Chapter 77: The Bloom oF orgiveness
The sky above Hoshikawa burned in soft hues of peach and lavender as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon. The last rays of daylight stretched over the fields where Riku once stood, his silhouette still fresh in the memories of those he left behind. Though his physical form had vanished, his presence clung to every petal of the Scarlet Bloom blossoms that now carpeted the land like a sacred sea of color.
Airi stood alone among them.
Her long hair danced with the breeze, the pendant Riku once wore now resting around her neck, glowing faintly with the lingering essence of his will. Her eyes, once clouded with pain, now shimmered with clarity as she touched the pendant gently.
"You always carried the weight for everyone," she whispered. "But now\... it's our turn to carry you."
Behind her, the field slowly filled with others. Himari, Kazuo, Reina, and even the quiet and brooding Sora walked side by side, their steps hesitant but purposeful. Each bore scars, physical and emotional, from the battles that had led to this peace. But peace had come. Finally.
Kazuo approached Airi, his hand still wrapped in bandages from the last confrontation with the corrupted Bloom Wielder. He glanced down at the flowers beneath them, then back up at her.
"Do you think he'd be proud of us?" he asked.
Airi turned, giving a small smile. "I know he would. Especially of you."
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know\... I wasn't always the kindest. Or the most dependable."
"But you were always real. And you never turned away, even when it would've been easier."
Sora's voice cut in, quiet but firm. "Riku believed in us more than we believed in ourselves. And now, we have to live up to that."
They nodded. One by one, they placed their hands together in the center, a silent vow forming between them. This wasn't just about the past anymore. It was about rebuilding. About healing.
Himari stepped forward, raising her eyes to the horizon. "I want to reopen the Bloom Academy. But not as a place to create warriors. It should be a place to nurture hope. To teach people how to live again."
Reina tilted her head. "Do you think the world is ready for that?"
Himari smiled, soft and sad. "The world was never ready. But Riku wasn't either. He still changed everything."
There was silence then, but it wasn't empty. It was full of memory, of sorrow, of love. A moment to breathe after a lifetime of holding it all in.
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**Flashback: The Riverbank Promise**
"If we ever lose each other," Riku had said, seated beside Airi by the riverbank, feet dangling above the rippling current. "Promise me something."
"What?"
"Promise me you'll smile again. Even if it takes time. Even if it hurts."
Airi had laughed then, a soft one, leaning on his shoulder. "Only if you promise me the same."
He had paused. And then nodded. "Deal."
---
**Now: Airi's Heartbeat**
Airi's hand closed around the pendant. "I promised," she murmured.
She turned to face the others. "Let's make this world something worth living in. For him. For us."
And so, they began.
Not with fanfare, nor glory. But with small steps. The planting of new seeds. The rebuilding of homes. The writing of a new book, titled *The Scarlet Legacy*.
As days turned to weeks, and weeks to seasons, the world slowly stitched itself back together. And though Riku never returned in body, his spirit danced in every laugh, in every Bloom that opened under the new dawn.
For even in absence, love does not fade.
It only blooms.
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