Journey to Become the Zenith

A Storm of Voices, A Promise Made

”Fine then, do whatever you want. I just want to ask your friend here, what she has done with my uncle.”

The moment Lisa’s words fell—

It was like a spark thrown into dry grass.

The crowd ignited.

Voices burst out from every direction, overlapping, clashing, rising into a chaotic storm that swallowed the quiet corridor whole.

A boy stepped forward, eyes bloodshot, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned pale.

”Where did you hide my brother?!”

Another voice cut in before the first could settle.

A girl—her voice trembling, but loud, desperate—

”What have you done to my cousin?!”

From the side, another student pushed through, his face twisted with anger and fear.

”Where’s my brother-in-law?!”

And then—

More.

Too many.

Voices stacked on top of voices, each carrying grief, anger, panic—raw emotions spilling without restraint.

”My uncle hasn’t returned!”

”My father disappeared!”

”My sister too!”

”You were the last one they met!”

The accusations came like waves—relentless, crashing one after another.

The corridor that had once felt wide now seemed suffocating.

Tight.

Heavy.

Unforgiving.

And at the center of it all—

Videl stood frozen.

Her blue eyes flickered from face to face, trying to grasp what was happening, trying to connect something—anything—but nothing made sense.

What...?

Her heartbeat quickened.

What are they talking about...?

Her breath came a little slower.

Heavier.

”Why are you asking me where they are?” she finally said, her voice steady—but only on the surface. ”I have no idea who your uncles and other relatives are.”

The words were clear.

Simple.

Honest.

But to the people around her—

They sounded like denial.

Like avoidance.

”Drop the act already!”

Lisa snapped.

Her voice cracked—not just with anger, but something deeper. Something wounded.

”You’re the only one who has any motive to take our relatives!”

Her eyes burned as she stepped forward.

”You’re the only one!”

Videl’s brows furrowed slightly, confusion tightening into something sharper.

”Like I said, I didn’t take them,” she replied, forcing calm into her voice, even as the pressure around her grew. ”Also... what kind of motive could I possibly have?”

For a moment—

There was silence.

A brief, fragile pause.

And then—

Lisa laughed.

But there was no humor in it.

Only bitterness.

”What motive?” she repeated, her voice dropping lower. ”You wanted to get rid of them.”

Her gaze sharpened.

”Because they were the ones who came here... and tried to take your sword.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

”They left you alone when you told them to,” Lisa continued, her voice rising again, trembling now—not from weakness, but from emotion she could no longer hold back. ”They didn’t pick a fight. They didn’t push further.”

Her hands clenched.

”They even left immediately after confirming your relationship with the king!”

Her breathing grew uneven.

”They weren’t like those eight that stayed behind and tried something stupid.”

The corridor felt colder.

Heavier.

”We know we were wrong!” she shouted. ”We know it!”

Her voice broke.

”But your reaction was too excessive!”

And then—

It shattered.

”Give them back to us!”

Her eyes glistened.

”Give back my uncle!”

The stern mask she had worn until now collapsed completely.

What remained—

Was grief.

Raw.

Unfiltered.

And Videl—

She stood there, unmoving.

Because she truly didn’t understand.

Not a single part of it.

Her mind searched desperately, replaying every memory, every moment—trying to find something she might have missed.

But there was nothing.

Nothing.

And then—

Something warm touched her hand.

Soft.

Trembling.

She looked down.

A girl stood before her.

Tears streamed down her cheeks without restraint, her shoulders shaking as she clutched Videl’s hands like they were the last thing keeping her from falling apart.

”Please...”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

Fragile.

Broken.

”Please, give back my father...”

Her grip tightened.

”I know we were greedy... I know we were wrong...”

Her words came out in fragments, breathless, desperate.

”Please... forgive us already...”

Her head lowered slightly, tears dripping onto Videl’s hands.

”I will do anything you ask...”

Her voice cracked again.

”I’ll give you everything I have...”

She shook.

Violently.

”Just... please...”

Her fingers trembled.

”Give back my father...”

Silence.

Heavy.

Suffocating.

”If we lose him...” she whispered, barely audible now, ”my family... we lose everything...”

Her grip tightened again.

”My brothers... my sisters... they’ll be thrown out...”

Her voice broke completely.

”Please... my family can’t survive without him...”

Something inside Videl—

Shattered.

Not physically.

Not visibly.

But deep.

The girl’s pain... it wasn’t fake.

It wasn’t exaggerated.

It was real.

Too real.

Her trembling hands... the desperation in her voice... the way she held on like she was drowning—

It pierced straight through Videl’s chest.

Her fingers twitched slightly in the girl’s grasp.

”I...”

Her voice caught.

For the first time—

She didn’t know what to say.

”I... I really don’t know where they are,” she finally forced out, her voice quieter now. Less certain. ”I didn’t do anything to them.”

The words felt weak.

Not because they weren’t true—

But because they weren’t enough.

They didn’t soothe the pain in front of her.

They didn’t stop the tears.

They didn’t fix anything.

Niva stepped forward quickly, her expression tightening as she saw Videl’s state.

”My friend says she doesn’t know,” Niva said firmly, her voice cutting through the tension. ”So you better look elsewhere.”

She reached for Videl’s arm, trying to pull her back—

But she couldn’t.

The girl wouldn’t let go.

Her grip was too tight.

Too desperate.

”Please... please... please... please...”

Over and over.

Like a prayer.

Like a plea to something that wouldn’t answer.

The words repeated, softer each time, but never stopping.

Never breaking.

”Have you no heart?!”

Lisa’s voice snapped through the moment again.

Sharp.

Accusing.

”She already begged you this much!”

Her eyes burned with fury now.

”She even offered you everything!”

Her lip trembled.

”But you still say nothing?!”

Her gaze locked onto Videl.

”What is it that you want from us?!”

Her voice rose again.

”What must we do... for you to return our relatives?!”

Disgust.

That was what filled her expression now.

Raw.

Unfiltered.

Because she couldn’t believe Videl.

Couldn’t accept it.

If not her—

Then who?

Every missing person had one thing in common.

They had all come to her.

To take her sword.

And then—

They vanished.

That couldn’t be coincidence.

It couldn’t.

Around them, the crowd shifted again.

Some angry.

Some grieving.

Some simply watching—caught between doubt and belief.

And Videl—

She felt it all.

Every emotion.

Every accusation.

Every desperate hope.

It pressed down on her chest like a weight she couldn’t push away.

Her fingers curled slightly.

Her breathing slowed.

I didn’t do this...

But that didn’t matter.

Because right now—

She was the only answer they had.

And it wasn’t enough.

Her heart ached.

Not from guilt.

But from helplessness.

And then—

A thought formed.

Clear.

Sharp.

Simple.

If words weren’t enough—

Then she needed something more.

Videl lifted her head.

Her blue eyes steadied.

And when she spoke—

Her voice didn’t shake.

”I’m sorry... but like I said...”

She took a slow breath.

”I didn’t take your relatives...”

A pause.

Then—

A step forward.

Subtle.

But deliberate.

”But I will find them.”

The words cut through the noise.

Firm.

Unwavering.

”I will find them...”

Her gaze swept across the crowd.

Meeting each pair of eyes—anger, grief, doubt.

And she didn’t look away.

”...and prove my innocence.”