𝒟𝒾𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝐼𝐼

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝐵𝓁𝑜𝑜𝒹

Leonardo found himself in a state of profound disbelief, utterly astounded by the scene unfolding before him.

His eyes had to be betraying him.

"N-no. NO, STOP IT!" Leonardo's quivered, as he covered his head to avoid the person in front of him.

Reality seemed to blur before him, for it simply defied all reason that Valentina, after all these years, could still be alive.

It must've been yet another ruse devised by Kazuya, a notorious master of deception.

Mina glanced at Valentina whose eyes welled with tears, her arms yearning to hug Leonardo and shield him from all the danger.

"Leonardo," Valentina's voice trembled with sincerity, ""L-Leonardo, it's me. It's really me, I promise caro. Look up, look at me, please."

Leonardo began shaking and weakly crawled toward Mina, resting his head in her lap.

He couldn't take anymore of Kazuya's tricks, no matter how real they seemed.

Overwhelmed by a cascade of traumatic experiences, Leonardo's mental health had reached its limits.

In Leonardo's eyes, it simply could not be possible for Valentina to be alive after all these years.

"Leo, she's not lying. It's her, it's your mama!" Mina beamed.

Leonardo tensed as he heard the word mama.

He believed every word that came out of Mina's mouth, but this seemed to be unlikely.

"W-what if it's K-Kazuya trying to t-trick us? We can't fall for h-his tricks any longer!" Leonardo cried.

Mina's heart broke upon seeing Leonardo's fragile mind.

He'd been spiraling out of control since the beginning of the war, and it seemed as though he had never gotten better.

Valentina's eyes, brimming with tears, hoped Leonardo would acknowledge her, even if it was just for a second.

Mina gently cupped Leonardo's face, his panda like eyes glassy by the stain of his tears, before she finally spoke.

"Leonardo, please! Please just stop worrying about Kazuya! He'll never, ever win! Just learn to trust God's plan, okay? You're killing yourself!"

Leonardo felt a pang in his heart.

He trusted God's plan, but it was hard not to have doubt in his heart.

Leonardo glanced at Mina whose face glowed with light, before finally lifting his head up.

With a quick flick of his head, Leonardo saw her.

His eyes really weren't betraying him.

Valentina was....

"ALIVE? H-HOW?" Leonardo exclaimed.

Valentina froze the moment Leonardo laid his eyes on her.

She couldn't believe she was finally meeting Leonardo after all this time.

"L-Leonardo I-"

Leonardo's piercing gaze stunned Valentina, rendering her momentarily speechless at their long-awaited reunion.

Though before she could finish her sentence, Leonardo ran toward her, his body enfolding her in a powerful embrace.

"M-MAMA! YOU'RE A-ALIVE!" Leonardo
exclaimed.

Valentina, glanced up at Leonardo as her eyes welled  with tears, before they streamed down her face as she locked eyes with her son.

"I'm here c-caro, I'm here!" Valentina choked out between sobs.