Ten years ago.
I still remember the day you came into our lives. Your mother and I had just gotten married and were moving to start our life together, our hearts light and full of hope. It was while gazing at the sky that evening that we spotted it — a shooting star, bright and silent, crossing the night like a sign.
Your mother and I, seeing it, wished to be happy in our life. But it wasn't long before that same shooting star fell from the sky and crashed a few hundred meters from us, sending a spray of earth and light into the calm night.
I still don't know why, but we felt that destiny was calling us. Something invisible was drawing us toward that crater. And what a surprise it was when we discovered it wasn't a meteorite but a capsule. And that inside lay an adorable baby, sleeping peacefully, as though all of this were perfectly natural. That day, you came into our lives and made them more wonderful than we could ever have imagined.
We took you in, then adopted you. The crash of your capsule had made no sound, and the event had been reported neither in the news nor in the media. It seemed we were the only ones who knew. To protect your safety, we hid the truth about your arrival on Earth and kept you close to us.
Of course, we were wary. It was obvious that you were no ordinary person and that you carried within you mysteries that might never be entirely revealed. But it was impossible for us to abandon you — a defenseless infant, unable to protect yourself or move a single limb.
We raised you as though you were our son, hiding the circumstances of your arrival in this world from you. You remembered nothing, had no memories. In our eyes, you were simply an innocent child — our child.
Time passed, and the thought that you were a stranger we had adopted gradually faded until it disappeared entirely. I considered you my true son. You and your mother represented everything most precious to me in the world. All those moments spent together, all those memories we created, that life the three of us had built. Your arrival in that capsule had turned our wish to be happy into reality.
Unfortunately, for some time now, you had seemed strange — growing more and more distant with your mother and me. As a father, I could clearly see that you were hiding something that weighed enormously on you. At first I decided to trust you. You must have had your reasons for not wanting to tell us the truth.
But one evening, you came home covered in bruises, your entire body marked with wounds. I will always remember that sight — you at the door, your face pale, your clothes torn. I was paralyzed, and your mother burst into tears. I wanted explanations. I wanted to know what was happening in your life. But once again, you refused to answer us. Head bowed, your gaze heavy with guilt, you said: "Sorry, but this doesn't concern you." And you locked yourself in your room.
I couldn't leave you alone. As a father, I had to support and help you. That night, while you were sleeping, I slipped into your room to uncover the truth. It broke my heart, but I searched every corner for the slightest clue that might be of use to me. I remember the delicacy with which I moved each object, terrified of waking you, even more terrified by what I might find.
It was there that I found that mysterious bracelet on your desk. I picked it up and, hiding it from your mother, decided to investigate alone. I didn't want to worry her any more than she already was. I was analyzing the object in the silence of the kitchen when, suddenly, a voice came from it. A woman's voice, calm and gentle, which said: "Nozomi, everything is alright. I know what happened today, but know that I'm here if you need me."
I was surprised at first, disoriented, my heart pounding. But the situation demanded that I remain calm and fully in control of my emotions — for you, for us, for our family life. I took a long breath and spoke up to address that mysterious voice.
I could tell from her intonation that she was surprised to find me at the other end of the line. But she was very understanding — she said to me: "You must be Nozomi's father, I presume."
I was on my guard at first, very suspicious, wondering what connection this person could have with you. She sensed the distance I was putting between her and me and spoke to me calmly, trying to ease the atmosphere. After a few sharp exchanges, I understood that she had no ill intentions toward my son and I was able to relax and begin to truly open up and talk with her. She decided to answer all my questions, one by one, hiding nothing from me.
It was then that I discovered the whole truth. I felt as though I were discovering an entirely new world — one you had been moving through daily, in silence, all this time. I discovered new sides of you I never could have imagined. But after all those revelations from Elyra, I understood why you hadn't wanted to tell us the truth.
You have always been a generous boy, who thinks of others before thinking of himself. You are ready to sacrifice yourself for the happiness of others, ready to accept suffering if it allows someone else to be happy. These aspects of your personality have always been both your greatest strength and your greatest flaw. But it is precisely what makes you so special in my eyes.
So you had chosen to become a hero. Strangely, that choice didn't surprise me in the slightest. Deep down, I had always sensed something heroic in you. A fiber you carried quietly, without ever showing it, like a fire you kept smothered beneath your usual restraint.
I was proud of my son. But I was also worried — terribly worried. You were putting yourself in danger, risking your life, and there was nothing I could do. Even if you were in reality the son of heroes, in my eyes you were above all my son — that little boy I had watched grow up, take his first steps, laugh out loud at nothing. Elyra saw my worry. That is why she also entrusted me with a bracelet, so that I could speak to her when I needed to.
After that, I spoke to your mother. I took the time to explain everything to her calmly. She dissolved into tears, seized by fear for your life — her reaction was predictable, and I understood it entirely. I was at her side to comfort her, to explain our role in all of this. We might simply consider you our son, but we had to open our eyes and accept that the path you had chosen was fraught with trials. But it was what you had chosen.
As parents, it was our duty to support you as best we could in what made you happy. It was clear you were depressed after what had happened to you that evening. Your mother prepared your favorite meal — she was still crying as she cooked, but she cooked all the same. And I came to stand outside your door to speak to you. Through that silent wood, I felt the full weight of your thoughts, the full heaviness of your emotions. As a father, I understood you better than you believed. That is why I had to make more of an effort to be truly present at your side.
After that night, thankfully and to our great joy, you had become yourself again. Your smile had returned, and with it, the confidence in your gaze and the light you naturally spread around you in our lives.
However, now that we knew the truth, we could no longer stay on the sidelines and watch from the shadows. Through Elyra, I obtained the contact details of your brothers' and sisters' parents. Through a call that was certainly unexpected, I wanted to speak to them about what you had all chosen to pursue, so that together we could decide what was most beneficial for all of you.
They were all surprised, of course. But just like us, they knew their respective children were not ordinary humans. Just like you, they had arrived on Earth in capsules, on the same day, but in different places across the globe. Each of those parents had sensed that something had recently changed in their children, and that you were hiding something from them that was too heavy to reveal to humans like us.
After long discussions and collective reflection, we all arrived at the same conclusion. Nozomi, no matter where you truly come from. No matter that you chose to become a hero. No matter that you keep your secrets from us. Whether it's you or your brothers and sisters — we would be there at your sides, in moments of joy as in the most difficult moments.
For a long time now, I have only ever seen in you a son I want to protect and watch grow. The fact that I now know the whole truth about your origins changes nothing. You remain my son, the child I took in and watched grow up, who has brought me so much love.
Shortly after, you left — supposedly on a trip. But Elyra had warned all of us about your true destination and your purpose. You have a good heart, and it is that goodness that drives you to seek power to help those who cannot protect themselves. Of course, your mother and I wanted to stop you at that moment.
But it is also the role of parents to make sacrifices and to believe in their children. As you left far from us, not knowing whether you would return, our hearts ached. But we trusted you. We believed in you. With all our hearts, we knew you would come back, no matter what.
Among the parents, we continued to talk together, forging strong bonds while waiting for your return. Each day was more unbearable than the last. No more news. No more information. No more sign of life. It is a silence only parents can understand. Elyra had told us not to worry about you and to trust you, as she had decided to do herself. But a few weeks after your departure, she contacted us to tell us she had to leave on a mission and that it would be impossible to reach her afterward, because of the great distance that would separate us.
We had no say in the matter. Forced to comply with her instructions, we were truly in the dark, completely without news after that.
Then one day, an immense portal opened above Paris, and from it emerged an army of men who set the entire city ablaze in fire and chaos. It was something never seen before. Their leader, a certain Reimu Hikarizuki, issued an ultimatum to the entire world. He demanded that the five heroes living on Earth be handed over to him.
Everyone else must have understood nothing — except us, who knew the truth. The forces of the entire world mobilized to try to stop the threat Reimu represented. But in vain — he and his army set Paris ablaze in the blink of an eye, plunging the city into total chaos. And he was now threatening the rest of the world with the same fate if you didn't show yourselves.
We didn't know where you were. But we knew with certainty that you would answer his call and leave for Paris to face him. We had the misfortune of witnessing the extent of his power, and worse still, he may have shown only a fraction of what he was truly capable of.
Together, with the agreement of each parent, we made the decision to go to Paris to help you. That decision may seem foolish — what could we do against beings of such power? We were perhaps walking toward our deaths.
But Nozomi, you have to understand that parents sometimes make foolish, irrational, and selfish decisions when it comes to their children. I don't know what I can offer you. I don't know whether I will be a burden or not. But I want to be with you. I want to watch you fight. I want to be able to help you, in my own way, however small that may be.
So please, Nozomi — accept my presence and your mother's at your side in this brand new life you have chosen for yourself. Even if we are a burden to you. No matter what you wish to become, we will stay together no matter what, as it has always been.
So run, Nozomi. And know that behind you, we are running too.
In the ravaged alleyways of Paris, the respective parents of Nozomi, Kael, Aria, Harris, and Shinrei were weaving between the rubble and ruined buildings, splashed by the orange glow of the fires. The ground cracked beneath their feet, the air burned with every breath. They were desperately searching for their children in that absolute chaos, hearts tight, fists involuntarily clenched.
They had learned through the news that their children had returned to Earth and that at this very moment, they were facing these men. Even if moving through the gutted streets was difficult and dangerous, they were desperately trying to get closer to the battlefield, where all the clashes were raging.
Even if the situation seemed desperate and their enemies were formidable, Nozomi, Kael, Aria, Harris, and Shinrei could count on their parents — who would always be at their sides.