Leon stared at him long and hard, then sighed.
“…You really are your father’s son.”
“…Fine. But this is coming out of my pocket.”
Leon pulled out his phone.
“I need immediate transfers. Forty million. To each orphanage in Dragon’s Scale. All fifteen. Immediately.”
He ended the call and muttered, “…I came here for one disciple and ended up funding an entire region.”
Jasper’s lips twitched slightly.
“…So we have a deal?”
Leon glanced at him.
“…We have a deal.”
Myra looked between them, stunned.
“…Jasper… that was… a lot.”
Jasper looked at her.
“…They deserve it.”
Leon watched him quietly now.
Not annoyed anymore.
Interested.
_Yeah… this one’s going to be a problem._
Leon ended the call.
Silence settled in the room.
Then—
Jasper frowned slightly.
“…Wait.”
Leon glanced at him.
“You already sent forty million here.”
Jasper said.
“So why include all fifteen orphanages?”
A pause.
Leon smiled.
“I know.”
Jasper blinked.
“…You know?”
Leon slipped his phone away.
“I said all fifteen.”
A beat.
“I meant all fifteen.”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“…That includes this one.”
Leon’s smile didn’t fade.
“Yes.”
📱 Ping.
All eyes turned to Myra.
She hesitated…
Then slowly pulled out her phone.
“…Another message?”
She opened it.
And froze.
“…Wait…”
Her voice trembled.
“…Another forty million just came in…”
Jasper blinked.
“…So this place has…”
He did the math quickly.
“…eighty million.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Unreal.
Myra’s hands started shaking.
“…Eighty… million…”
She looked around the orphanage.
At the worn walls.
The old furniture.
The children playing outside.
“…For… this place…?”
Her breathing became uneven.
“…We… we could rebuild everything…”
“…Feed them properly…”
“…Send them to better schools…”
Her voice cracked.
“…No child here would ever struggle again…”
Leon watched quietly.
Jasper said nothing.
And then—
Myra’s knees buckled.
“—Aunt Myra!”
Jasper caught her just in time.
“…Too much,” he muttered.
Leon folded his arms calmly.
“…That reaction makes more sense.”
Jasper shot him a look.
“You just changed her entire life in one minute!”
Leon shrugged.
“She deserves it.”
A pause.
“…All of them do.”
Jasper looked at him—
Really looked this time.
Then exhaled slowly.
Leon smirked.
“And you’re still expensive.”
A beat.
“…We’ll get along just fine.”
Jasper shook his head slightly—
But didn’t argue.
Leon slipped his phone back into his pocket.
The room was quiet.
Then—
Jasper frowned slightly.
“…Wait.”
Leon glanced at him.
Jasper crossed his arms, thinking.
“You sent forty million here already…”
A pause.
“And another forty to the other fourteen orphanages…”
His eyes shifted slightly as he calculated.
“…That’s fifteen in total.”
A beat.
“…Six hundred million…”
He glanced back at Myra’s phone.
“…Plus the original forty…”
“…Seven hundred million.”
Jasper let out a low whistle.
“…That’s a lot of money.”
Leon—
Started laughing.
Not mocking.
Not loud.
But like someone who had just heard something mildly amusing.
“…Seven hundred million…”
He repeated.
Then looked at Jasper.
“If you think that’s a lot of money…”
A small pause.
“…then you haven’t seen what you’re about to inherit.”
Jasper’s expression shifted slightly.
Leon continued—
“What you stand to inherit…”
“…is in the tens of millions.”
A beat.
“…And that’s me being conservative.”
Jasper blinked.
“…Tens of millions…?”
Leon shrugged slightly.
“It could be more.”
Silence.
Jasper didn’t fully understand the scale yet—
But something about the way Leon said it…
Made it feel bigger than it sounded.
Much bigger.
Leon smirked faintly.
“…You’ll understand soon enough.”
Meanwhile—
Myra, still in Jasper’s arms—
“…Seven hundred…”
Her eyes fluttered—
And she fainted again.
“—Aunt Myra?!”
Leon sighed.
“…Alright, maybe I should’ve paced that better.”
*🎉 Farewell Night*
The news spread fast.
“Jasper’s leaving?!”
By evening—
The entire orphanage was buzzing.
It wasn’t a grand party.
No decorations.
No fancy food.
Just simple things.
A few homemade dishes.
Snacks laid out on a long table.
Juice in plastic cups.
But it didn’t matter.
Because everyone was there.
The younger kids clung to Jasper like he was about to disappear forever.
“You better come back!”
“Don’t forget us!”
“Bring gifts!”
Jasper chuckled softly.
“Yeah, yeah… I hear you.”
One of the smallest kids tugged his sleeve.
“…You’re really coming back, right?”
Jasper paused.
Just for a second.
“Of course I am.”
A small smile.
“I’m not going anywhere permanently.”
That seemed to settle them.
Laughter returned.
Food was passed around.
Stories shared.
Even Jasper—
Relaxed.
For the first time that day—
He wasn’t thinking about Leon.
Or portals.
Or whatever came next.
Just—
This.
Home.
Across the room—
Leon leaned against the wall.
Arms folded.
Watching.
Quiet.
Not interrupting.
So this is what raised him…
He said nothing.
🌙 *Later That Night*
The party slowly died down.
One by one—
The kids drifted off to sleep.
Until only a few lights remained.
Jasper stood near the doorway.
Bag in hand.
Aunt Myra approached him.
No smile this time.
Just warmth.
And concern.
“…You’re really going.”
Jasper nodded.
“…Just for the summer.”
Myra studied his face.
“You promise you’ll come back?”
Jasper met her eyes.
“…I promise.”
A pause.
She stepped forward—
And pulled him into a tight hug.
“…Take care of yourself.”
Her voice was soft.
But firm.
“No matter where you go…”
“Don’t lose who you are.”
Jasper’s grip tightened slightly.
“…I won’t.”
They stayed like that for a moment.
Then she pulled back.
Brushing her eyes lightly.
“…Go on.”
“…Before I change my mind and lock the doors.”
Jasper let out a quiet chuckle.
“…You wouldn’t.”
She gave him a look.
“…Try me.”
He smiled.
Then—
Turned.
And walked toward the gate.
Outside—
Leon was already waiting.
“Finished?”
Jasper didn’t look back this time.
“…Yeah.”
Leon nodded once.
“Good.”
A pause.
“No attachments slowing you down?”
Jasper glanced at him.
“…They’re not attachments.”
A beat.
“They’re my reason to come back.”
Leon studied him for a moment.
Then smirked slightly.
“…Good answer.”
He raised his hand—
And the air in front of them began to distort.
Reality bending.
The portal forming.
Jasper took one last breath.
Then stepped forward.
Without hesitation.