Chapter 28: The Running Vow
Deep within the forest, inside a cave carved by nature itself, Bokuro sat alone. Outside, the night was silent, and the soft glow of the moon touched his tired face. He stared quietly at his script book, as if waiting for the pages to whisper answers. But there was only silence… still and unmoving.
A quiet murmur escaped his lips,
"How do I create my Anthem...? What is the power that will bind to my soul?"
He was tangled in his thoughts. Then, with a deep breath, he closed his eyes and slowly opened his script book. He wrote the first line:
"I, the owner of this script, wish to become stronger. For that, I want an Anthem."
Then he wrote it again and again — Anthem… Anthem… Anthem…
Each time with pure emotions — joy, trust, affection, and gratitude.
It was the second day since Bokuro had entered the jungle.
His mind was now clear — no confusion, no hesitation.
His one and only goal:
To create an Anthem.
---
Bokuro tried countless methods —
(We won't go into what those methods were, only that they were many.)
He practiced relentlessly for three days, without eating, sleeping, or even drinking water.
He wandered through the forest, pacing over rocks and roots, searching, feeling, hoping.
By the third night, as fatigue consumed him and his body reached its limit, he collapsed mid-practice.
His eyes closed… and he fell into a deep sleep.
---
When he opened his eyes, he found himself somewhere entirely different.
He was no longer in the cave — but lying on a bed of soft green grass. All around him were fresh, colorful fruits — as though the forest had gifted them to him.
"Where am I?" he whispered.
Sweat dripped down his forehead, but his mind focused on only one thing —
"Where is my Anthem?"
He didn't overthink it.
He simply stood up.
Without hesitation, he opened his script book and swiftly wrote a new line:
"I hereby make a contract with this script — my Anthem shall be 'Teleportation'."
And with that, his training truly began.
---
Bokuro decided that he would run 1000 kilometers every single day.
No more rituals. No more meditation. No more experiments.
His whole body, his soul, his entire being — would focus only on running.
As soon as he began running, the script began recording his efforts, distances, and emotional energy.
Every day — 1000 kilometers.
And if 40 days remained…
Then he would build a reserve of 40,000 kilometers.
That distance would be his teleportation Anthem —
When he needed it, he could instantly teleport across that exact distance.
---
His daily life changed completely.
Before sunrise, he would begin running.
Through jungle paths, across rivers, over rocks and fallen trees — nothing could stop him.
He ran like he wanted to outrun time itself.
By nightfall, food would arrive on its own. Fruits, roots, and occasionally cooked jungle meals — but Bokuro never knew where it came from.
He simply ate, collapsed in exhaustion, and slept.
Every single day, the same routine.
For 20 days straight, Bokuro ran without missing a single day.
Fatigue became part of him, but so did determination.
---
On the twentieth night, something changed.
After finishing his run and eating the food that had mysteriously arrived, Bokuro lay down in the cave. But this time, his body refused to move.
He had become completely paralyzed.
His arms and legs went numb. He could blink, but nothing else.
A strange tingling ran through his body — both painful and heavy — but he couldn't even lift a finger.
Still, a faint smile formed on his lips.
"Ha ha ha…" a quiet laugh escaped his throat.
"I thought making an Anthem would be easy… but this… this is like tearing through my limits."
As he struggled to breathe and whispered slowly, he said,
"I… I've made my Anthem… now I just need to accept it fully…"
A single tear rolled down his cheek.
Not from pain or despair…
But from the beginning of victory.
---
Outside, the jungle remained silent and untouched.
But something new had been born —
A Scriptor whose soul was now fused with motion, with speed, with distance… with teleportation.
He now had power —
He could go anywhere, anytime.
But greater than that —
He had discovered himself.