I looked at Arturia and saw that she could barely stand. Her breathing was heavy, her bright blue eyes were dull with exhaustion. The excessive use of mana and the intense combat had pushed her to the limit.
"Hey, hang in there." I said, approaching quickly.
Arturia tried to take a step, but her legs gave out. Her body wobbled forward, and before she could fall, I held her firmly. She was warm, and her body trembled slightly with exhaustion.
"You overdid it again..." I murmured, looking at her with concern. "Did you need to use Excalibur on him?"
Arturia tried to smile, but it was a weak smile. "I'm fine... I just need to rest a little."
I sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to walk home by herself. Without thinking much, I picked her up.
"H-Hey!" She protested, slightly surprised.
"You won't be able to walk like this." I answered simply, adjusting her position in my arms.
Arturia opened her mouth to argue, but her body gave in to exhaustion. She relaxed in my arms and ended up resting her head against my shoulder.
"J-Just this once…" She murmured, closing her eyes.
I smiled lightly and started walking.
The way back seemed longer than before. The streets were silent, lit only by streetlights and the windows of closed shops. The night wind was cool, and I felt Arturia's soft weight in my arms.
For a moment, I thought about how she always pushed herself beyond her limits. She was strong, but she was also someone who carried a lot of responsibilities.
"Rest a little…" I whispered to her.
And for the first time in a long time, Arturia simply allowed someone to take care of her.
As soon as I got home carrying Arturia in my arms, everyone was probably asleep, and I went straight to her room. She was already almost unconscious, breathing heavily against my shoulder.
I pushed the door open with my foot and carefully placed her on the bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fainted instantly. I bent down a little and brushed a golden lock of hair away from her face, observing how exhausted she was.
"You really went overboard this time…" I muttered, crossing my arms.
Before I could think of what to do, Rin appeared in the doorway of the room.
"So it's true, she fainted." Rin said, looking at Arturia with an appraising gaze.
I turned to her. "I think she used up too much mana fighting that guy… Ryu, or whatever his name was."
Rin sighed and crossed her arms. "It's not just that. It seems like her mana reserve is almost empty. If it continues like this, it could take days for her to fully recover."
I frowned.
"Is there anything we can do to speed up her recovery?"
Rin stared at me for a moment, then seemed to hesitate.
"Well... You already know the answer..."
I raised an eyebrow.
Rin scratched the back of her neck before answering, she rolled her eyes. "No need to make that face, it's the most efficient way."
I sighed deeply.
I looked at Arturia, sleeping so deeply that she didn't even seem to hear the conversation. Her expression was serene, but I knew her body must be exhausted.
I stared at Arturia's hand for a few seconds before gently letting go.
"I won't do this while she's unconscious." I said, looking at Rin seriously.
Rin crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Well... It's your decision."
I shook my head. "Even so, it wouldn't be right. She needs to rest. If after she wakes up she wants to try, then that's fine."
Rin let out a sigh and shrugged. "As you wish. But if she takes a while to recover, don't complain."
I moved away from the bed, looking at Arturia once more. "She's been through a lot today. The least I can do is let her sleep in peace."
Rin watched me for a moment and, in the end, just nodded.
"Well, then I'll let her rest too. Don't make any noise." He said, before leaving the room.
I stood there for a few more seconds, watching Arturia's calm breathing. I wanted to help her, but forcing something while she was unconscious didn't seem right.
With a final sigh, I turned off the lights in the room and left quietly, closing the door behind me.
I was sitting in the garden, watching the flowers sway gently in the wind. The cool night air brought a comfortable silence, and for a moment I just took a deep breath, absorbing the tranquility around me.
From afar, Uraume watched him without saying anything. His eyes were studying me with an expression that was hard to decipher. Unlike usual, there was no sarcasm or cutting remarks. Just a silent presence, almost as if he was waiting for me to speak first.
"Are you just going to stare at me, or do you have something to say?" I asked without turning my head.
Uraume remained silent for a few more seconds before finally answering: "I'm just observing. You seem... thoughtful."
I let out a slight laugh. "With everything that happened, I think I'm entitled to think a little, no?"
Uraume tilted her head, still keeping the distance. "What?"
I grabbed a dropped petal on the floor and turned it between my fingers. "About how things change. About how I changed all these years. And maybe ... how I should go from now on."
Uraume did not respond immediately. The wind blown harder, making her silver hair swing. "You still cling to these worldly things."
I smiled in the corner. "And you still act as if you are above all this."
A brief silence settled between us, before Uraume gave a step closer, without too much approaching.
"Do you think she will wake up soon?" She asked, changing the subject.
I looked at the house, thinking of Arturia. "She'll wake up ... just need more time."
Uraume didn't answer, just stayed there, watching the flowers beside me. Even without words, there was a mutual understanding in the silence of that night.
Uraume narrowed her eyes when she heard the mine words. The silence stopped for a moment before it finally spoke:
"So you realized."
I turned my face to her, frowning. "What do you mean by that?"
Uraume crossed her arms, her expression remaining neutral.
"Isn't it obvious? You are wearing out. With each fight, with each excessive use of energy. Your body can be strong, but not invulnerable. Especially after carrying so many curses."
I looked at my own hands. I remembered the strange feeling that was growing inside me. It wasn't just common tiredness, it was something deeper, as if something inside me was slowly fragmenting.
"This has to do with the last war, isn't it?" I asked with a serious voice.
Uraume gave a little breath. "Perhaps..."
I closed my fists, frustrated. I hated puzzles. He hated feeling that there was something escaping his control. "If I continue like this, I'll end ..."
I didn't finish the sentence. The idea of simply dying, of losing my strength completely, made me restless.
Uraume watched me for a moment before taking a step forward. "So stop wasting time worrying and find out what's going on with you. Before it's late."
I let out a long sigh and looked at the dark sky.
"I know ... I know."
Uraume didn't answer, just stayed there, watching me with a look that seemed to hide more than he said.
A few minutes later ...
The night breeze was cold and soft, carrying the perfume of the flowers surrounding the garden of the house. I remained there, sitting on the stone floor, watching the petals moving slightly to the wind. The silence between Eh and Uraume was heavy, almost suffocating.
So, out of nowhere, Uraume broke the silence:
"Sukuna liked flowers."
I blinked confused. I turned to face Uraume, waiting for them to continue or say that he was playing. But Uraume's gaze remained serene, as if claiming an unquestionable fact.
"Wait ... what?" I also asked trying to process the information.
Uraume kept her eyes fixed in the flowers. "He liked flowers. He always liked it."
I laughed without humor. "Are you kidding, right? The Sukuna? The King of Curses? What a joke of bad taste ..."
Uraume remained silent for a few seconds before sighing.
"Yes. He liked it."
I still couldn't believe it. I looked at the flowers in front of me and tried to imagine Sukuna, that cruel and relentless being, standing before them, admiring their beauty. The idea was simply absurd.
"It makes no sense ..." I muttered.
"Maybe one of the few things he couldn't hate them, he knew the name of them all." Uraume countered, staring at me with a slightly challenging expression.
It aroused me memories, for some reason I remember that, I don't remember what happened during the end of the battle in Shinjuku. I didn't know what to answer immediately. It is always via Sukuna as a destructive being, someone who only felt pleasure in pain and carnage. But now ... now Uraume made me question this view. "
"He never showed any of this." I said.
"Because he never demonstrated in words."
I shut up.
Uraume continued: "He said they were ephemeral, fragile, but he never touched or destroyed them ... And yet, they always flowered again, no matter how many times they were destroyed. He seemed to admire it, even Sukuna looked at a simple disinterest look."
I looked down at the nearest flowers. I had never thought that way. "So, for him, the flowers were like warriors, didn't they?"
Uraume gave a little corner smile. "Maybe. It suits him more."
I felt a shiver. I never wanted to understand Sukuna. I have always seen him only as an enemy, a monster who needed to be defeated. But now ...
"Yeah ... maybe ..."
Now I started to wonder if there was more than I imagined behind that demonic king.
I continued to stop for a while, staring at the flowers as if they could give me some answer. Uraume's words still echoed in my mind. Sukuna liked flowers. Something so simple, but it seemed to change everything I thought about that monster.
I sighed, feeling the weight of tiredness on my shoulders. I was getting weaker and weaker, and now my head was full of doubt. Before, it was easy to think of Sukuna as just a cruel demon. But ... What if there was anything else?
When I realized, Uraume was already gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I ran my hand over my face, trying to get rid of the confusion in his mind, and decided to get out of there. My steps took me to the back of the house, where the air was cooler, and the sound of the leaves swinging in the wind brought some calm.
There, far from everything, I finally allowed my shoulders to relax a little. I leaned against a tree, crossing my arms and looking at the night sky. I needed to understand more. About Sukuna, and about myself ...
I felt the night breeze caress my face as I tried to find a moment of rest. My body was weaker than usual, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts about everything that had happened in recent days. Sukuna, the fight against Ryu, Uraume's strange comment… I felt something was changing, but I didn't know exactly what.
It was then that I heard steps.
My body stiffens immediately. I was still attentive, even tired. I didn't expect to find someone there, so late at night. Turning lightly my face, I saw a family figure approaching. Tachie.
For a moment, I calmed down. But then something made me hesitate.
There was something wrong.
Tachie's posture was rigid, her gaze was not ever. Her eyes looked ... empty. I realized it was too late what was going on.
Before she could react, she advanced against me, the blade of her sickle cutting the air with deadly precision.
I threw myself to the last second, the blow reaching the tree behind me hard enough to make it marked. I wanted to ask what was happening, but I couldn't make noise. The house was still silent, and if anyone woke up, things could get worse.
I faced Tachie again. She was not normal. Her breathing was irregular, her expression empty, and her body moved mechanically, almost as if she was being controlled.
I frowned. Was anyone manipulating tachie?
I could not simply return with full force without understanding the situation. I needed to stop her without hurting her severely.
"Tachie! What happened?!"
Tachie advanced once more, her scythe shining in the moonlight. I narrowly diverted, feeling the sharp wind of the blade passing by my face. I needed to solve it fast.
"You..."
I felt a shiver through my spine when i heard Tachie's words. I didn't understand right away, but her tone of voice was loaded with something deep - Riva, sadness, despair. "Why didn't you save me?"
That took me by surprise.
I ran out of the house, stepping on the damp grass, without looking back. I knew she would come after me. I needed to take her away before someone woke up. And as expected, I heard the sound of her heavy steps following me.
When I stopped in an undamper, illuminating only by the moon and the distant lights of the city, and turned to face it.
Tachie was there, holding her scythe tightly. His breath was accelerated, his eyes fixed on me as if he was seeing something beyond the gift. Something from the past.
I was in a defensive position, but with no intention of attacking. "Tachie ... What are you talking about? I would never leave you behind."
She wrapped her teeth, her body shaking.
"You ... You don't even remember, are you?" His voice bounced between pain and fury. "I shouted for you ... I believed you ... But you didn't save me!"
I felt your heart weigh. What memory was that?
I was trying to understand, but before I could say anything, she advanced again, the scythe blade shining as she was swinged toward me. I diverted by instinct, feeling the blow cut the air. She was serious.
"Tachie, wait! I don't know what you're talking about, but I can help you!"
"Shut up!" She roared, her eyes taken by what seemed to be pure resentment.
I realized I didn't matter what I said now. She was sunk into something I couldn't achieve with words. I needed to stop it before it hurt or did something that could not be reversed.
The cold night wind blew between the two, and I knew I had no choice. I needed to face tachie ... and find out the truth behind his pain.
The night remained silent, but my heart was beating like a drum. The cold wind ruffled my hair as I stared at Tachie, who seemed increasingly distraught. Her eyes were filled with something deeper than anger, it was sadness, it was resentment, it was the pain of someone who had finally understood something terrible.
Tachie gripped the hilt of her scythe so tightly that her fingers turned pale.
"Now I understand everything..." Her voice trembled, but not from fear, but from suppressed fury. "It was you. You were one of those responsible for the destruction of Fuyuki."
My eyes widened.
"W-What...?"
"You were one of those who doomed that city!" she screamed, pointing the blade at me. "Because of you, my life ended before it even began!"
I felt a chill run down my spine. How did she know that?
Then, something inside me lit up, forgotten memories coming back to the surface.
I remembered.
At the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War... the chaos, the explosions, the screams. The rubble falling on the innocent.
There was a little girl. A little girl trapped in the rubble, crying, calling for someone, I was too late.
That little girl... was Tachie.
The shock hit me like a punch. She had died that day.
I felt a crushing weight on my chest. I looked at Tachie, who was now filled with hatred and pain from a memory long forgotten or perhaps buried.
I tried to speak, tried to find words to calm the storm inside her, but nothing felt right.
Because deep down, I knew she wasn't wrong.
I raised my hands in a peaceful gesture. "Tachie, I want to talk!"
But she didn't want to hear it.
Before I could finish my sentence, Tachie advanced with impressive speed. Her scythe cut through the air with a threatening sound, and I barely had time to dodge. I stepped back, feeling the cold wind of the blade pass close to my face.
She really wanted to kill me.
I gritted my teeth and activated my blood techniques. Small crimson globules began to form around me, ready to counterattack. I wasn't as experienced as Choso, who had already lived for many years, but I had to try.
But, to her surprise, Tachie absorbed it all.
Her body seemed to consume the blood, draining any energy I tried to use against her.
"What?!" I stepped back, trying to understand what was happening.
Tachie swung her scythe and, with a swift movement, raised her shield. Before I could react, she hit me with all her strength.
The impact was brutal.
I was thrown backwards like a rag doll, my body colliding with the ground with enough force to crack the concrete. The air left my lungs in a dry thud. I coughed, trying to catch my breath.
Tachie remained standing, his eyes burning with a mixture of pain and fury. "There's no talking, Yuji..."
The impact of Tachie's shield was still reverberating through my body when, suddenly, a figure appeared at high speed.
Before Tachie could react, Choso appeared and delivered a devastating kick to his stomach.
The blow was so strong that the air seemed to vibrate around the impact. Tachie was thrown backwards, skidding violently on the ground until she hit a concrete wall, cracking it slightly.
I stood up, trying to regain my composure, while Choso positioned himself in front of him, protecting him like a true brother.
"What was that, Yuji? Why are you hesitating?" Choso said without taking his eyes off Tachie.
I coughed, still feeling the impact of the blow I had received earlier.
"She's draining my blood… I can't use my techniques properly."
Choso clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on Tachie, who was already standing up again, panting but still filled with rage.
"So you're still just learning how to use your blood technique…" Choso muttered. "And that's why you hesitated."
I bit my lip. I knew Choso was right. Despite my strength, I was still far from fully mastering his blood technique heritage.
Tachie watched them with a cold expression.
Choso then stepped forward, assuming a battle stance. "I don't know why you're doing this, Tachie, I thought we were allies… But if you think you can attack my brother without consequences… you'll have to get past me first."
Tachie narrowed her eyes. The air around her grew thick, thick with tension.
Choso stepped forward first, his eyes fixed on Tachie, his presence commanding and fierce. His blood boiled, and he channeled his energy into a swift and precise attack.
Tachie swung her scythe, creating a red arc in the air as she dodged the first blow. Choso ducked quickly, taking advantage of the opening, and threw a punch laden with gore, aiming for her abdomen.
But Tachie was not so easy to hit.
With a swift movement, she raised her massive shield and blocked the blow, the impact causing the ground to crack beneath her feet.
"Tsk…" Choso narrowed his eyes.
Before he could retreat, Tachie swung her scythe and attacked. The sharp blade grazed his rib, cutting through the fabric of his clothes and the skin just below.
Choso took a few steps back, pressing on the wound, but he didn't retreat completely. "We've fought before, I'm used to getting cut."
Tachie glared at Choso coldly. "You have no idea what I've been through…"
Suddenly, I appeared at high speed.
I jumped between the two, extending my arms to separate them. "Stop!"
Choso stopped, still in a defensive stance, but Tachie didn't hesitate. She swung her scythe and attacked me directly.
I dodged at the last second, but the cut caught my shirt, ripping it. I fell to the ground, rolling to cushion the impact.
"Tachie!" I shouted, standing up quickly. "I don't want to hurt you!"
Tachie gritted her teeth.
"You don't understand!" Her voice held a mixture of anger and sadness. "You talk like you're a hero, but you weren't there when I needed you."
I took a deep breath, her gaze softening a little. "I... I didn't know. I don't remember."
Tachie lunged forward again, but this time, I didn't attack back.
I gripped the hilt of the scythe with my bare hands, preventing the blade from cutting me. Blood trickled down her spine, but I didn't let go. "I don't want to fight you."
Choso watched the scene, clenching his fists, ready to intervene if necessary.
Tachie trembled. She could feel the anger burning inside her, but... why didn't he fight back?
My eyes were filled with something she hadn't expected to see: guilt.
For a brief moment, her grip on the scythe wavered.
Tachie's eyes glowed a deep red, as intense as burning coals. The air around her changed, heavy, dense, and filled with malicious energy. Choso and I immediately felt the change.
"This isn't good…" Choso muttered, bracing himself.
Tachie raised her scythe, and a black and scarlet energy began to swirl around her, forming a cyclone of destructive power. The ground beneath her feet began to crack, and the wind around her whipped violently.
Noble Phantasm: "Requiem of the Crimson Fury."
In the next instant, the world around us turned a crimson hue, as if the very environment itself had been stained with blood. I felt a chill run down my spine, and Tachie didn't want to talk anymore. She had entered a state of absolute rage, where her only goal was to destroy everything in front of her.
With a single step, Tachie disappeared.
"Damn it!" I barely had time to react before a devastating scythe strike hit me in the abdomen.
I was thrown backwards, passing through two trees before crashing into a rock. The impact made his vision go dark for an instant.
"Yuji!" Choso screamed, but he didn't have time to run to me.
Tachie was already on top of me.
She swung her scythe with deadly precision and struck with a downward strike, aiming for Choso's head. He managed to raise his arm in time, creating a barrier of hardened blood.
The impact was so strong that it cracked his defense.
"Tch!" Choso jumped back, but Tachie didn't give him any room.
She was faster, stronger.
Each strike of her scythe created a trail of cutting energy in the air, destroying everything around it. The ground was marked by deep cuts, as if a battlefield had emerged there.
I stood up, spat out some blood, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "She's out of control…!"
I looked at Choso, who was trying to defend himself using blood techniques, but Tachie was absorbing part of the energy from each attack he made.
"This is bad…"
I ran towards her at high speed.
Just as Tachie prepared a massive horizontal strike, I threw myself at her, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her back.
"Tachie! Stop it!"
She growled like a beast, her eyes shining even more intensely.
She swung the scythe and pierced my shoulder.
The blade went in deep, and I felt the tearing pain run through my body. But I was able to regenerate.
But I didn't let go.
Even with the blood flowing, even feeling her energy trying to crush me, I held her tightly.
"TACHIE!"
Tachie's eyes twitched for a brief moment.
Choso noticed and prepared herself. This was our chance.
I tried to move my hand to touch her scythe, wanting to break its connection to her soul, but Tachie reacted instantly.
"Don't touch my soul!" Her voice was filled with fury and despair at the same time.
A powerful impulse of dark energy exploded between us, throwing me backwards.
I spun in the air and fell to my knees on the ground, feeling my arms tremble with the force of the impact. Tachie protected her weapon as if it were a part of herself.
Choso narrowed his eyes. "She's not just fighting... She's holding on to it."
I raised my head and stared at Tachie. She was gripping the scythe so tightly that her hands were shaking. Her red eyes burned with a fierce glow, but there was something there...
Fear.
"You're trying to protect yourself, aren't you?" I asked breathlessly.
Tachie frowned.
"Shut up!"
She lunged forward with absurd speed, swinging her scythe in a destructive arc. I barely managed to dodge in time. The sharp wind from her blow tore through my clothes and opened a shallow cut on my ribs.
She was getting more aggressive.
"She's losing herself in this…" Choso muttered, realizing that each strike of hers was becoming more desperate, less calculated.
I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand. "I'm not going to fight you, Tachie!"
"Y-You!…" she roared, striking again.
This time, I didn't dodge.
I raised my arms and grabbed the hilt of the scythe, stopping the blow in mid-attack.
The shock of energy exploded around us, kicking up dust and debris.
"You're still there." I stared straight at Tachie, my eyes steady. "I know you're there."
Her eyes flickered for a moment.
But then, she pulled her scythe back and spun to strike again.
The blade of Tachie's scythe glowed dark red as she drew it back. I didn't flinch.
"Tachie, listen to me! You don't have to do this!"
Her eyes wavered for a moment. The red flame in them trembled, as if her anger was being questioned by something deeper.
But then, she gritted her teeth and twisted her body, releasing a wave of black energy to push it away.
I felt the impact in my chest, but I didn't flinch, sliding across the ground until I came to a stop on my knees.
Choso rushed to try to intercept her, but Tachie was already moving.
With absurd speed, she turned and shot in the opposite direction.
"Tachie!" I screamed, trying to reach her, but she was already far away.
She jumped over the rubble and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
I felt a pain in my chest, not from the blow, but from what had just happened.
"Damn…"
I slammed my fist against the ground in frustration.
Choso approached, looking at the place where Tachie had fled. "You almost caught her."
I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head. "Almost isn't enough….."
Choso crossed his arms. "She hesitated. That means there's still a chance."
I looked at my hands, clenching my fists. "If she ran away, it means something inside her still resists… I just need to find her again. And next time, I'll bring her back."
The moon illuminated the city, but where Tachie was, only darkness accompanied her.
I barely had time to react. As soon as I tried to take a step forward, my legs gave out.
"Yuji?!" Choso's eyes widened as he watched me fall to my knees.
The boy didn't respond. My body simply fell to the side, hitting the ground hard.
Choso knelt beside me quickly, holding my wrist to check my condition. My heart was still beating, but my body was cold and weak. "Damn… this curse is eating you up, isn't it?"
Sweat dripped from my forehead, my breathing was irregular. I didn't even realize how exhausted my body was already.
"Idiot…" Choso muttered, running a hand over his face.
He picked me up in his arms and lifted me up. He couldn't leave me there.
"You're giving me too much trouble, little brother."
End of Chapter 13