Edward and Xisoco were in a heated argument—over something so ridiculous, it almost defied logic. What surprised Cohen most was that the language barrier between man and serpent had suddenly vanished. Xisoco hissed up a storm, and Edward somehow understood every word just by staring into its eyes.
"What do you mean 'if even I can get a wife, you should too'? What, am I some weak loser now?"
[Whip it out, let's see whose is bigger! If you can have a wife, why can't Cohen get me one too?!]
"Oh screw you! Go find your own mate! Cohen's my son!"
[He's my son too! What's wrong with a son helping his father get a girlfriend?!]
"I let us share Cohen! But that look you gave my wife earlier? That was shady! And don't pretend you know anything about beauty standards—"
[She's all smooth and scaleless. No shine. No aesthetic at all.]
…
Herbert took a deep, long breath.
"…Has your dad always treated his rivals like this?" Cohen asked Rose, eyes twitching. "I mean, before he married you?"
"No matter how competitive he was," Rose replied, rubbing her forehead, "his rival shouldn't have been a snake…"
"Must've played one too many Muggle video games," Cohen muttered.
"Let them argue," he added. "There's also a black unicorn that's way more normal than either of them. And it's a female. I'll take you to meet her."
Well… not entirely accurate.
While Arie was indeed far less chaotic than Xisoco and had a steady, composed personality—
"Are they… dead?"
Upon reaching the center of the forest, Rose frowned at the unicorns lying haphazardly everywhere—especially the huge black one in the middle. They were completely still, like corpses.
The scent of alcohol mixed with the heavy floral aroma of the forest made it hard to notice at first.
"They're just drunk…" Cohen explained as he nudged the black unicorn with his foot.
It shifted its belly slightly and let out a nonsensical horsey moan.
"Are these really… unicorns?" Rose asked, stunned.
"Well, I guess that wraps up the introductions," Cohen shrugged. "Now only Norbert the dragon remains."
Ironically, the one creature that should've worried Rose the most—Norbert—turned out to be the one that least concerned her.
Unlike the snake that couldn't stop talking or the drunk unicorns, Norbert emerged from his cave with a massive body but the attitude of a giant puppy. He sat obediently, tail thumping the ground, not the least bit aggressive.
"No wonder Edward's so calm about all this…" Rose murmured, petting Norbert's lowered head. "But the dragon you're facing tomorrow definitely won't be this… tame."
"I'm planning to let Norbert stretch his wings," Cohen grinned.
"Huff?" Norbert tilted his head, puzzled, and exhaled a breath of scorching heat.
"I don't think he can beat a full-grown dragon…" Rose warned. "Also, you better not summon that chest in public. It'll cause chaos."
"I've got a workaround," Cohen assured her. "Yesterday I learned a neat spell from the goat that lets me teleport Norbert to the arena. And about Norbert possibly losing to the other dragons…"
Cohen looked at Norbert with a glint that made the dragon instinctively tense up.
"Don't be nervous. You lose, I just send in the next one like in Pokémon. I'm not some cruel trainer," Cohen patted Norbert's nose.
By the time Cohen brought Rose back to the cabin, Edward and Xisoco were still arguing.
"Stop being childish. No sane husband should feel threatened by a snake," Rose said, dragging Edward out.
"It said you're not attractive!" Edward protested. "How am I supposed to just accept that?!"
"Alright, alright, Mr. Jealousy from Surrey…"
Cohen pushed him out with a sigh.
"Get out of here already. I need to train with Harry and Norbert later."
After seeing Edward and Rose out of the box, Herbert was about to leave too when Cohen stopped him.
"What is it?" Herbert asked, glancing between the grassy field and the little wooden house. "Cohen, I can't stay here. The Ministry will cause you trouble…"
"I'm not asking you to move in right now," Cohen said, shaking his head. "Why do you think I said all that in the newspaper?"
"You want to clear my name?" Herbert's eyes welled up.
"The Ministry's under fire from two fronts—Fudge's assassination, and their failure to capture the Silver Key. And now, thanks to the 'Champion's Wrongfully Accused Family' headlines, they're under even more scrutiny. If they want to shift public opinion, they've got two options: catch the assassin, or clear your name and make a big show of their 'delayed but righteous justice.'"
"They're going to choose the second option. Your being here proves it."
"This… all of this… you planned it?" Herbert was stunned. "You did all this… for me?"
"Let's just say Cohen did it for you," Cohen said softly. "And once you move in here for real… I've got a surprise for you."
Cohen remembered—Mick had first appeared as a fragment escaping the original Cohen's body. A unique Dementor who had developed strong self-awareness and could even generate its own "joy"—how could such a creature not have remnants of a human soul?
And in the early stages of the experiment, the only soul that had been split and fused was "Cohen Bock's."
In other words, Mick was the lingering soul of the son Herbert had lost.
The rest had once lived inside Cohen's body, but ever since he transmigrated, both "Cohen Bock" and "Cohen Norton's" souls had faded away.
Herbert's tears finally fell.
"It's nothing, really—"
Before Cohen could finish, Herbert pulled him into a tight hug.
He was slightly taller than Cohen, and Cohen found himself enveloped in his arms.
And then… a strange sensation washed over him. Not emotion exactly—but something more ancient, deeper.
"Thank you, child…"
Herbert choked out, voice trembling.
"Thank you…"
This time, Cohen didn't interrupt.
This body was crying on its own.
Cohen felt something leave him. Something that had existed in this body long before he ever arrived in this world—a tortured yet hopeful, broken soul.
[See the world for me, will you?]
Just like that one time before, he heard the voice of another boy.
[Thank you, Cohen.]