Auren leans forward a bit, voice questioning, "Miss Violet, I wanted to ask you one more thing."
Violet—nods, smoothing her robes, serene voice "Yes, ask."
Auren—scratching the back of his neck, hesitant—"Do "you know any person named Ash Phantom??"
Violet raises her eyebrows and tilts her head slightly. "No… who is he??
Rose touches her head, eyes slightly opened. "Why am I feeling this way? Do I recognize this name?"
Violet approaches the bookshelf slowly, narrowing her eyes in contemplation. "What is this? Is this name historical or someone who lives in your city?"
Auren—he shakes his head, looking at the ground. "No, no… I was sitting on the roof of my house one day, and all of a sudden that name resonated in my mind. I don't know why, but I felt something strong at that moment."
Violet—armsfolded, she is serious now. "You are a Ryuki. Hearing a name out of nowhere is not an accident. I believe this individual has something to do with your ancestor, or perhaps Legend Ryuki was close with that name or individual. That's why you heard that name."
Violet—takes a step closer, her voice low and cryptic. "When some memory is bonded deep within your ancestor's lineage, their blood can transmit that emotion, name, or memory. When you heard that name, I'm sure another in your family did as well."
Auren—takes a step back, eyes wide. "What??"
Violet nods, putting a finger to a book on the shelf. "Yes, it can be like this. Somebody in your family must have heard or read that name, and at that moment, your relative's bloodline awakened the recollection—and all of a sudden, it mirrored that feeling to you all."
Violet—"Auren", we have a collection of history books. And as a librarian, I can tell you honestly… I've read every single one of them. But I've never come across a name like Ash Phantom. Our history doesn't have much about the Grand Era either."
"Auren—"The Grand Era? What is that?"
V Violet—"Legends say something happened—a time when humanity lost billions. We don't know exactly what caused it. The highest recorded Vita was 5966… but we believe, back in the Grand Era, some individuals had even more than that."
Rose—"Really"…?"
Auren—"Now "I'm really curious. What did happen in that era?"
Suddenly, an orb call buzzed.
Violet—"Who"'s this?"
From Orb—"I'm "Scarlet. Where are the kids?"
Violet—"We're "in the library."
Scarlet—"Bring them to the 10th floor."
Meanwhile...
Levi's eyes fluttered open. Weakly, he asked, Sir Aster… did we kill that kid?"
Aster, flying beside him on Kagunir, didn't look back. "We lost, Levi."
Levi's eyes widened. "What…? No. That can't be."
They soared through the skies, heading back toward Yuzen.
Levi sat up slightly. "Sir, where's Viny? … Where is she?"
A long silence.
Aster finally whispered, "She's… no more."
Levi froze. "What? What are you saying…? No. That can't be true."
Aster's voice stayed flat. "Life and death are two sides of one coin. To live in this world, we must carry both."
Levi clenched his fists, eyes welling up. "Sir… don't you have any emotions? Don't you know how she felt about you?"
Aster didn't respond immediately. Then he muttered, "Feelings make people weak. I knew her feelings… I just couldn't—"
Levi shouted, "If death comes, that's fate! But if it comes with regret, it tortures the soul forever!"
Aster flinched.
A tear rolled down his cheek.
[Flashback]
Smoke. Fire. Corpses lined the street.
A little girl sat, shaking, in the middle of the ruins.
Aster knelt down. "Hey… Are you okay?"
He gently lifted the girl in his arms and brought her to his home.
Later, as he placed her on the bed and turned to leave, a small hand clutched his coat.
"Wait… mister."
Aster turned.
She looked up with broken eyes. "Why… why did this happen? Why did my mother… my father die?"
Aster swallowed hard. "This world is cruel. We can't bring back what we lose… but we can carry it forward."
Back to the present.
Aster's voice cracked. "I know, Levi. I know everything she felt. But I was too much of a coward to say anything."
His tears fell harder now. "She lived in my house… she was family. And yet we never had the courage to speak our hearts."
"I know she loved me." He looked down. "And I failed her."
Levi wiped his own eyes, voice trembling. "You did her wrong, sir. Because of you… she died carrying the pain of never knowing if you loved her back."
Aster screamed into the wind. "I'm sorry, Viny… I'm so damn sorry. Please… forgive me."
*****
Okabaru—"Where "is that guy… Mekamaru?"
Sakura—lifting her head, eyes scanning the land—"Oh", Mekamaru… he was fighting that elite, Levi. I hope he's safe."
Okabaru—gently placing a hand on her shoulder "We'll find him on the way. Come on, sit on the bat."
Sakura nods and climbs up
Sunny—hands raised, looking frustrated—"Cyber", arise! Cyber, arise!!"
Okabaru—sighs "Sunny… leave it now."
Sunny—crossing his arms and slumping down "This is the worst day…"
The bat flaps its massive wings and glides across the wind currents. Below, the mountains roll like waves of stone.
Sakura—pointing ahead "Look! There he is—behind that mountain!"
The bat lands gently. Dust swirls. Sakura jumps down, running.
Sakura—kneeling beside him "Mekamaru! Are you alright?!"
Mekamaru—blinks, slowly getting up. "Yeah… I'm fine. Just… was sleeping a bit."
Sakura smiles warmly. "That's good news."
She regards his battered arms, still marked by combat.
Sakura—"I "saw you during the fight… You grew giant-sized!"
Mekamaru laughs. "Yeah… that's one of my powers. Doesn't come out often."
Both laugh for a brief moment—soft, weary, but real.
Mekamaru—turning serious, voice "low—"lost a lot of troops…"
Sakura nods, eyes glazing. "Yes… it hurts. But their lives did not go in vain
We… we won this battle."
Mekamaru—gritting his teeth, then nodding slowly "That's good."
Okabaru—calling from the bat—"Let"'s go, Mekamaru. Miss Scarlet is calling."
Mekamaru—wiping sweat from his face, voice steady "Yes. Let's go."