now. Thank you, mother.”

Anne released the hug and backed off, without straying too far. She gazed at him with her bright green eyes, and saw his puffy red eyes and tear-stained face. Wanting to cheer him up, she sat on the front half of the table, hands resting on the edge for support, and teased with a soft smile, “Look at Mr. Sophisticated… calling his mumma as mother, getting all formal and nobler.”

A blush spread through Leo’s already reddened face. He coughed lightly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“You better be.”

Anne's lips curled slightly as she spoke, her tone laced with sarcasm, clearly enjoying teasing him.

“I don’t want to hear anything other than mumma from you.”

Leo smiled softly and nodded his head. His mother’s obsession with the word ‘mumma’ wasn’t out of place. She felt that it was more affectionate and brought her much closer to her children.

There was also the fact that this endearing term was getting really popular in the world. It was still not used by everyone, but a lot of children had already adopted it.

The emergence of such a term unexpectedly had a deep reason behind it. Being a regressor, Leo naturally knew it. But the people of this world did not know yet.

To check how much his own mother knew, Leo asked with a neutral tone, “Can I ask a question?”

He still felt uneasy, struggling to fully adjust to his new reality. His formal tone reflected the lingering influence of his past role as an aide.

Anne blinked and gazed at Leo, noticing his peculiar behavior. However, she chose not to comment on it and instead said, “Go ahead.”

Leo opened his mouth and was about to speak, but then closed it and frowned.

No, I shouldn’t ask such a question. I’ll appear really suspicious.

As a time traveler, Leo knew that confronting his mother was risky. Mothers were astute and could quickly catch any oddities that may arise.

Leo's intuition proved accurate as Anne did indeed pick up on the subtle shift. She frowned, feeling the urge to inquire but unable to find the right words, she decided to table the topic for the moment.

Clearing his throat, Leo said, “My apologies, I zoned out a bit.”

Anne raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flickering across her features as she drummed her fingers on the table, and thought, that’s too formal.

From her expression, Leo had a rough guess as to what she may be thinking. He shook his head and said, “There’s no point brooding over my behavior, mom. You won’t find an answer unless I tell you myself.”

Anne raised both her eyebrows in surprise, not expecting such a statement from Leo.

Before she could speak, Leo shook his head again and said, “Please don’t try to pry into this matter. I will let you know everything once the time is right. Until then, can you please drop the topic?”

Anne frowned. “You do understand that everything you’re saying is really strange and odd, right? You’re speaking in a manner my son would never have. Even the way you’re sitting and presenting yourself is different.”

Leo nodded. “I know. And the only reason you’ve not killed me yet, thinking as a spy or imposter, is because you can feel my bloodline, yes?”

“Yes…” Anne said and frowned again. How did Leo state exactly what she was thinking? Were her thoughts that obvious to read?

Noticing his mother’s expression, Leo smiled. “No, I can’t read your mind, mom. Relax.”

Anne knitted her brows and frowned harder. She took a step ahead and held Leo’s collar. “You… who are you?”

The Leo she knew had always been timid, lacking in confidence. The way he spoke now was completely out of character. Anne couldn't brush this off; she needed answers.

Leo sighed and shook his head. If someone had to be blamed for his current predicament, it should be he himself.

As a child and young adult, he was bullied often. He severely lacked confidence and was too timid, so much so that he couldn’t even talk to the maids in the family.

The current him was different. Despite having his ego, mind, and body sealed to the age of eighteen, the passage of time was bound to affect his wisdom.

It was for this reason that he stayed calm despite his mother questioning him in a threatening manner.

He gently held her face and said in a soothing tone, “I am your Leo, mom. The same Leo that used to hold your skirt and roam with you all day long. The same Leo that once mistook Lisa for you. The same Leo who stupidly stated his favorite animal was a butterfly. And the same Leo whose name is incomplete without you.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Anne’s gaze softened as she stared at him. However, she still didn’t let go of his collar as she still didn’t fully believe him.

Leo smiled and continued, “You might not know this but I always write my name as Leonard Anne Tryst everywhere. As I said, it’s incomplete without your name in it.”

Throughout his life, he had never gone without using his mother’s name as his middle name. She gave her everything to him and this was the least he could do for her.

Anne was taken aback by Leo’s statement. She didn’t know of this.

Leo smirked proudly. “I did my best to hide it from you. If you don’t believe me, you can go check the registry of the Awakening Ceremony, you’ll find it.”

Like now, even in his past life, he loved his mother to no end. However, he was too shy and embarrassed to tell her that, and he thus did his best to hide the fact that he was putting his name as ‘Leonard Anne Tryst’ everywhere.

For the third time, Anne was surprised. She let go of Leo and putting her hand on her waist, said with knitted brows, “Young man, were you acting like a wolf in sheep’s skin and fooling everybody this whole time? Including your own mumma?”

Leo smiled awkwardly and didn’t answer that. It was better to leave some things for his mother’s own imagination.

“Anyway, do you believe me now?” Leo changed the topic and asked.

Anne shook her head. “Not yet. I’ll be keeping an eye on you for a while.”

Leo nodded. “That’s understandable. When the opportunity is right, I’ll tell you everything in detail as to what caused me to be like this. Anywho… for now… can you tell me exactly how much time is left for the Awakening Ceremony?”

Anne glanced at her wrist out of habit, only to realize she wasn't wearing a watch. She turned around to retrieve the pocket watch from her desk drawer.

As she turned, her vibrant green hair swirled with her movement, giving Leo a look at the shiny serpent-shaped silver hairpin nestled in her bun.

The family heirloom. Leo thought to himself. After his family's passing, it had come into his possession, but since he couldn't make use of it and had no descendants to pass it on to, he eventually gave it to Lanlan.

Memories of the past surfaced his mind again, of the time when his mother die—

“There’s nine hours left,” Anne said and interrupted Leo’s thoughts.

…I should stop thinking about the past all the time.

Leo sighed internally, then nodded his head at her in understanding. “I should get going then.”

“Do you remember the things I said?”

“Yes,” said Leo flatly.

Once again, Anne found her son's newfound confidence perplexing. However, she opted to trust him for the time being, waiting for him to address the matter himself. If her curiosity became unbearable later on, forcing him to spill the beans would be her last resort.

Leo said goodbye to his mother and left her study.

Walking out, he found himself in a familiar hallway. Adorned with fine art pieces, magic lamps, a red carpet, and brown luxurious yet cozy interiors. This was the grand manor of the Tryst Estate — Leo’s home.

This brings back a lot of memories. Leo was suffering through a wave of nostalgia as he walked through the hallway of the manor. When he was a kid, he used to run around this place, playing ‘Go’, hide & seek with his mother and two elder sisters.

He couldn’t win against them and it frustrated him somewhat back then, but those were some of the golden memories he cherished even till this day.

Walking out of the manor, Leo went inside a horse carriage waiting for him.

The carriage glided through the estate’s sprawling gardens, and the rhythmic clopping of the horses’ hooves on the cobblestone pavement rang in his ears.

Leo looked outside through the window of the carriage. A scenic view of the Mossberg River by a cliff side could be seen.

The Tryst Estate was located in the financial capital of the Ignis Empire, Silver City. All major cities in the empire were named after colors and were distinct entities directly under the Ignis Family’s rule.

The Ignis Family…

Leo thought to himself and chuckled coldly.

In this life, I’ll pay back everything this family has given me a thousandfold times, with due interest.

It’ll all start with the Awakening Ceremony.

Having regressed and not in his old, dying body anymore, Leo was feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and energetic. His body was brimming with energy, giving him an urge to run multiple laps.

Naturally, his thoughts were affected too due to his body’s healthy condition.

However… there’s problems in my body… major problems! I forgot to remind mom about it!

Leo was already ten miles away from home, and returning to tell her would eat up precious time he couldn't spare. He needed to reach Tryst Harbor within the hour, or things would become problematic.

He had a six hour ship journey to the Ignis Archipelago located near the Eastern Continent in the Red Sea.

For comparison, Leo was literally at the other side of the world, in the Western Continent.

The ship was enchanted with magic, so it was bound to move faster than a normal ship. The journey which would take days to complete would be finished within a few hours.

Honestly, I still can’t help but wonder why I was in Silver City during this time? The Awakening Ceremony is crucial, and I should already be in the archipelago instead of making an express journey to the other side of the world.

I need to keep this thing in mind and check on it later.

The horse-driven carriage was moving at abnormal speeds. It was natural because these weren’t any normal horses, but potion-fed enchanted horses that could run five times as fast, comfortably galloping at a hundred miles an hour pace.

The carriage moved through the outskirts of the city, through the wilderness. This was to not catch attention of the common people in this abnormally fast carriage.

Silver City was his mother's domain, highly coveted by various nobles and even members of the Ignis Family. There were individuals waiting to stir up trouble and challenge his mother's authority, providing yet another reason to steer clear of traveling through the main city.

It took an hour and a half to reach the harbor, which was roughly a hundred and fifty miles from home.

Leo put on his black top hat and disembarked from the carriage, suddenly shivering. He was in such a rush that he had forgotten to bring a coat.

It was cold out here during the Umbrus month. Every year had twelve months, and they were named after Gods and Demons.

Umbrus, the Demon of Shadows, presided over the eighth month of the year. It was a precursor to the colder months ahead, serving as a reminder that winter was looming on the horizon.

Leo gripped a briefcase in one hand and adjusted his hat with the other as he hurried towards the dockside where the ship was anchored.

Along the way, many people in suits and conservative as well as non-conservative dresses could be seen roaming around. Apart from them, there were workers in grease-stained uniforms and disheveled hair, running around with different types of wooden boxes filled with tools.

It was a busy area and filled with many types of people from different classes of society.

The salty scent of the sea wafted through the air, shortly overtaken by the fragrant aroma of salted boiled corn.

A man pushed a cart containing corn and various spices around, the source of this aroma. Unfortunately, Leo was really running late and couldn’t stop to get a cup full of corn.

All of these delicious goodies had to wait until he awakened.

No distractions. No distractions. Full focus. Full focus.

Leo chanted in his mind and quickly found the ship he had to board.

A sleek and nimble ship with a streamlined hull made of reinforced wood and plastered with intricate brass, copper decorations was anchored and waiting for the youngsters of the Ignis Family.

It was a small-sized ship meant for faster transport and could usually house only ten people.

Leo pressed down on his hat and walked towards it. As he reached the gangway, he was stopped by a few uniformed guards.

“Token,” they said flatly.

Leo was about to hand it out when a group of red-haired youngsters pushed him aside and walked proudly towards the gangway stairs.

Due to this, Leo’s hat fell down and his green hair was out in the open for everyone to see.

“Huh? A non Ignis? Young master, do you recognize him?” A girl’s voice was suddenly heard.

Leo internally sighed. This wasn’t the first time he was hearing this.

Ignoring the group, he fetched out the token from his pocket and presented it to the guards.

The guards checked it and approved Leo’s entry.

Not even a step later, a voice thunderously said, “Halt. Where do you think you’re going?”