Elsewhere—back in the place where I came from, where the girl who led me here belonged—hurried footsteps sliced through the silence. Violet was running at full speed, leaves and branches parting in the wake of the wind she left behind. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her hair flew wildly, and her eyes were filled with worry. She burst through the underbrush without hesitation, until finally, she arrived at an open field—the last place she had seen Hiro.
Then came a voice from above, calm but laced with pressure.
"You managed to bring him, Violet."
Violet looked up. Atop one of the sturdy branches sat a young man with fiery red hair, sharp eyes, and a relaxed posture—as if there was nothing in the world worth worrying about. Blaze.
Violet's face tensed immediately. She approached, bracing her knees as she tried to steady her breath. Then, as if the fear she had been holding in finally erupted, she stepped forward and grabbed both of Blaze's shoulders tightly.
"I thought he was swallowed by that witch—he's safe, right?!" she cried, her voice nearly breaking.
Blaze chuckled softly.
"Of course. That witch couldn't have swallowed him from a distance." He patted Violet's hands that were still clutching his shoulders, then looked straight at her.
"I'm grateful, Violet. But tell me—why would someone like you, a girl known to be fascinated with the mystic like us, become so invested?"
Violet fell silent for a moment. Her eyes wandered toward the shadows of the trees, then she gave a small smile.
"Since I was a child… I lived with my father. He gave me an ancient book and used to comfort me with its stories. That's where it started—I became curious… tracing back where those tales came from, how far they reached." She looked at Blaze again, this time with a deeper gaze.
"I never imagined you—and the one I helped—would be part of that ancient history."
***
This world was unlike anything I had ever seen. Every breath carried a fresh scent I couldn't describe. The sky shimmered—not just blue, but also green, gold, and silver, shifting like silk caught in the wind. Yet even though everything appeared peaceful… I knew this peace wasn't meant to be enjoyed, but tested.
After I finished speaking with Queen Victoria, she placed me in a place she called the "Circle of Emotion"—a flat stretch of land beneath an ancient tree that held the memories of the elements.
"You can't control earth… if you can't make peace with the wounds inside you," she said before leaving.
And now here I am, standing alone in the silence.
Suddenly, the ground beneath me trembled. Roots burst from the earth, forming a circle around me. A thin mist rose, then shifted—becoming a figure… one far too familiar.
Mother.
She stood before me, her body frail just as it had been the last time I saw her. Her hair hung loose, her eyes dim yet warm.
"I just wanted you to live in peace, Hiro," she said, her voice trembling. "Not like this… running, hiding… alone."
I tried to reply, but my voice caught in my throat. My shoulders began to shake. I knew this wasn't real. But it felt… too real to ignore.
"I never wanted to leave you," she continued. "But I couldn't stop it."
And then, the ground beneath me began to crack. Small stones floated into the air. I grasped the earth—not to attack, but to hold it steady.
I was holding myself together.
I remembered Queen Victoria's words: "Earth is buried emotion. If you don't unearth it, it will bury you."
Tears fell. Not from weakness.
But because I finally accepted the pain.
And for the first time… the earth responded. It didn't shake me. It didn't throw me down. It was still. Calm.
And with me.