Chapter 117: Falling on Time

After all the commotion in the void, Nairo finally opens his eyes. He looks around, still dazed, and sees Sally along with two others standing near him: ErMut and Grafay.

Grafay, with a mocking smile, says:

— So, princess, did you sleep well?

Nairo slowly sits up, rubbing his face, then looks beside him, still as nonchalant as ever:

— Huh... where's Gaius?

Grafay bursts out laughing:

— Sally took him down in one shot. Honestly, if you had seen it, it was insane. Sally, you really need to explain what you are, because blowing up Gaius like that isn't something just anyone can do!

He mimics Sally's attack, arm outstretched, then makes a quick gesture as if showing Gaius's sudden disappearance:

— You stretched out your arm, bam, nothing. His face went off to see if we were still there, haha!

Nairo looks at Sally, intrigued:

— One hit? Did you have reserves or were you holding back until then?

Sally lowers her eyes, with an obvious weight on her heart, as if she regrets something:

— Actually... I...

Before she can finish, a rumble sounds, and Gaius reappears, furious:

— Not bad, little pink-haired one. You just made me angry!

He takes a step, then another, his eyes shining with cold rage.

Sally and the others jump up, tense:

— Damn, what is this guy made of, seriously?!

Grafay frowns:

— Looks like he's indestructible...

Nairo stands up, his gaze hard, ready to fight:

— It's time for our second round, Gaius!

Sally places a firm hand on Nairo's shoulder:

— No, you need to rest, you're no longer fit to fight!

Nairo turns his head toward her, looking stern:

— Let go of me, right now!

Sally grits her teeth:

— Never, I'll fight him in your place if you refuse!

Nairo spits out his words almost:

— Never. That bastard dared to belittle me. Me? The true future king?

Sally raises her voice, pressing:

— Put your pride aside, will you? You're clearly no match for him!

Nairo stares her straight in the eyes, cold:

— So what? Recognizing your limits is weakness. I'd rather fight to the death.

Sally, shocked, opens wide eyes:

— How can you say that? Sometimes you have to step back to leap further.

Grafay nods:

— She's right, Nairo. You're not ready.

Nairo clenches his teeth, a bitter grimace forming:

— You think I haven't noticed?

Everyone looks at him, surprised by his sudden frankness.

Nairo lowers his head, thoughtful:

— My father wanted to make me the boss of the Yui. His methods were harsh, violent. I often cried... But one day, my mother told me to stop crying. That day, I stopped. The day she died. I promised her I'd never cry again.

A pause settles.

— Crying... it's not just shedding tears. For me, crying is giving up. Recognizing your limits is crying. And I promised it would never happen again.

He raises his head, eyes full of fire:

— That's why I can't give up this fight. Never.

Sally (calmly, placing a hand on Nairo's shoulder):

"Nairo... crying is not weakness. It's not giving up. Sometimes it's simply a way to release the pain you carry inside."

Nairo (hard gaze, almost defensive):

"Releasing pain? I only see that as a way to show weakness, that you can't hold on. Crying is surrender."

Grafay (intervening, with a smirk):

"I've seen many strong fighters, real ones, cry. Not because they were weak, but because they had lived through things no blow could erase. Crying is human. That's what makes you real, not that mask of hardness."

ErMut (calm, serious):

"Unexpressed pain ends up eating you from the inside. What you refuse to show, it takes for you. Crying is also a way to rise stronger, to purify yourself."

Sally (gently):

"Look at me, Nairo. I cried too. And it didn't make me weaker, on the contrary. Every tear was a weight I dropped. Crying is also courage, the courage to accept yourself, to acknowledge what hurts."

Nairo (hesitant, voice softer):

"But... if I cry, don't I lose control? Don't I betray the promise I made to my mother?"

Grafay (firm):

"Your mother wanted you to be strong, not a cold wall. She would have wanted you to live, not break silently. Crying doesn't change your strength, Nairo. It feeds it."

ErMut (slightly smiling):

"True strength is being able to accept your whole nature, anger, pain, sadness... and yes, even tears."

Sally (looking at Nairo sincerely):

"Don't deny yourself that. Let yourself feel. Crying is a step toward healing, toward peace. It's not betraying your promise, it's understanding it differently."

Nairo (looking down, then slowly raising his head, visibly moved):

"Maybe... maybe I've always been afraid that crying was giving up... But... maybe it's also a way to keep moving forward..."

Sally (voice firm, almost pleading):

"Nairo, you can't keep holding all that inside. All this pain, this anger, this hatred that's been suffocating you for years... You have to free yourself."

Nairo (clenching fists, hard gaze):

"You don't understand, Sally. This weight is what keeps me standing. If I let it go, I'm nothing."

Sally (stepping forward, tone more direct):

"That's not you, that's not the real you. Don't let pain, hatred, make you what he wanted you to become."

That last word falls like a thunderclap in Nairo's mind.

Memory — flashback:

A room bathed in soft light. A young Nairo, sitting on a bench, looks at his mother Lina, who gazes at him tenderly.

Lina (softly, in Nairo's ear):

"You still don't like your father, huh?"

A long silence, heavy with unspoken words, hangs.

Then Lina whispers, a single clear and burning phrase, like a blade:

"Don't let hatred make you what he wanted you to become."

Back to the present, Nairo blinks, deeply touched.

He looks at Sally, and in her face, he sees the reflection of his mother, the gentleness, the strength.

Nairo (voice trembling, almost broken):

"My... mom?!"

And, for the first time in years — how many? — a tear slowly rolls down his cheek.

Nairo, eyes misty, voice choked:

"Mom..."

In an irrepressible impulse, he throws himself into Sally's arms.

Sally, without hesitation, welcomes him close and holds him tight, almost motherly as she crouches.

"Yes, Nairo... Free yourself. You don't have to hold back anymore... You're not alone."

Grafay, watching the scene, raises his arms laughing:

"Hah! Looks like a mom and her big crybaby!"

ErMut smiles faintly but remains silent, respectful of the moment.

But a tearing voice breaks the bubble.

Gaius, a twisted smile on his face, sneers:

"Tch... What's this pathetic spectacle? Friendship, hugs, tears... It's disgusting."

He slowly raises his hand.

Gaius:

"Doesn't matter. You're forcing me to eradicate you all. I'm patient, but you're pushing me to the limit."

A huge crackling black orb materializes in his palm. An unstable sphere that seems to absorb the light around it.

Gaius (sarcastic):

"Tell me... what do you think total extinction tastes like?"

Grafay grits his teeth.

ErMut steps back, dark look.

Sally, still crouched with Nairo in her arms, looks up at Gaius.

An inner breath crosses her thoughts.

Sally (internally, calm and clear-headed):

If I use this demonic power once more... it will surely be the end. This demon eats me, devours me. Every time I summon it, I feel my soul crack...

She watches the sky darken, Gaius's orb growing like a death moon.

Sally (still thinking):

But if I have to give everything, even my life... then so be it. I no longer have the luxury to hesitate. We must defeat him... now.

She tightens her swords, ready to rise despite fear, fatigue, pain.

But suddenly...

Cloc... cloc... cloc...

Heavy, determined footsteps echo behind them.

All turn simultaneously.

Grafay (big smile):

"Well, well... look who's arriving as heroes!"

Salome, Bakuran, and Sakolome appear atop a small promontory, silhouettes standing against the red horizon.

Sally, eyes wide, breathes:

"They're here..."

Nairo, slowly raising his head:

"Sakolome..."

Gaius, a sinister smile on his lips, watches the three newcomers approach. He gently closes his fingers, and the black orb disappears with a rustle.

Gaius (deep, satisfied voice):

"Ah... here are my true targets. Finally gathered before me."

He calmly descends from the sky, arms crossed, like a titan ready to unleash hell.

Sakolome steps forward, his piercing gaze fixed on the enemy.

Bakuran stands beside Sally.

Salome watches Nairo with a reassuring smile.

The wind rises.

The sky rumbles.

And all becomes silence before the storm.