Fire.
That was the first thing Kai saw.
Not small flames.
Not distant light.
Fire that swallowed everything.
Houses burned like dry leaves. The sky was dark with smoke. The ground cracked under the heat. People ran in every direction, but there was nowhere to go.
The air itself felt heavy.
Like it was blaming him.
Kai stood in the middle of it.
Younger.
Weaker.
His sword trembled in his hand.
"I…"
His voice broke.
"I was here…"
The memory was clear.
Too clear.
A child cried nearby.
Kai turned.
A small boy stood near a broken wall, tears running down his face.
"Prince Kai…"
The boy's voice shook.
"You said you would protect us…"
Kai's chest tightened.
"I… I will…"
But he didn't move.
His legs refused.
The fire roared louder.
Another voice screamed.
"Help us!"
Kai turned again.
An old woman trapped under falling wood.
Her hands reaching out.
"Please…!"
His grip on the sword tightened.
"I… I'm coming…"
But again…
He didn't move.
The flames rose higher.
The heat burned his skin.
The sound of everything collapsing echoed in his ears.
And then…
Silence.
The fire froze.
The world stopped.
Everything stood still.
Like a painting.
Kai stood alone in the middle of it.
His breathing was heavy.
The words came out slowly.
"I was late."
The truth.
He closed his eyes.
"I was too late."
The world shifted.
The fire disappeared.
The smoke faded.
Now…
The village stood whole.
No fire.
No destruction.
Just calm.
Children running.
People smiling.
The sky was clear.
Bakula flag waving.
Like nothing had ever happened.
Kai opened his eyes slowly.
"What…?"
He looked around.
No damage.
No fear.
Everything was perfect.
"Prince Kai!"
The same boy ran toward him.
Smiling this time.
"You came early today!"
Kai froze.
"E-Early?"
"I…"
The boy grabbed his hand.
"Come! Everyone is waiting!"
Kai didn't resist.
He let himself be pulled.
Through the village.
Through laughter.
Through life.
Everything he had lost.
Everything he had failed to protect.
It was all here.
Safe.
Alive.
Untouched.
His heart started to shake.
They reached the center of the village.
People gathered.
All smiling.
All alive.
A woman stepped forward.
"You kept your promise," she said gently.
Kai stared at her.
She had died in the fire.
He remembered clearly.
"I… didn't…" he whispered.
But she smiled.
"You did."
Another voice.
"You always protect us."
Another.
"You always save everyone."
The words surrounded him.
Warm.
Comforting.
Heavy.
Kai's chest felt tight.
"No… that's not…"
But the voices didn't stop.
They grew louder.
Stronger.
"You did enough."
"You are a good prince."
"You don't have to suffer anymore."
Kai's hands trembled.
The sword slipped slightly.
"I failed," he said quietly.
But no one listened.
"You don't need to remember that."
"You don't need that pain."
"Stay here."
The word hit him.
Stay.
Just like Ron.
Just like Luna.
Stay.
No guilt.
No failure.
No fire.
Just peace.
Kai looked around.
At the people.
At the smiles.
At the life that should have been.
His throat tightened.
"If I stay…"
His voice cracked.
"Then none of it happened…"
A soft voice answered.
"Isn't that better?"
Silence.
Kai's eyes lowered.
The weight in his chest grew heavier.
It would be easy.
Too easy.
To accept this.
To let go.
To forget.
Far away…
Kenta sat on the floor.
Hands on his head.
The voices had not stopped.
"You're weak."
"You can't protect anyone."
"You're just a burden."
His breathing was uneven.
"I… I'm not…"
But the words kept coming.
"You saw it."
"You couldn't do anything."
"You always fail."
Kenta's eyes filled with tears.
"Stop…"
Then…
A memory.
Luna's voice.
Soft.
Calm.
"Stay with me."
Kenta froze.
The voices paused.
Just for a second.
He looked up.
"…Luna?"
Silence.
Then another voice.
Ron.
"Focus."
Kenta swallowed.
His chest tightened.
"I…"
His hands slowly dropped.
"I'm not strong…"
The words came out weak.
"But…"
He clenched his fists.
"I'm still here."
The darkness around him flickered.
The voices grew unstable.
"You're still useless."
"Still weak."
Kenta stood up slowly.
"Yeah," he said quietly.
"I am weak, so WHAT!"
"But I'm not leaving."
The darkness cracked.
Light broke through.
The voices shattered.
Back to Kai…
The village still stood around him.
Waiting.
Smiling.
Expecting.
Kai's hand slowly tightened around his sword again.
His eyes were calm now.
Not shaken.
Not lost.
Just… clear.
"This isn't real," he said.
The smiles around him didn't change.
"Of course it is," the woman said.
"You're home."
Kai shook his head.
"No."
He took a step back.
The air shifted slightly.
"You're not real."
The boy's smile twitched.
"Prince Kai…?"
Kai looked at him.
His expression softened for a moment.
"I was late," he said quietly.
The boy tilted his head.
"What do you mean?"
Kai closed his eyes for a second.
Then opened them again.
"I couldn't save you."
Silence.
The village froze.
The wind stopped.
Kai's voice remained steady.
"I failed."
The word echoed.
The smiles began to crack.
The sky flickered.
"But that doesn't mean I can pretend it never happened."
The ground trembled.
The illusion weakened.
"I carry that failure."
The fire returned.
Faint at first.
Then stronger.
"I remember it."
The people around him began to fade.
Their forms breaking apart like dust.
"And I move forward with it."
The flames rose again.
But this time…
Kai didn't freeze.
He stepped forward.
Through the fire.
Through the memory.
His grip on the sword was firm.
"I won't run from it."
The illusion shattered completely.
The fire disappeared.
The village was gone.
Only darkness remained.
Then…
Wind.
Soft at first.
Then stronger.
White petals floated around him.
Kai stood alone.
Breathing steady.
He had passed.
But something still felt unfinished.
The wind whispered.
Not accusing.
Not painful.
Just… quiet.
Like it was waiting for something.
Kai looked up.
"Is that all?" he asked.
No answer.
Just silence.
Then…
A faint voice.
Very far away.
"…Kai…"
His eyes narrowed.
That voice…
It wasn't from the past.
It wasn't part of the illusion.
It felt… real.
The space around him shifted again.
Not into the village.
Not into fire.
Something new.
A long road.
Empty.
Endless.
Dim light ahead.
Kai stepped forward slowly.
The wind followed him.
The petals drifted beside him.
"…Kai…"
The voice came again.
Closer this time.
But still distant.
His grip tightened.
"Who's there?" he called.
No reply.
Just the road stretching further.
Further.
Like it had no end.
Kai walked.
Step by step.
The silence pressed around him.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Like something was watching.
The voice returned again.
Soft.
Almost broken.
"…you came…"
Kai stopped.
That wasn't a memory.
That wasn't his past.
That was something else.
Something… waiting.
His eyes sharpened.
"This isn't over…" he muttered.
The wind suddenly grew stronger.
The petals spun faster.
The road ahead darkened.
And far in the distance…
A shadow moved.
Not human.
Not clear.
But alive.
Watching him.
Waiting.
Kai exhaled slowly.
Then stepped forward again.
"I'm not done yet," he said quietly.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 11 PART 3.