Yukiko’s POV

Not 10 seconds after Kaito and Setsuya passed through that door, Seika approached me.

“I’m sure you know Kaito’s story has a lot to unpack, so wanna head out for a stroll?”

I had no reason to not tag along, and after being cooped up inside for the whole day so far, getting a breath of fresh air honestly sounded pretty nice.

The damage from this wave seemed far more contained than the first, likely due to the fact that both my brother and Seika had been able to intervene from the start.

Yet, despite that assurance, the southern end of town was the part that received the most damage, so much so that a few buildings had crumbled. In a way, given how rather untouched the rest of the outermost buildings were, it felt as if the damage here was intentionally allowed to happen.

As Seika and I chatted on our walk, we occasionally stopped for snacks like pastries and such, as well as to check on how the townsfolk were faring.

However, we soon found ourselves passing through the eastern gates, the vibrant sounds that lingered throughout the streets fading behind as we continued up the hill.

“So you did have some other reason to bring me out here.”

“You got me there. When’d you figure it out?”

“Since you asked to go for a stroll with you. You’re not the type to really enjoy these kinda activities– anyways, you’ve never been good at concealing your intentions when it comes to socializing–”

“Fair point. Now, c’mon, it’s just a bit further.”

I decided to not question where it was she was taking me. Surely, if it was something she wasn’t willing to divulge on her own, it’s importance must’ve been something I had to see for myself.

We rounded the top of the hill and looked down on the path before us.

It was the same trail I’d occasionally walk and occasionally ride along, bordered on both sides by rows of planted trees.

The neatness of the greenery was something only confined to the small area around Synoria Outlook, as the nature along the portions of the trail directly between Synoria Outlook and Synoria’s Central District were far more frenzied without anyone to keep after it.

Unlike the previous times I had traveled upon this path however, there was now a somewhat shoddy, smaller trail lined with small stones and pebbles that branched from the main road.

Without a word, Seika began making her way down this path into the midst of the woods, myself following along.

At its end, the uneven dirt and pebble lining abruptly halted, giving way to a circular, grassy meadow of unkempt grass and flowers, bordered on all sides by more trees.

Yet, despite the natural beauty that greeted my eyes, my attention was fastened to something else. Throughout the clearing, several boulders of similar shapes and sizes were dotted about.

No. That description wasn’t quite right. I would’ve liked to believe that these were nothing more than a wonderful occurrence of nature, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that these ‘boulders’ were, in reality, gravestones.

Shallow lines were etched upon the faces of these stones, presumably detailing the names of those that lay beneath this field that shone with life at its surface.

Seika and I stood side by side, neither of us uttering a word for some time, simply paying our respects in silence.

I didn’t need her to tell me who these gravestones belonged to. I already knew this makeshift cemetery was made to honor the deaths that occurred in last night’s wave.

My voice ever so slightly breaking up, I hesitantly asked, “I– is that family..?”

I couldn’t bear to ask any more, but even so, Seika understood my intentions.

I followed as she led me to a group of three gravestones situated in close proximity to one another. 

It was getting harder to hold my emotions in, the names of those I couldn’t protect staring me in the eye from the surfaces of those stones.

“I– I never got to know their names…”

Seika watched in silence as my knees crumpled to the ground.

“Their daughter… she– she even–”

My words came out through sobs as I could no longer hold back my tears.

Seeming to understand, Seika knelt down beside me and lay her hand on my shaking back.

“I lied…”

A gentle breeze drifted through the clearing, picking up stray blades of grass and colored petals as they took flight in a dance.

“I made Kaito think I was fine… made myself think I was fine… told myself I was fine… I led them on– made them think– think it was all going to turn out okay so long as I was there…”

I turned my tearstained eyes away from Seika and back towards the graves.

A few drops slid down my cheeks and fell on the earth beneath me.

Seika opened her mouth as if she was about to speak, but then closed it in contemplation. Finally, she spoke.

“I– I think if they could meet you, could see you here, right now, they’d be glad to have known you were fighting for them.”

“But why? I couldn’t do anything to save them. I didn’t save anybody!”

I was weak. Sure, I had some form of ‘talent,’ but what the hell was the point of all that if I hadn’t done anything with it?

I hadn’t trained to make myself stronger. I hadn’t tried to get to know the people I was supposedly fighting for. Could I even call what I had done yesterday an attempt at protecting my people?

I remembered the sight of the admiration in that little girl’s eyes. She saw me as a hero… I hadn’t done anything– I couldn’t do anything… and yet, how could she still look at me like that?

“That’s not true.”

What? In what way?

I thought it would’ve been rude to incredulously ask these questions, but Seika still answered my silence without being prompted.

“‘Saving’ and ‘protecting’ don’t have to mean directly standing in the face of danger to shield those directly behind you. What do you think would’ve happened if you weren’t there to fend off that beast? Dozens more buildings would’ve fallen, dozens more irreplaceable lives and bonds would’ve been lost. Your tenacity in that fight prevented those additional casualties, and as for those who were lost…”

Her eyes drifted over to the graves of the family whose deaths anchored my guilt.

“...you gave your all to save them regardless. If a life among these couldn’t be saved, then they at least found solace in shelter behind the backs of those who hold their hopes.”

“But I let those hopes down… their hopes to go on living… what solace is there to be found in delusional dreams..?”

She sighed.

“Nothing in life is perfect, and that applies to ‘ideal’ heroes as well. As much as we’d all like to believe, nobody will be able to always save everyone… and that’s a fact you’ll have to learn to accept.”

“So… what do I do..?”

I didn’t know where to go from here, but to ask such an open ended and unguided question still felt stupid in retrospect.

“Just keep going. You helped people, did you not? Your actions protected the lives of not just one, but several individuals, and as long as you can keep going to defend the people whose hopes you hold, then keep going.”

Unexpectedly, she revealed something she had been keeping between her hands behind her back. 

The object greatly confused me at first, being a severely warped kitchen knife that bent as if it had been forced against an unbudging brick wall.

However, I quickly recognized it as the same one I had used as a makeshift weapon in my fight with the chimera beast.

She transferred its grip into my hands, still slightly trembling.

“You did your best to save them… and you did good as well. I’m sure they’d say the same if they could see you now. But, we can’t mourn in regret forever… at some point, we all have to move on and grow to protect what else requires our strength.”

I felt a strange feeling in my chest. 

Was it due to the fact that what she said resounded with Kaito’s words from last night? I couldn’t be completely sure, but for whatever reason, I now felt a comforting sense of resolution.

I wiped my tears away and nodded towards Seika before standing and making my way towards the edge of the clearing.

I had noticed it before, but at this end lay an oddly sized stone, not small enough to be a pebble lining the path, yet not large enough to serve as a gravestone.

Brushing away some stray particles of dirt and grass before the stone, I plunged the knife into the ground before it.

“I lay you to rest here…”

Seika was watching with one hand on her hip, her eyes gleaming with newfound pride.

“I’m sure paying our respects and giving me a pep talk wasn’t all you had in mind, was it?”

“Caught me again. You already know what I had in mind though, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, and I accept.”

She produced another item from beside her waist.

“Wait– you’re giving this–”

“It’s not my style anyways, and I believe it’d be better in your hands. Also, I had this custom made as a gift, so you better not go and reject it”

Lying in her outstretched palm was a dagger with a finely carved wooden handle, the blade sheathed in fine leather that was coupled with a strap to carry it on my person.

I graciously took the blade from her, briefly sliding a smidge of the blade out. Its polished steel glinted in the sun’s radiance from above the clearing.

“Well then, if you’re ready to say goodbye, then let’s get going. I’d like to see what this side of you is made of.”