After the massacre, Zack remained motionless, staring at the bodies of his mother, father, and sister, the absolute silence enveloping the house. His eyes were fixed on the expressionless faces of Aika, Kento, and Hana. The air was thick, laden with a pain so deep that he could hardly breathe. He didn't know how long he stood there, frozen, unable to process what had just happened. It felt as if time had stopped and the world around him had transformed into a nightmare from which he could not awaken.
But then, a sensation arose within him — something that made him realize he could not let the pain and emptiness consume him completely. He could not forget; he could not allow the memory of his family to disappear into the abyss of tragedy. He needed something, a fragment, a memento that would keep him connected to those he loved.
With trembling hands and a mind clouded by grief, Zack approached each of the bodies. From Aika, he took the silver necklace she always wore, a symbol of her kindness and unconditional love. From Kento, he took the small wood-carving knife he had shown Zack moments before the tragedy. And finally, from Hana, he retrieved one of the little hair ribbons his mother used to tie so carefully. Each of those objects was a part of the family he had lost, something he could keep with him, to never forget who they were, who he had lost.
After a moment of absolute silence, Zack stood up, the objects clutched in his hands. He slowly walked to the side of his house, where the ground remained untouched. He searched for a shovel that was left from some previous work and began to dig. Hours passed, but he lost sense of time. Each strike of the shovel against the earth was like an effort to make his pain, his anguish, disappear — even though he knew that nothing would truly heal him.
When he finally finished, the grave was ready. Zack looked at the bodies of his family one last time and, with a final sigh, placed each one into the ground. The pain was overwhelming, but at the same time, he knew that this act was a way to give them, at least, a peaceful rest, away from all the suffering they had endured. He knelt beside the grave, placing the belongings of his loved ones upon it.
At that moment, the silence grew heavier. There were no more screams, no more footsteps. Just him, alone, surrounded by the darkness of night and insufferable loss. Zack remained there for a long time, unsure of what to do or where to go. But one thing he knew: his journey was just beginning. He had a goal now — to avenge the death of his family and seek answers about what happened that night.
The emptiness in his chest could not be filled, but now he had something to fight for. And that, no matter how painful, was the only thing he had left.
Zack left behind the makeshift grave of his family and moved forward, almost like a specter, down the deserted road leading to the village where he had grown up. Each step he took felt like an immense weight on his chest, as if the earth beneath his feet wanted to swallow him whole. The air was thick, saturated with the smell of blood, as if nature itself was in mourning. He didn't know exactly what to expect, but what he found upon entering the village was beyond his worst nightmare.
The village, once full of life and color, was now unrecognizable. Ruins and remnants of fire consumed what was left of the houses. The ground was covered in bloodstains that spread like grotesque paintings, forming red rivers among the stones. The stench of rotting flesh and congealed blood filled the air, a nauseating odor that seemed to cut at his throat. The houses were destroyed, windows shattered, doors torn from their hinges. But the worst was the bodies scattered on the street — pieces of people lying on the ground, human parts piled up in a horrific manner. Arms, legs, fragments of flesh strewn about, painting a scene of horror that seemed to emerge straight from the most terrible nightmares.
Zack stopped, his stomach churning as he watched the macabre scenes. Each piece of body he saw made his heart race, and he could hardly contain the urge to vomit. He looked at a fallen man, his face crushed, and recognized the clothes he wore. He was one of the older villagers. Panic engulfed him, but he tried to keep it together. He moved forward, trying not to gaze at the corpses surrounding him, but the sight of the scattered human parts was so vivid that he felt he was about to faint.
But then he saw something that made him lose control. In the middle of a section of street, where there had once been a small market, he saw the body of a woman, her skin torn and eyes gouged out. She lay there, her body in a position that he knew was impossible for any living person. But the most horrifying part was that he recognized her. It was one of his childhood friends, Saki. She had always been cheerful, always had a smile to give, but there she was, unrecognizable, marked by the brutality life had inflicted upon her. The image of her vacant eyes made him stumble back, and unable to hold himself, he vomited, the hot, bitter liquid spilling from his mouth as he fell to his knees on the ground.
He remained there for a while, breathing heavily, trying to compose himself. His stomach still twisted, his heart pounding in his chest, but something inside him burned stronger than the revulsion. Something in his bones told him he could not let this go unchallenged. He knew something terrible had happened, but what tormented him the most was that he did not know who could be capable of such cruelty. And how powerless he felt in the face of it all.
Zack stood up, forcing himself to move forward. He had to find answers; he needed to know who or what had done this to his village. But as he took another step, a sound caught his attention, a low cry, almost a whisper, coming from a nearby house.
He ran toward the sound, adrenaline surging through his body, ignoring everything around him. When he reached the door of the house, something paralyzed him. Inside, in the dim light, was a figure lying on the ground. He approached and immediately recognized the person — it was his childhood friend, Airi. Her eyes were vacant, devoid of expression, but what made him stop was what he saw next: Airi's hands were bound, and worst of all, she had no eyes. They had been ripped out, leaving her in utter darkness, a silent torture. She was alive, but completely cut off from reality, unable to see the world around her.
The pain Zack felt was indescribable. How could anyone be so cruel, so malicious? Her voice was weak, barely audible, but she was still there, a survivor of an indescribable nightmare. He kneeled beside her, holding her cold hand in his, trying to find words, but none seemed sufficient. All he could think of was how fate had once again left him alone in the midst of a storm.
— Airi... — he murmured, his voice faltering. She reacted slightly at the sound of his name, but there was no recognition in her face, only emptiness. — I will get you out of here. I promise.
The pain he felt intensified, but looking at her, he knew what he needed to do. Revenge, the quest for answers — all that was still to come. But in that moment, he needed to ensure that Airi was not alone, that she could at least find some peace after everything that had happened.
With trembling hands and a heavy heart, Zack carefully began to untie the cords holding Airi's hands. Each movement felt more difficult than the last, as if the pain he felt was being transmitted to his own hands. He didn't want to think about what she had gone through, but seeing her there, alone, vulnerable, and blind, something inside him broke even more. The bindings finally fell away, and he held her hands, feeling her fragility.
Airi took a few seconds to realize she was free. As she moved her hands, trying to rise, her fingers closed around part of Zack's arm as if he were the only thing holding her up. She trembled, her whole body coiled tight, as if she were trying to gather strength to endure the desolate world around her. Then she whispered, her voice choked and broken by tears:
— Zack... where are my parents? Are... are they okay? I... I can't see anything. I... I... — Airi sobbed, the pain overflowing in every word, and her hands gripped Zack's with such strength that he felt her nails digging into his skin. — Please, Zack... tell me they are okay... please...
Zack swallowed hard; the words he wanted to say simply wouldn't come out. The knot in his throat was so tight that he could barely breathe. He looked at Airi's face, now as lost as his own, and he didn't have the courage to tell her the truth. How could he? How could he say to her what he already knew in his heart? She had suffered so much; he couldn't do that to her.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting a tear escape. When he opened them again, he looked into Airi's vacant eyes, her face marked by pain and fear, and finally said, with a faltering voice full of sadness:
— I... I don't know where they are, Airi... But I will do everything I can to find them. I will do everything for you. — He could no longer hold back the tears. They began to fall, wetting his face, mingling with the sweat and dust of his own anguish. — I will find out who did this to you, to all of us... I promise. No one will go without justice.
Airi, with her breathing erratic, tried to calm herself, but the sobs did not cease. She felt completely lost, as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet. The emptiness in her chest seemed immense, and the pain of not being able to see anything, of being in a dark and silent world, slowly consumed her. She fell silent for a moment, trying to process what she had just heard; then her voice emerged low and trembling:
— Zack... is that you?
She strained to hear any sign, anything that would confirm it was really him. Her voice was so weak, filled with doubt, as if she was unsure of anything in the world. The pain and fear left her insecure, not knowing if she could trust what she felt.
Zack hesitated for a moment, the pressure in his chest building. He tried not to let the pain take control, but it was impossible not to notice the fragility of the situation. He felt Airi's weak touch, her hands trying to confirm his identity, as if she were desperately seeking something to anchor her in the midst of that chaos.
— Yes, Airi... it's me, Zack. — His voice came out softer, more assured, as if trying to soothe her was the only thing he could do. — I'm here. I'm with you, no matter what happens.
She took a deep breath, still feeling the lack of vision, the emptiness of the darkness around her. And yet, hearing the confirmation in Zack's voice sparked something in her heart. She was still lost and scared, but she was no longer alone. He was there.
Airi, with her breath still uneven, whispered, her voice breaking from pain:
— Zack... will I... will I be able to see again? Can I... still have a chance?
Zack felt the weight of the question. He wanted to have an answer for her, something that could give her hope. But the truth was, he didn't know what the future held. All he knew was that he would do everything he could to help her, to be by her side.
He held her hand more firmly, closing his eyes momentarily as he tried to gather the courage to respond. The words he spoke, filled with pain and promise, were all he could offer.
— I... I don't know, Airi. But I will do everything for you. I will find a way, and I will be here with you, all the time. No matter what happens, we will not stop fighting.
Airi remained silent for a moment, and although she had no certainty about anything, something within her lit up. Zack's promise touched her deeply, and she felt that even in the dark, there was still a reason to fight. She was not alone. And as long as she had Zack by her side, she could somehow continue.
She simply sighed, a faint, shy smile forming on her face despite the tears still streaming down.
— Thank you, Zack. I... I don't know what I would do without you.