The Weight of Memories

The nobles dragged Yagami away, his body bound in steel chains, their fear of him evident in the way they tightened their grip.

Yet, Yagami did not struggle.

He simply laughed—a bitter, hollow sound—before disappearing into the halls of Takion's castle.

With their paths diverging, Takuma and his crew bid farewell to Hira and continued their journey.

Aiki could have easily teleported them to their destination, but Takuma insisted they walk.

Hiritsu groaned.

"Sensei, do you enjoy suffering?"

Takuma only chuckled in response.

Aiki remained silent, lost in thought, while Hiritsu and Akemi filled the quiet with their usual bickering.

But then, out of nowhere, Hiritsu's curiosity got the better of him.

"Sensei,"

he started hesitantly,

"I've always noticed you holding golden bracelets and chains when you're alone.

Why do you do that?"

Takuma's expression darkened slightly. He averted his gaze.

"It's a story for another time."

But Hiritsu and Akemi weren't satisfied with that answer.

They pressed him, their voices full of stubborn determination.

Finally, Takuma sighed.

There was no escaping this.

"These chains and bracelets,"

he murmured, lifting them slightly so they gleamed under the fading sunlight,

"belonged to my wife—Mizuki."

Silence fell over them. Even Aiki turned his gaze toward Takuma.

"She wasn't from here,"

he continued, his voice carrying the weight of years gone by.

"She came from another continent, a place foreign and unknown to me.

And the first time I saw her, I was captivated by her beauty.

But it wasn't just her appearance… it was her magic.

It was unlike anything I had ever seen."

His fingers traced the edges of the golden bracelets.

"She wasn't powerful when we first met, but her techniques… they were special.

They held an ancient wisdom beyond anything I had learned.

She sought me out, asking me to train her—to make her stronger.

And in turn, I learned from her.

Back then, Hira and I were already close, and she became part of our circle.

With each passing day, I found myself falling for her.

And she… she fell for me."

A soft, melancholic smile tugged at his lips.

"She grew strong.

She got stronger, we stood together, we were unstoppable.

She became my wife, my partner, my everything."

Takuma's voice grew quieter, his next words more difficult to say.

Hiritsu, oblivious to the shift in the air, blurted out,

"So where is she now?"

Akemi smacked him on the back of the head, but Takuma only let out a small, weary laugh.

"Sixteen years ago,"

he finally said, his gaze distant,

"I was ranked seventh among the strongest.

And she… she was tenth."

His grip on the golden chains tightened.

The weight of old wounds settled over him, but he continued, ready to unveil the tragedy that had shaped him.

Takuma's voice grew heavier as he spoke, his fingers tightening around the golden bracelets.

The air around them felt colder, as if the mere memory of that fateful night carried the remnants of Dracula's darkness.

"Me and Mizuki… and top 3,4,5,8,9,and hira We had a mission.

A mission to kill Count Dracula,"

he began, his gaze distant.

"The vampire devil that every living being fears.

He wasn't just a monster—he was a force of nature.

A creature that carved out his own territory, untouched, untouchable.

Even the top-ranked warriors of our world feared to cross into his domain.

The plan was simple.

The top three, four, and five were supposed to fight Dracula directly, while the rest of us—six, seven, eight, nine, and ten—cleared the path for them.

But fate had different plans."

Takuma paused, his jaw clenching.

"When we entered his castle, the torches flickered out, and darkness swallowed us whole.

Then, in an instant, Mizuki, myself, and the top eight and nine found ourselves standing before him.

Dracula.

He sat upon his throne, his presence suffocating, yet his aura was… silent.

Empty.

It was only when he spoke that we felt it."

Takuma's voice dropped to a whisper.

'Kneel.'

A crushing force crashed upon them, heavier than any magic they had ever felt.

Their knees nearly buckled.

Dracula chuckled.

'You are strong, I'll give you that,'

he said as he stood, his crimson eyes burning through the darkness.

'Humans… such weak creatures.

You struggle, you fight, you dream of conquest, yet in the end, you are nothing but insects crawling toward your own demise.'

And then the battle began.

"We weren't ready.

We weren't supposed to fight him.

But he gave us no choice.

At first, we held our ground.

Every spell, every strike, every ounce of power—we gave it all.

The walls of his castle crumbled under the force of our attacks. But then… night fell.

The moon rose.

And the massacre began.

Dracula's strength surged with the darkness.

His speed, his magic, his raw power—it became something inhuman.

He cut through us like we were nothing."

Takuma's breath hitched.

"Top nine… top eight… they didn't stand a chance. They were slaughtered before my eyes.

Mizuki and I knew—we knew—if we stayed, we would die.

But he was too fast.

I tried to run.

I tried to save her.

But my legs were bleeding, my strength was fading.

And then I saw it.

His hands trembled slightly.

"I saw him kill Mizuki.

And in that moment, everything went black

Why?

Why was I still alive?

For whom would I live?

I had no answer.

So I did the only thing left—I fought.

I unleashed every ounce of power I had left.

I didn't care about surviving.

I didn't care about pain.

I wanted revenge.

And in my fury, I managed to take his eye.

But Dracula was stronger.

He grabbed my arm and crushed it.

He severed my leg.

He sliced through my stomach.

I should have died right there.

But instead, he threw me onto Mizuki's lifeless body.

I remember whispering,

'I'm sorry, Mizuki… I couldn't take your revenge… I'm sorry…'

And then he walked toward me, ready to finish what he started.

But the door burst open.

Hira. The top four. The top three.

They had arrived, but it was already too late.

With the deaths of top six, eight, nine… and Mizuki… they knew the only option was to run.

Hira grabbed me—what was left of me.

He grabbed Mizuki's body.

And we escaped.

But even as we fled, Dracula's voice echoed through the night.

'Fear me… FEAR ME!'

He laughed as he said it.

He whispered it like a curse.

And I… I could do nothing.

Hira once told me—once your heart is cut open, it can never be healed.

Because ever since that day, I've carried these chains, these bracelets.

Not just to remember Mizuki…

But to remind myself of my failure."

Silence.

No one dared to speak.

The weight of Takuma's words settled deep into their bones.

And for the first time, Hiritsu and Akemi understood—Takuma wasn't just a teacher, a warrior, or a legend.

He was a man carrying the weight of a past he could never escape.

Silence hung in the air after Takuma's story, the weight of his past settling over the group like an unseen storm.

But then, he did something unexpected—he smiled.

They continued walking, the road stretching endlessly between Takion and Arthuria.

The journey could have been effortless with Aiki's spatial magic, yet Takuma chose to walk.

It wasn't just about the distance.

It was about the time.

The time to reflect, to breathe, to feel the world beneath their feet.

Then, as if moved by an unseen force of mercy, Takuma turned to Akemi and Hiritsu.

"Go,"

he said simply.

"Go see your parents."

Akemi hesitated. Her past, her anger, the resentment she carried—it all clashed inside her heart.

But in the end, she nodded.

She stepped forward and, without a word, hugged Takuma.

It wasn't just a farewell.

It was gratitude.

Hiritsu followed, bowing his head in respect before taking off.

They both had their own ways of traveling quickly, and soon, they vanished into the distance.

Aiki, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, finally raised a hand and cast his magic.

The space around them warped, and in an instant, he and Takuma were gone, leaving the open road behind.

The moment Hiritsu stepped into his family home, warmth enveloped him.

His parents greeted him with open arms, their pride evident in their tear-filled eyes.

Their son had changed.

He was stronger—not just in power, but in spirit.

They spoke for hours, laughter filling the halls as they caught up on everything they had missed.

For the first time in a long time, Hiritsu felt truly at home.

Unlike Hiritsu, Akemi's journey was slow.

She walked.

Then she ran.

Then she slowed again.

A part of her wanted to turn back.

Another part of her wanted to keep going.

After all… they were her parents.

When she finally arrived, her breath hitched.

A grand carpet had been rolled out just for her, stretching across the palace pathway.

Guards stood in formation, their eyes filled with respect.

And at the end of that long path… stood her parents.

For a moment, she simply stood there, frozen in disbelief.

Then, like a child who had long been denied love, she ran—ran like an ordinary girl, like someone who had never held a sword, never fought battles.

She crashed into their arms, holding them tightly, as if afraid they might disappear.

The Queen, to her surprise, was warm. Gentle.

She wasn't cold.

She wasn't cruel.

She wasn't the distant, unreachable figure Akemi had always known.

She was… a mother.

"I'm proud of you,"

the Queen whispered, holding her daughter close.

"So proud."

They led her inside, and for the first time in years, Akemi sat down at the royal dining table, not as a warrior, but as a daughter.

They shared stories over dinner.

Laughter replaced resentment.

And when the night finally came, Akemi fell into her bed, feeling something unfamiliar.

Peace.

As the castle quieted, the King turned to his wife.

"This is the first time you've been kind to her in a long while,"

he said.

"Are you finally accepting her as your daughter?"

The Queen smiled softly, gazing at the doorway where Akemi had disappeared.

"She has changed,"

she said.

"She no longer lets anger rule her heart. She doesn't hate us. She is powerful, yet she does not seek revenge.

She is kind.

And I am proud to call her my daughter."

The King chuckled, wrapping an arm around his wife.

And for the first time in years, the royal family slept peacefully under the quiet embrace of the night.