Chapter 86 :The balance of the heart

Sakolomé had returned to Earth with Salomé.

But he had not gone straight home: their clothes were in a sorry state.

On a mountain, sitting facing the horizon, he watched the landscape stretch as far as the eye could see. Misty forests danced in the distance under the wind.

Beside him, Salomé was still sleeping peacefully.

Sakolomé held a banana in his hand. He peeled it and began to eat slowly.

Next to him, he had picked others, carefully stacked.

With a thoughtful gaze, he contemplated the horizon, chewing calmly.

Finally, Salomé moved. She gently opened her eyes.

The first thing she felt was the wind caressing her face. She turned her head and saw Sakolomé.

— You finally woke up? he asked, mouth full.

She slowly sat up, sitting beside him.

— We're on Earth… but we're not home?

— Yeah, I was waiting for you to wake up.

You slept for three weeks.

— Three weeks?! she exclaimed, eyes wide.

Sakolomé nodded and took another banana which he peeled before biting into it.

— We took our time outside anyway… Salomé sighed. I hope Mom won't worry.

— Don't worry. I told her we'd be long, anyway.

— Hey, looks like you had everything planned, she said smiling.

Sakolomé nodded.

— That's true.

He grabbed a banana next to him and handed it to his sister.

— Want a banana?

Salomé nodded happily.

— Yes, yes, I want one!

She took it, peeled it, and bit into it eagerly.

— Looks like your famous appetite is back, big brother, she said while chewing.

— Actually, not that much.

I'm trying to push it to the extreme.

Salomé looked at him, surprised.

— Push it to the extreme?

So you kept training even after we left Venus?

Sakolomé shook his head.

— More or less. I let you sleep here, and I went to train over there… on Venus. Then I came back every night to watch over you.

Salomé puffed her cheeks, pouting.

— That's not fair! We were supposed to train together and grow together!

Sakolomé turned his head toward her.

Her little furrowed brows made her strangely cute. He smiled, then slowly placed his hand on her head and gently stroked it.

— There's something you don't seem to understand, Salomé…

— You're going to find some lame excuse again?! she growled.

— Hahaha… no.

But you and I can't progress the same way.

He withdrew his hand, looked ahead, his face serious.

— Why's that? she asked, intrigued.

— You have mana and energy. You can evolve much faster than me.

I only have energy. To reach the same level, I have to make twice the effort you do.

Salomé lowered her head, touched.

— Wow… I didn't know it was that hard for you.

— Meh, Sakolomé shrugged.

On one hand, it lets me become stronger than average…

Sakolomé looked at her for a long moment, without saying a word.

— Tell me, Salomé…

What drives you to want to become so strong every day?

A slight silence settled, rocked by the mountain wind.

Then he added softly:

— It's because of that dream you told me about the other day, isn't it?

Salomé didn't answer right away. She stared into the void before her. Then she sighed.

— …Yes.

I'm too afraid of losing you, big brother.

And with those Killer Man Eradicators… I have to be able to defend myself. Not be a burden.

I have to become strong. Very strong…

She clenched her fists so hard her knuckles whitened. Memories haunted her again — that dream, that vision.

Sakolomé's body, cut and hanging.

Bakuran's, torn.

And the empty gaze of her future self, broken.

Tears began to silently stream down her cheeks. Her hands trembled.

— Why are you crying? Sakolomé asked, surprised, turning toward her.

Salomé's voice was trembling, strangled.

— Sa… Sakolomé… It wasn't just a dream. I swear.

It was a vision. Something that will happen if we do nothing.

She sniffled, breath ragged.

— In that vision, Dad… Dad was already dead. Before everything started.

And in real life… he's dead too.

And this carnage, this chaos… it's already begun.

I'm scared, big brother. I'm too scared.

I don't want to lose you. Neither you, nor Bakuran, nor anyone.

I'll do everything to protect you. Everything, do you hear me?

I won't back down, not even for a second. Even if it costs me my life.

She clenched her fists tighter.

Her body trembled. Her tears fell on her legs.

Sakolomé stared at her silently.

Then, inwardly, he thought:

She carries such a heavy burden…

Too heavy for a girl of only nine years…

He gently placed his hand on her head and pulled her close.

— Salomé, listen to me carefully.

He wiped her tears with his fingers, one by one. His voice was calm, serious, but gentle.

— You don't have to carry it all alone. It's not your job to save us.

It's mine… ours, to fight together.

He held her a little tighter.

— What you saw, that vision… I don't take it lightly.

But it's not fate.

If it exists, it's there to warn us, not to crush us.

He leaned forward, looked her in the eyes.

— You want to protect us?

Then keep that fire in you, but don't let it burn you.

You're not a weapon, Salomé. You're my little sister.

She sniffled again, but her gaze slowly calmed.

— I'm scared too, you know.

But it's because I'm scared… that I become stronger.

Not to run away, but to stand with those I love.

He gently tousled her hair, tenderly.

— So promise me one thing:

Become strong, yes. But not so much that you forget you're a child.

You have the right to be afraid. You have the right to cry.

You even have the right to rest. Because I'm here.

Salomé threw herself into his arms. This time, her tears were not of panic, but relief.

— Thank you, big brother… Thank you for being here…

— Always, murmured Sakolomé. Always.

The wind blew over the mountain, carrying their fears away for a moment.

Sakolomé continued:

— Tell me, Salomé… You say you want to become stronger, but training with me, won't that hold you back?

Salomé, intrigued:

— Hold me back? Why do you say that?

Sakolomé, a little embarrassed, shrugged:

— Well… I can't use mana. I fight only with a much more limited form of energy. You, on the other hand, master both mana and this energy. Honestly, the one who could really teach you to develop your mana would be Bakuzan… or even Bakuran.

Salomé smiled tenderly, almost amused:

— But big brother… Since I've been training with you, have you ever seen me stagnate even once? On the contrary, I'm progressing. And even if you don't manipulate mana, you know much more about it than I do.

She approached Sakolomé, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous gleam. She whispered:

— If I'm so eager to train with you, it's because, among all my brothers, you're the most formidable in close combat… and I love that. It's in my interest, you know.

She stepped back slightly, smiling, then added frankly:

— I also train with Bakuran, of course. But that's mostly for magic. For close combat… there's only you.

Salomé straightened up, looked up at the sky. The wind gently lifted her hair. She clenched her fists, and her gaze ignited with vibrant determination.

— One day, I will surprise all my brothers. I want to become a complete fighter: both mage and warrior. A double mastery. It's rare… but if I succeed, I will become almost invincible.

Sakolomé, still seated, looked at her with a mixture of admiration and amusement. He smiled.

— You've grown up well, Salomé. And you have ambition. You want to embody two forces that few manage to reconcile. That's not foolish at all…

He let a silence pass, then teased with a sly look, eyes squinting with mischief:

— But you're as serious as an old master monk when you talk like that. Don't you want to become invincible and a little cooler? Or do you want to impress a certain boy and don't dare tell me?

Salomé, caught off guard, felt her cheeks redden fiercely.

— Wh-what?! You're really stupid, Sakolomé!

She gave him an outraged look, but her smile betrayed her amusement. Then, in a sudden burst, she rushed at him shouting:

— I'll teach you to talk nonsense!

Sakolomé burst out laughing and rolled to the side to avoid the attack.

— You've still got work to do before you catch me, little fury!

And the two began to play, chasing each other in the clearing, like when they were children, mixing laughter, dodges, and friendly little strikes.