EverRealm

Family Reunion

The narrow cave was damp and dim, lit only by the faint glow of Cedric's wand. Elora knelt beside the unconscious man, her hands steady as she uncorked one of Cedric's healing potions. The sharp scent of herbs filled the air as she carefully tipped the liquid onto the stranger's burns—red, angry marks from where a lava creature had lashed out before he shielded Sofia.

As she worked, her fingers brushed against something hidden beneath his matted hair—a deep, jagged scar, old and poorly healed. Her breath hitched. "Cedric," she murmured, glancing back at him. "He has a head wound too."

Cedric dropped to one knee beside her, his wand held tight in his grip. The dim light reflected in his narrowed eyes as he studied the scar. "That looks old," he muttered, fingers tightening. "Who *is* this man?"

The man stirred suddenly, coughing as his eyes fluttered open. His gaze was unfocused, drifting first over Elora's face before settling on Sofia., and for a heartbeat, something flickered in his expression.

*"Miranda...?"* His voice was rough, barely more than a whisper.

Sofia's eyes widened. That name—her mother's name. The resemblance must have been strong in the dim light, but no one *mistook* her for Queen Miranda unless... Her stomach lurched.

"That's not my name," she said softly, stepping closer. "I'm Sofia."

The man blinked slowly, as if struggling to place the word. Then, like a crack in fog, recognition flickered. "...Sofia?" His voice trembled. "You—you were just a child when I—"

Sofia's hands flew to her mouth. She knew that voice. Knew the hints of it, buried under years of absence and sea-worn exhaustion. "Dad?"

A stunned silence settled over the group. Even Hook, leaning against the cave wall with a scowl, stiffened.

Birk Balthazar—lost at sea, presumed dead—alive. And here.

Elora and Cedric exchanged a glance. His fingers had stilled over his wand, his mouth pressed into a thin line. "This complicates things," he muttered under his breath.

Sofia, however, didn't hesitate. She dropped to her knees beside her father, clasping his hand. "What happened to you? Where have you *been*?"

He shook his head weakly, exhaustion dragging at his words like an anchor. "Shipwreck... darkness... I don't remember much. Only the water pulling me under, and then...nothing." His cracked lips trembled as if the effort of speaking burned as much as the wounds on his skin. Slowly, his eyes—fogged like a storm-swept shore—lifted to Elora. A flicker of clarity passed through them. "I remember *you.*" His hand twitched, fingers grazing the edge of her cloak. "You found me half-drowned in the rocks... You carried me to the castle gates before the guards took me inside."

A memory unspooled in Elora's mind—sharp and sudden. The docks at dusk, the air thick with salt and damp wood. A figure sprawled between jagged stones, his skin torn by the sea, the tide lapping at his boots. She had thought him dead until his fingers had twitched against her wrist as she knelt beside him. *"Stay with me,"* she had whispered, wrapping her cloak around his shivering shoulders. She hadn't known who he was then—just another soul the waves had spat back out. But he had clung to consciousness long enough to murmur one word before fading: *"Sofia."*

Now, the weight of that moment settled over her. She had delivered a drifting puzzle piece back to his family without ever knowing it.

Sofia's breath hitched. "You...you called for me? Even then?"

Birk's throat worked. "Didn't know why. Just knew your name was important." His gaze drifted past her, as though chasing fragments in the dark.

Cedric's grip tightened on his wand. His eyes flicked between Birk and Elora.