The City That Forgot Its Savior
The scent of smoke clung to Shigure's coat as he stepped into the ruined city. The walls were cracked, streets littered with broken stone, shattered glass, and scorched metal. And yet, there were people moving inside…laughing…rebuilding. As if none of it had ever happened.
Not a single one looked his way.
He had saved this city once
Bled for it
Burned for it
Watched half his body melt under divine fire to stop what would've wiped them all out
And now
They didn't even blink when he passed
"Excuse me," he stopped one of the guards posted at the gate
The man turned with a smile
A tired but kind expression
"Yes, can I help you traveler?"
"Do you…know who protected this city three years ago during the Black Sun Incident?"
The guard tilted his head
"Black Sun? I've never heard of that. Is it a novel?"
Shigure stared
No anger
No surprise
Just that hollow feeling again
Like someone had opened a hole in his chest and let everything spill out
He walked on
Silent
Unseen
---
It wasn't just this city
He found the same in every settlement within the region
People that had once cried his name now looked past him
Kids who once cheered now flinched when he approached
He wasn't a stranger
He was nothing
A ghost without even the weight of memory
That night, he stood on the remains of the central cathedral
Looking out over the city lights
The tower he once saved was being torn down
Rebuilt
Repurposed
As if his sacrifices were trash
---
A voice echoed behind him
"You look like a man who's lost something"
He turned
A traveler
Hooded
Wearing chains of white gold that shimmered unnaturally
Eyes purple like amethysts, glowing with something not human
Shigure didn't answer
"You're not cursed," the traveler said, smiling gently
"You're forgotten"
Shigure didn't move
Didn't speak
"But the worst part is…"
The man stepped closer
"Even you are starting to forget what you're fighting for"
The wind was sharp
Cutting
The city below buzzed with light and joy
And up here stood a man who had saved it all
Unseen
Unwanted
Unremembered
Shigure stepped back toward the edge of the tower
The wind brushing his hair
His coat billowing like wings
For a moment
It looked like he might jump
But then he sat down
Quiet
Breathing slow
Face calm
"I'm not done yet," he whispered
"Even if the world forgets me…I'll remember them all until the end"