Chapter 175: Forward

Nina stood ten meters back on the bridge, half-hidden behind one of the ornate pillars as if unsure whether to approach.

She looked small and fragile in the crimson light—a girl no older than 16 with dark long hair and eyes that had seen far too much horror for her age.

Ishiki had met her during the chaos of the Crimson Canopy. One of the younger players who had survived through luck and the protection of stronger players. She had attached herself to him early on, calling him “Big Brother” with the sort of trust that made his chest ache.

“Nina,” Ishiki breathed, straightening immediately. “What… what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Filch?”

She stepped onto the bridge slowly, wringing her hands. “I know. But I saw you from where I was staying. You were walking alone and looked…” She hesitated. “You looked really sad. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Something about the simple concern in the voice of this child checking on him when she’d been through her own nightmare made Ishiki’s chest tighten.

“I’m…” He started to say fine but couldn’t force the lie out. “I’ve been better.”

Nina came closer until she stood beside him at the railing. She was slightly smaller than Ishiki when they were in the Crimson canopy… but now she was almost the same height.

“You went to the cemetery, didn’t you?” Nina asked quietly. “To see that lady, Kaori’s grave.”

Ishiki’s jaw tightened involuntarily. “Yeah.”

“Filch told me what happened. How she…” Nina’s voice wavered slightly. “How she saved you and then the demon…”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Ishiki said, perhaps more sharply than he intended.

Nina flinched slightly, and immediately Ishiki felt like a bastard. She was just concerned and trying to help in the only way she knew how.

“Sorry,” he said, softer now. “I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just…” He cut himself off, hands gripping the railing hard enough that his knuckles turned white.

Nina reached out tentatively and placed her small hand over his.

“You don’t have to apologize,” she said. “Grief isn’t something you can control. It just… happens. Like waves crashing on a beach. Sometimes they’re small, and sometimes they’re big enough to knock you down.”

Ishiki looked down at her, surprised by the maturity in her words. “When did you get so philosophical?”

“I’ve had a lot of time to think,” Nina said with a small, sad smile. “About death, and losing people, and what it means to keep going when everything feels impossible.” She squeezed his hand gently. “Filch almost died protecting me back in the forest… but he made sure that we reached this place before he went down.”

“Looking at him when he was not waking up, and looking at my parents as they gradually faded… I have come to understand quite a few things.”

“What?” Ishiki asked with a frown.

“That we can’t waste time being scared or sad all the time. We have to…” She struggled for the words. “We have to hold onto the people we still have and move forward.”

Ishiki was silent for a long moment. She was right! Kaori was gone and he’d been so consumed by grief and fury that he had barely spoken to any of them in three days.

“You’re smarter than you look, kid,” Ishiki said, managing something close to a smile.

“Hey!” Nina protested, but she was smiling too. “I’m not a kid. I’m Sixteen.”

“Sixteen is definitely still a kid.”

“You’re only, what, eighteen? You are not much older!” She refuted.

“Old enough to know better than to argue with a wise young philosopher,” Ishiki said, and this time his smile was genuine.

They stood in comfortable silence for a moment, watching the still water reflect the Crimson Moon’s light.

“Big Brother Ishiki?” Nina’s voice was smaller now. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are you… are you scared?”

The question was so honest, so vulnerable, that Ishiki couldn’t bring himself to lie.

“I am terrified,” he admitted. “Of the dragon and of being trapped here forever. Of watching more people die and not being able to stop it.” He looked down at her. “Aren’t you?”

Nina nodded, eyes glistening slightly. “Every day. Every night. I have nightmares about the Crimson Canopy and the withering beasts.” She swallowed hard. “About everyone dying.”

“Hey,” Ishiki said gently, turning to face her fully. “That’s not going to happen.”

“What if-” she started.

“No what-ifs,” Ishiki interrupted. “Listen to me, Nina. I know things look impossible right now. The dragon is emperor and everyone’s either surrendering or giving up hope.” He placed both hands on her shoulders, holding her gaze. “But I’m not giving up and neither should you.”

Nina’s eyes widened. “You’re not?”

“Hell no. I refuse to accept that this is it. That we’re trapped here forever, serving some ancient monster who thinks he owns us.” Ishiki’s grip on her shoulders tightened slightly. “The scenario said kill the emperor and return home. Well, there’s an emperor now. So that means there’s still a way out.”

Understanding dawned in Nina’s eyes. “You mean… kill the dragon?”

“Eventually.” He met her gaze with absolute certainty. “We’ll get stronger and when the time is right, we’ll kill him and complete this goddamn scenario.”

“And go home,” Nina whispered, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. “We’ll actually go home?”

“We will,” Ishiki promised. “I don’t know when. I don’t know how long it will take. But I swear to you, Nina—we will kill that dragon, and we will go home.”

Nina threw her arms around him suddenly, burying her face in his chest as she sobbed.

Ishiki wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she cried. Over her head, he stared out at the crimson-painted lake.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to cry all over you.”

“Don’t apologize for that,” Ishiki said. Then, acting on pure instinct, he reached out and gently patted her head as he ruffled her long dark hair with fond affection. “You’re allowed to cry, Nina. You’re allowed to be scared as well.”

Nina looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes, and for a moment she looked so young and vulnerable that Ishiki’s heart ached.

“But you’re also allowed to hope,” he continued, still patting her head gently. “You’re allowed to believe that we’ll make it through this. Because we will… I promise.”

Nina leaned into the gesture, closing her eyes. “You really mean that? It’s not just something you’re saying to make me feel better?”

“I really mean it.” Ishiki’s hand stilled on her head, resting there with protective warmth.

She was definitely still a kid! A kid who has seen too much… He had not been older than her when this all started, so he could guess how she felt.

After a few seconds, she backed away and wiped her tears.

“Okay, I’m going back now,” she announced. “But Big Brother Ishiki? Thank you. For the promise.” She hesitated, then added shyly, “And for the head pat. That… that really helped.”

Ishiki felt his cheeks heat slightly. “Yeah, well. Don’t get used to it. I’m not some head-patting machine.”

“Too late. You’ve established a precedent. Now I’ll expect one every time we meet.”

“Brat,” Ishiki said, but he was smiling.

Nina giggled with a light, musical sound that seemed entirely out of place under the Crimson Moon’s ominous glow. Then she turned and ran off the bridge, disappearing into the maze of golden-cobblestoned streets with the boundless energy of youth.

Ishiki watched her go until she vanished from sight, then turned back to the lake one final time.

His reflection stared back at him… tired, older and marked by loss and hardship.

’Well first thing first… I will go and check on myself. I should have gained at least 2 levels by now. There is also the Vestige I got and the questions that need answer.’

He planned to head home first and then to the cathedral of the Inner Ring!

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