A touch.
My hand is grasped.
I open my eyes—blurred.
Someone pulls me upward.
Higher and higher, my body burns. My lungs feel as though they are on fire.
The light grows brighter.
Almost blinding.
The man glances back several times—
and as my vision clears—
Oliver.
---
"Uhukh."
I wake with a violent cough.
"Uhukh, ahakh, uhukh."
Water spills from my mouth.
"Hiro? Kid? Young Master?"
Their voices echo faintly.
Blurred faces surround me.
I slowly lift my head.
"Are you all right, kid?" Oliver's voice cracks with relief.
"Captain! How much longer until we arrive?!" Bartra shouts.
The helmsman shakes his head.
"We are already there. Zepharia."
Rose steps closer. A faint smile forms on her face.
"Are you all right, hm?"
I shake my head slightly.
---
"Lady, find the village healers near the harbor. Use Bartra's scope," Oliver orders.
Rose nods.
She is about to leave—
I catch her hand.
"Please… don't."
I look at Oliver, forcing a faint smile.
"I'm fine, Oliver."
He shakes his head.
"Don't do that, kid. We owe you. Let us repay it."
---
I stand slowly.
My body is still heavy, but I force myself upright.
"See? I'm fine, everyone."
I look at them one by one—
then freeze.
Behind them—
land.
"Look. We made it."
I point toward the horizon.
"Whatever your purpose is for coming here… that is what matters, Oliver."
He falls silent for a moment.
"…Whatever you ask, Young Master."
He nods faintly.
"So… where are we going next?" I ask.
---
We reach the shore.
Oliver, Rose, Bartra, Grizz, and Gruzz disembark first. Santiago and the rest of the crew take the ship along the coastline, tending to the damage.
Zepharia.
I am born in the far north.
Now I stand in the far south.
This crystal… has brought me this far.
---
"So where are we going, Uncle?!" Rose blurts out, snapping me from my thoughts.
Oliver does not lift his gaze from the map.
"The border towers. There are dozens. We will head to one of them. If we can send a signal, the guards across the continents will prepare."
"I see…" Rose murmurs.
She glances at me.
"Hiro?"
She narrows her eyes.
"Are you sleepy or something? You're far too quiet."
I exhale slowly.
"I'm just trying to remain calm and silent."
She shakes her head.
"Ugh… always like that."
---
We reach the top of the hill.
A village lies below.
I smile faintly.
Peaceful.
---
"WOW—IT'S BEAUTIFUL!" Rose shouts.
My body jolts.
"Lady, your excitement has become a burden. You will be the one going down to the market," Oliver says flatly.
"UNCLEEE!"
I let out a soft laugh.
"Busy, busy…"
"HIROOO!"
---
"We have arrived at the market. Is this where you wish to stop, Sir, Lady?" the coachman asks.
Rose steps down first.
"Can you take us to the harbor—from here," Oliver says, pointing at the map.
The coachman hesitates.
"I do not think I can go that far, Sir. I can only take you this far."
"Why is that?" Oliver asks.
"The guards have tightened security. Their posts are unpredictable. We dare not go farther," he replies.
Oliver thinks for a moment.
"Very well. Take us there."
---
Rose ends up buying far more supplies than I expect.
I move to help—
Oliver stops me.
"I will handle it, young master. Sit and rest."
He steps out to help her.
After everything is loaded—
"What is wrong with you, Uncle?! Why this many?!" Rose protests.
"This is not much. Just this," Oliver replies calmly.
"FOR YOU—NOT FOR ME!"
---
The journey continues without pause. Dusk slowly descends, painting the sky with a dim, warm glow. The scenery stretches wide beneath the sinking sun—beautiful, calm, as if drifting away from all the chaos we left behind.
Strange.
Rose gives me something I rarely feel—calm and silence, she is asleep. The coachman says we will arrive by morning, with no stops along the way. And now, it is not only Rose. Oliver has fallen asleep as well.
I cannot sleep.
My gaze keeps returning to the outside of the carriage. I want to see everything—before darkness fully takes over the sky. That brief moment before evening turns into night… always feels the most alive.
Beautiful.
Calm.
Three meanings from Mother… I name this sight as calm.
The view—always calms me. Always.
—
—CLICK.
Rose takes a photograph of Hiro, who is sleeping soundly. His face appears just as exhausted as Rose's and Oliver's had been earlier. Oliver holds back his laughter. Rose continues taking pictures with the new camera she bought at the market, also suppressing her laughter as Hiro's face looks terrible, with a thin line of drool trailing down.
—CLICK, CLICK.
I stir awake faintly at the sound. Sharp, small, yet disturbing.
A flash of light flickers across my face.
—CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
That sound again.
"Enough, enough. He will wake up, Lady. Pfft," Oliver whispers, holding back his laughter.
"He won't. He won't," Rose replies softly.
—CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
The light keeps flashing—disturbing my eyelids.
"Ugh."
"Well, look at that. He woke up," Oliver says quickly, turning his face away.
I open my eyes slowly. My vision is still blurred.
"What are you doing?"
Rose freezes. Slowly, she hides something behind her back.
"Are we there yet? What are you doing?" My mind has not fully gathered itself. Half-awake, the questions slip out.
I turn to look outside.
The sky is faintly red.
"Morning?" I ask.
"Yes. Morning. You didn't eat anything all night."
"So?" I ask again.
She holds something out with both hands. "Eat this bread. Drink this milk."
I take them. "Thank you," I murmur softly.
"What?" she says loudly.
"Nothing."
"WHAT?!"
—
"All right, Sir, Lady. This is as far as I can take you."
The carriage stops.
Not in a village. Not on a main road. Only wilderness—trees, soil, and silent wind.
"Rose, unload the supplies. Please," Oliver says.
Rose nods and steps down. I follow, opening the door on my side.
She glances at me. "Help me, Hiro."
I nod.
Oliver approaches the coachman. "How far is it from the coast?"
"Not too far, Sir. I have taken you farther than I normally would—especially since you are traveling with a Lady."
Oliver nods and hands him a pouch of valuables. "This is your payment."
The coachman accepts it. "My gratitude, Sir."
"Is everything unloaded?" Oliver asks.
"Yes," Rose answers.
The coachman grips the reins. "I wish you a safe journey, Sir."
Oliver gives a slight nod. "Thank you."
The carriage turns… and departs.
Silence settles immediately.
The journey on foot begins.
"All right. Are you both ready?" Oliver asks.
"Ready. After breakfast first."
"Right. Then let us begin."
—
"Eat the bread and drink the milk. We leave immediately after," Rose says, handing them to me again.
I look away, but still take them. "Thank you," I whisper.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"We are heading toward the coast," Oliver cuts in.
"We must arrive before nightfall. We need to find a gap to cross toward the other continent and send the signal. They will reach us before sunrise."
He pauses.
"But unfortunately—"
"Unfortunately?" Rose interrupts.
"That only works if we do not stop. We must arrive before night. If we are late, everything ends."
"WHAT?!"
—
The journey begins again.
And as expected—there are no stops.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner… everything is done while walking. No pause. No mercy from time.
"Everything will end," Rose suddenly says, breaking the silence.
"Hm?" Oliver responds.
"If we are late, everything ends. What does that mean, Uncle?"
"Oh, of course. Do you know why?"
Rose shakes her head.
"Because I saw one of the kingdom's soldiers where he should not have been—in a remote village. At the market earlier."
He glances at me.
"That is why I did not allow you to get down and help Rose at the market, Hiro. Because…"
He stops.
"Because what?" Rose presses.
"Because they have already spread newspapers with your face printed on them, Hiro."
"Huh?!"
I lift my head. "How could that happen? Did someone take my picture before?"
"No. That mage saw you… and sensed where you were going through magic."
"Do you have one of those newspapers, Oliver?"
He nods and pulls out a sheet. "Here."
I take it.
Rose steps closer.
I stare at it for a long moment.
My face—clearly printed.
"Oliver is right…" Rose whispers.
My grip tightens.
Because of me… all of this has become something much greater. More dangerous. For everyone.
"Don't worry. I will always be by your side, Hiro," she whispers.
I do not respond.
—
Morning turns into noon. Noon shifts into afternoon.
Lunch happens while walking. Just as promised—no stopping.
"Ugh, this is exhausting. Are we still far, Uncle?!" Rose complains.
"More or less, Lady. Tiring, isn't it? Hahahaha!"
"Ugh… enough… enough… I'm really tired, Uncle…"
Her body finally gives in. She collapses to the ground.
Oliver stops. He opens his map and studies it briefly.
"It's not dark yet. We are almost there." He sits near a mound of earth. "All right, let us rest for a moment—but not until night."
He takes something from his bag.
"Here, Hiro. Lady."
We each receive a canned bottle of milk.
Rose drinks hers without speaking. Her breathing is heavy, sweat running down her face.
I tilt my head up to the blue sky.
"I have a bad feeling, Oliver," I say quietly.
He looks at me. "What is it? Do you sense something, son?"
I shake my head, rubbing my neck.
"No, Oliver… it's just a feeling…"