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Chapter 18: “The Road Back Bleeds Memory”

Rikuya

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Rikuya stood at the edge of the Northern cliffs, wind slicing across his face.

Below, soldiers packed carts and gear, preparing for the long journey south.

Victory had a strange silence to it.

He had thought this moment would feel… final. Triumphant.

Instead, it felt like standing on the edge of a blade he once forged for someone else.

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> “You’re not happy,” Serika said behind him.

He didn’t answer.

She stepped forward, her cloak billowing. “You should be. The king summons you as a hero.”

> “He summons a sword that didn’t break,” Rikuya replied.

She looked at him carefully. “And what about her?”

That was the first time Serika had said it aloud.

He didn’t respond. Just stared toward the horizon.

> “She’ll be there,” she said quietly. “Waiting. Or watching. Or pretending you never existed.”

Rikuya closed his eyes.

> “I’m not going back for her.”

> “I’m going back… because I have no war left to hide behind.”

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Later that night, in his private tent, he opened the old satchel tucked deep in his saddlebag.

Inside, barely faded:

> A ribbon.

A dried sakura petal.

A crumpled letter with no address.

He lit a candle.

Held the letter to the flame.

Then—at the last second—blew it out.

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At dawn, Rikuya mounted his black horse.

Kael and Serika rode behind him.

A hundred guards followed in formation.

And as the gates of the North closed behind him…

> The capital loomed ahead.

> So did the past.

> And so did Yume.

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