shimoro's weight was heavier than it should have been…
Not because he was physically heavy, but because every drop of blood he bled added a new burden to ryo's arms.
He wrapped his arms around him tightly, as if fearing he might slip away if he loosened his grip for even a second.
The large bag on his back tilted with every step, and the red scales inside clattered like faint bells, mocking his condition… or reminding him of why he kept going.
The night was slowly retreating.
And the sky, which hours ago was black as the bottom of a well, began to be split by a faint thread of light.
The sun… was approaching.
Every step was a battle.
Not against a beast, nor against an enemy, but against the body itself.
His breathing was ragged, his chest burned, and the muscles of his legs trembled like broken branches in the wake of a storm.
Nevertheless, he was moving.
"Don't stop…"
He said it inside himself, once, twice, ten times.
The path was long, longer than it had seemed when he saw it from a distance.
The ground was dusty and uneven, and every small pit was a threat of falling.
But he was walking... he was struggling even if his muscles were burning... even if he could no longer endure... he was always trying to stand...
And yet…
He stumbled.
His right foot slipped, and his left knee hit the ground with force.
He froze in place, panting, sweat dripping from his forehead, his arms still cradling shimoro.
His knees trembled.
The body screamed: Enough.
But ryo…
He grit his teeth so hard he could almost hear them grind.
He dug his fingers into the dirt, his nails scratching the earth, as if clinging to the world itself.
He raised his head slowly, his eyes half-open, but within them was something that would not be extinguished.
"No... if Ogun were here... he would have thought me weak..."
He said it in a hoarse voice, barely audible.
Then he pushed himself.
He stood.
It was not the stance of a victor…
But the stance of someone who refuses to fall again.
He readjusted his hold on shimoro, tightened the bag on his back, and began to move once more. A step… then another.
With every passing minute, the light increased, and the pain increased...
The sun began to peek through—warm, golden—as if witnessing this silent defiance.
ryo was staggering, but he was still resisting... whenever he stumbled, he would stand and push with all his might to rise... his resolve was stronger than his body...
Then…
The scene changed.
The dense trees began to recede.
The muddy ground turned into wider, more regular roads.
And through the light mist, there appeared…
Houses.
Many of them.
Closely packed.
Some were wooden, some stone, and some were covered with strange metallic layers that shimmered with the light.
Then he saw the green lands, the agricultural terraces, the tall structures resembling small skyscrapers, where greenery intertwined with metal and wood in an unfamiliar way.
A place pulsing with life… and with science.
As he drew closer, a giant gate appeared.
Its walls were a mixture of stone and engraved metal plates, interspersed with massive wooden trunks as if they were part of the structure itself.
Above it, in clear, prominent letters, a single name:
GREEN EARTHIA
At the gate stood two guards.
Their armor was dark green, streaked with metallic lines, and their weapons were made of a strange blend of steel and solid wood. On their hands were white metallic bracelets... and the armor bore a shared emblem...
They were talking…
Then they suddenly went silent.
Their eyes widened in shock.
A youth carrying another youth covered in blood, a large bag on his back, his clothes torn, his face pale…
And yet, he was smiling.
A small smile.
Tired.
But sincere.
ryo raised his head with difficulty, looked at the gate, then at the two guards, and said in a weak, broken voice, yet full of relief:
"…We've arrived… Green Earthia."
And after that…
His legs could no longer carry him.
He fell.
ryo fell forward, and shimoro's body with him, directly in front of the gate.
The sun had fully risen in the sky.
And the place fell silent…
Before everything began again.
To be continued…