forgiveness

Kenji looked at Tony with steady eyes and said, "Well? I'm waiting. Break it."








Tony stood still, his grin absent for once. He caught the blade in his hand, stared at it, then looked back at Kenji. "Kenji… I can't do it. Even if you're asking me to." He gently tossed the sword back, and Kenji caught it with ease.








Timmy's small voice piped up from the corner of the cave. "Kenji, shouldn't you be happy? At least Eleo saved us all."








Kenji didn't answer right away. He stared at the sword in his hand, then slowly looked toward Eleo. "Yeah… I know. That's why I haven't fully walked away yet. But I asked him a question—if we were all in danger… and so was that necklace… who would he save?" His voice hardened. "And that silence? Says it all."








Eleo's ears drooped slightly. He took a breath, then dropped to his knees. With trembling hands, he placed the necklace gently on the cave floor. The soft clink of the charm against the stone echoed in the silence.








"I'm sorry," Eleo said quietly, then raised his voice. "I'm really, really, really sorry, Kenji. I should've helped you guys before I went looking for Abby… for the necklace. I—I messed up."








All eyes shifted to Kenji, who stood still as a statue.








Eleo continued, "Even if I saved us at the end, that doesn't erase what I didn't do. And if you feel like I value the necklace more than you guys… then I don't blame you for being mad."








Kenji took a slow breath, then stepped forward. "Eleo." His voice was calm now. "I'm not asking you to burn it. I'm not asking you to throw it away. I'm just saying—next time, try to save us first. Before any object. That's all."








Eleo nodded firmly, eyes glistening. "I will. I promise."








Tony threw a skeletal arm up. "And I would like to say how I feel, thank you very much." He sniffled dramatically. "Personally, I feel a little hurt—oh, who am I kidding? I'm very hurt! And even if I'm a bag of bones and make jokes all the time, I still have feelings, okay?!"








Olorun stepped forward, rubbing the back of his neck, his voice quieter than usual. "Yeah… same here. I play around a lot, but when I heard that you looking for that necklace while we were getting stomped, it really stung, man."








Chiyo scoffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah, you idiot. You could've asked me after the fight and I'd have helped you look for it myself. Now you got me—a full-blooded vampire—heartbroken. You happy?!"








Eleo's ears twitched, and he lowered his head. "You guys are right… all of you. I didn't mean to make you feel like I cared about the necklace more than you. I'm sorry I made you think that. Truth is…" He looked around the room. "I don't really know how to be a leader. I don't even really know what I'm doing. I just know I want to be strong. And I want you guys with me."








He chuckled awkwardly. "I'm dumb—ok, super dumb—but I want to grow. Even if I mess up again and again, I want to learn how to be better. So…"








He stood up, spread his arms wide, and closed his eyes.








"If you guys wanna beat me up… go ahead. I deserve it."








His body was shaking.








Silence filled the cave like a weight. Eleo stood alone, ears drooping, arms open, eyes shut tight.








Then—








"Tch…" Chiyo sighed.








She marched forward, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him into a tight hug.








"You dumb, fluffy moron," she muttered, her voice thick. "Next time you try something that reckless, at least let me be reckless with you."








Thump. Tony tackled them both in a bone-clattering embrace. "You emotionally reckless rodents—I love this energy!"








"MEEP MEEP!" Kawai flung himself like a cannonball into the pile, clinging to Eleo's face like a needy plush toy.








Timmy stood still for a moment, arms crossed and serious—then waddled over, all 20 centimeters of him, and pressed his tiny forehead to Eleo's knee.








"You better not make me sad, you carrot-brained bunny." His voice cracked a little. "We just decided to like you again."








Olorun gave a long sigh, then smiled softly and strolled over. "Alright… fine. Group moment."








He leaned into the hug—grudgingly.








Eleo blinked, ears twitching. "You guys…"








Kenji watched from the back. Quiet. Still.








Then, finally, he walked forward. His sword stayed sheathed. His voice was low, calm.








"I'm still mad." He placed a hand on Eleo's head. "But I'm not leaving."








Eleo's eyes shimmered. "Does that mean…?"








Kenji cut him off.








"It means you've got one chance to prove you learned something. Don't waste it."








And then—surprising even himself—he stepped into the hug, resting one hand on Eleo's back.








The group stood there, tangled together in dust, exhaustion, and warmth. No victory speeches. No fireworks.








PQ groaned, his body still tied up in Eleo ink rope, and muttered through gritted teeth, "Okay, okay—enough with this bullshit. Just kill me already."








Timmy crossed his arms and pointed accusingly. "Guys! This jerk's working with the Sandy Bandys!"








"MEEP MEEP!" Kawai cried, flailing his stubby arms.








Eleo, Tony, Kenji, Olorun, and Chiyo all turned toward each other with blank stares.








"…Who?" they all said in perfect, confused unison.








PQ, still half-buried in sand, scoffed. "You fools! How could you not know about us?! We are the Heroes of Noya! Legends!"








Kenji's eyes narrowed, tone flat. "Oh yeah? Then explain why you attacked us like a damn bandit."








Eleo stomped a foot, puffing up. "Yeah, you jerk! Heroes don't jump outta sandholes!"








PQ squirmed in his restraints. "Those bones… that sand worm… I was trying to steal it, from you idiots!"








Tony tilted his head, a smug smirk tugging his mouth. "Heh. So much for being a hero. Stealing from us? Sounds more like a low-budget villain."








PQ grumbled. "Okay, fine! If I explain who we are, will you let me go?"








The crew huddled up in a chaotic little knot, muttering among themselves. Eventually, they turned around.








Olorun gave a grand, overly dramatic bow. "Yes, my dear dwarf. We shall graciously untie you… if you tell us who you really are."








PQ sighed long and hard. "We're after the First King's Armor. Our leader wants to claim it, become the strongest, and take the title of King of Noya."








Eleo's ears shot up. His fists clenched, his face turning red. "HEY! I'M gonna be the strongest! So I guess I'll just have to kick your leader's ass!"








Tony cackled. "Now that's my kind of diplomacy."








Chiyo crossed her arms, brows furrowed. "So who is this guy? And how many of you morons are there?"








PQ shrugged. "There's eight of us. Ten if you count the new recruits."








Timmy dug into PQ's pocket, rummaging around.








"HEY!" PQ screamed, squirming in protest.








Timmy ignored him, then reached into his tiny leafy pouch, blinking. "HEY!" He pulled out a wrinkled piece of parchment. "I got the map to Noya!"








Olorun rummaged through PQ's pockets, pulling out some small bombs and a dagger. "Man… that's it? No snacks? No scrolls?"








SLAP.








"OW! You bastard! Stop slapping me!" PQ shouted.








Timmy raised his hand. "Actually… I could use those bombs."








Olorun tossed them over casually. "Knock yourself out."








Timmy stuffed all six bombs into his absurdly small bag, humming a happy little tune.








Eleo blinked. "Wait a minute…!"








Tony gasped. "Oh crap—I completely forgot Timmy can put anything in that weird forest bag!"








Chiyo leaned in. "Huh? Really?!"








Olorun picked up one of the massive sand worm bones and slowly slid it into the tiny bag. It vanished without a trace.








Chiyo and Kawai's eyes sparkled.








"You little punk," Olorun said, pointing a finger. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?!"








Timmy shrugged. "Well… no one asked."








Kenji and Tony scrambled to pack the rest of the worm bones into Timmy's bag like kids grabbing candy.








PQ groaned. "Okay, so now that I told you everything, can you untie me now?!"








Eleo casually picked up the empty cup and pretended to inspect it. "Ehhhh…"








Without another word, the crew began walking out of the cave, sunlight washing over them.








PQ screamed behind them. "HEY! COME BACK! UNTIE ME, DAMN IT!"








No one did.








Minutes later, they walked across the rocky dunes, dust clinging to their boots and fur.








Timmy pulled out the map and squinted. "Mmm… just a few more miles and we'll reach the Market of Noya."








Chiyo leaned over his shoulder, her brow furrowing. "Wait—what about those other places? To the right is Akhenaten… to the left, Amenhotep. That river here's Anuket—it leads straight to the Noya Kingdom. And beside that's Toka. Down here… a giant river."








Timmy nodded thoughtfully. "Mmm. Yeah, we'll hit those places eventually… when Eleo feels like it."








Eleo threw his arms up. "I wanna explore the market first!"








Chiyo smirked. "Alright then, sir Eleo."








Olorun groaned dramatically, tugging at his shirt collar. "Yeah, yeah. Let's move it. I'm melting out here. Why is the sun aggressive?"








Kenji scowled, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Tch. Same. This heat is pissing me off."








Kawai weakly clung to Olorun's back, his tiny limbs wobbling.








"Meeeeep…"