"No..." Haru whispered. His voice trembled. "It can't be... That's not Riku! That can't be Riku!" Haru fell back. a strangled scream tearing out of his throat — one that didn't sound human. It was the sound of someone refusing reality.
Mira caught a glimpse of Riku's hand — or what was left of it — and turned away instantly, her stomach twisting. She couldn't look. She just couldn't.
Tama was on his knees, crying beside Riku's mother, who cradled her son's head in her trembling arms while her husband tried to hold her upright. The man's eyes were hollow, his face pale from shock.
Nova didn't move. He just stood there, silent, breath uneven. "Riku too…" he muttered, voice barely audible between gasps. Tears rolled down, but only for a moment.
Then, suddenly, he wiped them away. His eyes hardened. He grabbed Mira's hand. "Let's go, Mira."
Mira's eyes widened. She looked up at him, startled. His face wasn't calm — it was cold. Empty.
"What…?" she stammered, confused.
"We can't waste any more time. We need to go." His tone was flat, final.
"What are you saying, Nova?!" Haru shouted, tears still streaming down his face as he got up.
"I need to go."
"Are you serious right now?!" Haru's voice cracked with disbelief. "Riku is dead!" He said as he grabbed Nova's collar.
"Yeah," Nova said quietly. "He is. And do you know why?"
"What?" Haru's grip on Nova's collar loosened, stunned by the question.
Tama's sobs slowed. Even Riku's parents turned to look at Nova, waiting for what he'd say next.
"He was weak."
Haru froze, eyes widening. "What… did you just say?"
"He was weak. That's why the demons got him. I was weak too — that's why I couldn't protect my mom. It's as simple as that."
Haru took a step back, shocked. "How… how could you—?"
Riku's mother gasped, fury and grief flaring through her pain. She took a step forward, hand raised to slap him, but her husband caught her wrist.
"I'm sorry," Nova said, though his tone didn't sound sorry at all. "But that's the truth."
That was it. Haru snapped.
He lunged forward, fist swinging, shouting, "Riku always cared about us!" His punch missed as Nova stepped aside with no emotion in his face. Haru struck again, again — each word between punches tearing through the air. "He—never—gave—up—on—us!"
Finally, he stopped, chest heaving. "And you… you're talking like you don't even care that he's dead."
Nova's voice cracked, but he forced his words through. "I do care! Of course I do! But what I said is also the truth! 'Together we can win,' he used to say? Well, you fucking can't! You don't win by being together — you win by being strong!"
His voice rose, echoing through the clearing. "A few demons… against hundreds of villagers. But who suffered? The weak ones! The villagers! Even that day, we didn't beat those bullies because we were together — we beat them because I was strong! I stopped training four years ago… and if I hadn't, maybe I could've protected my mom! Maybe Riku would still be alive!"
Everyone stood frozen. Even the wind seemed to stop.
"Foolish kid…" someone muttered from the crowd.
"Yeah," another said bitterly. "Is he really his friend?"
"He doesn't deserve to be."
Nova frowned, jaw tight. He didn't care what they thought — not right now. "Anyway," he started, voice softer now, "He was my frie—"
Thwack!
A sharp sound cut through the air. Nova staggered, hand rising to his cheek. Tama stood before him, trembling, tears still flowing but eyes burning with anger.
"The demons got him?" Tama's voice shook, low and furious. "Do you even know why he died?"
Nova stared at him, silent.
"He didn't die because he was unlucky," Tama said. "He didn't die because he lost. He didn't die because he was weak." His voice rose with every sentence. "He died because he was strong! Stronger than you!"
Nova's eyes widened.
Tama continued, his words sharp as blades. "He was so strong that he didn't care about his life. He helped as many people as he could get to safety. He died because he was brave! He didn't cry when he saw the demons — he challenged their thirst for blood with his will to protect! Do you think he begged for mercy as the demons massacred? No! He faced them knowing he couldn't win!"
He stepped closer, fists clenched. "Tell me, Nova. You've seen the demons yourself, right? Could you look one in the eyes and risk your life to save someone else? Could you do what he did? I couldn't. But Riku could."
Tama's voice broke now, trembling but defiant. "He chose to die so others could live. Say one more word about him being weak, and I'll never forgive you."
Nova's hand slowly fell from his cheek. His eyes quivered. His lips trembled. Then he covered his mouth, stepped back, and collapsed to his knees.
"Why…" His voice cracked as tears began to fall again — harder this time. "Why did he…"
And he broke. Completely. His cries filled the clearing, raw and ugly, the kind that made everyone else lower their heads. Mira rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him as he screamed into her shoulder.
"I said so much…" Nova choked. "I was a fool. I thought he was like me. But he was better. He was always better than me."
Mira's hold tightened. She couldn't bear to see her brother like this.
"It's okay…" Tama said softly, his anger gone. "You know Riku — he wouldn't hold it against you."
"Yeah…" Haru wiped his face. "He wouldn't."
Nova looked up at them, eyes red and swollen. Slowly, he steadied his breath and wiped the tears away.
"Sniff… ngh…" Mira still cried quietly, her face buried in his chest.
Nova placed his palm gently on her head. "I'm sorry, Mira," he whispered. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk."
She shook her head, trying to compose herself. "Sniff… It's okay, brother. I know you're suffering too."
"Thanks, Mira…"
After a while, the tears stopped, though the heaviness in their hearts lingered. The silence between them spoke louder than words.
Haru finally turned to Tama. "We should go. I promised Nova I'd help him find his father."
Tama nodded. "Alright. Good luck, you two."
Nova stood, gripping Mira's hand. "Thanks…"
The three of them walked away from the oak, heading toward the market.
Nova's mind was chaos. Even if Tama forgave him… even if Riku would've too… Nova couldn't forgive himself. He knew how he froze when faced with demons. He knew Tama was right — he couldn't have done what Riku did.
He admired him now more than ever. Riku was braver than him, stronger than him, better than him. And today, he was more of a man than him.