Don't confiscate my identity as a human race-Chapter 1302 - 824: Hugh Hyperion and Isatia’s Meeting_2

She fiddled absentmindedly with thin, flexible bamboo sticks, dyed paper in various colors, and translucent oil paper, crafting decorations for the Moon Goddess Festival.

Tomorrow, many citizens of the Empire would release moon lanterns at Saint Kray Temple, letting them drift toward the silvery moon under the night sky, praying for the blessings of the Moon Goddess to safeguard their health and peace in the coming year.

The sitting room was silent, with only the sound of the clock's ticking breaking the stillness.

After a while, light footsteps near the staircase caught Isatia's attention.

Hyperion stepped into the room slowly, her gaze falling on the young woman seated on the sofa.

Their eyes met. Though the two women appeared to be of similar age, with equally beautiful silver hair, Isatia had cropped hers shorter, giving her a playful air.

"..."

Hyperion froze at the base of the stairs, staring unblinkingly at Isatia, as if imprinting her mother's image deep into her memory.

Isatia met her daughter's gaze timidly.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

After all these years, how could she face the child she had once abandoned?

A tide of guilt, regret, and aching longing surged in her heart.

Isatia clenched her fists tightly.

The two stood meters apart, gazing at each other as tears welled in their eyes.

It was as if the room's air had solidified.

"Go on."

Talia had already released Hyperion's hand, giving her a pat on the back and even a gentle push forward.

After a long pause, Hyperion staggered forward, then finally started walking toward her mother.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks, tracing paths of sorrow.

Step by step, she broke into a run, rushing to Isatia and throwing her arms around her.

"Mom!"

Hyperion cried out, burying her head in Isatia's shoulder.

"Hyperion, Hyperion, you're calling me Mom...? You don't hate me?"

Isatia mechanically wrapped her arms around her daughter, her tears soaking into Hyperion's hair.

Hyperion's voice cut into her heart like a sharp blade, tearing her soul into shreds inch by inch.

Isatia struggled to speak, desperate to plead for her daughter's forgiveness.

Her seemingly selfish choices had inflicted unimaginable wounds on Hyperion, wounds she only fully grasped once her daughter had grown.

"How could I hate you? I've missed you for over six thousand days."

Holding her petite, sobbing mother tightly, Hyperion felt her own heart ache in equal measure.

As a child, she had dreamed countless times of her mother returning, holding her hand, and taking her to see the sea in Nanwantina.

"I... I..."

Isatia's voice choked as she gasped for breath, unable to form coherent words.

Whenever she recalled those cherished Ichrite phrases, she would reach back toward the moments of the past, toward a happiness she once had but could never reclaim.

Alone, there were always truths she struggled to comprehend—this yearning unspeakable, fearful, yet infinitely tender.

And then came a long silence.

The room echoed only with their soft sobs.

"You've turned into two crying messes."

Talia smiled helplessly as she approached, watching the two with affectionate amusement.

Their long-overdue reunion had left them so overwhelmed that neither could articulate what they wanted to say for ages.

"Take it slow, no need to rush."

Only Talia understood their emotions. She sat beside them, holding a hand from each, gently stacking them together to provide some comfort.

To Talia, both Hyperion and Isatia were like children—or perhaps more like sisters.

"Hyperion, I... I didn't leave you because I didn't love you. Years ago, I simply didn't fully understand human emotions. I failed to realize what kind of harm it would inflict on a child in human society."

Isatia kept her head down, her eyes closed tightly, speaking to Hyperion.

She didn't know when it had started.

The yearning to see Hyperion increasingly consumed her.

If it had been a child of the Demon Race like herself, left parentless in the Demon King Palace from infancy, such a child would never have yearned for their parents.

But humans were different.

"I know, I understand. Father has told me everything. He wasn't lying to me—after all, he's the one who knows you best."

Hyperion shook her head, brushing her cheek against Isatia's as she replied.

"H-Hyperion, why don't you curse me a bit? I owe you that much, I'm so sorry, please just... just hate me!"

Isatia cried loudly, trembling as she held Hyperion tightly.

She felt more than guilt toward Hyperion—she felt sorrow for Migaya as well.

Despite her shortcomings, Migaya had always spoken kindly of her, raising her daughter to be a kind and sincere young woman.

It had never crossed Isatia's mind that, upon seeing her daughter again, the girl would already be taller than herself.

"No, I've never hated you. I've thought about you every single day and night."

Hyperion adamantly denied through sobs.

"I swear, I'll never leave you again. We'll stay together forever."

Isatia's emotions spiraled out of control.

Hyperion's heartfelt cry seemed to breathe warmth and color into her soul, reverberating in her heart.

"Mom..."

Hyperion's tears fell as she listened to Isatia cry, and the sound of her own sobs made Isatia's tears flow even faster.

"You two crying souls, you must take care of yourselves."

Talia comforted them, wiping away their tears while patting their backs softly.

For a moment, it felt as though time had reversed.

Mother and daughter embraced, letting their tears flow freely, sharing their thoughts, longing, and endless words between sobs.

Outside, rain and snow fell, blanketing the courtyard in silver and white.