Chapter 02: Dying was her right... And I took it away from her.

Two months later, the silence of the city was left behind.

The wind blew calmly, sliding through the trees, brushing my neck with a nostalgic softness. The campfire crackled in front of me, reminding me of the nights in the Novara mansion.

—And so I accepted Novara's selfishness without asking anything else… —the words came out with a hint of resignation as she watched the flames dance—. —And look at us today… Nanatori and I telling stories, like Lord Novara.

Beside me, the girl watched the fire in silence. The marks on her skin, those dark lines that ran from the top of her forehead to her neck, seemed to stand out in the glow of the flames.

—So that's why you're with me… —his voice had a melancholic tone.

-That's how it is.

A piece of wood fell into the campfire, fanning the flames.

—I'm trying to honor your father's memory.

Nanatori looked away for a moment.

—Thanks… I guess.

His tone was difficult to decipher.

—I see that at least my father cared for me.

He stood for a few seconds staring at the fire before lying down on the ground.

—Good evening, Dyr…

-Good night…

But the hours passed, and sleep never came.

Tiredness neither.

My eyes remained fixed on the flames, just like his before he closed his eyelids.

Unlike her, I couldn't sleep.

Memories of that day came back to my mind like a relentless storm.

—B... But I don't know if I can... —the words barely left my lips, full of doubt—. What should I do?

In front of me, Novara's broken voice barely held up.

—I beg you, Dyr... I want my daughter to live her life. I want nothing more.

His trembling hands brought the piece of meat towards me.

—Eat it…

My fingers closed around the warm flesh. I felt its wet texture against my skin.

I brought it to my lips.

—Thank you… —Novara's voice sounded relieved, as if with that single gesture her burden had vanished.

But at that moment, a loud bang shook the building.

The ground vibrated under my feet.

—What?! —I turned my head quickly, seeing how a part of the building collapsed in a cloud of dust and debris.

Novara's scream pierced the air.

—Damn them... they are damned!

His frustration turned to despair as he looked back at me.

—Please, Dyr, eat it at once!

His voice was a plea.

—Save my daughter!

—I'll do it for you, Mr. Novara!

The scream came from deep within my chest as I launched myself towards the destroyed part of the hospital.

The piece of meat was still in my hand, moist and warm. I brought it to my mouth and swallowed it without thinking. A shiver ran down my spine.

I jumped over the edge, not knowing if I would survive the fall. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the moment, but my body landed hard on my right knee. I felt no pain. I barely stopped before I continued running, my rapid breathing mixing with the roar of the debris falling behind me.

Something flashed in the sky.

A trail of colors stretched into the distance, crossing the firmament like an ethereal trail.

Not knowing what it was, but certain that I had to follow it, I turned my steps towards it. I ran faster than I had ever run before. The buildings of the city obscured my view, but I did not stop. I leapt between them, climbed to the top and pushed myself forward effortlessly, feeling a new power course through my veins.

From that height, he could clearly see where the trail was heading.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city…

The blow resounded loudly.

A thin body was mercilessly thrown against the wall of a building awaiting demolition.

—Who the fuck are you?! —Fear made her voice tremble, but fury still clung to every word.

The imposing silhouette looking down on her smiled disdainfully.

—Lye Kuro.

The carefree tone contrasted with the brutality of his actions.

—Now, miss, can you tell me where the immortal part is?

Without waiting for a response, a slap cut through the air.

The echo of the blow was suspended for an instant.

—Come on, hurry up! —Another slap, this time harder.

The pain burned through his skin.

—I... I... I don't know who it is! —The voice broke in despair— Why did you bring me here?!

Lye's fist clenched tightly.

—Your stupid father is about to die. So, to maintain his legacy, the most sensible thing would be to give the piece to his daughter.

His gaze turned cold.

—Talk about it for damn time.

Drops of blood began to stain the ground.

—Listen, damn it! —The desperation was palpable—. I have no idea what you're talking about!

The fist was raised again.

I ran without hesitation.

The stranger didn't even have time to react before my fist hit his right rib with overwhelming force. His body flew out as if he had been hit by a train.

—Just shut up!

Without wasting any time, I grabbed the girl in my arms and ran away as fast as possible.

But he wouldn't let me get away that easily.

Out of nowhere, a shadow passed over my head.

The air shuddered.

Before I could react, a brutal blow landed squarely in my face. A red flash covered my vision as my body flew into the air.

The world turned.

I felt the concrete give way with a rumble as I crashed through the first wall. Then the second. The third...

When the final impact came, my entire body was burning in agony.

—Damn brat! —His voice thundered in my ears—. Who gave you the right to hit me?!

The girl screamed.

I forced my eyes open only to see him grab her by the hair and roughly throw her into a corner of the building.

The ground beneath me felt unstable.

I tried to sit up.

It hurt. Every fiber of my being screamed.

Going through three solid concrete walls wasn't exactly something that was easy to ignore.

—Who the hell are you?

The bastard's voice became more serious.

His eyes scanned me with an expression ranging from disbelief to fury.

—Wait… you came here like you knew exactly where to go. Like you were following me… —His frown deepened—. And besides… you were able to send me flying with a simple punch…

His teeth gritted.

—Don't tell me…

Anger covered his face like a dark shadow.

—Damn Novara! He gave such power to a mere child?!

His silhouette blurred.

The sound of his running was the only thing that managed to enter my dazed head before a brutal kick hit my face.

My body rose again, but this time, the blow didn't end there.

A shockwave expanded from his foot, passing through me like an internal explosion.

The pain was unbearable.

It was as if something inside me was breaking. As if my very existence was fragmenting.

And then my body shot towards the ceiling as if it weighed nothing.

The impact against the ground was brutal.

My body shuddered as I felt the cold concrete scrape against my skin. But the worst of all was the pain.

A burning, tearing sensation ran through my face.

My hands instinctively clung to him.

_It hurts, it hurts, it hurts… it hurts!_

It was as if a piece of my face had been torn off in one fell swoop.

The pain was unbearable, but still, my body reacted before my mind could process it.

A presence was approaching.

_I won't take another hit…_

With what little breath I had left, I forced myself to get up.

Just then, a brutal blow struck my face.

The world turned.

My head shook violently as my body spun from the force of the impact.

A desperate instinct made me bring my hands to my face, the pain clouding my reason. For a moment, I considered that tearing it off would be better than continuing to feel this.

But then, something changed.

My eyes, blurred with suffering, caught a slight distortion in the air in front of me.

I didn't understand what I was seeing.

But my body does.

Without thinking, my eyes followed the curve forming in the air.

And suddenly, the bastard was thrown out as if an invisible force had hit him.

His body crashed to the ground, rolling a couple of times before staggering back to his feet.

"What…?" I muttered without understanding.

Without giving me time to process it, he charged at me again.

My body was shaking.

But I couldn't afford to fall.

_Not now._

_Not after what I promised._

With a forced will, I forced myself to keep fighting.

Air currents moved in front of me, forming strange patterns.

Without knowing how, my eyes captured them clearly.

Every time I set my sights on one of them, something in the atmosphere changed.

The bastard stopped, as if his own body was reacting to the wind.

It was a window of opportunity.

Taking advantage of his confusion, I threw a punch.

He was clumsy, but incredibly strong.

His body was thrown against a wall.

He tried to get up, but before he could, I caught sight of another draft.

As if by an invisible mechanism, something forced him to miss his next attack.

Once again, I hit him back.

One after another, each impact sent him flying, slamming him into the walls of the building.

The air currents showed me a path, and with each blow, I followed it more precisely.

I cornered him against a pillar.

I didn't hesitate for a second.

My fists began to rain down on him, relentlessly.

Adrenaline clouded my reason.

Each blow was stronger than the last.

Every time his body tried to move, another impact crushed him back against the structure.

I screamed, completely wrapped up in the sensation of combat.

—What do you think about that, you son of a bitch?!

The adrenaline made me feel invincible.

But a voice full of despair brought me back to reality.

—Idiot! Stop hitting and look around you!

The rubble began to fall.

The cracks in the walls spread like cobwebs.

The sound of concrete giving way pierced my ears.

The entire building shook.

It was collapsing.

-Shit…!

I ran.

I ran without thinking, without a clear direction.

But the building was collapsing with each passing second.

-Wait!

My fist was still burning, but my legs moved before I could think of anything else. The rumble of concrete giving way filled my ears, and without wasting a second I ran towards Nanatori.

I managed to grab her arm, but she reacted immediately, jerking away and backing away with her eyes wide open.

Fear.

Pure, absolute fear reflected in his gaze.

—Nanatori!

His name escaped my throat in desperation. The building could no longer hold up. All around me, the ground was cracking, dust was rising, debris was falling in all directions.

I was about to lunge at her, determined to get her out of there at all costs, when something caught my leg.

A shiver ran through me.

I looked down and felt a lump in my throat.

A bloody hand held me with inhuman strength.

The bastard who brought her here.

—Let me go!

My scream was pure panic.

But he… he just smiled.

A deafening crack took over the place.

A huge block of concrete fell on us.

And before the darkness swallowed me completely, my eyes fixed on the direction where Nanatori had run.

She…

His body…

No.

No, no, no.

His head was crushed.

His left arm… severed.

Horror took hold of me.

My breath caught.

Everything went blurry.

And the last thing I did before losing consciousness was to scream his name at the top of my lungs.

—NANATORI!

**◇◇◇**

I don't know how much time passed.

Hours?

Days?

When I came to, the first thing I felt was a suffocating weight on my body.

My chest rose and fell with difficulty.

The pain in my arms made me react.

—Gh…

I tried to move.

My muscles protested, tearing with every effort.

But I didn't care.

With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I began to push aside the debris that covered me.

My skin was cut in the process, the sharp edges of the rocks tore into my flesh mercilessly, but all that mattered was getting out of there.

When I finally broke free, I gasped loudly.

My gaze scanned the place.

The bastard he had fought with… was gone now.

It didn't matter.

Nanatori.

I had to find Nanatori.

My legs reacted on their own.

I ran with all my might to where I had last seen her.

And then…

—Nana… Nanatori…

My voice trembled as I said his name.

There she was.

Or what was left of it.

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

It couldn't be real.

I couldn't.

My knees gave way and I fell next to his broken body.

My hands moved uncontrollably, trembling, trying to… bring it together? Join it?

It didn't make sense.

But I did it anyway.

Because my brain refused to accept reality.

My fingers were stained with blood.

And as the weight of the truth fell upon me, a heart-rending scream escaped my throat.

My vision was blurred by tears.

I don't know how long I was there.

I could barely breathe.

But then, my body moved by inertia.

I couldn't stay there.

I got up and ran.

The hospital.

I jumped over the destroyed part, hoping to find Novara.

But…

His room was empty.

There was no one.

The bed was unmade.

The air smelled of abandonment.

—Who the hell are you?

A guard.

I didn't stay to answer.

I ran away without thinking twice.

I ran without looking back, my legs carrying me by pure instinct to a street ahead.

There he was.

The person who had taken me to Novara.

—Dyr! Where were you, boy?

His expression went from relief to concern in a matter of seconds.

—Is the lady with you?!

She…

My lips trembled.

I couldn't say it.

I shook my head, feeling a lump in my throat that prevented me from breathing normally.

—Where is Mr. Novara?

The air was heavy.

The answer did not come immediately.

Instead, the man's face tightened, his expression turning grim as his hands clenched tightly into fists.

—I need to know where your daughter is.

His voice sounded urgent.

—Dyr, tell me where it is. It's important.

Frustration.

Rage.

Pain.

-BE QUIET!

The scream came out of my throat like a roar, tearing me apart inside.

My fists were shaking.

I couldn't stand it anymore.

—I asked you a damn question… Where is Novara!?

The silence that formed was suffocating.

But finally, his answer came.

Cold.

Cutting.

-Died.

My eyes widened in shock.

—Yesterday, during the attack —he continued without looking directly at me—. His heart rate went up. He got out of bed and tried to follow you…

His voice trembled, but he continued speaking.

—Before he reached the edge, I held him tightly to prevent him from jumping. He didn't resist... I just held his chest, right where his heart was, and his eyes...

A chill ran down my spine.

—They slowly faded away.

My breathing became erratic.

—In the end, all he could say was…

A deadly silence fell between us.

The next words hit me like a curse.

—Nanatori… Dyr… save her.

The blood ran cold in my veins.

My vision immediately blurred.

I couldn't see anything.

I didn't hear anything.

Nothing existed.

Just me… and the emptiness that consumed me from within.

—Dyr!

Hands held me tightly by the arms.

—Dyr, react!

The sound of his voice was distorted in my ears.

—DYR!

I felt myself shake with desperation.

—I need to know where the lady is!

Nanatori…

The image of his crushed body flashed through my mind.

My legs gave way.

But there were no more tears left.

The pain in my chest was suffocating, as if something inside me was breaking into a thousand pieces and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

I jerked away, pushing the Novara worker hard. His body lost its balance and fell to the pavement with a thud.

I didn't stop.

I didn't think about it.

My legs moved on their own, desperately running back to where Nanatori was.

—Damn, damn, damn, damn…

The words escaped my lips incessantly, one after another, as if they were the only thing I could say, the only thing I could think.

—Damn, damn, damn, damn…

My footsteps echoed in the deserted street.

—Damn, damn, damn, damn…

Every beat in my chest was a cry of agony.

—Damn, damn, damn, damn…

And then, I saw her.

Or what was left of it.

My body collapsed next to Nanatori's remains, trembling with helplessness.

-Sorry…

My voice cracked.

—Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…

The words were cut off by my crying.

—Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…

Tears fell in torrents, sliding down my face and disappearing onto the ground.

Everything around me was dyed red.

I looked for comfort in anything, but there was nothing. Only emptiness. Only death.

My thoughts became a whirlwind of images and words.

**"How can I get that power?"**

**"Everything comes from the immortal."**

Novara's words crossed my mind like a distant echo.

But he had already eaten the immortal's share…

**"His resurrection was an act of love."**

I didn't know why I remembered that just now.

It didn't make sense.

And yet, I saw it.

The same trail that had brought me here slowly ran over Nanatori's lifeless body, as if trying to tell me something.

A glimmer of irrational hope was born in my chest.

My hands shook as I held her tight, so tight that my own nails dug into my palms, making them bleed.

It was desperation.

It was fear.

It was selfishness.

But I didn't care.

Novara had asked me to save her… and I failed.

If there was even a slight possibility…

If there was even one hope left, no matter how small...

I squeezed my eyes shut, stifling a sob.

And I prayed.

I didn't know who, or if anyone would listen to me.

I just wanted a miracle.

—Hey… are you okay?

A sweet voice broke the darkness.

My eyes opened slowly, still blurred with tears.

The vision was blurry at first… but it was there.

In front of me, with a confused expression on his face.

Nanatori.

My breathing stopped.

I didn't know what to do.

I didn't know what to say.

My hands, still bloody, rested on the cold ground as all the pain inside me overflowed in uncontrollable tears.

Time passed without my being able to measure it with certainty.

Only when the trembling in my hands began to subside did I become aware of the soft caress running down my back.

The gesture was delicate, almost timid, as if he were trying to console me without knowing how to do so.

I slowly looked up, meeting Nanatori's serene gaze.

"Are you feeling better now?" His voice was soft, almost like a whisper.

His eyes, full of warmth, rested on me with an unexpected tenderness.

—You're the boy who was with my father, right? You came here to save me, right? Thank you…

I nodded awkwardly, still shaking. The feeling of his warm skin against mine was a stark contrast to the chill that had settled in my chest.

—Sorry, Nanatori…

I didn't know what else to say.

She blinked, confused.

—Why? You came to save me, and even though the building was destroyed… I am safe and sound thanks to you.

His smile was light, carefree.

Too calm.

My heart sank in my chest.

She… didn't remember anything.

The weight of the truth burned in my throat, but fear kept me silent.

I couldn't say it.

I didn't want to say it.

Clenching my fists, I looked away and muttered in a trembling voice:

—Nanatori… Mr. Novara died… I couldn't save him.

Silence spread between us.

For a moment, I feared he hadn't heard my words.

Then, his breathing became irregular.

—N… no… no…

His voice cracked.

-Don't worry…

Gently, but awkwardly, he tried to manage a smile.

—I… I already knew that w… it would hap… p… ap… No… it's not something that… I care…

The words caught in her throat as she finally broke down.

Tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.

I knew exactly how he felt.

The pain of losing him.

The helplessness of not having been able to do anything.

I didn't think about it.

I just held her tight, letting my own tears slide down my face.

She clung to me, trembling, as her cries grew more and more heart-wrenching.

We stayed like that, sunk in shared pain.

I wasn't the only one devastated by the news... She was much more affected. It was only natural, after all, he was her real father. But even knowing that, I didn't have the strength to confess to her what I had done to her.

*"It is thought that the immortal is still alive, condemned to be scattered throughout the world and with the misfortune of not being able to die. Not being accepted either in heaven or in hell, immortality being his divine punishment."*

Just then, those words came back to my mind.

_What did I do…?_

It wasn't just my fault that Nanatori died... But I forced her to be damned by immortality.

*"It is said that his soul was fragmented and that is why he was unable to transcend."*

I ruined everything.

Nanatori received eternal punishment because of me.

I stayed silent, feeling the weight of my mistake crushing me. But I couldn't stay like that. Not after what I did.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my skin.

From that moment on I decided that I would honor Novara's death… And yours, Nanatori.

Even if it was my last wish, even if it cost me every last breath of this life…

I swore to restore your soul.

I swore to give you the ability to die in peace.