The air around the Tower of Echoes was heavy, as if the atmosphere itself was resisting letting it go. The wind had stopped blowing, and an eerie silence enveloped the base of the tower. Only Kazuo remained, his dark figure contrasting with the faint glow of the structure as it began to crumble after his victory against the boss.
Kazuo advanced with slow, calculated steps toward the exit, carrying Aiko in his arms. The girl's weight was no obstacle, but her condition—her broken aura, her empty gaze—was familiar to him in a way that made him uncomfortable. He had seen physical collapse many times. However, this was not just physical.
In his arms, Aiko seemed as fragile as a flame about to be extinguished. Although her body was free of wounds thanks to the special potion he had administered, something in her gaze told him that the internal scars were still deep.
Kazuo wasn't sure why he hadn't left her there, unconscious on the floor of the tower's main hall. He could have done so. He should have. However, his instincts had compelled him to get her out of that place. Perhaps it was the echo of another voice, one he did not want to remember. The tower door was closed, a dark arch marking the boundary between the oppressive interior and the fresh air outside.
As he crossed it, sunlight, beginning to break through the clouds, hit his face. Behind him, the Tower of Caiya began to collapse, its foundations crumbling in a spectacle of dust and debris. The boss had fallen, and with him, the tower.
Kazuo took a few more steps forward until he stopped. He wasn't the only one.
In front of the tower, a group waited in silence. They wore similar uniforms, with a golden seal embroidered on their armour indicating their affiliation to a kingdom. Their faces reflected surprise at seeing Kazuo emerge with Aiko in his arms, and there was something else in their posture: disbelief.
'Other survivors!' exclaimed one of the soldiers, his deep voice echoing in the heavy air. Among them, a young man without armour ran towards Kazuo, his footsteps echoing on the rocky ground. Seeing Aiko's red hair, his face lit up with a mixture of hope and anguish. 'Aiko!'
Kazuo did not respond. With calculated movements, he carefully placed the girl on the ground in front of the group, making sure she did not lean forward. Aiko remained motionless, staring into the void, her hair falling over her face. The stillness of the scene seemed to unsettle the group even more.
The young man fell to his knees beside her, his hands trembling as he called her name. "Aiko... it's me. Please, look at me. You're safe now..."
But Aiko did not react. She was trapped in an abyss from which she could not escape.
'Who are you?' asked a burly man among the soldiers, turning his attention to Kazuo. His tone was sharp, as if trying to defy the weight of his presence. His eyes scanned him from head to toe, lingering on his impeccable clothes. 'How did you get out of there... without a scratch?'
Kazuo's silence was more intimidating than any threat. His eyes, cold as a moonless night, rested on the man, who instinctively took a step back.Another soldier, more impatient, stepped forward. 'Answer!' he insisted, with obvious annoyance in his tone. 'Are you mute, or just arrogant?'
Before tensions could rise any further, a girl stepped forward from the formation. She wasn't tall, but there was an unusual strength in her gaze. Her brown hair fell in soft waves to her shoulders, and her calm demeanour contrasted with the agitation of the others.'Stop,' she ordered, her voice calm but authoritative. 'This will get us nowhere.'
The group fell silent, stepping back with some discomfort. The girl stopped in front of Kazuo, studying him closely. There was something in her face that seemed to be studying him, as if she were trying to unravel secrets he had no intention of revealing.Kazuo fixed his eyes on her. Although his expression did not change, something in his jaw tightened slightly. There was something about her face that irritated him deeply. Something he didn't want to face.
Finally, he broke the silence, his voice as sharp as a knife. "The girl is healed. I used an enhanced potion. But her mental state is shattered. She saw all her companions fall.
Kazuo's words hit the group like a hammer. The young man next to Aiko lowered his head as he clenched his fists, his shoulders shaking with contained emotion. The soldiers looked at Kazuo, but no one dared to respond.
The brown-haired girl looked away at Aiko, who remained motionless on the ground. Then her eyes returned to Kazuo, and a question formed in her mind: 'How?'
Behind them, the tower continued to collapse, sending clouds of dust into the sky. Aiko was breathing heavily, but Kazuo stood as if nothing had happened. His clothes were spotless, and he didn't even look tired. For someone who had defeated the tower's boss, his condition was... impossible.
'How could he defeat the boss without getting a single scratch?' she thought. She had seen warriors return from the towers; they always arrived wounded or exhausted. But this man was beyond all that. Something didn't add up.
Kazuo didn't wait any longer. He turned and began walking towards the horizon. His dark, solemn figure slowly disappeared into the shadows of the trees. But just as he was about to disappear, a slight movement from Aiko stopped him.
The girl raised her head just a few inches, searching for something in the distance. Her eyes met Kazuo's, and for a moment, something in her empty gaze began to fill. She said nothing, but it was clear that she recognised him. She knew who had saved her.
Kazuo continued on his way, without stopping. Meanwhile, the group began to prepare their mounts. Aiko was carefully placed on one of them, but her gaze remained fixed in the direction Kazuo had disappeared.
The brown-haired girl watched him ride away, the question still alive in her mind: 'Who are you really?'
And so, as the tower crumbled and the group rode away, the silence Kazuo left behind seemed to echo louder than any words.