Zata stood alone in the Void, a boundless white space, without direction, without sound. It should have felt quiet… but instead it felt heavy, as if every emotion he had witnessed in the past still clung to him.
He closed his eyes.
Everything he had seen—
Arou losing his parents…
Emi holding her mother's body…
Shion enduring mockery…
Rei being laughed at because of his body…
Nova crying beside his grandfather…
Nora being chased and pelted with stones…
Feeth frozen in fear…
Airi watching her family drown…
Lumina being treated as a threat…
All those wounds swirled in his mind.
"I…" Zata whispered, his voice trembling for the first time.
"…I've destroyed too much."
He lowered his head. The Void reflected his own shadow, fractured like glass.
In every crack, faces from the past appeared, suffering.
"I want to fix everything," he murmured. "At least this once… I want to be more than just a destroyer."
Suddenly…
A tap.
A small step.
Zata lifted his head.
Behind him, a soft light appeared, like a small door slowly opening.
From it emerged figures who should not have been there.
Young Arou.
Beside him, young Emi holding his hand.
And after that…
Young Airi.
Young Nova.
Young Nora.
Young Feeth.
Young Shion.
Young Rei.
Young Lumina.
Young Arou stepped forward. His face wore a smile, pure and childlike.
"Zata…" he said, looking up with wide eyes.
"Thank you for saving us."
Zata froze.
Young Emi spoke softly:
"If it weren't for you… we would have never known a happy childhood."
Young Airi clutched her dress, eyes glistening.
"You… saved everyone I care about…"
Young Shion adjusted his glasses.
"Thank you… for the first time… I feel seen."
Young Rei nodded slowly.
"I… am not alone anymore."
One by one, they approached.
Young Nora hugged her tail, blushing.
Young Nova stared at the ground, trying to hold back joyful tears.
Young Lumina raised her small hand, a soft magical glow emanating.
Then they all spoke together, their honest childlike voices:
"Thank you, Zata."
For the first time in his long life…
Zata did not feel emptiness, nor power, nor fate.
What he felt was…
Warmth.
Something he had never understood before.
He lowered his head. A small, fragile but genuine smile appeared.
"…You're welcome," he whispered.
The Void slowly began to change.
Light spread, warm like the morning sun.
And Zata realized something:
For the first time, he was not a destroyer.
He was someone who healed.
The Void gradually transformed. The soft light from the children he saved spread throughout the white space, penetrating the cracks of time and reality that had once been shattered.
Zata stood in the center, eyes on a horizon emerging: rolling hills, trees, rivers, small towns, clear blue skies. Everything reborn, now without old wounds.
The children he had saved stood around him.
They looked at Zata with admiration and sincere gratitude.
Young Arou lifted his head, his innocent smile returning.
"Can we play again?" he asked, innocent and hopeful.
Young Emi held Arou's hand, grinning.
Zata smiled faintly. Something human flickered on his face—slightly warm, slightly gentle.
He stepped forward, walking among them.
Each step left a trail of light, as if writing a new, better path in life.
Young Shion jumped beside him.
"With you here, Zata… we don't have to be afraid anymore," he said.
Young Nora tugged her tail shyly.
"Yes… I won't feel alone anymore."
Young Rei nodded.
"We can grow strong… together."
And Zata realized something:
This was not merely rebuilding the world.
It was giving them a second chance, a future free from the suffering that had shaped them before.
The new world seemed perfect.
Clear skies, sunlight filtering through the trees, calm rivers, green grass stretching endlessly.
The children Zata had saved—Arou, Emi, Airi, Nova, Nora, Feeth, Shion, Rei, Lumina—ran and laughed with pure joy, laughter that had never been heard in the old world.
They climbed hills, played simple games, and sat under trees eating fruit.
Even Shion, who had always feared being mocked, now smiled brightly, playing alongside Airi and Rei.
Young Nora ran with Nova, laughing when her tail got caught in bushes without anyone teasing her.
Young Lumina used a bit of magic to float light balls in the air, the other children amazed but unafraid.
Zata stood on a hill, watching them from afar.
Normally, human laughter did not move him—but this time…
Something warm pierced his chest.
He saw happiness he had never known.
Young Arou stopped running and looked toward Zata.
"You… made all this possible, right?"
Young Emi nodded, eyes sparkling.
"You saved us all. Thank you."
Zata bowed slightly.
For the first time, he felt… a little human.
He did not answer coldly or mysteriously.
Only one word escaped his lips:
"…You're welcome."
---
New Little Happiness
The children began to get to know one another, without fear or trauma.
Young Feeth learned to run in the meadows, no longer afraid of being scolded for "being useless."
Young Rei ran laughing, his large body no longer a burden but a strength to use while playing.
Young Airi watched her family with shining eyes, no longer feeling the suffocating loss.
Zata smiled faintly, watching the new world he had created.
He knew it was not perfect, but at least… it was a world that allowed happiness.
"This is just the beginning," Zata whispered softly,
"The beginning for you… and the start of stories I never allowed to grow before."
The sky slowly turned a warm orange, the first sunset in this new world.
The children looked up at the sky, laughing, and Zata realized:
Sometimes, the duty of a story master is not to destroy, but to give a chance at a beautiful life.
The new world was now fully at peace.
Green meadows stretched endlessly, trees swayed gently in the breeze, and rivers sparkled under the sun.
The children began to learn what a normal life meant: free from fear, free from trauma, just pure days to learn and play.
---
Their First Day at School
It was the first day at school.
The school building was simple but bright, with a small garden in the yard.
Friendly teachers welcomed Arou, Emi, Airi, Nova, Nora, Feeth, Shion, Rei, and Lumina.
Young Arou looked nervous at the door, but Emi held his hand.
"We'll be fine," she said.
Arou nodded, smiling for the first time, without loss or fear.
Inside the classroom, they sat at their desks.
Shion held his book hesitantly, but Lumina, sitting next to him, smiled.
"Don't be afraid, I can help if you have trouble," she said, her small hand glowing softly with magic.
Shion looked at her in awe and smiled shyly.