Throughout your life, you face situations like death, kidnapping, hunger, abandonment, and wars.
This was the fate of our young protagonist, named Hyouma Kazuki, a boy with white hair, white eyes, and a lost gaze.
Hyouma, a child from the slums, who, throughout his short life, had witnessed several calamities that had tainted his warm heart, extinguishing the innocence he once displayed in his eyes. But to understand his story, we must understand his past.
[Four years ago, Kazuki residence]
A blonde boy with green eyes could be seen playing in the yard of his house with a little girl who had the same features. These were Hyouma Kazuki, six years old, and Emma Kazuki, four years old.
"Kids, let's eat, come inside," said an older woman, thirty-two years old, with the same features as the children.
Both children ran to their mother to eat. The three of them ate peacefully, without any worries.
"Well, Hyouma, since tomorrow is your birthday, what would you like to do?"
"Mmm, I know, I want us three to go on a picnic. Can we?"
"Of course, let's do it."
Both children became happy at their mother's response, ate, and spent the rest of the day together as a family.
The next day, it was the seventh birthday of our young protagonist. Just as his mother had said, the three of them had a great picnic.
The night breeze gently blew through the trees as Hyouma walked alongside his mother and younger sister, Emma. They had spent the day in a small clearing in the forest, laughing, sharing stories, and enjoying the warmth of family. Now, with the starry sky above them, they began their way home.
Emma, with an innocent smile, jumped between the dry leaves while her mother, holding her hand, sang a soft melody. Hyouma walked a few steps ahead, enjoying the sound of her voice, until something changed.
The forest, once peaceful, fell into an unnatural silence. Neither the wind, nor the crickets, nor the rustling of the leaves… nothing.
"Mum…" whispered Emma, clutching her arm.
Before her mother could respond, a whistle cut through the air. Hyouma felt a chill run down his spine and turned just in time to see an arrow streak through the night and pierce his mother's chest.
"¡MOM!" His scream was drowned out by the thunderclap that lit up the scene.
His mother fell to her knees, her dress soaking in red as Emma let out a heart-wrenching sob. Hyouma ran to her, catching her before she hit the ground. Her breathing was erratic, and her eyes, always filled with love, trembled as they looked at him.
"Hyouma… take care of Emma…" her voice was a whisper, barely audible.
"No, no! Hang on, Mum! We'll take you home!" Hyouma gritted his teeth, feeling his chest burn with desperation.
But his mother only gave him one last smile, one that should not have existed in someone who was dying.
"I will always… love you both…"
And with one final breath, her body grew heavy in his arms.
Emma screamed his name, shaking her, refusing to accept what had just happened. But Hyouma couldn't move, couldn't speak. All he could do was hold her, feeling the warmth of his mother fading little by little… as the cold of the night took hold of his heart.
But as if there was no rest, another arrow flew toward the protagonist, grazing his cheek. Fulfilling his mother's wish, he grabbed Emma by the arm and they started running.
It seemed endless. Every step they took, they kept seeing the forest, until suddenly, as if God had given them a chance, they saw their house and, for the better, saw their uncle, who had come to visit them for the protagonist's birthday.
Upon reaching their uncle, they told him what had happened, breaking his heart, and in an act of desperation, sadness, and anger, he blamed the protagonist for their mother's death.
"It's your fault. If only you had wanted to celebrate your birthday at home, none of this would have happened. It's all your fault."
The words echoed in both children's ears, while Emma fully believed her uncle's words and looked at her brother with noticeable distrust.
Meanwhile, Hyouma, although he didn't think it was his fault, considered that if he hadn't insisted on celebrating outside, if he hadn't pushed for it, his mother would still be alive.
The weight of his uncle's words still echoed in his head, like a sound that couldn't be silenced. "It's your fault..." Each of those words spun around, piercing deeper into his chest, until he felt as though he couldn't breathe.
"Hyouma… Is it true?"
Emma's voice cut him off. She looked at him with eyes full of uncertainty, with a fear he couldn't comprehend, but that he felt was his fault. She, his sister, looked at him as though doubting him, as if she were seeing him for the first time. The little girl had always considered him her protector, but now… now there was something in her gaze that told him she no longer saw him the same way.
A shiver ran through his body. The pressure in his chest became unbearable. His mother's face, still in his mind, no longer offered comfort. He had failed.
And despair took over him. He couldn't bear the looks. He couldn't stay there, under the weight of the guilt.
Without thinking, he started walking toward the door.