"Sometimes, the world doesn't need to be burned—it just needs to be left cold and alone."
The night sky is so clear, not a single cloud dares to obscure the vastness of the stars. Their light twinkles silently, like mute witnesses to the thousands of tragedies that have unfolded in this world.
I sit alone at the edge of a steep stone cliff, my knees bent, hands gripping the rough rock beneath me. The desert wind blows slowly, carrying grains of sand and the kind of silence that cuts deep into my chest.
Below this cliff, the desert stretches endlessly, as if the world ends there—and I am the only one left.
Tonight, I distanced myself from Elvira, from Luelle, from anyone.
Because tonight, I just want to talk to myself.
[Minato's Monologue]
You know... everyone always says that the most important thing is to be good.
They repeat it like a prayer, like a sacred mantra that seems capable of saving this world.
But none of them really know what it means to be good.
For me?
Being good means letting the people you love die at the hands of someone stronger.
It means bowing your head when you see farmers starving while nobles feast.
It means holding back tears, suppressing anger, for the sake of a fragile, fake peace.
If that's what it means to be good, then I don't want to be good.
I'm not a hero who will be sung about in folk songs.
I'm not a pure-hearted knight who will be remembered in history books.
I am just a small ember—burning because the world let me smolder slowly.
And now, I live for one purpose: to make sure no other embers die in vain.
I once believed that strength could solve everything.
That with power, I could destroy injustice, wipe out all the corruption.
But now, I know… strength is not the solution.
Strength is just a delay.
It gives you time, it gives you choices.
Terrible choices:
To become the monster you hate, or to let other monsters win.
And I… choose to be a flame.
A stubborn flame.
A flame that refuses to go out.
A flame that defies the world even when the world itself has given up.
I choose to be a small fire, maybe, but enough to warm cold hands.
Enough to light the way for those lost in the darkness.
Because if I go out… who else will light their path?
Soft footsteps echo from behind me.
Light, almost as if afraid to disturb this silence.
I don't need to turn around to know who it is.
Elvira.
She stops a few steps behind me, as if giving me the chance to send her away if I want.
But I remain silent.
Slowly, she approaches and sits beside me. She opens the small water pouch she brought and offers it to me.
I take it without much talk, sipping a bit of the cold water that feels strange in my parched throat.
We sit in silence for a long time. Only the desert wind speaks, brushing through our hair, carrying the scent of sand and scorched stone.
Finally, Elvira speaks, her voice soft, almost like a whisper:
"You said you wanted to be alone… But your expression looks like someone who's lost."
I exhale deeply. I don't respond.
She crosses her legs, looking at the sky like I did earlier.
"I don't know what you see in yourself," she continues. "But I believe in what I see in front of me."
I glance at her, finally turning to look.
She's not talking about strength. Not about Archa Tempest. Not about all the burdens I carry.
She's talking about me.
As a person.
As Minato.
Not a weapon. Not an ember. Not a creature born from scars.
For a moment, something warm creeps into my chest.
A small warmth, fragile, but real.
I turn my gaze back to the sky, letting the stars witness this small moment.
Under those silent stars, I find something new:
True strength isn't just about burning and destroying.
True strength is choosing to keep burning,
to remain a light,
even when the world wraps you in coldness and solitude.
And maybe, even if the world rejects my existence,
even if the world hates me,
I will keep burning—
For those who can still be saved.
For a world that might not be entirely ruined.
For the small hope that still dares to endure amidst the ruins.
Because I am Minato Ascheveil.
I am not anyone's shadow.
I am an ember… that chooses its own path.