Levi quickly wiped the tears from his eyes.
The Godmother pretended not to notice.
Instead, she raised a glass.
“To twenty-one years.”
“May there be many more.”
Levi smiled and gently clinked his glass against hers.
“Thank you…”
For the first time in many years…
His birthday didn’t feel lonely.
Word quickly spread throughout the headquarters.
“Levi’s birthday!”
Within minutes, children, mechanics, merchants, and mercenaries filled the meeting hall.
The twins rushed upstairs first.
“Happy Birthday!” Carmen shouted before throwing her arms around him.
Olivia laughed.
“We thought you forgot again.”
“I did.”
Levi smiled sheepishly.
One by one, people handed him small gifts.
Most weren’t expensive.
A handmade scarf.
A carved wooden bear.
Freshly baked bread.
A small bracelet woven from monster thread.
Each gift had been made by hand.
Each carried someone’s gratitude.
Levi accepted every single one with a smile.
To anyone else…
They might have seemed ordinary.
To Levi…
They were priceless.
He hadn’t celebrated a birthday like this since his parents disappeared.
Later that evening, after the celebration settled down, the Godmother asked everyone except Levi to leave the room.
When the doors closed, she looked at him seriously.
“I have one more gift.”
Levi looked at the mountain of treasure surrounding him.
“I think you’ve already given me enough.”
She smiled.
“No.”
“I haven’t.”
She stood and slowly walked toward the window.
“I want you to come with me.”
Levi blinked.
“What?”
“I want you…”
“…and the twins…”
“…to come with me.”
Levi remained silent.
She continued.
“You’ve outgrown the lower districts.”
“I can teach you more.”
“I can protect you.”
“The opportunities waiting for you there are beyond anything you’ll find here.”
She paused.
“But…”
Her smile faded.
“I won’t take your friends.”
Levi lowered his head.
“They’re too weak.”
“They’ll only slow you down.”
“I’ve watched you sacrifice yourself for them over and over again.”
“You deserve people who can stand beside you.”
Not behind you.
The room fell silent.
The offer was tempting.
Everything Levi wanted…
Safety.
Knowledge.
A future.
It was all standing right in front of him.
He closed his eyes.
Then quietly shook his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“I can’t.”
The Godmother wasn’t surprised.
“I knew that would be your answer.”
Levi smiled sadly.
“They’re my family.”
“I can’t leave them behind.”
“If they can’t reach the upper districts…”
“Then I’ll help them become strong enough to get there themselves.”
The Godmother looked at him for a long time.
Then she laughed softly.
“You’re exactly like Arthur.”
“You always choose the harder road.”
Levi smiled.
“He was my father.”
“And you’re just as stubborn.”
She walked over and gently rested a hand on his head.
Levi’s eyes widened.
The Godmother rarely gave compliments.
When she did…
She meant every word.
The celebration continued long into the night.
Music echoed through the headquarters.
People danced.
Children laughed.
Mechanics shared stories from the road.
For one evening…
The Dryland didn’t feel so cruel.
Levi sat beside the Godmother, drinking a small glass of beer while listening to her old adventures.
She told stories about merchants who had cheated death.
Truck convoys that crossed monster-infested wastelands.
Ancient ruins no one had dared explore.
Even Levi found himself laughing.
He hadn’t laughed like this in years.
Eventually…
The celebration came to an end.
It was nearly one o’clock in the morning.
The Godmother stood and stretched.
“Go get some sleep.”
“You’ve had a long journey.”
Levi nodded.
“I have.”
As he turned to leave, she called his name one last time.
“Levi.”
He stopped.
“Yes?”
She looked at him with the same gentle smile she had worn all evening.
“Never forget.”
“No matter where life takes you…”
“You’ll always have a home here.”
Levi smiled.
“I know.”
He quietly left the room.
The next morning…
The children woke him before sunrise.
They crowded around his bed carrying breakfast and the handmade presents they hadn’t been able to finish the night before.
Levi laughed as they piled everything into his arms.
It wasn’t the value of the gifts that mattered.
It was knowing…
That after years of loss…
He still had people who loved him.
And for the first time in a long while…
That was enough.