The Scars No One Sees
Silence reigned.
For the first time since the war had begun, the screams of the Yami had vanished.
The flames that had consumed entire districts of the Imperial Capital had finally gone out.
But...
This was not the silence of peace.
It was the silence that followed a catastrophe.
Three days had passed.
In those three days, the world learned of the Emperor's death.
Half of the Imperial Capital lay in ruins.
Gerudo had disappeared without a trace, along with thousands of members of Yami no Inma.
Yet the news that shook the entire world could be summed up in a single sentence:
«"The strongest man in the world... has fallen."»
---
Inside Gaya's medical headquarters, Yuna sat in front of a sealed room, her eyes fixed on the door in silence.
Jinsu stood beside a nearby window, staring at the sky.
Ever since he had awakened...
He had spoken only a handful of words.
"How is he?"
Yuna raised her head.
Tsukiro stood at the entrance of the corridor, his right arm still missing. He walked toward them slowly before turning his gaze to the door.
"He still hasn't woken up."
Yuna lowered her eyes.
"Will he... die?"
Silence answered her question.
Then Tsukiro finally spoke.
"If it had been anyone else..."
"They would have ceased to exist."
For the first time, Jinsu turned to look at him.
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Tsukiro closed his eyes.
"Absolute Void."
Yuna shuddered.
"That technique..."
"It is forbidden."
Taking a seat across from her, Tsukiro let out a quiet breath.
"Decades ago, the Guardians of Gaya and I forbade Thalen from ever using it."
"Because it isn't a combat technique."
"It's an execution."
Yuna's eyes widened.
"But... what exactly does it do?"
"It seals everything within its domain," Tsukiro answered calmly.
"The soul."
"The body."
"Energy."
"And even concepts themselves."
Silence filled the corridor once more.
"The problem..." he continued, lifting his gaze toward the sealed room, "is that its price is everything the user possesses."
"Every drop of energy."
"Every fragment of their life."
Yuna's hands trembled.
"Then why..."
A faint smile appeared on Tsukiro's face.
"Because he's Thalen."
His gaze shifted toward Jinsu.
"The Dragon Eye he possesses is the only reason he's still alive."
"Anyone else..."
"Would have been erased from existence the moment they used that technique."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But the strongest man in the world..."
"...doesn't die so easily."
Silence settled over them once again.
Jinsu lowered his eyes to the floor.
"So..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"He did all of this... to save us."
Tsukiro looked at him.
But he said nothing.
Because he already knew.
The one who had returned...
Was not the same boy who had disappeared months ago.
---
Later that evening, the setting sun poured through the windows of Gaya Headquarters.
Jinsu stood alone in the training grounds.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.
"Jinsu."
Slowly, he turned around.
It was Kenji.
Bandages covered nearly half his body.
He stood there for several seconds before lowering his head.
"I..."
His hand clenched into a fist.
"I wanted to apologize."
Jinsu said nothing.
"What I did in the forest..."
"And everything that came after..."
"I was wrong."
Kenji lifted his head.
"And I'm sorry."
Silence.
Then—
Jinsu took a single step forward until he stood directly in front of him.
"Sorry?"
Kenji froze.
In the next instant—
Jinsu grabbed his arm.
CRACK!!
Kenji's eyes widened in shock.
Before he could even process what had happened, he found himself slammed into the ground, his arm twisted behind his back.
"J-Jinsu!"
The pressure increased.
"You..."
Jinsu's voice was devoid of emotion.
"Do you really think the word sorry..."
He tightened his grip.
"...can give me back the years that were stolen from me?"
Kenji screamed in pain.
"Stop!"
But Jinsu didn't stop.
Levi rushed into the training grounds.
"Jinsu! Let him go!"
There was no response.
Levi met Jinsu's eyes—
And froze.
Those were not the eyes of the Jinsu he knew.
They were the eyes of someone...
Who had returned from hell.
Slowly, Levi reached for the hilt of his sword.
But something deep within him warned him not to draw it.
What is that look...?
At that moment—
A figure appeared.
Akuro.
Leader of Tenkuu no Ken.
He grabbed Jinsu's wrist.
"That's enough, boy."
Jinsu didn't move.
"You've had your revenge."
"Whatever he did in the past..."
"It doesn't justify breaking his arm."
Silence.
Then—
Jinsu slowly turned his head.
"Take your hand off me."
Akuro frowned.
"What?"
The next moment—
BOOOOOOM!!
Akuro felt as though an entire mountain had crashed down onto his shoulders.
He dropped to one knee.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"Just his spiritual pressure...?!"
Jinsu stared at him in silence before speaking once more.
"I said..."
"Take your hand off me."
For the first time in many years...
Akuro felt fear.
Meanwhile, Kenji continued to scream as Jinsu gradually increased the pressure on his arm.
"AAAAAAAH!!"
"Jinsu, stop!"
But Jinsu couldn't hear him.
Or perhaps...
He no longer wanted to.
Then—
Two arms wrapped around him from behind.
His body froze.
"That's enough!"
It was Yuna.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I said stop!"
Silence.
"This isn't you!"
Jinsu slowly closed his eyes.
Yuna tightened her grip on his clothes.
"You've finally come back..."
"So don't make me lose you again."
Several seconds passed.
Then—
Jinsu released Kenji's arm.
Kenji collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
Jinsu stepped away slowly and slipped his hands into his pockets.
As he passed by Yuna, he stopped for only a single second.
Then, in a quiet voice, he said:
"Stay away from me."
"From this day onward..."
"Don't expect to find the Jinsu you once knew."
Without another word, he walked away.
Leaving everyone behind.
Yuna remained where she stood, watching his back grow smaller in the distance.
And for the first time since his return...
She realized that perhaps Jinsu had never truly come back at all.