Outside the cave…
The air was thick with ash and sorrow. Smoke drifted from the mountain, now half-collapsed and silent.
Misaki dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face as her body shook.
"Rei…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Ash stood nearby, arms wrapped around Koharu. Both were crying—silent, broken. None of them spoke. There were no words left.
Suddenly—
A warmth brushed her cheek, soft like a hand… like his hand.
"I… I felt him," she whispered. Her voice trembled, eyes wide. "Rei… I just felt his touch..."
Everyone turned to her, stunned.
Then—
Arrived at home.
Misaki's Home – Night
The rain tapped gently on the windowpane. Inside the dim-lit room, Misaki sat on her bed, knees hugged to her chest. Her eyes were red and swollen—she hadn't stopped crying since she returned.
Framed photos lined her shelves. One showed the team smiling after their first mission. Another… Rei, making a peace sign behind her head, both of them laughing.
She reached for it with trembling hands and pulled it close to her heart.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye…"
The door creaked open.
"Misaki?" her mother's voice called gently.
Misaki didn't respond. She couldn't.
Her mother stepped in quietly, her father behind her. They both looked worried—but mostly broken. They sat on either side of her, silently.
After a moment, her mother wrapped her arms around her. Misaki finally let herself fall into her embrace, breaking into a choked sob.
"I tried, Mom… I tried to save him… I tried so hard…"
"I know, sweetheart," her mother whispered, holding her tighter. "I know…"
Her father placed a trembling hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.
"You were brave, Misaki. He knew how much you loved him. He knew…"
Misaki clenched her fists. "He saved all of us… but not himself."
There was silence—only the sound of rain and pain that couldn't be voiced.
Her mother stroked her hair. "You haven't lost him, Misaki. Not really."
"He's in here," her father said, placing a hand over her heart. "As long as you remember who he was… he's never truly gone."
Misaki shook as fresh tears fell.
Then—she looked at the photo in her hands, gently touching Rei's face.
A soft smile curved on her lips through the pain.
"I'll live… for you."
The light flickered as the rain poured harder.
But for the first time in days… she felt a warmth in her chest.
Ash's Home – Night
Rain poured outside, streaking the windows with silver tears. The house was dimly lit, silent, heavy with the kind of stillness that suffocates.
Rin, Ash's older sister, stood by the door holding his coat.
She had washed it, folded it, waiting for him to come home.
But he never did.
The chair he always sat in remained untouched. His shoes, still by the door. His cup, unwashed on the table—everything exactly how he left it.
Rin sat down slowly, her hands trembling. She touched the chair's armrest gently, then clutched the coat to her chest, burying her face in it.
"Baka..." she whispered. "You said you'd be back. You said we'd eat dinner together."
Her voice cracked.
She stood up and walked into his room. It was quiet, filled with little memories—his old books, posters, half-finished sketches on the desk.
She looked at the drawing of him, Misaki, Rei, Koharu—all smiling.
Her tears finally fell.
"Why did you go?" she cried, collapsing onto his bed. "Why didn't you let me stop you?"
Their mother peeked in from the hallway, her face pale, eyes swollen.
"He was trying to protect everyone," she said, barely above a whisper.
Rin sobbed harder. "I didn't want him to protect the world… I just wanted my little brother back."
She pulled the blanket up and curled into it like he used to. The scent of Ash still lingered, faint but comforting.
She whispered to the silent room:
"If there's a world after this… wait for me there."
A few days had passed since the tragedy outside the cave.
Ash, Misaki, and Koharu entered the Hero Guild in silence. The wide marble hall, once filled with warmth and purpose, now felt cold and distant. Their footsteps echoed faintly, drawing the attention of a few guild members—but no one said anything.
Their faces told the story.
Tired. Broken. Grieving.
From across the hall, a young woman with short blue hair walked toward them. Her name was Luna, a rising hero and a gentle soul among the chaos.
She stopped a few steps away, her voice soft.
"...I hope you're okay."
No one answered.
Ash stared at the floor. Koharu squeezed her arms tight. Misaki didn't move. The silence lingered, thick with sorrow.
Then, a commanding voice echoed from the far end of the hall.
"Everyone. Attention."
It was Kaien, a veteran hero with a scar across his left eye and a presence that silenced even the loudest room. He stepped forward, his cloak trailing behind him like the shadow of history itself.
"There's something you all need to know," Kaien began, his eyes sharp. "A new organization has appeared."
He paused. The crowd gathered, their faces shifting from curiosity to concern.
"They call themselves... Hero Hunters."
Gasps.
"They kill heroes in secret. Not for power. Not for territory. But for belief. After each assassination, they leave behind a symbol."
Kaien held up a photograph. It showed a blackened emblem scorched into a ruined wall:
A broken sword stabbed into a hero's helmet. Below it, a single word: 'BALANCE'.
Murmurs spread like wildfire. Fear. Anger. Confusion.
Kaien's voice hardened.
"They believe in judging heroes… eliminating those they call unworthy. This isn't an enemy we've seen before. They move in silence. They strike without warning. And they are growing."
Ash looked up, his eyes dark.
Misaki's lips trembled.
Koharu turned away, holding back tears.
Ash spoke, his voice low. Cold.
"…It's just beginning."
The air inside the hidden chamber was suffocating—thick with bloodlust and silence.
Dim torches flickered along the stone walls. In the center sat a throne of obsidian, and on it, the Leader of the Hero Hunter Organization—a figure wrapped in a cloak darker than midnight, face hidden behind a steel mask etched with cracks.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed.
A man entered.
His entire body was covered in a black cloak and mask. Only his blood-red eyes could be seen—burning with fury, with pain, with something deeper.
He walked forward and dropped to one knee.
"I want to join the organization," he said.
The Leader remained still, voice calm yet sharp as a blade.
"…Why?"
The man raised his head slightly.
"I want revenge against the heroes."
His voice trembled—but not with fear. With rage.
"I want to kill every last one of them."
Silence followed.
Then, a low chuckle came from behind the mask.
"Big words," the Leader said. "But how can I believe you?"
The man looked up, eyes burning brighter.
"Because I've already killed three."
He pulled out a blood-stained hero badge and dropped it at the Leader's feet.
The room grew colder.
The Leader leaned forward.
"Very well."
He stood.
"I'll give you a test."
The man nodded once.
"Whatever it is… I'll do it."
The Leader turned his back.
"Good. Kill a ranked hero within three days. Bring their emblem to me."
He paused.
"And if you fail… don't bother returning. You'll be hunted like the rest."