The village of Tsukigakure glowed under lantern light. Shadows moved across the narrow streets, yet the place was alive. Children ran barefoot, their laughter echoing between stone houses. Men carried buckets of water, women carried baskets of bread. Elders sat on wooden stools, telling stories, their voices rough but warm.
Mori walked slowly, his steps unsteady. His body was still weak after ten days of sleep. His chest felt heavy with something darker than exhaustion.
His eyes wandered across the street. For a moment, he almost forgot this was the Shadow World. There was no battle here, no blood. Just people trying to live.
Mori's thoughts: How can this place look so normal? Like any village back home… but it's not. It can't be. Not after what I saw. Not after Akio…
The memory of Akio's chains breaking, of his scream, of his death in front of him — it all returned like a knife. Mori squeezed his eyes shut.
---
"Mori!"
He turned. Saki Fujimoto was running toward him, her steps quick, her hair swaying. She stopped just in front of him, catching her breath. Her eyes were still red from crying, but there was relief too.
"You disappeared," she said sharply. "Do you know how worried I was?"
Mori looked down. "…Sorry."
"Sorry?" She frowned. "That's all you say. You vanish, you wake up after ten days, and then you walk around like nothing happened? Do you want to collapse again?"
"I just needed air," Mori muttered.
"In this world, 'air' means danger." She crossed her arms. "If something happened to you again…" Her voice trembled, and she quickly looked away. "I don't want to think about it."
Mori hesitated, then said quietly, "I'm fine."
"You're not fine." Saki's eyes narrowed. "You always say that, but I can see it. You're carrying too much. More than you should."
Her words stung. Mori wanted to say You don't understand. But instead he forced a weak smile. "…Thanks."
Saki sighed, shoulders softening. She reached out and touched his sleeve gently. "Don't do this alone, Mori. Please."
Before he could answer, she stepped back. "Come back soon. Don't wander too far." And with that, she walked away.
Mori stood silently, his chest heavy. I don't want her to see what's inside me… because even I don't know what it is.
---
He wandered until the noise of the village grew faint. At the edge of the street stood a small shrine, half-covered in ivy. Stone steps led up to a carved pillar — a warrior's shape without a head. Candles burned at its base, their flames flickering weakly.
Mori sat down on the cold stone and stared at the flames.
"…Why me?" he whispered. "Why did Akio die, but I lived? Why do they look at me like I'm something I'm not?"
A calm voice answered.
"Because weakness does not hide the truth of power."
Mori jumped to his feet and turned.
A woman stood in the shadows. She had long silver hair flowing like moonlight, and pale violet eyes that glimmered softly. Her robes were dark but elegant, shifting like woven mist.
She gave a small smile. "Don't look so startled. I didn't mean to frighten you."
Mori swallowed. "…Who are you?"
"I am Selene Veyra," she said. "And you are Mori — the boy who struck down the serpent."
Mori froze. "I… I didn't—"
"Yes, you did." Her voice was firm but gentle. "The serpent's heads fell by your hand. The village whispers your name already."
Mori shook his head, voice breaking. "No. You don't understand. I was unconscious. I don't even remember it. How can it be me?"
Selene stepped closer, her presence calm yet heavy. "Memory does not erase truth. Inside you, there is a storm. I saw it with my own eyes."
Mori's fists clenched. "Then tell me what it is! Because I don't know! I don't know anything. I'm just… just Mori."
Her eyes softened. "You think being weak makes you nothing. But weakness is only the beginning of strength."
Mori stared at her, his voice low. "…You've been watching me."
"I have." Selene nodded. "Since that night, I wanted to see what kind of boy would rise from fear and blood."
---
A sharp laugh cut through the air.
"Well, isn't this sweet?"
Mori spun around. A man leaned against the shrine wall, arms crossed. His hair was dark, wild, and his grin was sharp. A dagger twirled easily between his fingers.
He tilted his head. "So this is the boy everyone talks about. The 'sleeping hero.'"
Mori blinked. "…Who are you?"
"Alyss. Alyss Draven." He gave a mocking bow. "At your service, oh unconscious warrior."
"I'm not—"
"Not what?" Alyss interrupted with a smirk. "Not a hero? Not strong? Saying that doesn't make it true. Small people don't slice serpents in silence."
Mori frowned. "I didn't want this. I didn't even want to fight."
"Good," Alyss said instantly, grinning wider. "That's why you might actually survive."
Mori stared. "…What?"
"People who want glory die fast. People who don't want it but still fight… those are the dangerous ones." Alyss leaned forward, his grin sharp. "And you don't even know what's inside you yet. That's what makes you scary."
Selene sighed, her voice calm. "Alyss, must you always test people with mockery?"
"That's how I see what they're made of," Alyss replied, eyes still on Mori. "And this one… this one's different."
--
Mori shook his head. "Why are you saying these things to me? You don't even know me."
Selene stepped closer. "Because the Shadow World doesn't wait for introductions. It sees power. It sees danger. And right now, it sees you."
Alyss chuckled. "She's right. People will follow you whether you want it or not. That's the curse of carrying something bigger than yourself."
Mori's voice cracked. "I'm not ready."
Selene's smile was faint but kind. "No one ever is."
Silence filled the shrine for a moment. The candles flickered, shadows stretching across their faces.
Finally, Selene touched Mori's shoulder lightly. "Remember this: weakness is not your enemy. Running from yourself is."
Alyss gave a lazy salute. "Try not to faint again, kid. Bad for your image."
And with that, both of them turned, walking back into the misty streets, their figures vanishing slowly.
Mori stood alone, his chest heavy.
Why do they believe in me? Why do they see something I can't?
He whispered at the candles:
"…Who am I becoming?"
Mori leaned against the cold stone of the shrine, staring at the fading flames. His heartbeat still raced. He thought Selene and Alyss were gone, but their voices lingered in his head.
Why do they see something I can't? Why do they talk like I'm important?
The night breeze carried faint laughter of children still awake, the clatter of pots from nearby houses, and whispers — whispers that grew louder when he passed. He realized something.
They weren't whispering about anyone else. They were whispering about him.
---
"Excuse me…"
Mori turned. A small boy stood with a wooden toy sword in hand. His big eyes stared up at him. Behind the boy, two older women whispered, one pushing him gently forward.
Mori blinked. "…What is it?"
The boy's voice was timid. "Are you… the one who killed the serpent?"
Mori froze. "I—I…"
The boy's eyes shone. "Can I be like you one day?"
Mori's chest tightened. He opened his mouth, but no words came. Me? A hero? No. No, I can't even protect people close to me.
Before he could speak, Selene reappeared like a shadow gliding back. She knelt beside the boy, her silver hair brushing the boy's cheek.
She smiled gently. "Strength isn't about killing monsters, child. It's about protecting someone you love."
The boy's eyes widened. "Protecting?"
"Yes." Selene's voice was like soft wind. "And one day, if you carry that in your heart, you will be stronger than any beast."
The boy grinned and ran back to his mother. The women bowed slightly toward Selene and Mori before guiding the boy away.
Mori muttered under his breath. "…Why didn't you tell him the truth?"
Selene turned to him. "Truth? That you are afraid? That you doubt yourself? Children don't need to hear despair, Mori. They need hope. And whether you accept it or not, you give them that."
Mori clenched his fists. "But I don't deserve it!"
---
A laugh cut through again, sharp and biting.
"Ha! There it is. The endless pity party."
Mori's head snapped up. "You again…"
Alyss stepped out from the shadows, tossing his dagger and catching it lazily. "Kid, you cry harder inside than the rain outside. You think you're the only one who lost people? Who feels weak? You're not special."
Mori glared. "Then why do you even care? Why are you here?"
Alyss grinned, teeth glinting in the lantern light. "Because people like you piss me off. You walk around acting like you're cursed, when maybe — just maybe — you're exactly what this rotten world needs."
Mori snapped, voice trembling, "You don't even know me!"
"Maybe not." Alyss leaned closer, his eyes sharp and dangerous. "But I know the look of someone who wants to run away from what they are. I've seen it in the mirror too many times."
Selene's voice broke the tension, calm but firm. "Alyss. Enough."
He smirked but stepped back. "Fine. I'll save the real truth bombs for later."
---
Selene studied Mori in silence, then asked softly, "Mori… what do you fear most?"
Mori blinked. "…Fear?"
"Yes." Her violet eyes locked onto his. "You've faced death. You've faced monsters. But inside you, something else terrifies you more. Tell me."
Mori's throat tightened. He looked away. "I… I fear losing people. Again. I fear standing there and being too weak to stop it."
Selene tilted her head. "And what if you do lose them?"
Mori's voice cracked. "Then it means I wasn't enough."
Selene stepped closer, her tone deepening. "No. It means you are human. To be enough is not to save everyone, Mori. It is to stand, even when the world wants you to fall."
Mori met her gaze, heart pounding. For a moment, it felt like she could see right through him.
---
Alyss chuckled softly. "You know what? Maybe you're not as hopeless as I thought."
Mori blinked in surprise. "What?"
Alyss shrugged. "You answered her question without running. Most people lie. They say 'I'm not afraid of anything.' But you admitted it. That's something."
"…That's respect?" Mori asked skeptically.
"Don't get used to it," Alyss said with a grin. "I still think you're a mess. But you're a mess worth watching."
Selene gave Alyss a side glance. "For you, that's high praise."
---
The three stood in silence for a while. The village noises softened into the background, leaving only the flicker of shrine candles and the distant howl of the wind.
Mori finally spoke, voice low. "…I don't know if I can carry what you're expecting of me."
Selene's reply was gentle, almost a whisper. "You don't have to carry it alone."
Alyss added with a smirk, "Besides, expectations are boring. Surprise everyone instead. That's what I do."
Mori let out a shaky breath, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the heaviness in his chest.
For the first time since Akio's death, the weight on his shoulders felt a little less crushing.
---
As the night grew colder, Selene turned toward the village street. "It's late. Rest, Mori. Tomorrow will demand more of you."
Alyss twirled his dagger once more before slipping it into his belt. "Try not to scream in your sleep, kid. The walls here are thin."
"Shut up," Mori muttered, but there was less anger in his voice this time.
They both walked away, fading into the lantern light and shadows.
Mori stood alone once again, staring at the headless statue of the warrior. The flames at its base flickered, casting shadows that stretched long across the stone.
He whispered to himself, voice trembling but firm:
"…I'll try. I don't know how, but I'll try."
And with that, he turned back toward the village, his steps slow but steadier than before.