Ashes still danced in the wind.
Kai stood alone at the crash site of the Celestial Ark, staring at the twisted, charred remains of his once-glorious ship. All around him were fragments of a life that had crumbled. There were no bodies, no voices—only silence and smoke.
He knelt before the ruins, head bowed, heart heavy.
"Viola... Esper... Shinsui..." he whispered, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry... I wasn't strong enough. I let it happen."
His fingers trembled as they touched the scorched earth. His bright red eyes shimmered with tears.
"I knew it was Judal," Kai muttered through clenched teeth. "But I couldn't move... I was afraid. Afraid of the truth. Afraid of him. What kind of leader am I? What kind of friend... am I?"
The wind howled like ghosts mourning with him.
Then, among the ash, something small glinted—a half-burned packet of chips, barely intact. Viola's favorite. The last remnant.
He picked it up gently, held it to his heart, and stood.
"No more fear. No more trembling. I will overcome this. I will avenge you all. I swear it."
With nothing but the clothes on his back and his vow burning in his chest, Kai walked into the endless forest before him, each step heavy but determined.
Hours passed. Then a day. Hunger clawed at him. The trees whispered in languages foreign to his ears.
Just when despair began to gnaw at his will, he heard it—the soft gurgling of a river.
He followed the sound, hope trickling in with every step.
As the trees parted, he spotted a strange figure crouched by the water. A short guy with bright yellow spiky hair and massive round goggles that nearly swallowed his whole face. He was fussing over a small electrical contraption.
Before Kai could speak, the boy spun around.
"OI! What're you staring at, outsider?!" the boy snapped, pointing a wrench at him. "You one of those bandits trying to take over my village?! You think you can just walk in here, huh?! I'll roast you alive!"
Kai blinked, stunned. "Wait, I think there's been—"
"Shut it! I won't let anyone pass the protector of this village! The one and only... SHINJI!"
Before Kai could explain, the boy bolted at him with lightning speed. A blur. A storm.
Kai barely raised his arms in time to block the first strike.
His heart raced.
Fast. Too fast.
He staggered backward, overwhelmed by Shinji's ferocity. Fear crept up again. The same fear that froze him before. His arms wouldn't punch. His feet wouldn't move.
"Is this it? Will I freeze again? Lose again?"
But then—
Viola's laughter echoed in his mind. Shinsui's stern gaze. Esper's smile. Their voices.
His fist clenched.
"No more fear."
With a roar, Kai struck. A punch from the heart. Raw and unrefined.
Boom!
Shinji flew back, coughing blood.
He wiped his mouth and grinned. "Heh. Not bad. Maybe you're not some weak outsider after all."
Shinji rushed in again. Kai focused, recalling the old karate moves Viola forced him to learn back in Terra. Step. Block. Counter.
Every move was effort. Every breath was pain. But he endured.
Still, it wasn't enough.
His body screamed in protest. He could feel his limits.
"I need more... just a little more..." he whispered.
Clutching his necklace, he activated the first petal—Strength.
A surge of energy exploded through his veins. His muscles swelled with unnatural force. The ground cracked beneath his stance.
Too much.
His body, untrained to handle it, buckled under the weight. His knees gave in.
With a gasp, Kai collapsed.
Shinji stood frozen, staring at him in shock.
He ran to Kai's side, pulling off his goggles.
"You idiot... you're covered in scars. You were already on the edge. And I made it worse."
Guilt flickered across Shinji's face.
He slung Kai's arm over his shoulder.
"Don't die, red-eyes. I still gotta ask what the hell you're doing here. You got guts, I'll give you that. You earned some healing. Come on."
The forest opened to reveal a hidden path, leading toward Shinji's home village.
And so, the protector carried the stranger.
Unknowingly bringing a storm into his world.
End of Chapter Four