– To the Old Village –
(They left the cell in heavy silence. No words were spoken—only the sound of their footsteps accompanied by the cold wind that haunted the corridors of the fortress.)
Kyoji (leading the way out of the fortress):"Are you sure? Going back there... it might open wounds that will never heal."
Hikaru (his eyes fixed on the distance):"The wounds are already there... whether I return or not. But now, I might find their cause."
(They leave the fortress behind, heading through the forest that covers the path to the old village of Hanazora. The trees sway as if they remember what happened there... and warn against returning.)
– At the Village Ruins –
(Clouded sunlight pierces the dust rising from the dead earth. There's not much left—just the remains of burned walls, a collapsed roof here, a decaying threshold there.)
(Hikaru walks slowly among the wreckage, as if every stone carries a voice from his past.)
Hikaru (barely a whisper):"I used to sit here... while my grandfather told me stories… And my grandmother planted white flowers there, beneath the apricot tree…"
(He runs his hand over a charred trunk, closes his eyes, and memories begin to explode within him — laughter, footsteps, the scent of food… then sudden screams.)
(He kneels to the ground, touching the ashes of memory.)
Kyoji (looking around cautiously):"This place... holds a strange energy. I can feel it in my bones."
Hikaru (suddenly rising, eyes lit with realization):"There was a place... beyond the hill, on the village's western edge. They always forbade me from going there. They said the land was cursed."
Kyoji:"Or maybe... they were protecting you from something."
– To the Forbidden Zone –
(They climb the abandoned hill. The trees grow denser, the air heavier, and the birds fall silent as if the forest itself holds its breath.)
(Behind a curtain of blackened trees, a dark cave opening appears, hidden behind a tangle of old, intertwined roots.)
(Hikaru pushes the branches aside and takes his first step inside… Instantly, the ground trembles, as if the cave had awakened.)
– Inside the Cave –
(The cave stretches into narrow passageways, lit by a faint blue glow emanating from its walls. Deep inside, they reach a circular chamber carved from stone. At its center lies a stone pedestal holding an ancient sword covered in ash. Its scabbard bears engravings unlike anything human.)
(As Hikaru approaches the sword, the ground trembles, the surrounding stones begin to glow, and strange whispers rise from all directions.)
Kyoji (taking a step back, sensing the power):"The sword... it's calling to you."
(Hikaru steps forward and grips the sword's hilt—and instantly, a violent vision erupts within him, impossible to resist.)
– The Vision –
(When Hikaru first held the sword, he felt as if he held the world itself, as though an unmatched power had fused with his soul — a force that could challenge heaven and earth.)
(But in the same moment, scenes poured before his eyes like a flood of blood — countless victims: dragons, beasts, and creatures he had never imagined, all felled by this sword.)
(Then, amidst the flames and ruin, a man appeared… unlike any Hikaru had ever known.)
(He was tall, standing firm atop a torn land. His long red hair blazed like a living flame in the storm. He wore a single cloak that wrapped around his slender form with symbolic force, as if armor was beneath him… His face was blurred, as if it didn't belong to this world, or as if time itself refused to reveal it clearly.)
(Still, a terrifying aura surrounded him—so intense that even mountains seemed to bow, acknowledging his presence and fearing it… He looked to be in his forties, but carried the presence of centuries.)
(Then he turned to Hikaru and looked directly at him… and laughed — a calm, deep laugh that carried something of mockery and something of inescapable fate.)
(A laugh that seemed to say: "The game has begun… Let's see if you're worthy of it.")
– Returning from the Vision –
(The scene shatters suddenly like broken glass, and Hikaru returns to his body. The sword remains in his hand, but it feels heavier — not in weight, but in burden.)
Kyoji (approaching with concern):"What did you see?"
Hikaru (looking at the sword, his eyes full of awe and fear):"This sword… it once saved the world… and destroyed it too. And I... I saw the one who wielded it before me."
(He pauses. His voice lowers.)
Hikaru:"And he… was laughing."
– The Silence After the Shock –
(The two of them stare at the cave's mouth, where the shadows begin to retreat, as if something had just been returned to its rightful place.)
– Exiting the Cave –
(Hikaru slowly pulls the sword from its stone base. A deep sound echoes, as if the mountain itself exhaled after a long slumber.)
(He steps back, the sword in his hands—when suddenly, the ground beneath his feet begins to tremble. The walls shudder, and dust falls from the ceiling.)
Kyoji (shouting):"The cave is collapsing! Go!"
(They sprint through the winding passages, rocks crashing behind them. The light grows dimmer and dimmer until, at last, they leap out of the cave's mouth just as it seals shut. The forest quakes, as if the earth had swallowed the secret whole.)
(Hikaru rises with difficulty, gasping, his shoulders covered in dust. He looks at the sword—still gripping it tightly.)
Kyoji (catching his breath):"Is it... over?"
(Hikaru doesn't answer. He simply looks back to where the cave vanished, then to the ruined village visible in the distance.)
– At the Village's Edge –
(Hikaru stops at the threshold of the scorched village. A soft breeze passes through, carrying the ash of memory.)
(Visions from the past flicker before him: his grandfather patting his shoulder with a laugh... his grandmother handing him a warm piece of bread... his childhood friends running through the streets, waving at him—all of them fading into the wind like ghosts of light.)
(His eyes fill with tears, unblinking. Silent.)
(At last, he lifts his gaze, staring up at the cloud-covered sky.)
Hikaru (whispering, to those who are gone):"I will find the truth… and protect what remains."
(He turns to Kyoji, the sword now slung across his back. He says nothing. No words are needed.)
(Then he begins to walk, leaving the village behind. The ash scatters in the wind behind him… as if the past had finally agreed to be buried.)