The children still stood among the ruins, now reduced to ash and broken wood. Yet something in the air had begun to change.
Moments ago, they had been speaking of vengeance.
Now they spoke of the future.
Strangely, none of them looked uncertain.
They were all only seven years old.
Yet the ambitions they spoke of sounded far older than their years.
Ionis kicked a small stone across the dirt.
"So it's settled."
He glanced at the others.
"We all return to our own lands."
Dahlia crossed her arms.
"And build our own strength."
Dhea nodded.
"This isn't just about revenge."
Her gaze shifted to the pendant in White's hand.
"We'll create something greater than that."
Geofreyy smirked faintly.
"A syndicate."
"An organization."
His eyes swept across the group.
"The place where we'll operate one day."
Serena added lazily,
"A well-planned revenge."
Aeser raised an eyebrow.
"With a little betrayal mixed in."
A few children chuckled.
Ionis nodded in satisfaction.
"Now that sounds like proper revenge."
For the first time since the massacre—
some of them smiled.
As if the future they imagined was something bright.
One day they would meet again.
Not as refugees.
But as people who held power.
Suddenly Piona raised her hand.
"Wait."
Everyone turned toward her.
"If that's the case…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Who's going to lead us?"
Silence fell instantly.
No one answered.
Yet something happened at the same time.
Every pair of eyes turned to the same person.
White.
Ionis laughed quietly.
"Isn't the answer obvious?"
Dahlia nodded.
"White."
Claudia smiled.
"It's always been him."
Sandra wiped her still-red eyes.
"Yeah… White always protected us."
The children began speaking one after another.
"White always stood up when adults tried taking our food."
"I remember when he hit that man with a stick when they tried dragging Alyssa away."
"He even shared his last meal with us."
Ionis pointed his thumb at White.
"He's the only one who ever dared to fight the adults here."
Dahlia added calmly,
"And the only one who never gave up."
White fell silent.
He didn't know how to respond.
He had never imagined they saw him that way.
Finally he gave a small smile.
"If you all change your minds later…"
He shrugged.
"Don't blame me if I end up becoming a plumber."
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
Then—
laughter exploded.
"White as a plumber?!"
Ionis nearly slapped his knee.
"Then I'll become a carpenter!"
Aqua giggled.
The mood suddenly felt lighter.
But slowly, the laughter faded.
Replaced by smiles tinged with sadness.
White took a deep breath.
"Alright."
He looked at them all.
"You should leave as soon as possible."
Several children nodded.
White raised one finger.
"Fifteen years."
His voice turned serious.
"Don't forget that. Not for the rest of your lives."
Ionis grinned widely.
"In ten years I'll probably be the youngest professor alive."
Aira nudged Alicia.
"Alicia might only need a few years to become a High Samurai."
Alicia smiled faintly.
"Don't expect too much."
On the other side, Claudia smirked mischievously.
"Sandra, if you're still short and whiny fifteen years from now…"
She stuck out her tongue.
"…I'll still bully you."
Sandra immediately puffed her cheeks.
"I'm not whiny!"
Though tears still clung to her face.
Suddenly—
Widya stepped forward.
Without warning, she hugged White.
White froze.
"Widya—?"
She hugged him tighter.
"I'm going to miss you…"
Silence returned.
A few seconds later—
Serena joined the hug.
Then Dahlia.
Dhea.
Marvis.
Damian.
Ego.
Aqua.
"Hey—wait—"
White began losing his balance.
But the children stubbornly piled in anyway.
Until—
they all collapsed on top of him.
"Too heavy—!"
White fell backward to the ground beneath a pile of children.
A moment of silence passed.
Then laughter erupted again.
Alyssa stood a short distance away.
She watched the scene with slightly watery eyes.
White was truly loved by them.
From beneath the pile of children, White turned his head toward her.
He gave a small smile.
Alyssa returned it.
A little while later they began parting ways one by one.
Geofreyy approached White with Hougt beside him.
"Looks like this is goodbye."
Hougt gave a small smile.
The stitches across his mouth stretched slightly.
"Don't die before the fifteen years are up."
Geofreyy elbowed him.
"Watch that mouth. Let's go."
Hougt looked at White one last time.
"Don't forget us."
White nodded.
"I won't."
The two of them finally left.
Alyssa watched the children disappearing into the distance.
"Luckily some of them come from the same regions."
White simply nodded.
One by one the children vanished from the ruined camp.
Until at last—
only two remained.
White.
And Alyssa.
Cold wind drifted through the broken settlement.
Thin smoke rose from dying embers.
Alyssa held White's hand.
White let out a long breath.
"…I'm not sure."
Alyssa looked at him.
"Not sure?"
White stared at the ground.
"Whether they'll really remember this promise."
He smiled bitterly.
"We're all just seven-year-old kids."
"Driven by hatred for a single moment."
Suddenly Alyssa tightened her grip on his hand.
White looked at her.
Alyssa stared back with surprising seriousness.
"White."
Her eyes shimmered.
"Did you see their eyes earlier?"
White fell silent.
"They all share the same ambition."
Alyssa sniffed softly, pouting a little.
"If they can do it…"
She looked straight at him.
"Why can't we?"
White wiped a faint bead of sweat from his forehead.
"…That's true."
But after a moment—
he frowned slightly.
"But…"
He looked around the ruined refugee camp.
"…where exactly are we supposed to go?"
Alyssa went quiet.
A few seconds passed.
Finally she sighed softly.
"…Right."
Cold wind drifted once more through the shattered camp.
And for the first time since they made their promise fifteen years into the future—
the two children who started it all realized one simple truth.
They carried a great ambition.
But they didn't even have a home to return to.