The evening sky dimmed into a deep shade of indigo as Ryūsei Ryūgū made his way along the quiet road.
The Village of Yohei had long disappeared behind him, swallowed by distance and fading light. Only the soft crunch of dirt beneath his steps and the whisper of wind through the fields accompanied him now.
His body still ached.
His mind… even more so.
Nekuro's final words echoed faintly in his thoughts.The tomb he built.The lives he couldn't save.
Ryūsei exhaled slowly, staring ahead.
"…I really messed up."
"Yeah. You did."
A sharp, cold voice cut through the air.
Ryūsei froze.
Not just metaphorically.
Crack.
A thin layer of frost spread across the ground beneath his feet, creeping outward in delicate, shimmering patterns. The air temperature dropped instantly, his breath turning visible.
"…Ah."
He didn't even need to turn around.
"…Yuki."
When he did, he was met with a terrifyingly calm expression.
Yuki stood a few steps behind him, her arms crossed, her eyes cold enough to rival the frost forming around her. The ground beneath her feet was completely frozen, thin spikes of ice forming along the edges like silent warnings.
Behind her stood the others—Shizen, Shadow, and Kayosha.
But none of them spoke.
Because right now—
Yuki was handling this.
"You," she said slowly, each word sharp and precise, "want to explain why you took a quest… that didn't belong to you?"
Ryūsei blinked once.
"…Uh."
The frost spread further.
CRACK.
"I'm listening."
Ryūsei immediately straightened.
"Okay—so, first of all," he began nervously, "it was an accident."
"An accident," Yuki repeated flatly.
"Yeah. I thought it was just a normal quest scroll and—"
"That was my scroll."
The ground beneath Ryūsei's feet froze solid.
He stiffened.
"…Right."
Yuki took a step forward.
The temperature dropped even more.
"You took Shizen's assigned mission," she continued, her voice dangerously calm, "without reading it… without telling anyone… and disappeared for an entire day."
Each word felt heavier than the last.
"You didn't check the difficulty. You didn't check the details. You didn't even check the name."
Ryūsei laughed nervously. "W-When you say it like that, it sounds bad—"
"It is bad."
A sharp spike of ice suddenly shot up beside his foot.
Ryūsei flinched. "Okay—yeah, that's fair!"
Behind Yuki, Kayosh let out a quiet whistle. "She's really going all out, huh…"
Shadow leaned toward her and whispered, "This is actually her holding back."
"Trust me... you don't want to get in her bad side"
"I learned from experience" Shadow added, causing Kayosha to gulp in fear
Shizen crossed his arms, watching silently—but his gaze was fixed on Ryūsei, filled with a mix of irritation and concern.
Yuki stopped just a few steps away from him.
"Do you even realize what kind of mission that was?" she asked.
Ryūsei's expression slowly changed.
"…Yeah."
Something in his voice made the frost stop spreading.
Yuki narrowed her eyes slightly. "…Explain."
Ryūsei looked down briefly, then back up.
"It was a Necromancer," he said.
Silence.
The wind seemed to still.
"A… Necromancer?" Shizen spoke this time, his tone no longer irritated—but serious.
Ryūsei nodded. "Nekuro. He was disguising himself as a child. Luring Elementalists into the forest… and killing them."
Kayosha's eyes widened in horror. "That's…"
"Disgusting," Yuki finished quietly.
The frost around her flickered—but this time, it wasn't anger.
It was something colder.
Controlled.
Shizen clenched his jaw. "…And you fought him. Alone."
"…Yeah."
Yuki's gaze hardened again. "You could've died."
"I know."
The immediate answer caught her off guard.
Ryūsei didn't look away.
"I know," he repeated, quieter this time. "I didn't read the scroll. I didn't think. I just went."
His hand tightened slightly at his side.
"And because of that… I was too late."
The group fell silent.
The frost beneath Yuki's feet began to slowly fade.
"There were no survivors," Ryūsei continued. "I didn't even know how many… but I buried what I could."
Kayosha lowered her gaze.
Shadow's usual smirk was gone.
Even Yuki's expression shifted—just slightly.
"…You still should've told us," she said, but her voice was no longer sharp.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
Then—
CRACK.
A small piece of ice formed again beneath Ryūsei's foot.
"…But that doesn't excuse how reckless you were," Yuki added, her tone returning—though softer than before.
Ryūsei sighed. "…Yeah, that also sounds fair."
Shizen stepped forward, finally joining in.
"You took my quest, you idiot," he said, though there was no real anger left in his voice.
Ryūsei scratched his cheek. "Technically… I borrowed it?"
"You didn't even bring it back!"
"Okay, yeah, that part's bad."
Shadow chuckled lightly. "You really have a talent for causing problems, don't you?"
Ryūsei shrugged. "It's a gift."
Yuki shot him a look.
"…Don't push your luck."
"Right. Not a gift."
Kayosha smiled faintly, relief finally showing. "At least you're safe…"
Ryūsei looked at her and gave a small smile. "Yeah. Thanks."
Shizen exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "…Next time, we go together. Got it?"
Ryūsei nodded. "Got it."
Yuki added, "And you read the scroll."
"Read the scroll."
"And confirm the mission."
"Confirm the mission."
"And don't steal someone else's assignment."
Ryūsei paused.
"…Okay, that one might be difficult."
The ground froze again.
"RYŪSEI."
"OKAY, OKAY—I WON'T!"
Shadow laughed quietly. "He never learns…"
Shizen smirked slightly. "Yeah… but he's still alive."
The tension finally eased.
Yuki turned away, the frost completely disappearing now.
"…Let's go. We've wasted enough time."
The group began walking together down the road, heading back toward the kingdom.
This time—
No one walked ahead.
No one lagged behind.
They moved as one.
Ryūsei glanced at them briefly.
Then forward.
The road ahead was long.
Uncertain.
Dangerous.
But for the first time since the forest—
He didn't feel alone.
And as the stars slowly filled the night sky above them—
The journey continued.
The road gradually gave way to a quiet clearing as night fully settled in.
The sky above was now a deep velvet black, scattered with countless stars that shimmered softly like distant echoes of light. The air had grown cooler, and the sounds of the wild—crickets, rustling leaves, the faint whisper of wind—filled the silence between the group.
"We stop here," Yuki said, scanning the area. "It's open, low risk, and we'll have visibility."
Shadow stretched his arms lazily. "Finally. My legs were starting to file a complaint."
Shizen dropped his pack onto the ground with a small thud. "Alright. Let's set up camp."
Everyone moved naturally, as if they had done this countless times before.
Shizen began arranging the firewood, striking flint to spark a flame. Shadow gathered nearby branches with surprising efficiency despite his usual laid-back demeanor. Yuki created a small, controlled ring of frost around the camp's perimeter—an early warning system that would crack at the slightest disturbance.
Kayosha prepared simple bedding from their packs, laying them neatly on the grass.
Ryūsei stood there for a moment… watching.
There was something comforting about it.
Something warm.
"…Feels different," he muttered.
"Hm?" Shizen glanced at him.
"Nothing."
Soon, the fire crackled to life.
Orange light flickered across their faces, pushing back the darkness just enough to create a small pocket of peace in the vast night.
Dinner was simple.
Quiet.
No one pushed conversation too much.
The exhaustion from the day lingered heavily in the air.
One by one, they began to settle down.
Shadow was the first to lie back, hands behind his head. "Wake me if something explodes."
"That's not reassuring," Kayosha said softly.
"It's realistic."
Yuki sat near the edge of the camp, eyes half-open, ever watchful despite her calm posture. Shizen leaned against a tree, arms crossed, though it was clear he wasn't fully asleep either.
Eventually…
The camp grew quiet.
The fire burned low.
And the night deepened.
Ryūsei sat a short distance away from the others, staring into the flames.
The crackling fire reflected in his eyes, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
The forest.
The battle.
Nekuro's final words.
The tomb.
His grip tightened slightly on his sleeve.
"…I really was too late."
"You weren't."
Ryūsei froze slightly.
Soft footsteps approached from behind.
He didn't need to turn around.
"…Kayosha."
She stopped just behind him.
For a moment, she didn't say anything.
Then—
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
Ryūsei's eyes widened.
"K-Kayosha…?"
Her grip tightened.
And then—
He felt it.
A slight tremble.
"I was so scared…"
Her voice was soft.
Shaking.
"I thought… something might've happened to you…"
Ryūsei didn't move.
"…When you didn't come back… when we couldn't find you…" she continued, her voice breaking, "I kept thinking… what if we were too late… what if…"
Her arms tightened even more around him, as if afraid he might disappear if she let go.
"I didn't want to lose you…"
A tear fell.
Then another.
Ryūsei's expression softened.
Slowly… carefully… he placed his hand over hers.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"I didn't think."
"I didn't realize… how much it would worry you all."
Kayosha shook her head slightly against his back. "It's not just 'worry'…"
Her voice trembled again.
"It hurts… thinking you might not come back…"
The words hit deeper than anything Yuki had said earlier.
Deeper than the fight.
Deeper than the guilt.
Ryūsei closed his eyes briefly.
"…I won't do that again."
A pause.
"…I promise."
Kayosha didn't respond immediately.
But her grip softened—just a little.
"…You better not," she whispered.
A faint, fragile smile formed through her tears.
They stayed like that for a moment.
Quiet.
Still.
The fire crackling softly in front of them.
The stars watching silently above.
Eventually, Kayosha slowly let go.
"…You should rest," she said gently, wiping her eyes.
Ryūsei nodded. "Yeah… you too."
She gave him one last look—lingering, worried, but calmer now—before returning to her place near the others.
Ryūsei remained by the fire a little longer.
His gaze lifted toward the sky.
"…I'm not alone," he murmured.
For the first time since the battle—
He truly felt it.
Not just as words.
But as something real.
Something solid.
Something worth protecting.
The fire flickered softly.
And under the quiet night—
Ryūsei finally allowed himself to rest.