Epilogue: Golden Scars.

POV: Kaori Watanabe

Something that has always characterized humans is their enormous, almost absurd capacity for adaptation. They break us, and we heal stronger. They burn us, and we rise from the ashes. However, there is a nation that, after years of suffering and pain, has achieved something more than simply adapting. They have managed to resist a Calamity that had them cornered against the sea, showing the world what the Iron Will of the Japanese means.

The wind blew softly in the provisional military cemetery of Chiba Prefecture, rustling the white flowers we had placed in front of the hundreds of new headstones. The sky was clear, an insulting shade of red, as if the black storm that covered Kanto for years had never existed.

"In the end... my cries for help were heard," I murmured, stroking the cold stone of an unnamed grave. "The long-range radios worked..."

Although the reinforcements arrived too late for the battle, they arrived just in time for the rescue. I saw the transport helicopters descend through the broken clouds like angels, pulling Ken, Natasha, Tanimoto, Kyosuke, and Kazuha out of the hell they had thrown themselves into.

The news spread like wildfire. A Kijin Class C, supported by a suicide squad and two Class S fighters, had taken down a General. The rumor spread throughout Japan, from the snows of Hokkaido to the beaches of Miyazaki. For the first time in a decade, humanity was not retreating; it was striking back.

"I heard the boy woke up recently," said a male voice beside me.

I turned. A tall man, dressed in a long, dark coat, looked at the horizon. His presence commanded as much respect as fear.

"Yes," I replied, turning my gaze back to the graves. "He was unconscious for two weeks. His friends had minor injuries in comparison, but Ken... his body bore the worst of it. They are all in the infirmary of Chiba Base, recovering."

I sighed, feeling the weight of my own losses. I lost my home. Yokota Air Base lay in ruins. I lost hundreds of brave men under my command, including the valiant squad of young Kazuha. The boy was the only one we managed to bring back. "Though, thanks to that sacrifice..." I said, reading the digital report on my tablet. "The presence of hostiles in the Kanto region has decreased by 98%. It's the first time we've recovered so much territory. I should be celebrating."

"But you are not," the man said, not looking at me.

"No," I admitted. "The Regent... before he died, he told Natasha something. Something that has me uneasy. He said that they, the Generals, are merely 'guardians.' If a monster capable of destroying an entire city is only the guardian... what kind of horror is hiding inside the house? Perhaps kicking the hornet's nest was not a good idea."

The man remained silent for a few seconds. "Fear is useful, Kaori. It keeps us alive. But don't let it paralyze you. We have gained time, and we have gained hope."

He took a sealed envelope from his coat and handed it to me. "Besides, rest is about to end. The Hokkaido Region has formally requested the immediate presence of Natasha and that boy, Ken. It seems things in the north are getting ugly, and they believe the General Slayer is their best bet."

I took the envelope. My hands trembled slightly. Hokkaido... the frozen north. "Alright," I said, putting the envelope in my jacket. "Perhaps it's not the time to think about the monsters to come, but about the ones we have already defeated. Our nation has won the first major battle in years without outside help."

I adjusted my uniform, feeling, for the first time in a long time, ready for the future. "We must go congratulate the heroes and give them their new orders. Don't you think, Nagato?"

Nagato smiled slightly, turning to walk towards the vehicles waiting for us. "Let's go, Commander. The war is just beginning, and our best warrior needs to know."

As I left the cemetery, I absentmindedly picked one of the white flowers and put it in my pocket. Now, as I walked through the disinfected hospital corridors, my fingers played with its already wilted petals. The same flower that honored the dead accompanied me to see those who had cheated death. The irony was not lost on me.

I walked through the white corridors of the base hospital to room 304. I opened the door gently. Kyosuke was sitting in a wheelchair reading an old magazine, Tanimoto was looking out the window with his arm in a sling, and Natasha was clumsily peeling an apple because of her bandages.

In a corner, Kazuha sat on the edge of his bed, in complete silence, gripping the dog tags of his fallen comrades tightly.

And in the bed, awake and sitting up, was Ken. Seeing me enter, he tried to give a military salute, but I gestured for him to rest. "Commander Kaori," Ken said, his voice still hoarse. "The base...?" "Destroyed," I admitted with a sad smile. "But we won, Ken. Kanto is free for now."

There was a respectful silence. Then, I placed the envelope Nagato gave me on the nightstand. "However, I didn't come just to congratulate you. I have new orders." Ken looked at the envelope warily. "I just woke up, ma'am. Don't I even get a day off?"

"The Hokkaido Region has specifically requested your presence and Natasha's," I said seriously. "I know you're tired. I know you want to find your brother. But..." I paused, knowing what I was about to say would change everything. "Aerial intelligence has recovered supply crates not from Japan along with some encrypted data."

Ken's eyes widened. "Most of that data points north. To Hokkaido." I leaned toward him. "If your brother is still alive, Ken... it's very likely he is there."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. The fatigue on Ken's face disappeared, replaced by a burning determination. Ken grabbed the envelope firmly. He didn't open it. He didn't need to. He looked at Natasha, then at Kyosuke, Tanimoto, and Kazuha. They all nodded.

Ken looked back at me, and despite the bandages and the pain, he smiled. "When do we leave?"