Journey to Become the Zenith

The Lie That Saved a Hero

Fresh off the fight with the red bear, Victor stayed put until Leon opened his eyes. Only then did Videl stir beside him, slow at first, then fully awake.

Nothing moved among the trees. A stillness hung where sound should have been.

From the pit where the bears fell, wisp after wisp of gray mana curled upward. Scattered trunks, snapped and blackened, fanned out across the ground. Cold wind carried the smell of burnt soil, mixed with iron-rich blood. Trees that once stood tall now rested crooked, limbs cracked mid-air.

Victor stood between two worlds.

Far off now, the trail where monsters and deities once walked.

A shaky version of tomorrow stretched out ahead. He stood there, facing what might come.

Foot tapping slow, he shaped a tale inside his head.

Carefully.

Precisely.

A story powerful enough to shield every person around.

Truth buried beneath a false story.

Leon moved before long.

Light crept through his lashes as sleep slipped away.

Color left his face as soon as he saw the broken trees, then the wide hole in the ground, after that the body of the Red Bear lying still. His eyes moved slowly across each thing without a word.

His breath hitched.

”W–What... happened...?”

Panic seized him.

Faster than he meant to, his body lifted - then froze as pain flashed through him.

Faster than a blink, Victor moved ahead, guiding him lower without force.

”Father, calm down. You’re safe.”

Shoulders in his hands, Leon held Victor still. The grip firm, unexpected.

”The bear - where is it? Are you hurt? Where is Videl?!”

His gaze held Victor’s without shifting.

”She’s alive. You protected us.”

Leon froze.

Fred heard it straight from Victor, who shared the tale he’d already worked out.

A moment cracked open when Videl reached past fear, something unknown rising within her. Light tore through the air - not loud, but sharp - cutting down the Red Bear mid-step. Her hands trembled after, though she stood still. The silence that followed felt heavier than before.

Frozen mid-breath, Leon heard every word. Stillness settled around him like dust after a shout.

Between the huge hole in the ground and the girl lying still, his gaze shifted back and forth. From time to time, he paused - then again took it all in.

”...That’s impossible...”

Footsteps paused mid-air when truth stepped forward.

There was nothing left except trust. Belief crept in when options ran out.

Footsteps crunching on gravel, Leon carried Videl across his shoulders while Victor moved close beside them. The path stretched ahead under fading light, each step deliberate as the weight settled unevenly but steadily. Shadows grew longer, stretching past trees that whispered in sideways breezes. Home waited beyond hills they’d crossed before, not hurried yet never slow. Breathing matched rhythm, three figures threading through dusk without speaking.

Footsteps still dusted the path when screams tore through Kanal Village. Chaos arrived first.

Folks far off caught the blast sound too.

Folks from the village spilled out onto the roadways.

Fear raced through them at the sight of Leon covered in blood, Videl lying still. A hush followed, sharp and sudden.

Limping slightly, Videl’s mother reached her first, arms out. Her father followed close behind, face tight. Between them they lifted Videl, easing her away from Leon. Dust clung to his sleeves as he stepped back. The night air turned still, holding its breath.

Through the garden path she rushed, meeting him with a clutch that held tight. Her eyes shone wet, tracing paths along cheeks warmed by wind. Quiet sobs broke free as he pulled her close, fingers tangling in fabric near his shoulder.

”You’re alive... you’re alive...”

Ah, Skyla caught sight of Videl - her breath stopped mid-air. Then silence broke into sound.

Bursting ahead through tears, she held tight to her friend’s fingers.

Fleet of foot, Lane made a beeline for Victor.

A sudden hug pulled him close, her face pressing into his chest without a word. She held on tight, silence filling the space between them.

Her shoulders shook.

Only after spotting Victor upright did Skyla move fast toward him too.

Firm around his waist went her arms, fingers clutching at fabric. From behind he felt the press of her body.

”Are you hurt?! Are you really okay?!”

Victor froze.

One girl on each side, fingers tight around his arms.

Both trembling.

Both crying.

His shoulder bore the weight of Lane’s face. Head down, she found rest there without a word. Stillness followed. A quiet moment took hold.

His waist felt the pull of Skyla’s arms.

Not once did they glance toward the bear before acting.

Something inside pulled toward him right away.

A weight, sudden but soft, pressed behind Victor’s ribs. It stayed there, breathing slow.

Once, crowds dropped to their knees just at the sight of him. Fear moved them, not choice.

He’d never felt someone hold on so tight before.

He hesitated -

Holding back at first, he finally pulled the two girls close.

That works fine, he murmured.

”I’m fine.”

Lane’s hold grew harder.

Skyla sniffed.

It was his heat that quieted them, at last. Their trembling softened only after touching his skin.

Victor exhaled quietly.

Odd... yet somehow okay.

The old man from the village moved ahead.

”What happened in the forest?”

Finding the start was something Leon talked through.

Victor filled in what remained.

Arrows never hitting their mark - that’s what he talked about.

Of desperation.

Of Videl charging forward in light.

A gasp ripped through the crowd. Faces froze mid-step.

Staring hard at Videl, the elder called the men together without delay.

-

Waking up, Videl spotted the ceiling - wooden, just like always.

Before she could move -

Into her arms went the mother, holding on without letting go.

”Thank goodness you’re okay!”

Once her breathing slowed, Videl wanted to know the story behind it. She looked up, voice quieter now, asking how things had turned out that way.

Her breath caught mid-air upon hearing Victor speak. A pause stretched before her gaze jumped wider, fixed on his face.

Up she jumped out of bed.

”Videl! What are you doing?! You must rest!”

She didn’t listen.

She ran.

Footsteps headed straight for Victor’s place without delay.

A sudden crash broke the silence as the door flew apart.

”Oh my - Videl? Shouldn’t you be resting?” Anna asked in surprise.

Videl ignored her.

She stormed inside.

”Videl! Why are you being rude?!”

Focusing only on a single figure, Videl did not look away.

Stillness settled around him while crumbs gathered near his plate. Bread filled his hands, a quiet rhythm in each bite. Nothing rushed, though moments before had cracked open chaos. His fingers moved without pause, steady despite what came earlier.

Carefree.

Untouched.

Her eyes locked on his face. He stood still under her gaze. A long moment passed between them.

His eyes found hers across the room. She held the look without turning away. A quiet moment passed between them.

And sighed.