Tobio stood frozen in the shimmering garden of Amorus the weight of the god's words crushing him like a boulder.
"Heikō is gone," Amorus repeated, their voice steady but tinged with finality. "Sealed in the void and erased from existence. There is no bringing him back."
The words echoed in Tobio's mind, each syllable like a knife twisting in his chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His legs trembled, threatening to give out beneath him.
"There has to be a way," he finally managed to choke out, his voice breaking. "There has to be something! You're Amorus, one of the most powerful gods. You can't just stand there and tell me—"
"ENOUGH!"
Amorus' voice thundered, shaking the ground beneath them. Their golden eyes flared, and Tobio staggered back, his heart pounding.
"You dare demand this of me after everything you've done?" Amorus continued, their tone icy. "You trespassed through realms, defied gods, and disrupted the balance of the cosmos—all for a fool's errand. And now you expect me to perform the impossible?"
Tobio clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms until they bled. "I had to try. Heikō isn't just a god he's the embodiment of everything we stand for. Without him, the shinobi world will fall apart. Don't you care about that?"
Amorus' expression softened slightly, but their voice remained firm. "Do you think I don't care? Heikō was more than a friend to me, Tobio. He was… irreplaceable. But there are laws that even gods cannot break. The void is final. To tamper with it would risk unraveling everything."
Tobio staggered back, the fight draining from his body. His breathing was ragged, his vision blurry. "So that's it? Heikō is gone, and we're just supposed to accept it? What the fuck am I supposed to tell everyone? What am I supposed to tell the clans!?"
Amorus didn't answer immediately. They simply stared at him, their golden eyes filled with a sadness that seemed to stretch across eternity.
"That," they finally said, "is for you to decide. But remember this, Tobio. You're lucky you're still standing here. Your actions warranted erasure, just like Heikō. If it weren't for his influence, you wouldn't have made it this far."
The words hit Tobio like a punch to the gut. He dropped to his knees, his head hanging low.
"I… I failed," he whispered.
Amorus watched him for a moment before sighing. With a wave of their hand, a portal materialized behind Tobio, its edges shimmering with a soft, golden light.
"Go home, Tobio. Your journey ends here."
The portal's pull was immediate, dragging Tobio through before he could protest. The warmth of Amorus' domain vanished, replaced by the familiar chill of the shinobi realm.
Tobio found himself standing on the outskirts of Arakusa Village. The once vibrant trees around him seemed dull, their leaves rustling in a mournful wind. He looked down at his hands, still trembling from the weight of everything he had heard.
A sudden cry broke through his haze.
"Tobio!"
He looked up to see Haruka running toward him, behind her were Aiko and Kenta, their small forms barely visible in the distance.
"Daddy!" Aiko screamed, her voice high-pitched with excitement.
Tobio fell to his knees as they reached him, their arms wrapping around him tightly. Haruka knelt beside him, her hands cupping his face.
"You're home," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I'm home," Tobio murmured, his voice hollow.
Kenta approached more cautiously, his brow furrowed. "Dad? Are you okay?"
Tobio forced a weak smile, ruffling his son's hair. "I'm fine, Kenta. Just… tired."
Haruka's eyes searched his face, her joy fading into concern. "What happened? Did you find Heikō?"
The question hit him like a dagger to the chest. He looked away, unable to meet her gaze.
"He's gone," Tobio said quietly. "There's no way to bring him back."
The news spread quickly through Arakusa. By the time Tobio arrived at the village center, a crowd had gathered, their faces tense with anticipation.
He stood before them, his shoulders slumped, his face etched with grief.
"Heikō… is gone," he announced, his voice cracking. "He's been sealed in the void and erased from existence. There's no way to bring him back."
The silence that followed was deafening.
"No," an elder whispered, their voice trembling. "That can't be true."
"It's true," Tobio said firmly. "I've been to the domains of gods. I've seen things I can't even begin to describe. But no matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, there was no way to save him."
A murmur rippled through the crowd, a mix of disbelief, anger, and despair.
"This is bullshit!" a young shinobi shouted, stepping forward. "Heikō wouldn't just disappear like that. You must've missed something. You must've—"
"I didn't miss anything!" Tobio snapped, his voice echoing across the square. "Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I didn't fight with everything I had? I nearly fucking died trying to save him!"
The young shinobi recoiled, his face pale.
Tobio took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "I know this isn't what you wanted to hear. It's not what I wanted to say. But this is the reality we're facing. Heikō is gone, and we have to figure out how to move forward without him."
That night, Tobio sat outside his home, staring up at the stars. The weight of his failure pressed down on him, suffocating and inescapable.
Haruka joined him, sitting silently beside him. She didn't say anything at first, just resting her head on his shoulder.
"You did everything you could," she said softly.
"Did I?" Tobio muttered. "I promised everyone I'd bring him back. I promised you. And I failed."
Haruka took his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You're here, Tobio. That's all that matters to me."
Aiko and Kenta peeked out from the doorway, their eyes wide with worry.
"Come here," Tobio said, his voice gentler.
The children ran to him, climbing into his lap. He wrapped his arms around them, holding them tightly. For the first time in weeks, he allowed himself to cry.
In that moment, surrounded by his family, Tobio realized that while he couldn't save Heikō, he still had something worth fighting for.
And he would fight with everything he had.