The fog clung to the air, thick and silent...
as if the world itself was holding its breath.
A figure slowly opened his eyes, but what he saw was far from familiar.
A city.
Pulsing with life—yet something was undeniably wrong.
People moved without faces. Their footsteps made no sound.
And the sky... it was unnaturally dark, groaning under some unknown weight.
In the middle of the road stood a young man.
His long hair veiled half his face, his features blurry—
except for his eyes.
Cold.
Unbearably cold.
He stepped forward, voice low:
"Give me that power...
You won't survive it.
Hand it over before it's too late."
The man standing across from him answered, voice steady as stone:
"I won't... no matter what you do."
A strange silence followed.
The long-haired youth lowered his gaze and murmured:
"...Is that so?"
Suddenly, the ground erupted.
Black creatures emerged from nothingness—
Some as tall as buildings, others small and terrifyingly fast.
Gleaming fangs. Eyes burning with hatred.
Claws hunting for prey.
The world trembled...
A sharp gasp broke through the stillness.
Evan jolted awake, breath ragged, sweat soaking his body,
his heart pounding like a war drum.
"What was that?! What did I just see?!"
He looked around.
A forest.
No city. No monsters.
Just a quiet river nearby, trickling gently—as if watching.
"A dream? ...No. It wasn't just a dream.
I felt it... in every cell of my body."
A soft rustle came from behind the trees.
Akari appeared, carrying fruit in one hand, a hunting quiver slung over her back.
Evan's eyes widened.
"Akari?! When... how did you get here?"
She set her things down calmly and said in a hushed tone:
"Your father brought you here...
He only said: 'Take care of him.' Then vanished."
His heart slammed against his chest.
"My father? He was here?!"
She nodded.
"He told me not to ask questions... just to protect you.
When I woke up, you were lying beside me."
He stared, trying to piece it all together,
but the fog hadn't left his mind.
"...What's happening?
Why can't I remember anything?"
He paused, voice laced with fear:
"Did you see Leo? Is he okay?"
She looked away.
Her voice turned cold as ice:
"I don't know... Maybe he's dead."
He froze.
Staring at her in disbelief.
She continued, the same chilling tone:
"The Akaji Clan was slaughtered.
No one survived—except you and me."
Silence fell.
Even the river seemed to stop flowing.
Evan lowered his head, his hair shadowing his eyes.
"...Just us?"
She answered softly:
"Yes... just the two of us."
A heavy silence crushed the air.
Then, Evan's body began to shake.
His eyes turned red, lips trembling,
and he screamed:
"How... How can you be so calm?!"
His voice cracked like thunder:
"Our entire clan was wiped out! Are you seriously okay?!
My mother... Leo... everyone's dead! Why?!
What did we do?! Did we deserve this?!"
He started pacing,
as if trying to run away from the truth.
"Were we really that bad?! Why did they kill us?!
Who do they think we are?! They left me...
They left me all alone!!"
Akari stepped forward, hand reaching out—
but he flinched back violently.
"Don't touch me!! You heartless...!"
Her eyes widened. Her hand froze mid-air.
She was silent for a moment.
Then her voice broke—soft and trembling:
"You think I don't feel?"
Her tone lowered, choking on emotion:
"You think I'm happy they died?"
She collapsed to her knees, tears slipping down her face.
"I heard their screams...
I watched my mother die right in front of me.
My father tried to save me... then vanished in the flames."
She struck her chest with her fist, screaming:
"I wanted to die with them!
But they saved me... even when I didn't want to be saved!"
She crumbled to the ground, sobbing—
like her soul was being torn apart.
Evan stood frozen,
unable to speak.
Slowly, he walked to her, knelt, and whispered:
"...I'm sorry."
He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
She didn't resist.
She broke completely—crying in his embrace.
They sat there, beneath a silent tree.
No sound remained but the echo of their sorrow.
Just the two of them...
in a cruel world that left them nothing but each other.
[Three Hours Later]
Beneath the shade of trees, they sat in silence.
They had eaten what they could, drank from the river—
but the true hunger lingered.
A hunger for answers. For truth. For tomorrow.
Evan raised his gaze to the horizon and asked quietly, but firmly:
"So... now what?
We can't stay here forever.
We have to go back... to our village."
But Akari raised her hand quickly, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and resolve:
"No. We can't go back.
If we do... we'll be killed."
She paused, then continued:
"They died for us, Evan.
If we return... we betray their sacrifice."
He lowered his head, staring at the earth, then whispered:
"...I understand."
Then he looked at her, firm and calm:
"Then we leave.
We can't waste what's left of our lives hiding."
She smiled—
a faint smile, like a flicker of light in the darkness.
"Mm..."
She stood and began gathering what little they had.
Evan rose beside her, his eyes fixed on the unknown.
She stood steady, the wind playing with her long hair.
Evan stood beside her, looking back at the forest and whispered:
"I always dreamed of leaving my village...
Of seeing the world. But..."
He closed his eyes—remembering.
(Flashback)
Leo's laughter echoed:
"We'll go out together, Evan!
We'll see the whole world, uncover its secrets!"
Their laughter was pure. Innocent.
(End flashback)
Evan opened his eyes:
"...But I never imagined leaving like this."
Akari looked at him, silent.
But her thoughts were heavy—on Leo, her family, those she left behind.
"Me too..." she whispered.
"Now I'll see the world... all of it. But..."
She remembered Leo's voice:
"Take care of Evan."
Their steps moved
forward together, into the unknown—
leaving behind a shattered past.
Before they vanished into the trees,
Evan stopped, glanced back...
And let a single tear fall to the earth.
A tear not of weakness—
but of the strength it takes to say: goodbye.