Chapter 81: Farewell!

"Mom!" The urgency in his voice sliced through the silence of the house as he burst through the door, gasping for breath from his sprint from the forest that had now become a battlefield to his home. The air was thick with tension, the remnants of a fierce conflict hanging unseen but palpable. Unbeknownst to Dick, the battle between his two birth mothers, Rem and Kylie, had reached its climax and resolution in his absence.

The sight that greeted him was unexpected. Ram, his adoptive mother, stood before him, her face alight with a joy and excitement that seemed out of place amidst the turmoil. "Son!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking with emotion. She rushed forward, enveloping him in a hug so tight it felt like she was trying to meld their bodies together, her hands caressing his back with a gentleness that belied the strength of her grip.