The Fukaros Familia, starting from DanMachi.

"This sun... is really a bit too bright."

Fen Yu raised her hand and vigorously rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, as if that would block out the excessively bright sunlight.

He sniffed, his voice hoarse with a hint of complaint, as if he were simply crying from the sunlight.

He maintained this posture until the three figures completely turned into three small black dots on the horizon, no longer distinguishable.

The wind blew from the north, carrying the chill from the depths of Dragon Valley, ruffling his white hair and drying the last trace of moisture on his cheeks.

He slowly lowered his hand, the feigned ease on his face long gone, leaving only a silence incongruous with his age.

He turned and silently walked toward the little wooden house.

"Squeak—"

He gently pushed open the wooden door, making a familiar sound.

The interior furnishings were as simple and tidy as ever, and one could even say they were rather deserted.

A wooden table, two chairs, and a simple stove.

Each item is like an anchor point for memories.

He could almost see Alphia sitting in that chair, eyes closed, listening quietly to the wind, her brows furrowed slightly at the noise of children outside the window.

He could almost still smell, besides the scent of wood and dust, her unique, cool fragrance, like a winter rose atop a snow-capped mountain, lingering in the air.

He could almost feel that he had done something wrong, and she was staring at him with emotionless eyes, the pressure of which almost made him breathless.

Eight years of memories—arguments, beatings, silent dinners, the occasional clumsy act of concern—countless images flood my mind like a tide, so vivid as if they happened just yesterday.

Farewell, Alphia.

Fen Yu tilted her head back and blinked hard, trying to force back the warmth that surged up again.

This time, however, the tears were no longer under control, silently sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the old floor, spreading out a small dark water stain.

He knew better than anyone that his earlier "see you tomorrow" was just an unrealistic fantasy, a lie to keep himself from breaking down in front of them.

Alfia has a terminal illness.

A decay originating from the soul that even the gods cannot control.

This was the price she paid for the curse called "talent," which the gods envied.

He also knew the purpose of her and Uncle Chardo's trip.

They will transform into "absolute evil," using their remaining lives to ignite the potential of a new generation of adventurers in Orario, becoming the cruelest and most effective trial on their path to growth.

They will use their own destruction to compose a hymn of hope.

How great, and how cruel.

He knew he couldn't stop her.

That woman was so stubborn and willful that once she made a decision, not even God could make her turn back.

Besides, what right did he have to stop her? A burden she had taken in? A mortal who couldn't even accept a favor? He could do nothing.

The feeling of powerlessness was like a giant net, binding him tightly.

Watching helplessly as the person you love resolutely walks towards the abyss of destruction, while you can only stand still, without even the right to reach out and stop them.

The feeling was like a dull knife repeatedly cutting into my chest, with each breath accompanied by excruciating pain.

For the first time, Fen Yu truly understood what it meant to be heartbroken.

Eight years of nurturing kindness might transform into deep kinship for an ordinary child.

But for Fenyu, who possesses the soul of an adult, this feeling had already quietly changed over the course of their daily interactions.

He looked at the pain hidden beneath her cold exterior, at the loneliness of her bearing her sins alone, and that pity and admiration eventually fermented into something called liking.

Although, this was just a one-man show for him.

"but……"

Fen Yu clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, the stinging sensation clearing his chaotic thoughts somewhat.

"I am not in despair."

He muttered to himself, a mad yet resolute light flashing in his eyes.

"The law of this world dictates that when adventurers die, their souls return to the celestial realm... Very well, then I'll go to the celestial realm and snatch your soul back!"

"My system can summon beings from fantasy... So, items that can bring people back to life and miracles that can reverse cause and effect must also exist in some world."

He will not accept this outcome.

He has no right to cry, nor time to despair.

Alphia chose to fight in her own way, so he too must fight against this predetermined fate in his own way.

Time is the most impartial quicksand; it never stops for anyone.

Spring goes and autumn comes, and the seasons change.

Six years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The small villages in the north remain as peaceful and serene as ever.

Early in the morning, the door of the wooden house was pushed open.

A tall, upright young man walked out.

He was sixteen years old. His once short white hair had grown longer, and his blue eyes had lost their childishness, becoming deep and serene.

The passage of time has made his facial features more defined, and his handsome face always carries a faint sense of aloofness.

"Fenyu, are you going to training again? You're really diligent."

The blacksmith next door, carrying a hammer, greeted me with a smile.

Good morning, Uncle Huck.

Fen Yu nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

He walked through the village, nodding and greeting every villager he encountered, and then walked familiarly toward a dense forest outside the village.

That place was his secret base for the past six years, and also his training ground.

Although he still couldn't commemorate the favor or become an adventurer, he never gave up training for even a single day.

He honed his body and skills in the most rigorous and primitive way, all for that moment that would eventually come.

Six years ago, shortly after Alphia and the others left, the "Great Struggle" that shocked the world broke out.

Passing merchants brought news of Orario, describing the brutal battle that lasted for seven days and was known as the "Dark Seven Days." To Fenyu, however, it sounded like a series of familiar periods ending in a poem.

He knew that Alphia, Chardo, and the god Erebus, whom he had only met once, had all completed their missions.

He knew that Alphia had passed on her will and hope, like a spark, to the new generation of heroes in Orario.

But he wouldn't allow it.

He absolutely refused to accept it. Why should your hopes be passed on to others? Why should you sacrifice yourself to achieve someone else's greatness?

Fen Yu gritted his teeth and swung his wooden sword even faster, creating gusts of sharp wind.

He will change all of this in his own way, with his own will.

He wanted to stand before her personally, defeat her fair and square, and then tell her—your hero can only be me.