Down below, on the gentle curve of the cemetery, there was a little girl in a white dress. Her brown hair, the same hair I had caressed so many times, danced in the wind. She ran. She danced.
And she laughed.
That sound... that laughter... pierced my chest like an arrow, striking where the pain had settled.
She looked so happy.
Free.
As if all the weight that held her to the ground had disappeared.
I, who until that moment had not shed a single tear, began to break down.
My shoulders shook.
My legs gave way.
Tears flowed uncontrollably, as if all the emotions I had swallowed were overflowing at once.
"You mustn't cry, must you?" I heard her soft voice.
I turned my face and saw her.
She was there. Crouching in front of me, her hands holding her face, her eyes gentle, as always.
Looking at me with that silent care she always had for me.
"You're much prettier when you smile" she said. "I'll be sad if you cry. Look... now I can run. Aren't you happy?"
I swallowed hard. My eyes were red, my hands were shaking.
But I nodded. Slowly, I lifted my face.
"Yes... I'm happy"
She smiled. That smile I will never forget.
Her small hands touched my face, wiping my tears with her fingers. That touch... warm, soft, real.
"I love you" she said. "Thank you for making me happy. Don't be sorry for that. I will never forget you"
And then she held out her hand.
In her palm, a small white rose. Fragile. Pure.
As soon as I touched it, the flower burst into a shower of light—thousands of bright dots that dissolved into me, entering my chest like warmth.
She was still smiling.
But her body was beginning to disappear...
Turning into light.
White dots, like fireflies, spreading and rising, dancing toward the sky.
I stood there. Watching.
The sky darkened for a moment... and then brightened.
I had never seen so many stars. It was as if the firmament itself had been embroidered by hand.
And among them, a silver river flowed, rising from the earth and spreading like an infinite bridge.
And then, I felt it.
That warmth.
That same warmth that enveloped me when she hugged me.
For a second, I was overcome with peace. A deep, serene peace.
But as quickly as it came, it was gone.
My eyes grew heavy. The world darkened.
And when I opened them again, the sun had already risen.
—•—
Still standing before the cold tombstone, I looked at that simple stone that now held half of my buried soul. The wind swayed the dry leaves around me, but inside me... the emptiness began to give way.
Not to joy, nor to peace.
But to something quieter. A conviction.
"I will find you again..." I whispered, my voice barely audible above the sound of the wind. "If not in this life, then in the next"
It was my promise. Not a wish. Not a dream.
A certainty.
I turned and began to walk among the graves. Each step seemed to touch something invisible. As if each tombstone carried a sigh, an echo of those who had been there before. Stories that no one else told, names erased by rain and time... but their feelings were still there.
And for some strange reason, I could feel them. Not in words, but as a silent vibration in my chest. It was as if my heart now understood the dead—and was understood by them.
After walking in silence among the silent gravestones for some time, I found Doug. He was asleep, leaning sideways against a gravestone covered with moss.
The scene was curious—a man so large and sturdy, with calloused hands and broad shoulders like a veteran warrior, sleeping there like an exhausted child, his face serene and his arms crossed over his chest.
Approaching slowly, I called out in a low voice:
"Doug..."
He started, waking abruptly. He tried to get up so quickly that he stumbled over his own legs, almost falling onto the ground of hard-packed earth and dry leaves. His eyes were half-closed with sleep, but they held a readiness that only years of loyalty forged in battle could offer.
"Y-young master!" he exclaimed, trying to compose himself as he adjusted the tattered cloak on his shoulders. "Are we leaving already?"
I nodded with a slight smile, calm.
"Yes"
Doug yawned loudly, covering his mouth with his hand, then rubbed his eyes hard.
His shoulders were still tense, but little by little he woke up completely. When he really looked at me, his eyes lingered a second longer, as if something was out of place. He looked me up and down, assessing not only physical wounds, but something beyond—looking for cracks, weaknesses... changes.
"Are you... all right, young master?" he asked hesitantly. "You look... different"
My words hung in the air for a moment. I looked up at the sky above us—night was giving way to a new day. The horizon was tinged with soft blue, and the cold air was beginning to lose strength in the face of the first rays of sunlight.
"I'm fine" I replied firmly but without haste. "Let's go. I still have a duel to win"
Doug's eyes widened, clearly unsure if I was serious or just trying to sound confident. But then he let out a muffled laugh, the sound echoing softly among the gravestones.
"Hahaha! Young master... always with these jokes"
But even as he laughed, he seemed thoughtful. As if he knew that something inside me had really changed.
"I'm not joking" I replied calmly, without changing my tone. My voice came out firm, as if carrying a decision that had already been made. "I'm not going to let my father, with one arm missing, clean up this mess alone"
He must be busy right now... making more children."
Doug paled a little, swallowing hard. His eyes widened for a moment, surprised both by the words and the way I said them.
"Y-young master..." he muttered, almost as if he didn't recognize who was standing in front of him. "You seem... strange"
I smiled. This time, for real. Not an automatic smile to ease tensions, nor a wry smile to end the conversation. It was small, but genuine. As if a part of me—perhaps one I didn't even know—had finally awakened.
"Maybe I am a little weird" I said, shrugging.
"But you know... that's not such a bad thing"
Doug scratched his head with one of his large hands, his fingers running through his hair, which was already starting to turn gray at the sides. He didn't seem to understand what I meant, but he didn't try to press the issue. He just nodded slowly, with the silent acceptance of someone who has seen too much to doubt unexpected changes.
I left the cemetery behind without looking back.
There was something about each gravestone that tightened my chest. It was as if they were all whispering unfulfilled promises, unspoken memories, secrets that would never be revealed.
And I... I wasn't ready for that.
Not today.
The truth is, Evelyn had always been the balancing point in the middle of my chaos.
Without her, everything seemed a little quieter. A little darker.
But also... strangely light.
Not that it was better—it never would be—but it felt like something inside me had been released. A chain, perhaps.
Maybe it was her last smile. Or the sound of her laughter running between the graves, even though I never reached her.
Maybe it was just my imagination. But if it was... then I'd rather keep fooling myself.
Deep down, I think I've always been a little weird. I never knew how to deal with what I felt, or what I wanted.
But now... I wanted answers.
That ball of white fire burning deep inside my consciousness...
I felt like it was breathing with me. Like it was watching the world with me.
It wasn't just energy. It was... alive.
And I needed to understand.
I needed to talk to the vice principal. Find out what he knew. What had been hidden from me all this time.
About the ring.
About the damn Violet House.
And about myself.