Minjae didn't realize how quiet it was until he stepped past the iron gates. But it wasn't the calm kind of quiet, it was more like…something essential was missing and he didn't know what it was.
He let his body's muscle memory carry him forward, fingers tightening around the bouquet in his hand. The scent of lilies lingered faintly, but it didn't feel the same as it did in the shop.
"Forty years…"
Minjae exhaled quietly, his gaze lowering onto the path ahead. The rows of graves stretched out in silence. Names were carved into stones, of what could be the entire legacy of a person…reduced to something that could be passed by in a second.
For a moment, he wondered how many people had been remembered like this.
And how many hadn't.
Then his gaze landed onto his hand. The same one that had accidentally caused an injury.
It hadn't been that much force, really. And yet…he still caused harm to someone else.
"What's wrong with you today, Minjae?" he muttered to himself. "I thought you had it under control…"
Minjae remembered his youth, of how he'd done the exact same thing accidentally to a classmate. The look on the boy's face as he backed away in terror…
Afterwards, he had attended many different lectures and seminars meant for Awakened. They'd all preached different ideals…but no matter how much they dressed it up, it always came back to the same thing.
The strong overwhelmed the weak.
Such is the way of life.
It wasn't even something unique to Awakened. That was the worst part.
Then what's the difference between now and back then? Between the Chaos Era and what they called the Golden Era?
"…Not all Awakened are like that," he muttered once more, like it was a crutch that Minjae was desperately clinging onto.
He hadn't realized that his legs had stopped moving as it made its way to its destination. "Then…what am I even trying to prove?"
Minjae's eyes lingered a little longer on the name on top of the grave. A name the world knew as a Hero of the Chaos Era, and one of the figures that had ushered in the Golden Era.
"Kang Moonbin."
Minjae's fingers tightened slightly around the bouquet before he stepped forward, placing it down carefully.
"…Still the same."
Het let out a quiet breath, glancing around once—not because he needed to, but mostly out of habit.
An old one.
"Remember Jae-ah, whenever you visit. Don't linger! Leave your offerings and move on."
His mother's voice was clear as day, even now. Back then he didn't really understand why and had suffered a lot because of it.
It was hard to make friends when you were constantly moving cities and schools. Even at home, the atmosphere had always been silent when the topic came up.
Minjae looked around at the grave. The dish of fruit he'd left last month was still there, untouched. The same went for the vase beside it—the flowers long since wilted, water inside cloudy and stale.
He crouched down quietly, pouring the water out before removing the dead stems. One by one, he replaced them with the fresh bouquet he had brought.
"A Hero…who fought so hard for Awakened to be seen as something more," Minjae muttered under his breath. "So hard…he left everything else behind.
"Yet such a figure received offerings from none but his son."
"Pathetic…"
He didn't linger any longer than he had to, stepping away from the row of graves. Yet Minjae never looked back and simply walked until the iron games came back into view.
Only then did he reach into his pocket.
His phone lit up, the screen already unlocked as his thumb moved almost out of habit. A timer sat at the top, ticking down quietly.
00:12:38
Minjae stared at it for a second before tapping it, extending it by another ten minutes. Not enough time to slack off, just enough time to make it.
As if on cue, an incoming call flashed onto his screen's display. It was from Manager Choi Seongjin.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Minjae–ssi. Was just calling to remind you about what we discussed yesterday."
"Don't worry, I remember," Minjae replied calmly, stepping out onto the sidewalk. "I'll be at HQ before the scheduled time."
"Good."
A faint shuffle of papers can be heard from the other side before the manager continued. "Dorm arrangements have been finalized. You'll be moving in starting today."
"Understood, Manager."
"Don't be late."
Minjae's gaze flicked back to the timer on his screen.
00:11:52
"I won't."
The call ended just like that. Minjae lowered the phone slowly, staring at the screen for a moment longer before locking it.
Same as always.
He slipped it back into his pocket and reached his bike, swinging a leg over it in one smooth motion. For a brief moment, his hand rested on the handle as he finally dared to take a look back at the cemetery.
"I won't end up like you, Dad."
***
The Lunaris facility stood just ahead, still half-covered in scaffolding, though significant progress was made.
A lot of the ruined walls that he'd walked through were now patched, while the walls were now squeaky white again, the paint on them still wet.
He barely had time to take it all in.
"Oh!"
Minjae turned his head toward the noise.
A girl stood there, leaning against the railing like she'd been there the whole time…or had just appeared out of nowhere.
She had soft blonde hair, dyed unevenly with pink bleeding into the ends like she had just dipped the tips into dye and called it a day. She was wearing a large fur jacket that looked way too heavy for the weather.
One hand rested near her cheek, obviously trying to show off her nails painted in mismatched colors.
She started walking towards him.
As she got closer, he could see the details more clearly. A petite frame along with an equally small face full of makeup greeted him.
"Ah…it's you, right?"
"Our new Captain."