Chapter 4: A Reason to Live
— A Memory from the Edge
Why am I here?
Why is this happening to me?
Why do I have to run away?
My legs burned.
Every breath scraped my throat raw.
I'm tired.I'm hungry.I don't want to run anymore.
The forest blurred as tears filled my eyes.
Branches cut into my arms. Roots caught my feet. I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
I want to see Father and Mother.
---
I burst out of the trees and nearly fell.
A cliff.
The forest ended abruptly, dropping into an endless darkness below. I couldn't see the bottom—only mist and shadows.
Mama once told me…
When good people die, they go to heaven.Just like Grandma and Grandpa.
Mama and Papa are in heaven now.
I was a good boy.
I helped Mama.I listened to Papa.
If I die… I'll see them again, right?
I won't have to run anymore, right?I won't have to starve, right?
I can meet my little sister.
My feet moved.
One step.
Then—
Pain.
---
Something grabbed me from behind and yanked me back.
I hit the ground hard, air knocked from my lungs.
I opened my eyes.
An old man stood over me.
Older than Grandpa Hakuro.
He had a long beard, thick and untrimmed, and wore strange clothes—the kind I'd once seen at the shrine. His eyes were sharp, but tired.
He stroked his beard slowly.
"…Such a fine child," he muttered."And yet such dullness in the eyes."
He sighed.
"You've suffered too much for someone so young. What has this world become?"
I didn't understand him.
He talked weird.
I tried to speak, but my throat burned. I hadn't eaten or drunk anything in two days.
He noticed.
Without warning, he placed his hand near my throat.
Warmth spread through me.
The pain faded.The hunger dulled.The exhaustion lifted.
When he stepped back, I felt… better.
I tried again.
"…Why?"
He tilted his head.
"That's a very particular question, young one. Why what?"
"Why… did you help me?"
He stared at me like I was stupid.
"Do I need a reason to save a child no older than five?"
"I'm seven," I muttered.
He snorted.
"Not in the state you're in."
He crouched slightly.
"Now tell me. What are you doing in a forest like this? Do you have any idea how many monsters roam here?"
"I'm running away."
"Why?"
I clenched the sword tighter.
"People from the village are chasing me," I said."They said I did a bad thing."
My voice shook.
"They said I'm a monster. That I killed everyone."
I swallowed.
"I told them it wasn't me. It was Uncle Shin. But they didn't believe me."
They beat me.
They shouted.
"They chased me," I continued."No one helped."
Tears fell.
"Yuuki looked away.""Uncle Gorou didn't stop them.""Aunt Miki, too."
I cried harder.
"Everyone left me because I'm bad."
The old man was quiet.
"How long have you been running?"
"…Five days."
His expression changed.
This time, he didn't hide it.
Sadness.
"What were you doing near the cliff?"
I answered honestly.
"I was going to jump."
His eyes widened.
"If I die," I said, "I can meet Mama and Papa.""I won't be alone anymore."
His sadness turned sharp.
Anger.
"Why would you do something so stupid?!"
I snapped.
"THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO?!"
My chest hurt.
"I DON'T HAVE FRIENDS!""I DON'T HAVE MAMA AND PAPA!""I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING!"
My voice broke.
"THEN WHY SHOULD I LIVE?!"
I couldn't breathe.
I cried until my head hurt.
He didn't yell.
He knelt down in front of me.
His voice was calm. Firm.
"Until you find a purpose for your life, live for my sake.""And for the sake of finding that purpose.""Do not let the sacrifices your loved ones made for you end in vain."
Then he hugged me.
I tried to push him away.
I couldn't.
I cried again. Louder. Harder.
I cried until I fell asleep.
The last thing I heard—
"You won't be alone anymore, child."
---
— Memory End
---
Present Day
Near the Gates of Sol Aureth
I opened my eyes.
The gentle rocking of the carriage greeted me.
"…That dream again," I murmured.
My eyes felt wet.
I stretched slightly and steadied my breathing.
I wonder how Claire is doing.I hope Aunt Jane is well.
The carriage slowed.
Through the window, towering white walls came into view—etched with glowing runes, banners fluttering above.
Sol Aureth.The heart of the Aurethian Empire.
I exhaled.
From my pack, I took out the face guard—a transparent, glass-like mask that covered my face completely.
I put it on.
My aura vanished.My presence dulled.
I ran a hand through my hair once, smoothing it back, then gathered my belongings.
The carriage stopped.
The gates loomed before me.
I stepped down.
Toward the city.Toward the future.Toward a life I chose to keep living.