The world of Echronia felt... quiet.
Not the ordinary kind of quiet. Not the comfortable kind. But something deeper — as though a part of the world itself had gone missing.
The wind blew softly, carrying the scent of earth. Dark clouds drifted slowly across the night sky. The stars shone with a light that somehow seemed dimmer than before.
And somewhere far away — far beyond the reach of civilization — Tsubasa's presence faded completely from the world.
---
Han stood on a cliff's edge, gazing up at the night sky. His posture was rigid, like a statue carved from stone. His dark hair shifted gently in the wind, but he himself did not move.
His expression was... empty. Not grief in any obvious sense. Not anger. Only... a hollowness. As though something had been taken from inside him.
"I can feel it..."
His voice was soft, almost as if speaking to himself. Or to the wind. Or to the vast landscape stretched out before him.
"Something extinguished. Like a star disappearing from the sky."
The wind picked up.
"Tsubasa."
He reached into his small pack and drew something out — a dagger, visibly worn with age. Its handle was weathered, its blade dulled by time, yet it still held the lingering trace of its original owner.
The only possession of Tsubasa's that Han had kept. Given to him for safekeeping, or perhaps... as a remembrance.
Han held the dagger up in the faint light of the stars. The reflection of distant starlight danced along the old blade.
"You have found your peace," he whispered. "I hope that with certainty."
---
The Following Morning
Sunlight broke through the windows of a modest inn. Han sat on the edge of the bed, Tsubasa's dagger still in his hands.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A tap at the door.
"Han? Are you in there?" Alice's voice, carrying its usual warmth.
Han set the dagger down carefully, then opened the door.
Alice stood there with Rina. Both were smiling — but the smiles faded the moment they saw Han's expression.
"What's wrong?" Alice asked, concern immediately entering her voice.
Han looked at them for a moment, then stepped aside. "Come in. There's something I need to tell you."
They entered, tension building with every step. Rina felt it immediately — a dense sadness hanging in the room.
Han drew a slow breath. "Tsubasa... is gone."
The words fell like a hammer blow.
"We will say our final farewell to him."
Alice recoiled as if struck. "What? Why?!"
Her voice rose, disbelief and shock colliding. "What happened?!"
Rina's face went pale. "Big Brother... is Big Brother Tsubasa really...?"
She couldn't finish the sentence. Tears were already forming in her eyes.
Han breathed slowly. He looked down at the floor, gathering his words. "He went... choosing the path that had to be taken."
He lifted his head, meeting their eyes with a gaze that was somehow both hollow and unwavering.
"I believe in Tsubasa. I trust him completely. He..."
His voice cracked slightly. "What matters most right now — we go to the cliff beside the forest first. It's a beautiful place."
He turned to Alice. "Alice, please bring Ensei from the orphanage. I'll collect Rudes from his home. We'll meet there."
Alice — her face still caught in shock — nodded. "Alright."
Her voice was barely steady.
-
The Cliffside Farewell
Green grass swayed softly in the midday wind. The cliff looked out over a wide valley — a breathtaking view, with mountains in the distance, a winding river below, and an endless clear sky stretching overhead.
Beautiful. Peaceful. A perfect place to rest.
Five figures stood there: Han, Rina, Alice, Ensei, and Rudes.
Han knelt on the soft earth. He dug with his hands — slowly, deliberately, with deep reverence. A small hollow, just enough for what he was placing there.
Tsubasa's dagger was laid inside with the utmost care. Then Han covered it with soil, pressing it gently into place.
He lifted a stone — smooth and flat, found nearby — and set it as a marker. Simple. Without decoration. But somehow exactly right.
They all stood around the grave, heads bowed.
A silence — heavy with shared grief.
Then Rudes stepped forward. He was a hardened soldier, one who had seen countless battles. But his voice now broke with emotion.
"Tsubasa..." He drew an unsteady breath. "You were an extraordinary fighter. I always admired your determination."
Rudes wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"The way you fought — whatever came at you, you always—"
His voice broke entirely. He couldn't continue.
"Tsubasa... farewell."
Ensei stepped forward next. A cheerful man, always quick with a joke and a grin. But now tears rolled freely down his face.
"Do you remember..." He began, his voice heavy. "The first time we met. You threw your dagger at me."
A small laugh that was also a sob. "My first thought was that you were ruthless. Someone who'd hurt anyone without a second thought."
He shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. "But the more I got to know you, the more I was amazed by the contrast. You were genuinely a good person."
Memories surfaced, one after another. "Do you remember when we sold those medicine recipes to the neighboring village? I'll never forget how you caught that small child the moment they started to fall."
His voice dropped to a whisper. "This time, you're heading somewhere beautiful. Rest easy, Tsubasa."
Alice stepped forward, hands clasped in front of her. Tears flowed quietly down her cheeks, but her voice was somehow steady — determined to say what needed to be said.
"I know you're somewhere now where there's no more pain."
She looked out toward the horizon, as though she could see past the physical world.
"You fought without rest, but now it is time for you to go home. Your light will never go out in our hearts."
She knelt, touching the earth gently. "Tsubasa, rest in peace."
Rina — the youngest among them — stepped forward with hesitant steps. Tears ran down her face, but she tried to speak clearly.
"Big Brother Tsubasa..." Her voice cracked. "Thank you for always protecting us."
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, but more kept coming.
"I remember back then, in the forest... you weren't angry even though I was scared of you."
The memory played clearly in her mind.
"Big Brother..." A sob escaped. "It doesn't hurt anymore now, does it?"
She looked up at the sky, as if hoping for an answer. "Up there... you'll find Yuzuha and Sena again, won't you?"
A small smile through the tears. "Don't forget... look for the brightest star sometimes. That's definitely your smile, from up there."
Her voice shattered completely now. "Big Brother Tsubasa... forgive us. But you're free now."
She sank to her knees, sobbing. "No more anger... no more sadness."
She looked at the simple grave marker through blurred eyes. "I promise... I'll smile wider, to make up for all the smiles you never got to give."
Rina wept openly now, her whole body trembling. Han moved immediately, drawing her into his arms. He held her close, letting her cry against his chest.
Finally, Han spoke. His voice was low, but it carried the weight of something deep and unspoken.
"Tsubasa."
He looked at the grave marker, then at the horizon beyond.
"You carried pain for far too long. Now you can finally rest."
The wind blew stronger, as if answering his words.
"Go in peace. We will carry your fight forward."
He closed his eyes for a moment. "And... thank you. For everything."
-
A gentle breeze accompanied their grief. Soft, consoling — like an embrace from the world itself.
They stood there for a long while — not speaking, only being present in their sorrow.
At last, slowly, they began to leave. Rudes and Ensei first. Alice followed, wiping her eyes.
Han and Rina stayed a little longer. Han still held Rina, whose sobs had begun to quiet into a soft, steady stillness.
"Come, Rina," Han said gently. "Let's go home."
Rina nodded against Han's chest. They walked together, his arm resting protectively around her shoulders.
All the way back to the village inn, Han softly eased Rina's grief with quiet, gentle words.
---
A Few Days Later
The days passed. Their feelings had slowly begun to settle — sorrow still present, but no longer so suffocating. Life continued, as it always does.
But one night —
Han slept in a small room at the inn. Rina slept peacefully in the bed beside him, her breathing calm and even.
Then —
A dream. But not an ordinary dream.
Dense, suffocating darkness. And then — a figure appeared.
A woman. A familiar aura — powerful, ancient, as though Han had known her from somewhere deep within himself.
Rineva.
She stood in the void, gazing at Han with eyes that held full knowledge of who he was. Her lips did not move, but her voice resonated inside his mind.
"Time and fate... you cannot change them."
The words hung heavy, dreadful, saturated with a meaning Han did not fully grasp but somehow already feared.
"Time and fate... you cannot change them."
Repeating. Echoing. Growing louder.
-
Han woke with a gasp.
Morning light spilled through the window. Birds sang outside. Everything was normal.
But his heart was pounding. Cold sweat on his forehead.
He sat upright, breathing hard. His eyes were wide with something like panic — an emotion so rare for Han it felt foreign on his face.
He turned immediately to the bed beside him.
Rina.
Sleeping peacefully. Unaware. Innocent.
The panic surged without warning — wild, irrational, unstoppable.
Han was on his feet before he had consciously decided to move. In an instant he was at Rina's side.
He knelt beside her bed, his breath uneven, his hands trembling as he reached toward her.
"Rina."
He touched her shoulder gently, but with urgency. "Rina, wake up."
Rina stirred, blinking with sleepy confusion. "Hmm... Big Brother?"
She rubbed her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Before she could fully come to her senses, Han pulled her into a fierce embrace. His arms wrapped around her protectively, desperately.
Tears — real tears — fell from his eyes. Something that almost never happened.
"Rina..." His voice broke. "I will always protect you."
The words came out with an intensity that was almost frightening. A promise. A vow. A desperation.
"I will always protect you. No matter what. I swear it."
Rina, still half-asleep and confused, patted his back softly. "Big Brother, I'm alright..."
But Han didn't let go. He held her as if he was afraid she would vanish the moment he released her.
Something Han could not explain. An irrational but profound fear. A premonition. A warning.
Rineva's words still echoed: "Time and fate... you cannot change them."
What did it mean? About what? About whom?
-
The Days That Followed
From that day, Han changed.
The change was subtle, but visible to anyone who knew him.
He stayed by Rina's side at all times. Never allowing her out of his sight for long. Protective in a way that bordered on something deeper than usual.
Rina noticed, but said nothing. Perhaps she sensed the fear that lay beneath it, or perhaps she simply welcomed the extra closeness.
Alice noticed too. "Han, are you alright?" she asked one day.
"Yes," Han answered. But his eyes said otherwise.
Something had shifted inside Han after that dream. Something had changed.
Fear. Resolve. A desperation to protect.
Whatever Rineva's warning truly meant — whatever fate lay waiting —
Han made one decision with absolute certainty:
He would not let it happen. Not to Rina.
Even if it meant standing against fate itself.
-
Far away, in a realm beyond mortal understanding, Rineva watched.
"You don't understand," she whispered into the void. "The harder you try to change fate... the stronger it pulls you toward it."
But Han could not hear her.
And so the cycle continued.
To be continued...