Chapter 36:
A Father's Warning
The Conqueror
Chapter 36 – A Father's Warning
Shinra's breath came in ragged gasps.
Huff… huff…
His eyes fluttered open, heavy with exhaustion.
For a moment, he thought he was still in the void, but the darkness had shifted. He was lying on a cold floor, inside a chamber he instantly recognized.
The underground room was dimly lit by flickering crystal lamps fixed into the walls. Metal racks lined one side, stacked with weapons and armor dulled by time.
Another wall was cluttered with surgical tools and strange machines, their blinking lights casting eerie patterns across the stone floor.
And at the very center stood the glass tube—tall, reinforced, filled with faintly glowing blue-green liquid. Cracks webbed across its surface like scars, though it still pulsed faintly with light.
Shinra's body trembled as he pushed himself upright. His eyes swept across the chamber.
"…This place…" he whispered.
It was familiar. Too familiar. His memory sparked—the same chamber where he had once awakened Samy. His gaze locked on the glass tube, its half-open top looming in the dark.
Then a sound broke the stillness.
Creaaak.
The door at the top of the stairwell opened. Footsteps descended slowly, steady and deliberate.
Shinra panicked instinctively, slipping behind one of the machines. His heart hammered in his chest—though he was in ghost form, the instinct to hide clung to him.
Then a voice, calm and steady, cut through the silence.
"You don't need to hide. Come out."
Shinra froze. The voice was deep, commanding—yet achingly familiar.
A man stepped into the chamber. His black hair was touched with streaks of gray, a faint scar running across his collarbone.
His eyes were sharp, serious, yet carried a quiet warmth. He lowered himself onto the couch as though expecting someone.
Shinra's breath caught. His knees weakened.
"…Father…?"
The man's gaze sharpened, fixed straight toward where Shinra stood.
"Yes. Shinra." His voice was steady, certain. "I know you're here."
Shinra stumbled forward, his form flickering with emotion. "No… no, this can't be… You—" His voice cracked, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"Father, I'm sorry… I couldn't do anything.
Hiroshi—his father—shook his head gently, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"There's nothing to apologize for. What happened was fate." His gaze grew heavier, almost bitter. "And fate… fate is the cruelest chain. It binds us all."
Shinra ran forward, arms outstretched. He tried to embrace him—
—but his hands passed through like smoke.
"No…!" Shinra's cry echoed. He staggered, then tried again, desperately pressing against his father's chest.
Again, nothing. He fell to his knees, fists clenched, tears streaming. "Why… why can't I touch you?"
He stood again, waving, stomping, even spinning in frustration. Hiroshi didn't react.
Shinra's breath hitched. "You… you can't see me, can you?"
Hiroshi exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "No. I can't see you. I can't hear you. But I know you're here."
His eyes softened, gazing forward as if through the veil. "Because I saw this moment, Shinra. I knew you would come."
Shinra's heart pounded. "Saw… this moment?"
Hiroshi nodded. "When I was on a mission years ago, with Lucas, we discovered a dungeon on a distant island. Inside, we were given a choice: to glimpse the past… or the future."
His eyes grew distant, shadowed by memory. "I chose the future."
Shinra trembled. "Then… you saw me? You saw all of this?"
"I saw enough," Hiroshi said, voice heavy. "I saw your path. I saw the weight you'll carry. I saw the fate of this world." His tone lowered. "And I saw my own end."
Shinra's tears blurred his vision. "Then tell me! Tell me what happens! If something bad is coming, I can prepare! I can stop it—"
"No." Hiroshi's voice cut sharp. "If I tell you, then it will not happen as I saw.
And fate… fate will twist into something even worse. Destruction is this world's destiny, Shinra. You cannot stop that. But…"
He leaned forward, eyes burning with fatherly will.
"You can endure it."
The words struck Shinra like a thunderclap.
Hiroshi lifted his hand as though to reach for Shinra, though it passed only through air.
"Listen carefully, my son. There are three truths you must remember."
Shinra froze, his tears pausing as he listened.
"One: Become strong as quickly as you can. Strength is the only language this world listens to.
Two: Never fight a battle you cannot win. Recklessness will kill you—and those you love.
Three…" Hiroshi's voice softened, breaking just slightly. "…never lose hope. Even when the world turns to ash, hope is what keeps it standing."
Shinra's lips trembled. "Hope…"
"Yes." Hiroshi's voice grew firm again. "Even fate itself can only be changed by hope. Remember that."
The chamber began to flicker. The walls trembled, light dimming. Hiroshi's form wavered, breaking apart like smoke.
"Father, wait—don't go!" Shinra cried, reaching forward. His hand passed through again, uselessly.
Hiroshi smirked faintly, calm even as he faded. "We'll meet again… Shinra. Be strong."
And then he was gone.
The chamber dissolved around Shinra. His vision blurred, colors twisting—until suddenly he was standing in open sky.
The smell of smoke filled his nose. Below him lay his home village—engulfed in flames. Houses crumbled.
People screamed.
The place where he had grown up, where his parents had lived, was burning before his eyes.
Shinra's chest tightened.
"No…" he whispered. His voice cracked into a scream.
"NO!"
The world trembled as fire devoured his past.
To be continued…
Shinra's breath came in ragged gasps.
Huff… huff…
His eyes fluttered open, heavy with exhaustion.
For a moment, he thought he was still in the void, but the darkness had shifted. He was lying on a cold floor, inside a chamber he instantly recognized.
The underground room was dimly lit by flickering crystal lamps fixed into the walls. Metal racks lined one side, stacked with weapons and armor dulled by time.
Another wall was cluttered with surgical tools and strange machines, their blinking lights casting eerie patterns across the stone floor.
And at the very center stood the glass tube—tall, reinforced, filled with faintly glowing blue-green liquid. Cracks webbed across its surface like scars, though it still pulsed faintly with light.
Shinra's body trembled as he pushed himself upright. His eyes swept across the chamber.
"…This place…" he whispered.
It was familiar. Too familiar. His memory sparked—the same chamber where he had once awakened Samy. His gaze locked on the glass tube, its half-open top looming in the dark.
Then a sound broke the stillness.
Creaaak.
The door at the top of the stairwell opened. Footsteps descended slowly, steady and deliberate.
Shinra panicked instinctively, slipping behind one of the machines. His heart hammered in his chest—though he was in ghost form, the instinct to hide clung to him.
Then a voice, calm and steady, cut through the silence.
"You don't need to hide. Come out."
Shinra froze. The voice was deep, commanding—yet achingly familiar.
A man stepped into the chamber. His black hair was touched with streaks of gray, a faint scar running across his collarbone.
His eyes were sharp, serious, yet carried a quiet warmth. He lowered himself onto the couch as though expecting someone.
Shinra's breath caught. His knees weakened.
"…Father…?"
The man's gaze sharpened, fixed straight toward where Shinra stood.
"Yes. Shinra." His voice was steady, certain. "I know you're here."
Shinra stumbled forward, his form flickering with emotion. "No… no, this can't be… You—" His voice cracked, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"Father, I'm sorry… I couldn't do anything.
Hiroshi—his father—shook his head gently, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"There's nothing to apologize for. What happened was fate." His gaze grew heavier, almost bitter. "And fate… fate is the cruelest chain. It binds us all."
Shinra ran forward, arms outstretched. He tried to embrace him—
—but his hands passed through like smoke.
"No…!" Shinra's cry echoed. He staggered, then tried again, desperately pressing against his father's chest.
Again, nothing. He fell to his knees, fists clenched, tears streaming. "Why… why can't I touch you?"
He stood again, waving, stomping, even spinning in frustration. Hiroshi didn't react.
Shinra's breath hitched. "You… you can't see me, can you?"
Hiroshi exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "No. I can't see you. I can't hear you. But I know you're here."
His eyes softened, gazing forward as if through the veil. "Because I saw this moment, Shinra. I knew you would come."
Shinra's heart pounded. "Saw… this moment?"
Hiroshi nodded. "When I was on a mission years ago, with Lucas, we discovered a dungeon on a distant island. Inside, we were given a choice: to glimpse the past… or the future."
His eyes grew distant, shadowed by memory. "I chose the future."
Shinra trembled. "Then… you saw me? You saw all of this?"
"I saw enough," Hiroshi said, voice heavy. "I saw your path. I saw the weight you'll carry. I saw the fate of this world." His tone lowered. "And I saw my own end."
Shinra's tears blurred his vision. "Then tell me! Tell me what happens! If something bad is coming, I can prepare! I can stop it—"
"No." Hiroshi's voice cut sharp. "If I tell you, then it will not happen as I saw.
And fate… fate will twist into something even worse. Destruction is this world's destiny, Shinra. You cannot stop that. But…"
He leaned forward, eyes burning with fatherly will.
"You can endure it."
The words struck Shinra like a thunderclap.
Hiroshi lifted his hand as though to reach for Shinra, though it passed only through air.
"Listen carefully, my son. There are three truths you must remember."
Shinra froze, his tears pausing as he listened.
"One: Become strong as quickly as you can. Strength is the only language this world listens to.
Two: Never fight a battle you cannot win. Recklessness will kill you—and those you love.
Three…" Hiroshi's voice softened, breaking just slightly. "…never lose hope. Even when the world turns to ash, hope is what keeps it standing."
Shinra's lips trembled. "Hope…"
"Yes." Hiroshi's voice grew firm again. "Even fate itself can only be changed by hope. Remember that."
The chamber began to flicker. The walls trembled, light dimming. Hiroshi's form wavered, breaking apart like smoke.
"Father, wait—don't go!" Shinra cried, reaching forward. His hand passed through again, uselessly.
Hiroshi smirked faintly, calm even as he faded. "We'll meet again… Shinra. Be strong."
And then he was gone.
The chamber dissolved around Shinra. His vision blurred, colors twisting—until suddenly he was standing in open sky.
The smell of smoke filled his nose. Below him lay his home village—engulfed in flames. Houses crumbled.
People screamed.
The place where he had grown up, where his parents had lived, was burning before his eyes.
Shinra's chest tightened.
"No…" he whispered. His voice cracked into a scream.
"NO!"
The world trembled as fire devoured his past.
To be continued…
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