Chapter 25 — Steps on the Edge of Awareness (Part 1)
Scene 1 — Inside the forest after the storm ended
The last tongues of fire died out, as if the forest itself was finally breathing after a long storm.
Smoke slowly climbed into the air, curling around the burned trees like a heavy fog that had lost its way.
The rain stopped… then the clouds gradually split apart, and golden rays of sunlight began to slip onto the wet ground, reflecting off puddles like scattered shards of shining glass amid the chaos.
Kyura lifted his body from the pit with extreme difficulty, as if every movement drained what little strength he had left.
He swayed, breathing sharply, and the transformation had not completely faded yet… its remnants still flickered in his eyes and at the tips of his fingers.
He placed his hand on a deep wound in his lower abdomen, then staggered toward Rinyon.
She was lying near a charred trunk, her breaths short, her face pale.
She raised her head toward him with eyes narrowed in pain: —
Rinyon: "Kyura… have you returned to normal?"
He smiled despite his exhaustion, a small but reassuring smile: —
Kyura: "Yes… now it's… under control."
He moved closer and bent down, then lifted her despite the pain hammering through his body.
He let out a heavy breath as he stepped forward: —
Kyura: "We have to… reach a doctor… or we'll be… in serious trouble."
Rinyon groaned as she held back the pain: —
Rinyon: "Carry me slowly… this hurts…"
Kyura smiled even though he was the one bleeding from his wounds: —
Kyura: "And which of us… has more wounds… me or you?"
— Rinyon: "You… but I'm a girl."
He chuckled softly, then continued walking.
Every step left traces of blood behind them on the soil…
His vision began to shake, the world before him swaying as if it were waves crashing into one another… but he resisted.
He resisted fiercely.
Scene 2 — Near the city wall
The city wall finally appeared between the trees.
It wasn't far… but to Kyura's exhausted body, it looked as if it were at the end of the world.
Kyura, thinking:
A wrong path… there is no… gate here.
Kyura's vision began to darken gradually, as if night was devouring the edges of his sight.
He stopped… then fell to his knees.
And suddenly, he collapsed completely to the ground, Rinyon falling with him.
She screamed: —
Rinyon: "Kyura! What are you doing? This hurts!"
But Kyura did not move.
His eyes were half-open… but his consciousness was gone.
His hair slowly shifted back to its natural black color… and the strange aura that had enveloped him calmed.
His clothes returned to their normal form, as if he had been freed from a restraint whose weight he had not realized until now.
She crawled toward him despite her pain, grabbed his cold hand: —
Rinyon: "If I'm going to die… then I'll die with you."
Darkness prevailed…
Then quick flashes appeared:
— Two shadows approaching
— A person kneeling beside Kyura
— Another carrying Rinyon
— Heavy footsteps moving away toward the wall
— Unclear voices
Then everything vanished once more into the darkness.
Scene 3 — Children's Park (The Past)
A warm orange sun slipped between the leaves of the trees, illuminating the faces of children playing and laughing in the park.
The breeze toyed with their hair, and the scent of flowers spread through the air like silent music.
The camera moved closer to two children sitting on the grass:
The first… young Kyura.
And the second… a small girl with purple hair and eyes of the same color, wearing a simple dress—but her smile alone was enough to make the place brighter.
She looked at him with shining eyes: —
Girl: "Kyura… promise me you won't leave me."
— Young Kyura: "I promise!"
He said it with innocent enthusiasm.
She opened a small wooden box and took out two identical bracelets.
She gave one to Kyura… and wore the other herself.
— Kyura: "What is this?"
— Girl: "A promise between us… as long as the two bracelets exist… we won't be separated."
Kyura's eyes widened in admiration at the simplicity and sincerity: —
Young Kyura: "I'll wear it my whole life!"
They laughed together… a pure, childlike laugh.
Birds rose above them in the sky, as if the whole world were celebrating their small promise.
But…
Suddenly, everything changed.
The park disappeared.
The light disappeared.
The sounds disappeared.
In their place came absolute darkness…
And there was no one left but Kyura, standing alone in an empty world.
Then a single light fell… a cold light… on something lying before him, surrounded by blood and stained clothes.
A small body…
Torn clothes…
It was the corpse of his friend…
He recognized her instantly.
It was her.
Kyura trembled, his voice rising in the void: —
Kyura: "No… no…"
He clutched his head, as if the shock was beyond what he could endure.
Then—
The scene suddenly cut.
To be continued…