NINO

"Move." The soldier shoved the little girl forward just as she stumbled once again.

She bit her lip, trying to hold back the pain, and kept walking. Beside her, the old elder watched in silence. The chains around his wrists limited his movements, yet he still managed to step a little closer.

"Are you hurt?"

She gave a small shake of her head.

"Just a little."

A sad smile crossed the old man's face.

"You know..."

She turned toward the sound of his voice.

"What?"

For a few moments, he said nothing.

"I was wrong about the Hero." His gaze fell to the ground. "I thought he was nothing more than a weapon... someone incapable of feeling anything." He slowly closed his eyes. "But when he stepped into that wagon..." A faint smile appeared. "I realized there is still a man hidden inside him."

The little girl hugged her teddy bear a little tighter.

"I knew he was kind."

The old man closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"I only hope... that one day, he realizes it too."

The line began moving again. A few minutes later, the prisoners arrived at the great square before the castle.

A wooden scaffold had been erected at its center, surrounded by the kingdom's soldiers. From the balconies overlooking the square, merchants and nobles watched the ceremony with the same casual interest one might give a parade.

The prisoners were lined up before the platform. An officer unrolled a parchment and began reading their names and crimes. The crowd remained utterly silent. When he finished, he gave a single gesture to the soldiers.

"Prepare the condemned."

One by one, the guards covered the prisoners' eyes with strips of gray cloth. When one of them stopped before the little girl, he hesitated. Only for a moment.

The officer slowly raised his arm. One motion. One command.

"Take your positions!"

"Mister...?" The little girl turned her face from side to side, waiting for someone to answer. "What's happening?"

Then, the blades were raised.

Steel caught the sunlight above the prisoners' bowed heads. The executioners tightened their grip, their bodies perfectly still as they waited for the command.

At the center of the platform, the officer held his hand high. One gesture was all it would take. For a single heartbeat, the entire square seemed to hold its breath. Soldiers stood motionless as the crowd watched in silence.

His fingers slowly curled into a fist. As his arm began to fall…

The wind stopped.

The crimson banners, moments ago dancing in the wind, hung utterly still. Even the horses fell silent. A crushing silence settled over the capital. The first shadows crept slowly across the stone streets.

Several soldiers looked up.

"The clouds..."

"What's going on?"

The sun vanished behind a massive blanket of black clouds. Thunder rolled across the capital. Yet no lightning followed.

Seconds later, the wind returned. Stronger. Several soldiers staggered as the gust struck them. The little girl teddy bear slipped from her hands.

Then, for a single heartbeat, no one understood the sound that followed.

The streets exploded. Stone pavement burst apart in every direction. Entire slabs of rock were hurled skyward as a violent shockwave tore through the square, ripping spears from soldiers' hands, throwing horses off their feet, and making the wooden scaffold groan as though it would collapse.

Dust surged upward like a towering wall, swallowing everything. When the deafening roar finally faded, no one could see.

Only a single silhouette stood motionless within the sea of dust. And, before the haze had even begun to settle, a trembling voice broke the silence:

"You came back?"

The silhouette walked slowly toward the little girl. It knelt before her, shattered the chains, picked up the teddy bear, and gently placed it back into her hands.

Without a word, he lifted her into his arms.

The first soldiers finally came to their senses.

"Is that the Hero?"

"I don't know. Stop him!"

The sound of swords leaving their scabbards echoed across the square.

Zero took a single step. The ground gave way beneath his feet.

An instant later, a blast of air swept down the avenue. Soldiers were thrown aside like leaves in the wind. Shields slipped from trembling hands, spears spun through the air, and frightened horses reared as panic spread through the ranks.

When the dust finally settled, the Hero was already dozens of meters ahead.

Within seconds, he was racing down the avenue that led to the city's gates. Behind him, the castle bells began to ring.

For decades, the kingdom's alarm had never sounded.

The massive gates of Mezi soon came into view. A lone figure stood in the middle of the road.

She wore the same dark uniform as always. Her black hair swayed gently in the wind. The twin sai rested across her back.

Three.

Zero slowed his pace. She did not move. For several seconds, only the wind passed between them. Three was the first to speak.

"So... this is how it ends." Her voice was calm. Her eyes drifted to the little girl resting in Zero's arms before returning to him. "I had a feeling this would happen."

"..."

"Ever since you entered that house... you haven't been the same." She took a slow breath. Then she stepped aside, leaving the road to the gates completely open.

Before Zero could pass, her voice stopped him once more.

"Before you cross them... there's something you need to understand."

Zero resumed walking. With every step, the white walls of Mezi rose higher before him, towering like a mountain of white stone, so immense they seemed to touch the clouds. Watchtowers pierced the sky at regular intervals, while enormous crimson banners billowed above the battlements.

Three lifted her gaze toward the fortress.

"If you walk through those gates..." Her hair shifted gently with the breeze. "There will be no turning back."

Ahead of them, the massive gates remained wide open, broad enough for wagons and patrols to pass side by side.

"The Hero of Mezi dies today." She waited a moment before finishing. "Tomorrow, he'll be hunted as a traitor." She stepped closer until she stood beside him. "Worth it?"

Zero lowered his eyes to the little girl. Her head rested peacefully against his shoulder, completely unaware of the conversation. Then he looked back at Three.

"..."

He kept walking. Three closed her eyes for a brief moment. The faintest smile appeared on her lips.

"I thought you'd choose this."

The soldiers waited for her command. One gesture was all it would take. Despite the fear of facing the strongest warrior in the world, every one of them stood ready.

Instead, she drew a single line across the road with one of her blades.

"From this point on..." Her voice echoed against Mezi's towering walls. "The Hero of Mezi no longer exists."

As Zero crossed the gates without looking back, another member of the Shadows rushed toward Three.

"What happened?" Six asked, his eyes widening. "Is that Zero? Was he responsible for the attack? That idiot! He doesn't even know where he's going."

Three watched the Hero disappear beyond the gates.

"Actually..." A faint smile remained on her face. "I think this is the first time he does."

A dense mist still covered part of the road by the time Mezi's walls disappeared behind them.

For several minutes, Zero never slowed his pace. His sword remained steady in his hand as his eyes swept across the forest, alert for any sign of pursuit. Only when the trees had completely swallowed the capital from view did he finally stop.

The little girl slowly slipped from his arms until her feet touched the ground. She was breathing heavily, still trying to understand everything that had happened.

Before them, an entirely new world unfolded.

The road wound through fields stirred by the wind. Gentle hills stretched as far as the eye could see, and in the distance, towering blue mountains shaped the horizon, their waterfalls seeming to pour from the clouds themselves.

There were no more walls. No more chains. Only the unknown.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The little girl placed a hand against her chest. She frowned and searched again. Her expression slowly fell.

"My teddy bear..." She began patting down her clothes in growing desperation. "My teddy bear isn't here."

Zero glanced around. Only then did he notice a small strip of red fabric caught between her fingers. It was all that remained of the teddy bear. It had fallen during their escape.

His hand slowly tightened around the hilt of his sword. Even he hadn't noticed.

The little girl stood frozen for a few moments. At last, a small, peaceful smile appeared on her face.

"It's okay."

Zero turned toward her.

"I really loved him..." She gently squeezed the ribbon. "But now I have you."

Those words broke the Hero's composure. She took a small step closer.

"Can I ask you something?"

Zero simply looked at her.

"You said your name was Zero... but that's not a real name." She raised the ribbon. "My teddy bear's name was NINO." She smiled again. "Can I call you that?"

Throughout his entire life, Zero had been known only by a number. A designation. A purpose. The title of the greatest Hero among the Four Nations. No one had ever asked what he wished to be called. No one had ever wanted to give him a name.

The little girl waited patiently.

After a long moment, the faintest smile appeared at the corner of his lips for the very first time. Almost imperceptible. He gave a small nod.

"Mm."

Alicia's smile grew even brighter.

"Then it's settled." She raised the red ribbon that had come loose from her teddy bear and held it out to him. "Here."

He stared at it for a moment, not understanding.

"..."

"It's yours now."

Still silent, he accepted it. He reached for the sword at his side and carefully tied the red ribbon around its hilt. Alicia beamed as though she had just conquered the world.

The wind swept across the fields once more. Without looking back, the man took his first step. No longer the Hero of Mezi.

He was:

NINO.