Ashes of the Forgotten

The voice was eerily cold, as if a primordial beast from a dark cavern was calling out to him.

Ru anxiously looked around, but there was no one in sight. His breathing grew rapid, and fear was clearly visible on his face.

No sound. No reply. Nothing but silence.

Ru clenched his fists, trying to steady himself. He took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "W-Who's there?"

But there was no answer. That voice never came again. Ru was shaking inside, but he couldn't tell anyone about it. He forced himself to act as if nothing had happened, suppressing everything deep within.

Time passed, and he didn't hear the voice again. That night, he decided he would tell his parents everything—he needed to ask them what was happening.

The school day was about to end. According to the school's security policy, parents were required to arrive 10 minutes before dismissal to pick up their children. Slowly, parents started arriving, but no one came from Ru's house.

A strange uneasiness filled his heart.

Tring~

The bell rang. The students started leaving, but Ru was still standing there, alone.

Kayoni walked up to him. "You're still here? Haven't your parents come yet?"

Ru's face was pale with fear. Without answering, he suddenly turned and ran.

He ran without stopping, his heart pounding in his chest. His fear grew with every step. After a while, he got closer to his home when—

A bright light shot down from the sky.

A flash!

And then—a massive explosion!

BOOOOM!

The blast was so strong that everything within a 250-meter radius was obliterated.

For a moment, Ru's vision went black. His body froze in place, overwhelmed by shock. But in the next instant, only one thought filled his mind—

"Mom... Dad... I'm coming!"

His heartbeat thundered in his ears. The moment he took his next step, a golden glow erupted around his body.

Ru's speed increased in an instant. Every step he took cracked the ground beneath him. His body moved so fast that he felt like he was cutting through the air itself.

And in mere moments, he reached his home.

But what he saw made his heart stop.

His home was completely destroyed.

From within the wreckage, a faint voice called out, "Ru... Ru... are you here?"

Hearing his mother's voice brought him a moment of relief, but the way she spoke filled him with even greater fear. She was trapped beneath a collapsed wall, her hand and face barely visible through the debris.

Ru rushed to her side, gripping the fallen wall. Without a second thought, he lifted it effortlessly and threw it aside as if it weighed nothing.

Lost in his desperation, he didn't even notice the sheer strength he had just displayed. Tears streaming down his face, he cried out, "Mom... Mom, don't be scared! I'm here! I'll save you!"

His mother, seeing this newfound power in him, understood what had happened. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could—

A voice rang out.

"Your parents... were killed by devils."

Ru froze.

That voice... it was the same one he had heard at school.

Slowly, he turned around, his eyes filled with shock. "Who... Who are you?"

His mother weakly grabbed his hand. "Ru... listen to me carefully... Your father... is gone... And I... I don't have much time left..."

Ru panicked. "No! Mom, don't say that! I'll save you! We'll be together again, I promise!"

"Ru!!" she suddenly shouted, her voice filled with urgency. "Nothing can be changed now! Everything was decided long ago! The time has come for you to learn the truth!"

She turned her weak gaze toward the man standing behind Ru. "The one standing behind you... He is— Ikaris."

"He will tell you everything. If you listen to him, you will understand everything. Just remember—never ignore his words—"

Before she could finish, she was gone.

Ru had lost everything.

A long silence stretched between him and the man standing a few feet away. Neither of them spoke.

Then—without warning—Ru lunged forward, his fist aimed straight at Ikaris.

But before his punch could land—

WHOOSH!

Ikaris vanished. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared right next to Ru's mother's body.

Ru's eyes widened. His heart pounded wildly in his chest. His mind screamed at him.

"He's going to hurt her!"

His voice cracked with fury as he yelled, "Stay right there, or I swear I'll—"

"Save your anger!" Ikaris suddenly roared, cutting him off. His sharp, commanding voice shook the air. "Use it against those who truly deserve it—against the ones who did this to you, child!"

Ru felt like something heavy crashed into him. His body stiffened, an invisible force pressing down on his shoulders. It wasn't just the weight of his grief—this was something else. Something powerful.

His vision blurred. His head spun. The world around him seemed to shatter—

And then, darkness.

Ru collapsed.

Ikaris turned his gaze toward the lifeless woman before him. His eyes, usually devoid of emotion, softened just a little.

"I'm sorry..." he murmured. "But are you ready? Ready to reunite with him?"

A strange, eerie silence followed.

End of Chapter.