The city of Senzolin was no longer the same.
The houses that once bustled with life were now blackened skeletons,
and the streets were filled with the lingering smell of burning.
Kayotsu stood alone on the city's edge.
His clothes were torn,
his body was covered in bruises,
but the true pain was not visible.
He looked at the spot where Yetaiyu had fallen.
He didn't approach.
He didn't scream.
He didn't cry.
He simply stood…
as if a part of him was buried there.
He whispered:
"If only I were stronger…"
But the sentence remained unfinished.
Because he realized something terrifying:
The strength he possessed…
was not enough.
And it never would be.
That night,
he didn't return to the palace.
He left the city without a goodbye,
without a clear purpose,
except for one thought that kept repeating in his mind:
That mask…