Night fell over the forest, enveloping everything in a blanket of darkness interrupted only by the faint glow of stars and the distant sound of crickets and leaves swaying in the wind. After an intense day in the "Wooden Maze," where Airi had insisted on practicing her orientation and mobility, exhaustion took over. They ate in silence, the aroma of the small meal filling the cave. Zack watched Airi smile with satisfaction after the training but noticed how her movements had slowed due to exhaustion.
When they finished, Airi settled into her usual corner of the cave, wrapping herself in a worn blanket. Zack waited patiently, observing her breathe deeply as sleep enveloped her. He had something on his mind since the conversation with the man in the forest, and he knew this was the only opportunity to carry out what he needed to do without raising suspicion.
Rising carefully, he walked to the corner of the cave where he had hidden the kunai. Moving the stones and leaves that covered it, he gripped the blade firmly, feeling the weight of the object in his hands. His gaze lingered on Airi one last time before he stepped outside the cave, taking light, silent steps.
What Zack didn't know was that moments after crossing the entrance, Airi had awakened. Since losing her sight, her other senses had become much sharper, and she picked up the almost imperceptible sound of the kunai being unearthed and Zack's soft footsteps. Something felt wrong, and she knew he was hiding something important.
Determination shining in her mind, she rose carefully, feeling her way along the cave walls to avoid stumbling. Each step was meticulously calculated, her fingers exploring the surfaces around her as she slowly followed the trail left by Zack.
Outside, the forest seemed even more imposing under the night's cloak. Zack walked purposefully, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts as he tightly gripped the kunai, each step taking him deeper into the place where he used to train. He needed answers, clarity, and he believed that being alone at that moment was essential.
Meanwhile, Airi moved like a shadow, trusting her memory of the path and the sounds around her to follow him. Her heart raced, but she pressed on, guided by a mix of worry and intuition. Each branch she touched, each stone she avoided, was a small triumph in her determination to discover what Zack was hiding.
Zack finally arrived at the place where he used to train, an open area surrounded by tall trees and twisted roots. He paused, inhaling the fresh forest air, before raising the kunai to eye level. The blade glimmered faintly under the starlight, a cruel reminder of what he had accepted by holding that weapon.
Airi, in turn, reached the same area a few minutes later, hiding behind a nearby tree. Though she couldn't see him, she clearly heard the sounds around her: Zack's heavy breathing, the soft clinking of the kunai as he held it, and the unsettling silence enveloping everything around.
Zack began to speak to himself, his words a whisper just for him, but loud enough for Airi to hear.
— Is this really the right thing? Am I on the right path?
Airi frowned upon hearing the anguish in his voice. Something was very wrong, and she needed to act. Gripping the trunk of the tree, she tried to decide the best way to intervene without alerting him to her presence.
Airi froze when she heard additional footsteps on the forest floor. Unlike Zack's anxious and hesitant steps, these were composed, firm, and carried a confidence that echoed among the trees. She held her breath for a moment, focusing her sharpened senses.
Soon, a deep and serene voice pierced the night silence:
— So, you've decided to follow the world I will form?
Airi's heart raced. It was a voice she had never heard before, and its tone carried an almost intimidating authority. Zack responded almost immediately, his voice loaded with a firmness that made her shiver.
— I have decided. — There was determination in his words, but also a vulnerability she could feel even without seeing his face. — I will move forward and make this world better, so that others don't go through what I went through.
Airi clenched her hands against the tree beside her, her chest tightening with the anguish of hearing Zack speak so resolutely, yet filled with pain. He continued, his voice gaining a more urgent and pleading tone:
— But I want you to promise me something. That Airi will be able to live a normal life, without going through any more pain.
The ensuing silence was so heavy that it felt as if the forest itself was waiting for the response. Airi, breathing rapidly, couldn't believe what she was hearing. Zack was placing his hopes in something that seemed larger than himself, but what exactly was he promising? And who was this mysterious figure he was facing?
Even without being able to see, Airi felt that something monumental was about to happen. She needed to understand what was going on, and above all, she needed to protect Zack, even if he was trying to protect her.
The man's voice sounded again, now softer but laden with undeniable authority:
— You can rest easy, Zack. Your friend will no longer suffer. But you will have to give up your life. I have plans for her, and your life will be important down the line.
The words hit Airi like a blow. She couldn't see, but she could feel each wave of tension in her body, and now, her heart felt heavy, filled with a fear that consumed her slowly. She wanted to run, to scream at Zack not to do this, not to sacrifice himself for her, to allow them to move on together, away from all of this. But exhaustion took over her body, and all she could do was remain still, listening, powerless to move.
She tried to focus, to summon all her energy to rise and run to him. But her leg muscles were weak, her hands trembled, and the air felt too dense for her to breathe easily. Her body, exhausted from the effort of trying to follow Zack and the conflicting emotions, refused to obey.
With a sigh, Airi surrendered to fatigue. She slowly crouched down, seeking support to sit while her mind tried to process everything that was happening. She needed to act, to save Zack from himself, but she was running out of strength.
She tried to rest, attempting to regain some energy for what was to come. However, the only thing she could hear now was the sound of the conversation between Zack and the mysterious man. Every word Zack said seemed a step closer to the sacrifice he was willing to make, and Airi knew that if she didn't react soon, it would be too late.
But her body wouldn't obey. She was about to give in, and the only thing she could still do was gather her final strength to scream, to prevent Zack from making this decision without considering the consequences. She gritted her teeth, focusing on the words he was saying while her body surrendered to exhaustion.
— No... no... — she murmured, almost inaudibly, her voice hoarse from the effort. She strained herself to make a sound, but fatigue was stronger, and her strength ran out. She had to yield to rest, hoping that at some point, she could still find the strength to prevent that fate.
The last phrase Airi heard before giving in to sleep was the man's voice, which seemed to envelop the environment around them with a chilling calm:
— Welcome to the Akatsuki, Zack.
These words lingered in the air like a distant echo, and Airi, still fumbling with her fingers and sensing an imminent feeling of loss, tried to understand what that meant. Akatsuki... what is that? Her confused and foggy mind couldn't find answers to the words that haunted her. Her vision clouded by the darkness of blindness and the weight of fatigue, she could no longer resist. Her head drooped, and she fell asleep there on the forest floor, unable to do anything to prevent what was happening.
Hours or minutes, Airi didn't know how much time had passed, but when she woke up, the world around her seemed empty, devoid of life. Feeling a strange void, as if something had been lost forever. She tried to listen, but the sound of the forest in the background was muffled, distant, almost as if the air had been squeezed out of her lungs. She brought her hand to her lips, trying to remember what had happened, but everything felt vague.
She stood up with difficulty, feeling her way along the floor and the cave walls, and her heart raced as she realized that Zack was no longer there. There was no sign of him. With a thread of voice, she shouted:
— Zack! Zack, where are you?!
The only response was the echo of her own voice, a lonely, empty sound, as if the entire cave was in absolute silence. Nothing else felt real, and a sense of despair took over her. She tried once more, with more force:
— Zack! Where are you?
But there was no answer.
The weight of solitude started to squeeze her chest, and she felt a deep sadness spreading through her body, as if everything was crumbling around her. The silence of the cave, which had once been comforting, now afflicted her, becoming unbearable.
Airi stood there, her hands against her own lips, murmuring to herself, almost as if trying to convince herself that all of this was a nightmare.
— Why does he have to carry everything alone? — she said softly, the pain and frustration in her words. — Why can't he share this burden with me?
That moment, that silence, and the absence of Zack were more painful than any physical suffering. She felt that losing him would be more than she could bear. Every thought about what he might be facing out there made her feel more powerless and more alone.
She sat on the ground, feeling a tightness in her chest, and continued murmuring:
— Why does he always have to do everything alone? I just wanted to be able to help him...
What Zack had done, the choices he made, were still floating in Airi's mind, but she couldn't fully comprehend. She only knew that, at that moment, the emptiness around her was more than just Zack's absence; it was the feeling that, even while trying to be strong, she still wouldn't be able to avoid the pain of seeing her friend leave, alone, on a journey she couldn't follow.
And so, in that oppressive silence, Airi surrendered once again to fatigue, allowing herself to sink into her deepest thoughts, waiting, perhaps, for a chance to find Zack again.
Airi was lost in her own thoughts, trying to understand everything that had happened, trying to piece together the fragments of a puzzle that seemed unsolvable. The cave was in absolute silence, the weight of solitude crushing her. But suddenly, the voice that pulled her from her state of reflection was like a blade cutting through the darkness.
— They always choose to carry the burden alone, don't they?
Airi shuddered, her body tense upon hearing those words. She looked around, trying to identify the source of the voice, but nothing appeared to be there. The feeling was that someone was approaching unseen. She frowned and pressed her hands against her chest, her instincts on high alert.
Suddenly, beside her, the sound of papers materializing echoed. It was as if the rustling of an enormous amount of papers being organized filled the air, the sound of something emerging from nothing. The environment seemed to grow heavier, and the sensation of something supernatural intensified. Airi turned to the source of the sound, but what she saw left her speechless.
— What is this? Who are you? — Airi asked, her voice trembling but filled with a strength she didn't know where it came from.
The voice that responded was calm, yet had a tranquil authority, as if it belonged to someone used to observing and judging impartially.
— I am someone who had to strengthen myself to help a friend as well. My name is Konan, nice to meet you, Airi.
Konan... the name echoed in Airi's mind, but she didn't know who or what he was. The sound of papers continued, as if they were being arranged into some sort of formation around her, but Airi could see nothing beyond the darkness.
— What do you want from me? — Airi questioned more firmly, the feeling of discomfort growing within her.
Konan's answer was direct, yet still laden with an unsettling calmness.
— I let you hear everything they were saying... And I put you in a basic genjutsu at the request of the leader, to see if you would also have the strength to follow your friend. Too bad you gave up too quickly when you felt tired. You just had to try a bit harder.
Airi felt a chill run down her spine as she realized the magnitude of what had happened. Genjutsu... She tried to concentrate, but her mind was still dazed by the revelation. She didn't know if she could trust what was happening. Those words from Konan made her question whether she was truly hearing things clearly or if she was trapped in some type of illusion.
She slowly stood up, her body still weak, but her spirit beginning to rise against the revelation that someone was behind all of this. She didn't want to be just another piece in someone's game, but she felt that something within her was changing.
— Why do this to me? Why show me all of this now? — Airi asked, her voice lower but filled with a determination she hadn't felt before.
Konan, though invisible, seemed to be observing the young woman with profound interest, as if he was waiting for this reaction from her. The rustling of papers around her continued, perhaps organizing into some pattern Airi couldn't comprehend.
— Because you, Airi, are stronger than you think. They all have their burdens, and so do you. Now, you must decide if you want to continue with your friend or if you will give up on fighting. The world doesn't wait, and not everyone can carry the weight of everyone else. But you have something they don't: the ability to see what they can't. Embrace that strength.
Airi felt a wave of conflicting emotions. On one hand, she wanted to believe in Konan and the words he spoke. On the other, she felt profound insecurity and fear that everything was part of something larger, a disguised manipulation.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and finally spoke with a firmer voice:
— I won't give up. Not now. If I can help Zack, I will do whatever it takes.
Konan remained silent for a moment, as if pondering Airi's words. The sound of papers around her slowly decreased, until the stillness of the environment enveloped her again, but Konan's presence still lingered in the air. She could sense he was observing every movement she made, as if calculating the intensity of her determination.
Finally, Konan's voice, soft but filled with authority, broke the silence:
— I will give you another chance, Airi. You may not have the same determination as Zack, but I see that you are still stronger than many others. And I believe you deserve a chance.
Airi furrowed her brow, confused, trying to understand the meaning of those words. She didn't know if this was a concession or a disguised threat, but something within her felt that this opportunity could be the path she had been searching for, a chance to become stronger, to help Zack, and perhaps protect herself.
— So you want me to learn with you for a while — Konan continued, — and then I will let you proceed on your own. If this is your decision, accept the challenge. But know that it won't be easy. I am not offering something that can be attained without effort. Your inner strength will determine your success.
Airi swallowed hard, her body still weakened from the genjutsu experience, but something burned in her heart. She felt that she could no longer turn back. Zack wouldn't be the only one to carry the weight of the world. She had her own path to walk, and if that meant learning from someone like Konan, she was willing to try.
She took a deep breath, her voice now more determined, though still tinged with uncertainty.
— I accept. I want to learn if it will help me protect Zack and become stronger.
Konan, though invisible, seemed to acknowledge the strength in Airi's words. The sound of papers around her paused for a moment, and then she felt a closer presence, as if he was about to guide her.
— Very well, Airi. Prepare yourself, for the path you have chosen will not be easy. You will need patience, concentration, and courage. But above all, you must learn to trust yourself. That will be the key to everything.