Community Manga

Martial Arts Manga

Made by the community on Manga Maker

# THE HIDDEN COST OF GIVING ## Creative biological sequence: “Follow the Iron” ### VISUAL CONCEPT Do **not** portray iron simply as tiny grey particles. Instead, visualise iron as a **precious resource moving through a living transportation network**. Think of the bloodstream as a vast futuristic city. * **Red blood cells** = fleets of delivery vehicles * **Haemoglobin** = the oxygen-carrying machinery inside each vehicle * **Iron** = the essential component being delivered to build and maintain that machinery * **Transferrin** = secure transport vehicles carrying iron through the blood * **Ferritin** = intracellular storage vaults * **Bone marrow** = the red-cell factory * **Repeated blood donation** = repeated removal of completed red-cell “fleets” * **Iron depletion** = the storage vaults progressively being emptied to keep production going The visual story should show that the body is **constantly balancing iron supply, storage and demand**. --- # SIDE 1 — INSIDE THE BODY ## PANEL 1 — “Everything Looks Normal” ### Outside the body Sam is sitting comfortably in a blood donation chair. A collection bag is filling beside her. She looks completely healthy. **SAM:** > “I feel fine.” Small narrator box: > “But feeling well does not tell us how much iron is stored inside the body.” ### Visual transition Zoom dramatically through Sam's skin. The camera moves: **donor → vein → red blood cells → microscopic world** The normal-sized blood donation scene gradually transforms into a spectacular microscopic landscape. --- # PANEL 2 — “ENTER THE BLOODSTREAM” ### Full-width cinematic panel We are now inside a blood vessel. Thousands of red blood cells flow past like enormous red discs. The vessel resembles a **busy futuristic highway**. Some cells are travelling individually; others are moving in streams. Among them are tiny glowing iron particles being transported by specialised carriers. Label: **IRON** Narrator: > “Iron is an essential mineral used throughout the body.” Do not make the iron look magical. It should look like a **precious biological resource**. --- # PANEL 3 — “IRON HAS A JOB” ### Split visual On the left: A transferrin molecule carries iron through the bloodstream. Represent transferrin as a **secure transport vehicle with two docking spaces**. One iron particle is locked into the vehicle. Label: **TRANSFERRIN** Arrow: **IRON → TRANSPORT** On the right: The transport vehicle approaches the bone marrow. The bone marrow appears as a huge biological factory. Inside are developing red blood cells. Narrator: > “Iron is transported in the blood and delivered to tissues that need it.” --- # PANEL 4 — “THE RED-CELL FACTORY” ### Dramatic manga illustration Inside the bone marrow: Show an enormous **red-cell production factory**. Developing red blood cells move along a production line. Workers/molecular machinery are assembling haemoglobin inside the cells. Iron arrives through the transferrin transport system. A molecule of iron is transferred into a developing red blood cell. ### Creative metaphor Show haemoglobin being constructed like a **four-part mechanical oxygen carrier**. Iron is inserted into the centre of the haemoglobin structure. A tiny label: **IRON** Then: **HAEMOGLOBIN** Then: **OXYGEN** The visual should communicate: > iron is not the oxygen itself — it is an essential component of haemoglobin that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen. --- # PANEL 5 — “THE OXYGEN JOURNEY” Now show a mature red blood cell leaving the bone marrow. It travels through a blood vessel. At the lungs, the red cell collects oxygen. Visually: **LUNGS** ↓ oxygen molecules attach to haemoglobin ↓ **RED BLOOD CELL** ↓ travels through the circulation ↓ **MUSCLE / BRAIN / ORGANS** ↓ oxygen is delivered. Narrator: > “Haemoglobin inside red blood cells carries oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body.” ### Creative visual Make the red blood cell resemble a **red cargo ship**. The haemoglobin molecules are its oxygen-loading machinery. Iron is visibly embedded within that machinery. This creates a memorable chain: **IRON → HAEMOGLOBIN → OXYGEN TRANSPORT** --- # PANEL 6 — “BUT THE BODY DOESN'T USE ALL ITS IRON AT ONCE” Shift the scene. The bloodstream becomes quieter. Show iron being moved into cells. Inside one cell is an enormous **secure storage vault**. The vault is labelled: ### FERRITIN Inside are many stored iron particles. Some are neatly stored away. Narrator: > “Iron can also be stored inside cells, including in ferritin.” ### Visual metaphor Ferritin should look like a **biological storage warehouse**, not a literal bank. Iron is stored safely inside. A small sign: **IRON RESERVE** --- # PANEL 7 — “THE IRON ECONOMY” This should be one of the most visually interesting panels. Create a **three-part interconnected system**: ### 1. STORAGE Ferritin vault **IRON RESERVE** ↓ ### 2. TRANSPORT Transferrin vehicles **IRON IN TRANSIT** ↓ ### 3. PRODUCTION Bone marrow **RED-CELL PRODUCTION** ↓ Red blood cells **HAEMOGLOBIN** ↓ Oxygen delivery ### Narrator: > “The body continuously moves iron between storage, transport and red-cell production.” The arrows should create a **continuous circular system**. This establishes that iron is not simply “in the blood.” It is part of a constantly managed biological economy. --- # PANEL 8 — “NOW REMOVE BLOOD” Return to the donation. Show Sam's blood entering the collection bag. But instead of staying outside the body, follow the red blood cells **inside the bag**. Then zoom back into Sam's microscopic bloodstream. The number of red blood cells circulating in the body has decreased. Narrator: > “Whole-blood donation removes red blood cells — and therefore removes iron contained within those cells.” ### Important visual Do NOT show iron suddenly disappearing. Instead show: **RED BLOOD CELLS LEAVE** ↓ **IRON LEAVES WITH THEM** ↓ **THE BODY MUST REPLACE THE RED CELLS** This is the beginning of the iron story. --- # PANEL 9 — “THE FACTORY GETS BUSY” The bone marrow factory becomes much busier. Alarm lights activate. More developing red cells move down the production line. A factory worker looks at an order: ### “REPLACE LOST RED CELLS” Iron transport vehicles begin arriving faster. Iron moves from storage toward production. The ferritin storage vault begins releasing iron. ### Visual metaphor The vault doors open. Iron leaves the storage facility. Narrator: > “After blood loss, the body must produce new red blood cells.” The next caption: > “That production requires iron.” --- # PANEL 10 — “THE RESERVE BUFFER” Show three stages as a manga progression. ### STAGE 1 — WELL STOCKED Large ferritin vault. Lots of stored iron. Label: **IRON RESERVE** ### STAGE 2 — REPEATED DEMAND The vault releases more iron. Bone marrow factory remains active. ### STAGE 3 — LOWER RESERVE The vault is visibly less full. The factory is still operating. Important: **THE PERSON CAN STILL LOOK COMPLETELY WELL.** Narrator: > “Iron stores can become reduced before a donor necessarily develops anaemia.” This is the conceptual heart of your comic. --- # PANEL 11 — “THE TWO GAUGES” This could be a very powerful scientific illustration. Show Sam's body as having **two separate gauges**. ### GAUGE 1 **HAEMOGLOBIN** 🟢 “Can red cells currently carry oxygen effectively?” ### GAUGE 2 **IRON STORES / FERRITIN** 🟠 “How much stored iron remains?” The first gauge is still within the acceptable range. The second is falling. Sam says: > “But I passed my haemoglobin check.” Researcher: > “Yes. That tells us something important — but it doesn't tell us everything about your iron stores.” ### Narrator > “Haemoglobin and iron stores are related, but they are not the same measure.” This should be illustrated very clearly. --- # PANEL 12 — “THE HIDDEN RESERVE” Create a beautiful cross-section of Sam. Outside: Sam is smiling. Speech bubble: > “I feel completely normal.” Inside: Show: **bloodstream** → red blood cells → bone marrow factory → ferritin storage vault The storage vault is now noticeably reduced. ### Caption > “The visible donor may look well while the internal iron reserve is changing.” This is where the comic shifts from **biology → research question**. --- # PANEL 13 — “ONE DONATION” Show one calendar page. ### DONATION #1 Iron reserve: ██████████ The ferritin vault remains comfortably stocked. --- # PANEL 14 — “REPEATED DONATION” Now turn the calendar into a dramatic manga montage. ### DONATION #1 ### DONATION #2 ### DONATION #3 ### DONATION #4 ### DONATION #5 With every donation: Red-cell fleet leaves. ↓ Bone marrow factory activates. ↓ Iron is recruited. ↓ Storage vault gradually decreases. Do NOT make it look like every donor necessarily follows exactly this trajectory. Instead add: > “The effect of repeated donation varies between people.” --- # PANEL 15 — “DONATION INTENSITY” Now introduce your dissertation's exposure variable. Show several fictional donors. ### DONOR A 1 donation Small calendar. ### DONOR B 3 donations Medium calendar. ### DONOR C 5 donations Calendar packed with donation dates. The visual language becomes: **DONATION INTENSITY** Then show their internal iron reserves. Do not state that the most frequent donor definitely has iron deficiency. Instead show: > “Could repeated donation be associated with greater risk of iron depletion?” --- # PANEL 16 — “THE QUESTION” Everything freezes. All the microscopic imagery collapses into one central research question. Huge manga-style lettering: ## HOW DOES DONATION INTENSITY RELATE TO IRON DEPLETION? Then underneath: ## AND DOES THAT RELATIONSHIP VARY BETWEEN ETHNIC GROUPS? The iron storage vault appears behind the question. --- # SIDE 2 — FROM BIOLOGY TO EPIDEMIOLOGY ## PANEL 17 — “ONE DONOR IS NOT ENOUGH” Return to Sam. Then multiply her into hundreds and eventually thousands of donors. The single donor becomes a population. Narrator: > “One donor can show us a story. A population can help us investigate patterns.” The camera zooms outward. --- # PANEL 18 — “THE POPULATION” Show a large crowd of whole-blood donors. Each person has slightly different characteristics: * age * sex * donation history * haemoglobin * ferritin * ethnicity Above them: ### “ADULT WHOLE-BLOOD DONORS” Then show the researchers selecting donors with the relevant data. --- # PANEL 19 — “FOLLOW THE DONATION HISTORY” Create a detective-board style illustration. Each donor has a timeline. Example: **DONATION** → **DONATION** → **DONATION** → **DONATION** The researcher overlays a ruler: ### “DONATIONS IN PREVIOUS 2 YEARS” This becomes the visual representation of your exposure variable. Label: ## DONATION INTENSITY --- # PANEL 20 — “FOLLOW THE IRON” The camera moves from the donation timeline to laboratory data. Show: ### FERRITIN as the window into the iron storage vault. Beside it: ### HAEMOGLOBIN as a separate measurement. Narrator: > “The study examined markers of iron status alongside donation history.” Do not depict ferritin as literally being the iron itself. Instead show: **FERRITIN → WINDOW / MARKER OF STORED IRON** --- # PANEL 21 — “THE STATISTICAL DETECTIVE” This should be a fun manga panel. The researcher becomes a detective. A huge evidence board shows: ### DONATION INTENSITY ↓ ? ↓ ### IRON DEPLETION But around the central question are other factors: **AGE** **SEX** **BASELINE Hb** **DONATION TYPE** The detective connects them with strings. Caption: > “Other characteristics may also be related to iron status.” Then: ## MULTIVARIABLE REGRESSION The detective asks: > “What remains after accounting for these factors?” --- # PANEL 22 — “DOES THE PATTERN LOOK THE SAME?” Show several groups of donors. The same donation-intensity staircase appears above each group. ### LOW ### MODERATE ### HIGH But underneath each group, the iron-storage vaults are displayed. The researcher compares the patterns. Huge question: ## DOES RISK LOOK THE SAME FOR EVERYONE? --- # PANEL 23 — “THE INTERACTION” This should be visually sophisticated rather than just displaying mathematical notation. Show: **DONATION INTENSITY** as one road. **ETHNICITY** as different branches of the road. They intersect at a large junction. At the junction: ## INTERACTION Then the roads lead toward: ### IRON DEPLETION Small caption: > “The analysis examined whether the relationship between donation intensity and iron depletion differed across ethnic groups.” --- # PANEL 24 — “THE DATA HAVE A VOICE TOO” Now deliberately interrupt the beautiful diversity illustration. Zoom out. Show the population dataset as a huge grid of donor silhouettes. Most of the silhouettes belong to one group. Other groups are represented by much smaller numbers. A researcher looks concerned. Speech bubble: > “We need to be careful about what this dataset can tell us.” --- # PANEL 25 — “LIMITATION” Turn the limitation into a physical metaphor. The researcher is trying to see across a landscape using binoculars. The centre of the view is clear. But the edges are blurred. Caption: > “The dataset was overwhelmingly White.” Then: > “This limits the strength and precision with which differences between ethnic groups can be interpreted.” Do not portray this as a failure. Instead portray it as **scientific honesty**. --- # PANEL 26 — “WHAT THE STUDY CAN TELL US” Create a large evidence board. ### WE CAN INVESTIGATE ✓ donation intensity ✓ iron status ✓ ferritin ✓ haemoglobin ✓ donor characteristics ✓ patterns across the population ✓ whether associations differ by ethnicity Then a second box: ### WE MUST INTERPRET CAREFULLY ⚠ under-represented ethnic groups ⚠ uncertainty ⚠ observational associations ⚠ generalisability --- # PANEL 27 — “BACK TO SAM” Return to Sam sitting in the donation chair. She looks thoughtful rather than worried. Speech bubble: > “So being able to donate today isn't the whole story?” The researcher replies: > “Exactly.” Behind them, faintly visible, is the microscopic iron world from Side 1. --- # PANEL 28 — THE FINAL IMAGE Create a dramatic final composition. Sam is in the foreground. Behind her is a translucent illustration of: **red blood cells** ↓ **haemoglobin** ↓ **oxygen** ↓ **iron** ↓ **ferritin storage** ↓ **bone marrow** ↓ **repeated donation** ↓ **population research** The entire biological pathway forms a circular visual around her. At the centre: # SAFER DONATION # ISN'T JUST ABOUT TODAY. Subheading: > “Understanding donation intensity, iron depletion and variation between donor groups may help inform better approaches to donor protection.” Then: ### FROM ONE DONOR ### TO A POPULATION ### FROM BLOOD ### TO IRON ### FROM DATA ### TO DONOR SAFETY Footer: **MSc Applied Transfusion and Transplantation Science** **University of the West of England (UWE)** **Research theme:** *A population-based epidemiological investigation of donation intensity, iron depletion, and risk heterogeneity across ethnic groups.* --- # VISUAL STYLE FOR THE AI GENERATOR Use a sophisticated **medical manga / graphic medicine / scientific illustration** aesthetic. The comic should look like a cross between: * high-quality medical illustration * seinen manga * graphic medicine * scientific infographic * cinematic storytelling ### MICROSCOPIC WORLD Make the internal biology visually spectacular. Blood vessels should resemble enormous living highways. Red blood cells should look like giant red discs moving through flowing plasma. Transferrin should appear as sophisticated biological transport carriers. Ferritin should be represented as intracellular storage structures. Bone marrow should resemble a gigantic biological manufacturing environment. Haemoglobin should be shown as molecular machinery within red blood cells. Iron should have a consistent visual identity throughout the comic. ### IMPORTANT The iron visual metaphor must remain consistent. Whenever the reader sees the same small metallic/glowing biological particles, they should immediately understand: **THIS IS IRON.** But the artwork should still make clear that this is a visual metaphor, not a literal depiction of iron as glowing objects. --- # THE MOST IMPORTANT VISUAL STORY The reader should understand this sequence without needing to read a textbook: ### 1. Iron is an essential resource. ↓ ### 2. Iron is transported through the body. ↓ ### 3. Iron is incorporated into haemoglobin. ↓ ### 4. Haemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen. ↓ ### 5. Some iron is stored inside cells. ↓ ### 6. Whole-blood donation removes red blood cells and therefore iron. ↓ ### 7. The body must replace those red cells. ↓ ### 8. That replacement requires iron. ↓ ### 9. Repeated donation can create repeated demand for iron. ↓ ### 10. Iron stores may become depleted before obvious anaemia develops. ↓ ### 11. Therefore donation intensity and iron status are important to investigate. ↓ ### 12. The research asks whether this relationship varies across donor groups. --- # CREATIVE RULE Do not make the comic say: > “DONATING BLOOD CAUSES IRON DEFICIENCY.” Instead, make the **visual narrative ask the scientific question**: > “What happens to the body's iron economy when blood is donated repeatedly?” That question should pull the reader from the human story into the biology and finally into your epidemiological research. This follows the comic-research-abstract principle described by Charise: the comic should not simply reproduce a conventional abstract; it should use sequential and visual storytelling to illuminate the research problem and its significance. The result should feel like **a scientific investigation unfolding inside one person's body and then expanding into an entire donor population**.
TITLE: WHEN DREAMS FADE Japanese Title: 「夢が消える時」 Genre: Romance, Supernatural, Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Tragedy STORY OVERVIEW: "When Dreams Fade" is a psychological supernatural romance about two young people who meet by chance on social media and slowly discover that their connection transcends reality itself. The story follows IZUMI KAWAZAI, a quiet and somewhat lonely young Japanese man who spends most of his nights scrolling through social media. One night, he notices a post made by a mysterious girl named TSUKI AMAMI. Izumi leaves a sarcastic comment without expecting anything. A few minutes later, Tsuki replies: "Your comment is stupid." Izumi smiles and answers: "And you replied to it, so I guess we're even." A simple conversation begins. One message becomes another. Short conversations become hours of talking. Over time, Izumi and Tsuki become inseparable despite living thousands of kilometers apart. They share photographs, memories, childhood stories, fears, dreams and secrets. Neither of them realizes that the word "dream" will eventually become the most dangerous word in their relationship. One night, Izumi falls asleep. When he opens his eyes, he is standing inside an impossible city. The sky is dark violet. A gigantic purple moon hangs above empty buildings. The streets are covered with shallow water reflecting the sky. Enormous clocks float above the city, but their hands move backwards. There are no people. No sunlight. No end. Then Izumi hears footsteps. He turns around. A girl is standing in the distance. Long dark hair moves with the wind. He recognizes her immediately. "Tsuki?" The girl raises her head in shock. "Izumi?" Both wake up in their separate bedrooms. The following morning, Izumi sends Tsuki a message: "Did you have a strange dream last night?" After a long pause, Tsuki replies: "A city under a purple moon?" From that night onward, every time they fall asleep, they enter the same mysterious dream world. They name it NØX. NØX is not an ordinary dream. It is an endless supernatural world created from dreams, memories, emotions and lost souls. The environment changes constantly. Entire cities appear based on forgotten memories. Oceans float in the sky. Rain falls upward. Buildings disappear overnight. Time does not move normally. Inside NØX, the distance separating Izumi and Tsuki in reality no longer exists. They explore the impossible world together. They walk through empty streets. They sit on rooftops beneath the enormous purple moon. They visit places created from their childhood memories. They walk through rain without becoming wet. Their friendship slowly becomes love. One night, Izumi gently holds Tsuki's hand for the first time. In reality, thousands of kilometers separate them. But inside NØX, there is no distance. Tsuki eventually tells Izumi: "Sometimes I feel like this place is more real than our actual lives." Izumi answers: "Maybe because we're here together." However, after several months, NØX begins changing. Cracks appear in the sky. Buildings disappear. Dark shadows begin moving through empty streets. Then Izumi and Tsuki encounter a mysterious man. He is tall and wears a long black coat. But he has no face. Where his face should be, there is only endless darkness. He introduces himself as THE GUARDIAN. The Guardian tells them: "You were never supposed to meet." He explains that Izumi and Tsuki are breaking an ancient law. Two souls from different worlds cannot remain connected inside NØX for too long. Every night they spend together makes returning to reality more difficult. At first, they refuse to believe him. But strange things begin happening in reality. Izumi starts sleeping for extremely long periods. Sometimes he wakes up without remembering where he is. Tsuki begins losing memories. First she forgets small things. Then important moments. Eventually she loses an entire day from her life. They confront the Guardian again. He finally reveals the truth. NØX is a world between reality and dreams. It is created from dreams, memories and souls that never found their way back. Every soul that enters NØX is supposed to return to its original world. But Izumi and Tsuki have created something extremely rare. Their souls have become connected. A SOUL BOND. Their connection is so powerful that even when they try to avoid each other, they continue being pulled back into NØX. They decide to stop meeting. They stop messaging. They try sleeping at different times. They attempt to forget each other. But after several days, Izumi falls asleep and wakes up inside NØX. Tsuki is already there. She is crying. "Why are you here?" she asks. Izumi quietly answers: "I was about to ask you the same thing." Tsuki whispers: "I tried to escape." Izumi says: "Me too." She looks at him. "Even when I don't want to see you... my world brings me back to you." Suddenly, enormous glowing words appear in the sky: SOUL BOND The Guardian returns and reveals the cruel truth. Their souls are now connected between reality and the dream world. But the connection is unstable. The stronger their love becomes, the more NØX begins collapsing. They are given two choices. FIRST CHOICE: Break the Soul Bond. Both Izumi and Tsuki will return to normal life. But every memory of each other will disappear forever. They will become strangers again. SECOND CHOICE: Continue their relationship. But eventually, one of their souls will become permanently trapped inside NØX. Izumi refuses both choices. He says: "We will find a third way." The Guardian replies: "Every lover believes they can change the laws of the world." Time passes. Izumi and Tsuki decide that they can no longer allow distance to control their relationship. They decide to meet in reality for the first time. They choose a location. They choose a date. They count the days. Izumi packs his bag. Tsuki prepares for the meeting. For the first time, their impossible dream is about to become reality. But the night before their meeting, Izumi falls asleep. He wakes inside NØX. Something is wrong. The entire dream world is dying. Buildings collapse. The ocean rises into the sky. The streets split apart. The enormous purple moon breaks into two pieces. The Guardian is waiting. He says: "The time has come." Izumi refuses to abandon Tsuki. Then Tsuki suddenly appears. The Guardian explains: "You tried to make the dream become reality." He pauses. "And now someone must pay the price." A single glowing portal appears. The Guardian explains that only one person can return to reality. One soul must remain inside NØX forever. Izumi and Tsuki desperately search for another solution. But there is none. While Tsuki searches for a way to save them both, Izumi quietly approaches the Guardian. He asks: "If one person stays here... will the other survive?" The Guardian remains silent. Then answers: "Yes." Izumi understands. He looks at Tsuki. He remembers everything. Their first message. Their first conversation. The first night inside NØX. Their first time holding hands. Every moment beneath the purple moon. He realizes what he must do. The world continues collapsing. The portal begins closing. Tsuki grabs Izumi's hand. "I'm not going without you." Izumi smiles peacefully. "Tsuki..." "What?" "Were you happy with me?" Tsuki begins crying. "What kind of question is that? Of course I was happy." Izumi looks at her for a long moment. "Then that's enough." Tsuki suddenly realizes his intention. "No... Izumi, don't do this." His fingers slowly begin slipping from her hand. She desperately holds him. "I won't let you go!" Izumi looks at the collapsing world. Then back at Tsuki. He says: "I was always afraid that our relationship was just a dream." He gently touches her face. "But then I realized something." Tsuki asks through tears: "What?" Izumi smiles. "Even if it was a dream... you were the most beautiful thing that ever happened inside it." Izumi pushes Tsuki toward the portal. She screams his name. "IZUMI!" The portal closes. NØX disappears into darkness. Tsuki wakes up inside her bedroom. Morning sunlight enters through the window. Everything appears normal. She immediately searches for Izumi on her phone. Nothing. No messages. No photographs. No social media account. No trace of his existence. It is as if Izumi Kawazai never existed. Years pass. Tsuki continues living her life. But she constantly feels that something is missing. Someone important. Someone her mind cannot remember. But her heart refuses to forget. Many years later, Tsuki falls asleep. When she opens her eyes, she is standing inside NØX once again. The city is peaceful. The purple moon is whole again. She walks through the silent streets. Then she hears a voice behind her. "You took your time." Tsuki freezes. She slowly turns around. A young man is sitting on a distant wall. His face is hidden in the moonlight. Tsuki approaches him. "Do I know you?" The young man looks toward the purple moon. He smiles sadly. "No..." He pauses. "But I never forgot you." Tears begin falling from Tsuki's eyes without knowing why. She places her hand over her heart. "Why does my heart feel like it knows you?" The young man finally turns toward her. It is Izumi. He smiles. He says: "Because some souls don't need memories to remember who they love." FINAL SCENE: Izumi and Tsuki stand together beneath the enormous purple moon. The silent city reflects across the water. Their hands slowly reach toward each other. The story ends with the words: WHEN DREAMS FADE Some goodbyes are forever. Some souls aren't. THE END.
TITLE: WHEN DREAMS FADE Japanese Title: 「夢が消える時」 Genre: Romance, Supernatural, Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Tragedy STORY OVERVIEW: "When Dreams Fade" is a psychological supernatural romance about two young people who meet by chance on social media and slowly discover that their connection transcends reality itself. The story follows IZUMI KAWAZAI, a quiet and somewhat lonely young Japanese man who spends most of his nights scrolling through social media. One night, he notices a post made by a mysterious girl named TSUKI AMAMI. Izumi leaves a sarcastic comment without expecting anything. A few minutes later, Tsuki replies: "Your comment is stupid." Izumi smiles and answers: "And you replied to it, so I guess we're even." A simple conversation begins. One message becomes another. Short conversations become hours of talking. Over time, Izumi and Tsuki become inseparable despite living thousands of kilometers apart. They share photographs, memories, childhood stories, fears, dreams and secrets. Neither of them realizes that the word "dream" will eventually become the most dangerous word in their relationship. One night, Izumi falls asleep. When he opens his eyes, he is standing inside an impossible city. The sky is dark violet. A gigantic purple moon hangs above empty buildings. The streets are covered with shallow water reflecting the sky. Enormous clocks float above the city, but their hands move backwards. There are no people. No sunlight. No end. Then Izumi hears footsteps. He turns around. A girl is standing in the distance. Long dark hair moves with the wind. He recognizes her immediately. "Tsuki?" The girl raises her head in shock. "Izumi?" Both wake up in their separate bedrooms. The following morning, Izumi sends Tsuki a message: "Did you have a strange dream last night?" After a long pause, Tsuki replies: "A city under a purple moon?" From that night onward, every time they fall asleep, they enter the same mysterious dream world. They name it NØX. NØX is not an ordinary dream. It is an endless supernatural world created from dreams, memories, emotions and lost souls. The environment changes constantly. Entire cities appear based on forgotten memories. Oceans float in the sky. Rain falls upward. Buildings disappear overnight. Time does not move normally. Inside NØX, the distance separating Izumi and Tsuki in reality no longer exists. They explore the impossible world together. They walk through empty streets. They sit on rooftops beneath the enormous purple moon. They visit places created from their childhood memories. They walk through rain without becoming wet. Their friendship slowly becomes love. One night, Izumi gently holds Tsuki's hand for the first time. In reality, thousands of kilometers separate them. But inside NØX, there is no distance. Tsuki eventually tells Izumi: "Sometimes I feel like this place is more real than our actual lives." Izumi answers: "Maybe because we're here together." However, after several months, NØX begins changing. Cracks appear in the sky. Buildings disappear. Dark shadows begin moving through empty streets. Then Izumi and Tsuki encounter a mysterious man. He is tall and wears a long black coat. But he has no face. Where his face should be, there is only endless darkness. He introduces himself as THE GUARDIAN. The Guardian tells them: "You were never supposed to meet." He explains that Izumi and Tsuki are breaking an ancient law. Two souls from different worlds cannot remain connected inside NØX for too long. Every night they spend together makes returning to reality more difficult. At first, they refuse to believe him. But strange things begin happening in reality. Izumi starts sleeping for extremely long periods. Sometimes he wakes up without remembering where he is. Tsuki begins losing memories. First she forgets small things. Then important moments. Eventually she loses an entire day from her life. They confront the Guardian again. He finally reveals the truth. NØX is a world between reality and dreams. It is created from dreams, memories and souls that never found their way back. Every soul that enters NØX is supposed to return to its original world. But Izumi and Tsuki have created something extremely rare. Their souls have become connected. A SOUL BOND. Their connection is so powerful that even when they try to avoid each other, they continue being pulled back into NØX. They decide to stop meeting. They stop messaging. They try sleeping at different times. They attempt to forget each other. But after several days, Izumi falls asleep and wakes up inside NØX. Tsuki is already there. She is crying. "Why are you here?" she asks. Izumi quietly answers: "I was about to ask you the same thing." Tsuki whispers: "I tried to escape." Izumi says: "Me too." She looks at him. "Even when I don't want to see you... my world brings me back to you." Suddenly, enormous glowing words appear in the sky: SOUL BOND The Guardian returns and reveals the cruel truth. Their souls are now connected between reality and the dream world. But the connection is unstable. The stronger their love becomes, the more NØX begins collapsing. They are given two choices. FIRST CHOICE: Break the Soul Bond. Both Izumi and Tsuki will return to normal life. But every memory of each other will disappear forever. They will become strangers again. SECOND CHOICE: Continue their relationship. But eventually, one of their souls will become permanently trapped inside NØX. Izumi refuses both choices. He says: "We will find a third way." The Guardian replies: "Every lover believes they can change the laws of the world." Time passes. Izumi and Tsuki decide that they can no longer allow distance to control their relationship. They decide to meet in reality for the first time. They choose a location. They choose a date. They count the days. Izumi packs his bag. Tsuki prepares for the meeting. For the first time, their impossible dream is about to become reality. But the night before their meeting, Izumi falls asleep. He wakes inside NØX. Something is wrong. The entire dream world is dying. Buildings collapse. The ocean rises into the sky. The streets split apart. The enormous purple moon breaks into two pieces. The Guardian is waiting. He says: "The time has come." Izumi refuses to abandon Tsuki. Then Tsuki suddenly appears. The Guardian explains: "You tried to make the dream become reality." He pauses. "And now someone must pay the price." A single glowing portal appears. The Guardian explains that only one person can return to reality. One soul must remain inside NØX forever. Izumi and Tsuki desperately search for another solution. But there is none. While Tsuki searches for a way to save them both, Izumi quietly approaches the Guardian. He asks: "If one person stays here... will the other survive?" The Guardian remains silent. Then answers: "Yes." Izumi understands. He looks at Tsuki. He remembers everything. Their first message. Their first conversation. The first night inside NØX. Their first time holding hands. Every moment beneath the purple moon. He realizes what he must do. The world continues collapsing. The portal begins closing. Tsuki grabs Izumi's hand. "I'm not going without you." Izumi smiles peacefully. "Tsuki..." "What?" "Were you happy with me?" Tsuki begins crying. "What kind of question is that? Of course I was happy." Izumi looks at her for a long moment. "Then that's enough." Tsuki suddenly realizes his intention. "No... Izumi, don't do this." His fingers slowly begin slipping from her hand. She desperately holds him. "I won't let you go!" Izumi looks at the collapsing world. Then back at Tsuki. He says: "I was always afraid that our relationship was just a dream." He gently touches her face. "But then I realized something." Tsuki asks through tears: "What?" Izumi smiles. "Even if it was a dream... you were the most beautiful thing that ever happened inside it." Izumi pushes Tsuki toward the portal. She screams his name. "IZUMI!" The portal closes. NØX disappears into darkness. Tsuki wakes up inside her bedroom. Morning sunlight enters through the window. Everything appears normal. She immediately searches for Izumi on her phone. Nothing. No messages. No photographs. No social media account. No trace of his existence. It is as if Izumi Kawazai never existed. Years pass. Tsuki continues living her life. But she constantly feels that something is missing. Someone important. Someone her mind cannot remember. But her heart refuses to forget. Many years later, Tsuki falls asleep. When she opens her eyes, she is standing inside NØX once again. The city is peaceful. The purple moon is whole again. She walks through the silent streets. Then she hears a voice behind her. "You took your time." Tsuki freezes. She slowly turns around. A young man is sitting on a distant wall. His face is hidden in the moonlight. Tsuki approaches him. "Do I know you?" The young man looks toward the purple moon. He smiles sadly. "No..." He pauses. "But I never forgot you." Tears begin falling from Tsuki's eyes without knowing why. She places her hand over her heart. "Why does my heart feel like it knows you?" The young man finally turns toward her. It is Izumi. He smiles. He says: "Because some souls don't need memories to remember who they love." FINAL SCENE: Izumi and Tsuki stand together beneath the enormous purple moon. The silent city reflects across the water. Their hands slowly reach toward each other. The story ends with the words: WHEN DREAMS FADE Some goodbyes are forever. Some souls aren't. THE END.
THE ORPHAN'S SECOND LIFE Chapter 1: The Dream That Never Came True Araav had always believed that one day he would become someone important. Not a famous actor. Not a politician. Not a soldier. He wanted to become a businessman. A great businessman. He wanted to build companies, create opportunities, make decisions that could influence thousands of people, and create a life completely different from the one he had been given. Unfortunately, life had never been kind enough to give him that opportunity. Araav was an orphan. He had grown up without knowing his parents and without having anyone he could call family. As he grew older, he learned how to survive alone. He studied, found a job, rented a small room, and slowly became another ordinary person living an ordinary life. He had black hair, dark brown eyes, and a face that made him look younger than he actually was. Every morning, he woke up before sunrise. He prepared himself. He travelled to the office. He worked for someone else. Then, in the evening, he returned to his empty room. The same routine repeated itself again and again. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year. Araav stared at the computer screen in front of him. Rows of numbers filled the monitor. Reports. Financial records. Emails. Deadlines. His fingers moved automatically across the keyboard. He was good at his work. His superiors appreciated him. But that was not the life he wanted. Araav leaned back in his chair and looked through the office window. Outside, people were walking through the busy streets. Everyone seemed to have somewhere to go. Someone waiting for them. A family. Friends. A home filled with voices. Araav had none of those things. His room was silent. His phone rarely received personal messages. And although he had colleagues, he had never felt that anyone truly knew him. He lowered his eyes. “I wanted something more.” His voice was barely audible. He had spent years imagining himself as a businessman. Sometimes, while travelling to work, he imagined owning a company. He imagined creating a business from nothing. He imagined making important decisions. He imagined proving that even an orphan with no connections could build something great. But imagination and reality were very different things. To start a business, he needed money. To build connections, he needed opportunities. To take risks, he needed something that could support him if he failed. Araav had nothing. He could not afford to lose his job. Because if he lost it, there would be no one to help him. No parents. No relatives. No family. He was alone. And he was tired. That evening, Araav made a decision. He needed to leave the city for a while. Not permanently. Just long enough to breathe. Long enough to remember what it felt like to live. After searching for a suitable place, he chose Manali. He decided to go trekking. Perhaps the mountains would give him the peace he had been unable to find in the city. Little did Araav know that the journey would change his life forever. --- Chapter 2: The Mountains of Manali The cold mountain air touched Araav's face. For the first time in a long time, he smiled. The city was far away. There were no office buildings. No ringing telephones. No managers asking about deadlines. No computer screens filled with endless work. Only mountains. Araav continued along the trekking path. The landscape around him was breathtaking. Massive mountains stood in the distance, their peaks disappearing into the sky. The sound of the wind moved through the trees. The world felt peaceful. After walking for some time, Araav reached a quiet area near a cliff. He carefully sat down at a safe distance and looked at the mountains. For several minutes, he said nothing. His mind was filled with memories. His childhood. His education. His first job. His dreams. His failures. He looked down at his hands. “Where did everything go wrong?” There was no answer. Araav gave a small laugh. “Maybe nothing went wrong.” Perhaps this was simply his life. Perhaps some people were meant to achieve their dreams, while others were meant to spend their lives imagining them. He closed his eyes. The cold wind passed through his black hair. “If I were given another chance…” He stopped. For some reason, his chest suddenly felt heavy. Araav opened his eyes. His vision became unclear. The mountains in front of him began to blur. “What is happening?” He tried to stand. But his body refused to respond. The world slowly became darker. The last thing Araav saw was the vast sky above Manali. Then— Everything disappeared. --- Chapter 3: A Body That Was Not His Araav opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the ceiling. It was unfamiliar. He stared at it for several seconds. Then he slowly sat up. Something felt wrong. His body felt strange. Much lighter. Much smaller. Araav looked down. His hands froze. They were not his hands. They were the hands of a child. His heart began beating rapidly. He immediately touched his face. His face was different too. Araav jumped out of the bed and rushed towards a small mirror hanging on the wall. The reflection staring back at him was not Araav. It was a boy. The boy had black hair, black eyes, a handsome face, and a surprisingly healthy body. Araav stared at the reflection. His mind went completely blank. “No…” His voice was unfamiliar. Young. Far too young. He stepped backwards. “This isn't possible.” Then suddenly— Pain exploded inside his head. Araav grabbed his head. Memories began appearing in his mind. Memories that did not belong to him. A small orphanage. An old woman. A little girl. Books. A library. A city. A world far larger than anything Araav had ever imagined. Then another name appeared in his mind. Rohan. Araav stopped moving. The memories continued. Rohan. Ten years old. An orphan. And the owner of this body. Araav slowly sat down. He closed his eyes. And allowed the memories to enter his mind. --- Chapter 4: The Memories of Rohan Five years earlier, a child had been discovered outside an orphanage. The child was unconscious. He appeared to be around five years old. Beside him was a bamboo basket. Inside the basket was a three-month-old baby girl. The orphanage caretaker, an elderly woman named Stala, had found them. She immediately brought the children inside. The boy remained unconscious for some time. When he finally opened his eyes, Stala asked him questions. But he could remember almost nothing. Only a few things remained in his mind. His name. Rohan. The name of his little sister. Ruhi. His age. Five years old. And Ruhi's age. Three months. Everything else was gone. No memory of their parents. No memory of where they had come from. No explanation for why they had been abandoned. Rohan and Ruhi became residents of the orphanage. But Stala soon discovered that the boy was unusual. Very unusual. Rohan learned to read with incredible speed. Once he learned something, he rarely forgot it. At first, Stala believed he was simply intelligent. Then she began bringing books from the library. Every Sunday, she returned with more books. History. Geography. Stories. Science. Information about the cities. Information about the different factions. Information about magic. Information about the creatures that lived in the world. Rohan read everything. And after reading something once, he could remember it almost perfectly. Stala was shocked. But she continued bringing him books. Rohan was gentle. He helped the younger children. He took care of Ruhi. And he seemed to possess a curiosity that could never be satisfied. As Ruhi grew older, another surprise appeared. She was also unusually intelligent. And, just like Rohan, she possessed an extraordinary memory. The siblings could remember things after seeing or reading them only once. Stala had raised them for five years. She had watched them grow. And now— Araav understood something. These memories belonged to the body he now occupied. He was Araav. But he was also living inside the body of Rohan. And he had inherited all of Rohan's memories. Araav opened his eyes. A small voice called from outside the room. “Brother?” Araav froze. The door opened. A little girl entered. She had just reached the age of five. Her name was Ruhi. Araav looked at her. A strange feeling appeared inside his heart. In his previous life, he had never had a family. He had never had a sibling. But now, in this new world— He had a little sister. --- Chapter 5: A Second Chance Araav sat silently for a long time. He had been an ordinary office worker. He had travelled to Manali. He had suddenly lost consciousness. And now— He was in another world. Another body. Another life. Araav looked at his reflection again. “Rohan…” The name felt unfamiliar. Yet the memories inside his mind told him that it belonged to him. He looked at Ruhi. She was watching him with curiosity. “Brother, are you alright?” Araav smiled. “Yes.” The answer surprised him. For the first time in his life, he was not completely alone. Araav had been given another chance. His previous dream had been to become a great businessman. He did not know what this world had planned for him. But he knew one thing. This time, he would not simply accept whatever life gave him. He would learn. He would grow. He would become stronger. And someday— He would build something of his own. But before any of that could happen, there was something important waiting for him. The Ability Test. Every child in this world underwent an ability test at the age of ten. And today— Rohan was ten years old. --- Chapter 6: A World Beyond Imagination Stala walked beside Rohan as they travelled towards the testing area. Ruhi remained at the orphanage. She was still only five years old. Her own test would come years later. Rohan looked around as he walked through Satlus. Even though he possessed Rohan's memories, Araav still found it difficult to believe what he was seeing. His previous world had been large. But this world was something entirely different. The scale of civilization was enormous. One of the smallest cities, Vijaypur, covered approximately one hundred thousand square kilometres. And Satlus— The city where Rohan lived— Was almost five times larger. Araav had read those numbers through Rohan's memories. But seeing the city with his own eyes was different. Buildings extended into the distance. Large roads connected different districts. Countless people travelled through the city. And everywhere, symbols of powerful factions could be seen. This world was controlled by powerful organizations. The Church. The Adventurer Guild. The Merchant Guild. The Alchemy Guild. The Blacksmith Guild. The Magic Guild. The Formation and Ruins Guild. The Elven Faction. The Assassin Guild. The Beast Faction. The Bloodline Testing Guild. And the Beast Tamer Guild. Every major country and city possessed branches or representatives of these powerful organizations. The factions influenced almost every part of civilization. There were also academies. Every major city had them. The academies were jointly influenced and controlled by the major factions. Students could choose their own paths. There were no strict restrictions forcing every student into a single profession. Someone could choose to become a magician. Another could become an alchemist. Someone else could become a blacksmith. An adventurer. A formation maker. A merchant. Or a beast tamer. The possibilities were endless. Araav's eyes slowly brightened. A world with magic. Powerful factions. Massive cities. Ancient ruins. Magical beasts. And countless opportunities. Perhaps— This world was exactly what he needed. --- Chapter 7: Millions of Children The testing centre was larger than anything Araav had expected. His previous world would have called it a city. But in Satlus, it was simply a testing complex. Rohan stopped walking. His eyes widened. Children were everywhere. Millions of them. Araav stared at the enormous crowd. All of them had reached the age of ten. All of them had come for the same purpose. The Ability Test. Stala looked at him. “Are you nervous?” Rohan smiled slightly. “No.” But internally, Araav was excited. This was the first major test of his new life. His future could change depending on the results. Stala gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “Whatever happens, you have nothing to fear. You and Ruhi will always have the orphanage.” Rohan looked at her. Stala had raised him. Even though Araav had only recently arrived in this body, Rohan's memories allowed him to understand how much Stala had done for both siblings. “Thank you, Stala.” The elderly woman smiled. Together, they entered the enormous testing hall. --- Chapter 8: The Ability Test The Ability Test consisted of several compulsory examinations. Every child had to complete them. The first was the Mana Level Test. A child placed their hand on a special stone tablet. The tablet measured the amount of mana they possessed. A result of zero out of one hundred meant that the person would possess no mana for their entire life. A higher result indicated greater potential. Those with ten or more were considered to possess low mana affinity. Those with twenty or more possessed mid-level mana affinity. Those with more than twenty-five possessed high mana affinity. The second compulsory test was the Elemental Affinity Test. The child placed their hand on a crystal ball. The crystal would reveal the element or elements with which the person possessed compatibility. There were many known elemental affinities. Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. Metal. Mineral. Ice. Poison. Thunder. Space. Time. Void. And Chaos. Some were common. Others were incredibly rare. The next section was the Physical Ability Test. The first part involved punching a specially designed metal plate. The force of the strike was measured. A result below ten indicated no significant physical talent. Ten to twenty represented low physical talent. Twenty to twenty-five represented mid-level physical talent. And anything above twenty-five was considered high physical talent. The second physical examination was the Fifty-Metre Running Test. Children had to run across a specially designed fifty-metre track. The test measured their natural speed and physical potential. Only after completing the compulsory tests could a child begin exploring possible professions and future paths. There was one important test that was not available here. The Bloodline Awakening Test. Bloodlines could not be tested or awakened during the public Ability Test. Only academies and authorized branches of the Bloodline Testing Guild possessed the specialized machines necessary to test and awaken dormant bloodlines. A child first needed to receive admission into an academy before accessing such facilities. Rohan processed all the information. Then he looked at the registration hall. It was almost time. Stala walked beside him. “Go and register.” Rohan nodded. But the moment he entered the hall— A strange sound entered his mind. Ding. Rohan stopped. His eyes widened. He looked around. Nobody else reacted. Then— Ding. A mechanical voice spoke inside his mind. Congratulations, Host. Rohan froze. The voice continued. The Host has successfully awakened the System. Araav's mind went blank. System? He had been a manhwa fan in his previous life. He knew exactly what that word meant. At least— He thought he did. The voice continued. During the Host's transmigration, the System suffered unexpected damage. Due to the damage, the System was unable to activate immediately. The System has repaired itself as much as possible. However, several functions remain damaged. Because of these changes, the System has evolved into— The Crazy Combination System. Rohan stood completely still. Stala looked at him with concern. “Rohan?” Araav immediately turned towards her. “I—I need to use the toilet.” Stala blinked. “What?” “I need to go!” Before she could say anything else, Rohan quickly walked away. Then— The moment he was far enough from Stala— He ran. --- Chapter 9: The Crazy Combination System Rohan entered the nearest toilet. He checked that nobody was inside. Then he closed the door. Locked it. And stood silently. His heart was beating rapidly. “A system…” He took a deep breath. “System.” Ding. The mechanical voice immediately responded. Yes, Host. Rohan stared into the empty space in front of him. In his previous world, he had read countless stories involving systems. Characters received special abilities. They became stronger. They received missions. They gained rewards. But he had never imagined that something similar would happen to him. He swallowed. “System.” Ding. “Tell me your functions.” For several seconds, there was silence. Then— Ding. Host, this System is known as the Crazy Combination System. Rohan listened carefully. The primary function of the System is combination. The System is capable of combining with other suitable systems and functions. Rohan's eyes narrowed. “Combining with other systems?” Correct, Host. Suitable systems may be combined with the Crazy Combination System, allowing the Host to develop and progress at an accelerated rate. Araav became silent. His previous life had taught him something important. Opportunities were rare. And when they appeared, intelligent people did not waste them. If the System truly possessed the ability to combine different systems— Then its potential could be enormous. But before he could ask another question— The voice spoke again. Ding. Because the System arrived late, the Host will receive compensation. Rohan's eyes widened. Congratulations, Host. You have received a Beginner Gift Pack. A moment later— Ding. Another notification appeared. Compensation effect activated. Rohan froze. Congratulations, Host. Your Beginner Gift Pack has been upgraded. He waited. Then the System continued. The Host will receive one hundred times the contents of the Beginner Gift Pack. For several seconds, Rohan said nothing. Then his eyes slowly widened. “One hundred times?” Correct, Host. Rohan's heartbeat accelerated. He had no idea what was inside the gift pack. But if the System was telling the truth— His new life had just become far more interesting. The mechanical voice spoke once more. Ding. Would the Host like to open the Beginner Gift Pack? Rohan stood silently inside the small room. Outside, millions of children continued preparing for the Ability Test. Stala was probably wondering why he was taking so long. But at that moment— Araav's mind was focused on only one thing. The System. The gift pack. And the future that had suddenly opened before him. He took a deep breath. Then he smiled. For the first time since arriving in this world, Araav felt something he had not felt in years. Excitement. “System…” His black eyes shone with anticipation. “Open it.”
妖精の王たちはある日、地球人の文化を発見するために地球にやってきた。そこで彼らは宗教からキリスト教、スポーツまで、さまざまなことを知った。王はサッカーに夢中になり、その動きからファンの興奮した叫び声まで、すべてを妖精の王国に持ち帰り、自分たちの生活に取り入れることにした。 彼の王国では、地に足の着いた宗教が人々に良い教えを与え、神の重要性を示した。そして、若い妖精たちを教えるために、サッカーまでもが導入された。王は「妖精の王杯」と呼ばれるサッカー大会を創設した。 妖精王国でサッカーは大人気となり、多くの若者がサッカー選手になることを夢見ていた。妖精王国で最高の選手はエルフトロンで、多くの若者はエルフトロンのようになり、サッカー選手になることを夢見ていた。 私もその一人で、子供の頃からサッカーを追いかけ、エルフトロンの大ファンだ。彼の美しいプレーを見るのが大好きで、いつか彼のようにプレーし、妖精王国で最高の選手になりたいと思っている。そしていつか、妖精の国で一番大きなリーグ、「妖精王リーグ」でプレーするのが夢だ。 ジュニアサッカーは「ジュニア妖精リーグ」と呼ばれており、僕の目標はチームに入ることだ。最も有名なジュニアチームはキングスで、王族で構成されたチームだ。このチームに入るには、たくさんの技術を持ち、誰よりも上手でなければならない。僕はチームのトライアルに参加することに決めた。僕の名前はピーター・パン。夢を叶えるんだ。 たくさんのトレーニングの後、私はトライアルに参加した。みんなが僕を見つめていた。そんな目で。夢を叶えることに興奮していたのに、なぜそんな目で見られるのか分からなかった。 そしてテストが始まると、みんな僕のプレーを気に入ってくれた。僕には多くの技術があり、ゴールを決める攻撃的ミッドフィルダーだと言われた。 攻撃的ミッドフィルダーは、守備的ミッドフィルダーとは異なり、相手のディフェンスに仕掛けていく。一般的な特徴は、パス、ボールハンドリング、ドリブル能力、そして場合によっては遠距離からのシュートを得意とすることだ。妖精の国の有名な攻撃的ミッドフィルダーには、スルタン、アーサー、その他大勢いる。 だから私は自分の技術を披露し、自分のパフォーマンスに満足した。彼らは気に入ってくれた。しかし、彼らが気に入ってくれたとはいえ、チームに入る選手が発表されると、現実は違った。 私は選ばれなかった。 「何があったんだろう？何か悪いことをしたのだろうか？私は選ばれなかった！」 父に理由を尋ねると、父はこう答えた。「息子よ、お前が選ばれなかったのは貧しいからだ！」 僕はショックを受け、悲しかった。王国で最高のジュニアチームが、貧しい人々を受け入れていないことを知ったのだ。王国は貧しい人を受け入れない。 私は不思議に思った。「イエス・キリストは私たちに『すべての人を愛しなさい、彼は貧しい人と謙虚な人を愛している』と教えてくださった。妖精の王はいつもイエスの教えのように、私たちが互いに愛し合うためにと教えている。イエス・キリストはまた、みんなが楽しくプレーできるようにフットボールを作られた。なぜこのチームは貧しい人を愛さないのだろう？」 私は悲しい気持ちになり、家に到着すると自分の部屋に行った。 僕の部屋で、嬉しそうな母が尋ねた。「息子はどうだった？うまくいった？」 私はとても悲しくなり、彼女の横を通り過ぎて自分の部屋に向かった。悲しそうに、母は何があったのかと尋ね、父が答えた。すると母は、私がなぜ悲しんでいるのかに気づき、階下に行って元気になるように言った。「私は下に行って、元気にならないといけないわ」 その後、母は私にお風呂に入るように言った。私は母に、なぜ生きとし生けるものはあんななのか、イエスは愛することを教えていないのかと尋ねた。 彼女は答えた。「息子は王様が言ったことを覚えている？イエスの話を覚えている？キリスト教には自由意志があるの。私たちの主イエス・キリストの呼びかけに耳を傾ける人もいれば、多くの金持ちは愛よりも権力を好むのよ。私たちは決して愛をやめないわ。」 「そうだね、ママ。」 そして、ママは私に、決して気を落とすなと言った。正しい時が来るから。そして、妖精王がみんなのためにサッカーを作ったことを忘れないで。貧富の差に関係なく、サッカーはすべての人の喜びであることを示したんだ。「サッカーはみんなの喜びなんだよ。」 私はママの話を聞いてとても興奮した。シャワーを浴びて、ご飯を食べてから寝た。そしてミサに行った。 家に帰ると、家の前に男が立っていた。「あの人は誰？」ママが聞いた。 父は答えた。「知らないよ！」父は私たちを守りながら、ゆっくりと近づくように言った。私たちが近づくと、父は尋ねた。「お前は誰だ？そして、家の前で何をしているんだ？」 男は答えた。「ついに来たか。待っていたよ。私の名前はアリババです。」 父は、なぜアリババが私たちを待っているのかと尋ねた。彼は言った。「パンに何の用だ？」 怯えた父は尋ねた。「彼は悪いことをするつもりはない」と言って、彼は言った。「試験当日に彼がいたことは覚えていない、と？」 父は思い出して「はい」と答えると、アリババはこう答えた。「私はサッカーチームのスカウトをしています。あなたの息子さんの素晴らしい才能を見ました。それで、息子さんが私のチームに入らないか、あなたと息子さんにお願いに来ました。私のフットボールチームに入らないか？フットボールチーム？」 父は尋ねた。「あなたのフットボールチーム？」 彼はそうだと言った。自分のチームは新しいチームだ。彼らを、そしてチームを、おとぎの国で最高のジュニアチームにしたいんだ。そして、王たちをも凌駕する。そして、この選手たちを妖精の国から見て、いつの日か偉大な妖精王トーナメントに出場させたいんだ。それを受け入れてくれるか、と。 父は食事中だったので、断るつもりだったが、アリババがそう言ったとき、私はとても興奮した。父はまだ怖がっていたので、アリババは私たちを連れて行ってくれた。そして、アリババは彼のチームのすべての若い才能を私たちに見せてくれた。 私がそこにいたとき、アラディンと呼ばれるチームの選手の一人が、私に近づいてきて尋ねた。「ようこそ。君は我々のチームと呼ぶんだね。ポジションは？」 「僕はピーター・パン。まだ入るかどうかは分からない。攻撃的ミッドフィルダーだよ！」 彼は、一緒にプレーするのが待ち遠しいと言ってくれた。彼は私にとても親切にしてくれた。それからアリババがコーチを紹介してくれた。コーチ、彼女の名前はウェンディ。挨拶されたとき、とても恥ずかしかった。私は震えていた。なぜ声を荒げているのかと聞かれ、とても恥ずかしかった。「ありがとう。」 ウェンディは茶色の目をした美しい女の子だった。そこでアリババは彼女に、ピーター・パンは彼がチームに連れてきたいと思った選手だと言った。 ウェンディは尋ねた。「彼は本当に上手なの？見てみたいわ。」 すると彼女は、アラディンとの決闘を申し込んだ。彼女は私が引き受けるかどうか尋ねた。 私は興奮してイエスと答えた。 ピッチの上で、彼女は2ゴール決めた方が勝ちだと言った。それで私たちはスタートし、彼はマークされ、私は気づいた。彼はとても強く、私は彼をマークするのに苦労した。彼はセンターフォワードだった。 センターフォワードとは、サッカーにおけるポジションの一つで、攻撃ラインの中央でプレーする選手を指す。ウイングとしても知られる。役割は、チームのゴールチャンスを伺い、ロングボールを出し、後方から来る味方のためにボールを保持し、ピッチの両サイドを動き回り、最善の動きを見つけることだ。特徴は、通常、相手のエリア、つまりピッチの上級ポジションを占めることだ。ライバルゴールに最も近い位置にいるため、ゴールへのフィニッシュのチャンスが最も高い。センターフォワードが相手ディフェンスに与えるプレッシャーは、チームのパフォーマンスの基本である。 だから彼はゴールを決めたんだ。「ゴールを決めたなんて信じられない！ゴールだ！」 ちょっと怖かったけど、すぐに落ち着いた。そしてボールを拾って彼を追いかけた。彼は私からボールを奪おうとしたので、私は小さなカートでドリブルをした。 ランブレッタ（ブラジルではカレティーリャまたはチャペウ・メヒカーノ、イタリアではビチクレッタ、アメリカではレインボー、イギリスではアーディレス・フリック、スペインではアルコ・アイリス、ドイツではジェイ＝ジェイ・オコチャ、フランスではクー・デュ・ソンブレロとも呼ばれる）は、サッカーで使われるフェイントで、選手が弧を描いてボールを通す。 だから私はゴールに向かって走った。「なんて信じられないスピードなんだ！」とアラディンは言った。ウェンディは驚いた。だから私はゴールに向かって走り、同点に追いついた。アラディンが私に言った。「なんて信じられないんだ！」 そこで私たちはプレーを続け、私はボールを奪ってゴールに向かった。アラディンは僕をマークしようとした。僕は牛のドリブルを仕掛けた。 牛のドリブルとは、サッカーの技の一つで、相手の片側にボールを渡し、もう片側に走ってボールを取りに行くものだ。「彼は私に何をしたんだ？」アラディンが言った。 ボールを拾って長い距離を蹴ったんだ。ボールは反対方向、ゴールに入った。誰もが口をあんぐりと開けた。アラディンは、自分が蹴ったボールがゴール裏に入ったと言った。 トリヴェラ・キックとは、足の外側で蹴るサッカーのシュートである。繰り出すのは難しいが、非常に華麗で予測不可能なテクニックだ。どのようにラウンドハウスキックを行うのか？サポートする足をボールのやや後ろに置き、足を斜めに向ける。利き足の外側でボールを握り、足を利き足の方に上げながら、ボールを真ん中に蹴る。 だから私は勝った。ウェンディは言った。「あなたには才能があるわ。ピーター・パンには才能がある。」と彼女は言ってくれた！ 私はとても嬉しくて、アリババは父に尋ねた。「どう思う？」 父はまだ恐れていた。なぜなら、引っ越して暮らさなければならなかったからだ。私は父に言った。「父さん、僕はここにいたいんだ。怖がらないで。私は夢を実現する。だからお願い、お父さん、僕をここでプレーさせてください、お願いします。」 私の興奮を見た父は、私の母親を見た。ママは「うん」と首を横に振った。 父は答えた。「いいよ。」 アラディンと私は幸せだった。 翌週、私は荷物をまとめて、新しいジュニアクラブ「フェアリー・テイルズ」に向かった。 私は思った。「私の旅が今始まる。」 第1章終わり
妖精の王たちはある日、地球人の文化を発見するために地球にやってきた。そこで彼らは宗教からキリスト教、スポーツまで、さまざまなことを知った。王はサッカーに夢中になり、その動きからファンの興奮した叫び声まで、すべてを妖精の王国に持ち帰り、自分たちの生活に取り入れることにした。 彼の王国では、地に足の着いた宗教が人々に良い教えを与え、神の重要性を示した。そして、若い妖精たちを教えるために、サッカーまでもが導入された。王は「妖精の王杯」と呼ばれるサッカー大会を創設した。 妖精王国でサッカーは大人気となり、多くの若者がサッカー選手になることを夢見ていた。妖精王国で最高の選手はエルフトロンで、多くの若者はエルフトロンのようになり、サッカー選手になることを夢見ていた。 私もその一人で、子供の頃からサッカーを追いかけ、エルフトロンの大ファンだ。彼の美しいプレーを見るのが大好きで、いつか彼のようにプレーし、妖精王国で最高の選手になりたいと思っている。そしていつか、妖精の国で一番大きなリーグ、「妖精王リーグ」でプレーするのが夢だ。 ジュニアサッカーは「ジュニア妖精リーグ」と呼ばれており、僕の目標はチームに入ることだ。最も有名なジュニアチームはキングスで、王族で構成されたチームだ。このチームに入るには、たくさんの技術を持ち、誰よりも上手でなければならない。僕はチームのトライアルに参加することに決めた。僕の名前はピーター・パン。夢を叶えるんだ。 たくさんのトレーニングの後、私はトライアルに参加した。みんなが僕を見つめていた。そんな目で。夢を叶えることに興奮していたのに、なぜそんな目で見られるのか分からなかった。 そしてテストが始まると、みんな僕のプレーを気に入ってくれた。僕には多くの技術があり、ゴールを決める攻撃的ミッドフィルダーだと言われた。 攻撃的ミッドフィルダーは、守備的ミッドフィルダーとは異なり、相手のディフェンスに仕掛けていく。一般的な特徴は、パス、ボールハンドリング、ドリブル能力、そして場合によっては遠距離からのシュートを得意とすることだ。妖精の国の有名な攻撃的ミッドフィルダーには、スルタン、アーサー、その他大勢いる。 だから私は自分の技術を披露し、自分のパフォーマンスに満足した。彼らは気に入ってくれた。しかし、彼らが気に入ってくれたとはいえ、チームに入る選手が発表されると、現実は違った。 私は選ばれなかった。 「何があったんだろう？何か悪いことをしたのだろうか？私は選ばれなかった！」 父に理由を尋ねると、父はこう答えた。「息子よ、お前が選ばれなかったのは貧しいからだ！」 僕はショックを受け、悲しかった。王国で最高のジュニアチームが、貧しい人々を受け入れていないことを知ったのだ。王国は貧しい人を受け入れない。 私は不思議に思った。「イエス・キリストは私たちに『すべての人を愛しなさい、彼は貧しい人と謙虚な人を愛している』と教えてくださった。妖精の王はいつもイエスの教えのように、私たちが互いに愛し合うためにと教えている。イエス・キリストはまた、みんなが楽しくプレーできるようにフットボールを作られた。なぜこのチームは貧しい人を愛さないのだろう？」 私は悲しい気持ちになり、家に到着すると自分の部屋に行った。 僕の部屋で、嬉しそうな母が尋ねた。「息子はどうだった？うまくいった？」 私はとても悲しくなり、彼女の横を通り過ぎて自分の部屋に向かった。悲しそうに、母は何があったのかと尋ね、父が答えた。すると母は、私がなぜ悲しんでいるのかに気づき、階下に行って元気になるように言った。「私は下に行って、元気にならないといけないわ」 その後、母は私にお風呂に入るように言った。私は母に、なぜ生きとし生けるものはあんななのか、イエスは愛することを教えていないのかと尋ねた。 彼女は答えた。「息子は王様が言ったことを覚えている？イエスの話を覚えている？キリスト教には自由意志があるの。私たちの主イエス・キリストの呼びかけに耳を傾ける人もいれば、多くの金持ちは愛よりも権力を好むのよ。私たちは決して愛をやめないわ。」 「そうだね、ママ。」 そして、ママは私に、決して気を落とすなと言った。正しい時が来るから。そして、妖精王がみんなのためにサッカーを作ったことを忘れないで。貧富の差に関係なく、サッカーはすべての人の喜びであることを示したんだ。「サッカーはみんなの喜びなんだよ。」 私はママの話を聞いてとても興奮した。シャワーを浴びて、ご飯を食べてから寝た。そしてミサに行った。 家に帰ると、家の前に男が立っていた。「あの人は誰？」ママが聞いた。 父は答えた。「知らないよ！」父は私たちを守りながら、ゆっくりと近づくように言った。私たちが近づくと、父は尋ねた。「お前は誰だ？そして、家の前で何をしているんだ？」 男は答えた。「ついに来たか。待っていたよ。私の名前はアリババです。」 父は、なぜアリババが私たちを待っているのかと尋ねた。彼は言った。「パンに何の用だ？」 怯えた父は尋ねた。「彼は悪いことをするつもりはない」と言って、彼は言った。「試験当日に彼がいたことは覚えていない、と？」 父は思い出して「はい」と答えると、アリババはこう答えた。「私はサッカーチームのスカウトをしています。あなたの息子さんの素晴らしい才能を見ました。それで、息子さんが私のチームに入らないか、あなたと息子さんにお願いに来ました。私のフットボールチームに入らないか？フットボールチーム？」 父は尋ねた。「あなたのフットボールチーム？」 彼はそうだと言った。自分のチームは新しいチームだ。彼らを、そしてチームを、おとぎの国で最高のジュニアチームにしたいんだ。そして、王たちをも凌駕する。そして、この選手たちを妖精の国から見て、いつの日か偉大な妖精王トーナメントに出場させたいんだ。それを受け入れてくれるか、と。 父は食事中だったので、断るつもりだったが、アリババがそう言ったとき、私はとても興奮した。父はまだ怖がっていたので、アリババは私たちを連れて行ってくれた。そして、アリババは彼のチームのすべての若い才能を私たちに見せてくれた。 私がそこにいたとき、アラディンと呼ばれるチームの選手の一人が、私に近づいてきて尋ねた。「ようこそ。君は我々のチームと呼ぶんだね。ポジションは？」 「僕はピーター・パン。まだ入るかどうかは分からない。攻撃的ミッドフィルダーだよ！」 彼は、一緒にプレーするのが待ち遠しいと言ってくれた。彼は私にとても親切にしてくれた。それからアリババがコーチを紹介してくれた。コーチ、彼女の名前はウェンディ。挨拶されたとき、とても恥ずかしかった。私は震えていた。なぜ声を荒げているのかと聞かれ、とても恥ずかしかった。「ありがとう。」 ウェンディは茶色の目をした美しい女の子だった。そこでアリババは彼女に、ピーター・パンは彼がチームに連れてきたいと思った選手だと言った。 ウェンディは尋ねた。「彼は本当に上手なの？見てみたいわ。」 すると彼女は、アラディンとの決闘を申し込んだ。彼女は私が引き受けるかどうか尋ねた。 私は興奮してイエスと答えた。 ピッチの上で、彼女は2ゴール決めた方が勝ちだと言った。それで私たちはスタートし、彼はマークされ、私は気づいた。彼はとても強く、私は彼をマークするのに苦労した。彼はセンターフォワードだった。 センターフォワードとは、サッカーにおけるポジションの一つで、攻撃ラインの中央でプレーする選手を指す。ウイングとしても知られる。役割は、チームのゴールチャンスを伺い、ロングボールを出し、後方から来る味方のためにボールを保持し、ピッチの両サイドを動き回り、最善の動きを見つけることだ。特徴は、通常、相手のエリア、つまりピッチの上級ポジションを占めることだ。ライバルゴールに最も近い位置にいるため、ゴールへのフィニッシュのチャンスが最も高い。センターフォワードが相手ディフェンスに与えるプレッシャーは、チームのパフォーマンスの基本である。 だから彼はゴールを決めたんだ。「ゴールを決めたなんて信じられない！ゴールだ！」 ちょっと怖かったけど、すぐに落ち着いた。そしてボールを拾って彼を追いかけた。彼は私からボールを奪おうとしたので、私は小さなカートでドリブルをした。 ランブレッタ（ブラジルではカレティーリャまたはチャペウ・メヒカーノ、イタリアではビチクレッタ、アメリカではレインボー、イギリスではアーディレス・フリック、スペインではアルコ・アイリス、ドイツではジェイ＝ジェイ・オコチャ、フランスではクー・デュ・ソンブレロとも呼ばれる）は、サッカーで使われるフェイントで、選手が弧を描いてボールを通す。 だから私はゴールに向かって走った。「なんて信じられないスピードなんだ！」とアラディンは言った。ウェンディは驚いた。だから私はゴールに向かって走り、同点に追いついた。アラディンが私に言った。「なんて信じられないんだ！」 そこで私たちはプレーを続け、私はボールを奪ってゴールに向かった。アラディンは僕をマークしようとした。僕は牛のドリブルを仕掛けた。 牛のドリブルとは、サッカーの技の一つで、相手の片側にボールを渡し、もう片側に走ってボールを取りに行くものだ。「彼は私に何をしたんだ？」アラディンが言った。 ボールを拾って長い距離を蹴ったんだ。ボールは反対方向、ゴールに入った。誰もが口をあんぐりと開けた。アラディンは、自分が蹴ったボールがゴール裏に入ったと言った。 トリヴェラ・キックとは、足の外側で蹴るサッカーのシュートである。繰り出すのは難しいが、非常に華麗で予測不可能なテクニックだ。どのようにラウンドハウスキックを行うのか？サポートする足をボールのやや後ろに置き、足を斜めに向ける。利き足の外側でボールを握り、足を利き足の方に上げながら、ボールを真ん中に蹴る。 だから私は勝った。ウェンディは言った。「あなたには才能があるわ。ピーター・パンには才能がある。」と彼女は言ってくれた！ 私はとても嬉しくて、アリババは父に尋ねた。「どう思う？」 父はまだ恐れていた。なぜなら、引っ越して暮らさなければならなかったからだ。私は父に言った。「父さん、僕はここにいたいんだ。怖がらないで。私は夢を実現する。だからお願い、お父さん、僕をここでプレーさせてください、お願いします。」 私の興奮を見た父は、私の母親を見た。ママは「うん」と首を横に振った。 父は答えた。「いいよ。」 アラディンと私は幸せだった。 翌週、私は荷物をまとめて、新しいジュニアクラブ「フェアリー・テイルズ」に向かった。 私は思った。「私の旅が今始まる。」 第1章終わり Fazer storyboard em japonês com 15 páginas
CHAPTER 1 THE BOY ON THE STAGE Tripura University. M.Sc. Geography & Disaster Management. A freshers' celebration. Music. Laughter. People everywhere. And then... He walked onto the stage. A senior. She didn't know him. They had never spoken. But she noticed him. He danced. And from somewhere in the audience, she watched him. Quietly. From far away. She found him attractive. There was something about him that caught her attention. She didn't know what it was. She couldn't have explained it. She only knew that she liked looking at him. But she never imagined that one day... she would fall for this boy. At that time, he was simply... the boy on the stage. --- CHAPTER 2 A YEAR OF ALMOST Days passed. Then months. They remained in the same university. Sometimes their paths crossed. Once. Twice. Maybe once in a month. A corridor. A road. A random moment on campus. They would pass each other. And nothing would happen. No conversation. No friendship. No story. Just two people crossing paths. Again. And again. And again. She noticed him. But he didn't really know her. For almost a year, he remained someone she admired from a distance. Until his farewell came. And suddenly... everything changed. --- CHAPTER 3 THE SECRET One of her friends knew about her crush. And one day, completely out of nowhere... that secret reached one of his friends. On his farewell night, his friend told him: “One of the juniors likes you.” And apparently... he found that interesting. The next day, he spoke to her classmates. “You never told me that one of your classmates has a crush on me.” And then... her phone received a notification. Facebook — Friend Request From him. The senior. The boy from the stage. The boy she had been noticing for almost a year. She accepted. And suddenly... the person she had only watched from a distance... was talking to her. --- CHAPTER 4 I OBSERVED YOU They started talking. Then they talked some more. And somehow, the conversations kept growing. What had been silence for almost a year... became conversations neither of them wanted to end. And somewhere in those conversations, she said: “I have observed you so many times.” ... Silence. Maybe that wasn't exactly the sentence she intended. But it was too late. She had said it. 😂 And somehow, that awkward sentence became one of the first little memories of them. Then came... the video call. --- CHAPTER 5 THE VIDEO CALL Her friends called her. Video call. She looked at the phone. Something felt suspicious. And she was wearing a face mask. Absolutely not. She rejected the call. “Something is fishy.” But they called again. Eventually, she answered. Meanwhile... he had disappeared into the canteen kitchen. And started chopping something. Anything. Just to avoid being directly in front of the camera. Chop. Chop. Chop. But his friends weren't going to let him escape. Jimmy. Sumrat. Tania. They turned the camera. And suddenly... there he was. The boy from the stage. This time, he wasn't dancing. He was looking at her. And for the first time... they actually spoke face-to-face. --- Then he asked her: “Will you go out with me?” She didn't hesitate. She simply said: “Yeah.” “I'll be free day after tomorrow.” And just like that... their first meeting was planned. --- CHAPTER 6 THE FIRST MEETING The day came. She got ready. Really got ready. She wanted to look good. She brought confidence. And a little nervousness. She went to meet him. And finally... they were together. Not through a screen. Not from across a university campus. Not through stories told by friends. Together. They went to the lake. And sat there. And talked. And talked. And talked. The conversation just kept going. There was always something else to say. Something else to ask. Something else to share. They laughed. They listened. They stayed. And somewhere beside that lake... something began. Something deeper than a crush. --- CHAPTER 7 GO WITH THE FLOW They met again. And again. And again. They spent more time together. Slowly... an emotional connection began growing. Her friends noticed. “Tum zyada fast ho rahi ho.” “Go with the flow.” “Slowly jao.” “Pata nahi door jaake kaisa rahega.” Maybe they were right. She didn't know what the future held either. But deep down... she didn't want to slow down. She didn't know where this would go. She just knew one thing: She was happy. She was becoming happier. And she wanted to stay beside him. So she thought... “Jo hona hai hone do.” --- CHAPTER 8 THE LITTLE THINGS He came shopping with her. He helped her fix her phone. He came along. He made time. He put in effort. And she didn't have to constantly ask. He simply wanted to be there. And those little things mattered. Because love isn't always grand gestures. Sometimes love is simply: “I'll come with you.” “I'll help you.” “I'm here.” He kept showing up. --- But he was careful with her heart. He didn't make promises he wasn't sure about. He didn't give her dreams just because she wanted to hear them. He took his time. He wanted to know what he truly felt. Until he was sure... he wouldn't give her false assurance. For him, certainty mattered. For her... waiting was difficult. She already knew what she wanted. She wanted him. She wanted an answer. And she desperately hoped that answer would be yes. --- CHAPTER 9 BEFORE WE LEFT His university days were coming to an end. Soon... he would leave. Before that happened, they met. They talked about the future. About life. About marriage. He told her that marriage was never really something he wanted. He didn't believe in all those worldly expectations. He imagined another kind of life. A quieter life. Far away from everything. Maybe somewhere near the ghats of Banaras. He didn't want all those complications. She listened. And then... she said something that surprised even herself. “Kabhi tumhara mind change ho...” “Kabhi tumhe shaadi ka mann ho...” She looked at him. “Toh mere paas aana.” A pause. “Ek baar mujhse pooch lena.” And then: “Main hoon.” Another pause. “Main tumhare liye wait karungi.” She didn't know where that courage came from. But she meant every word. --- CHAPTER 10 TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS Then they left. He went to Nagaland. She went to Jaipur. Two places. Two journeys. One feeling. Distance suddenly became real. And distance did something neither of them expected. It made them crave each other. More. And more. And more. She already knew how much she wanted him. But somewhere in Nagaland... he began realizing something too. Maybe you don't always understand someone's place in your life while they're standing right beside you. Sometimes... you understand it when they're far away. --- CHAPTER 11 SHE'S THE ONE He thought about her. He missed her. He remembered their time together. The conversations. The lake. The little things. Her presence. And somewhere in all that distance... something became clear. She wasn't just someone he enjoyed being around. She wasn't just a crush. She wasn't just a person he was exploring a relationship with. She was the person he wanted. She was the one. And for the first time... he knew. --- CHAPTER 12 I LOVE YOU Eventually, they came back. She returned from Jaipur. He returned from Nagaland. And she only wanted one thing. To see him. She wanted to meet him. She wanted a long hug. She had missed him too much. She went to university looking for him. But... he wasn't there. He was sleeping. 😂 She finished her class. Then went to find him herself. And finally... they met. The distance disappeared. --- They spent their days together. Talking. Laughing. Walking. Eating. Being close. The days passed far too quickly. And then... it was almost time for him to leave again. But somewhere during that distance... he had found his answer. And finally... he said the words. “I love you.” For the first time. He told her: “I love you.” And maybe those three words carried everything he had taken so long to understand. She had already known what her heart wanted. But hearing him say it... was different. Because sometimes... your heart knows the answer long before the other person is ready to say it. --- CHAPTER 13 I LOVE YOU MORE Then came the moment neither of them wanted. It was time for him to leave. They were sitting at the airport. Waiting for his flight. Neither wanted the moment to come. And while they waited... she finally said what was inside her heart. “I love you more.” A simple sentence. But it carried everything. The waiting. The uncertainty. The longing. The happiness. The fear of losing time together. And the certainty that she loved him. She did. Completely. --- CHAPTER 14 LONG DISTANCE And then... they were apart again. He was at home. She was in Tripura. She was continuing her studies. He was living his life. And yet... they were together. For more than a month. Almost two months. Long distance. But somehow... that period became one of the most beautiful phases of their relationship. They craved each other. Constantly. The distance made every conversation feel more precious. Every call. Every message. Every little moment. They missed each other so intensely... that even today, remembering that time gives her goosebumps. --- CHAPTER 15 THE FIELD TRIP Even when she was in Tripura University... life continued. There was a field trip. She went. But she couldn't give him the time she wanted to. And something unexpected happened. He cried. He genuinely cried... because he wanted her time. Because he missed her. Because he wanted to be close to her. She had never expected that. She had never imagined that someone could crave her presence that much. --- CHAPTER 16 SEPTEMBER Then September came. He came back. They met. And finally... they could be together again. They spent almost a week together. A week of being close. A week of getting back what distance had taken away. But then... an emergency happened. He had to go home earlier than expected. And once again... distance. --- CHAPTER 17 NINE MONTHS This time... the distance lasted almost nine months. Nine. Long. Months. They missed each other. They fought for time. Sometimes they couldn't give each other enough of it. Sometimes they fought because they simply wanted more. Sometimes they cried. He cried. She cried. They were two people who loved each other... but couldn't always have the one thing they wanted most: time together. And during all of this... he was fighting his own battles. His family. His mother's health. Responsibilities. Things she couldn't always fix for him. Things he had to face himself. So while they were fighting to stay connected... he was also fighting another battle entirely. And somehow... they stayed. --- CHAPTER 18 MEGHALAYA Eventually... her M.Sc. came to an end. University was over. And finally... they planned something. Their first trip. Just the two of them. Meghalaya. --- The weather was cold. The room was cozy. The place was new. Everything felt new. They explored together. They rode a scooter in the rain. They got wet. They ate their favourite food. They laughed. They wandered. And sometimes... they didn't want to go outside at all. So they stayed in the room. Cuddled. Talked. Held each other. Loved each other. --- For nine months... there had been so much they couldn't have. So many hugs. So many conversations. So many ordinary moments. So much time. And in Meghalaya... they finally got some of it back. They filled those days with love. With closeness. With everything they had been missing. --- CHAPTER 19 THE GOODBYE Then came the return. And something about this goodbye was different. She cried. A lot. Perhaps for the first time... she was crying because she was going far away from someone she knew she couldn't imagine living without. She realized something. She didn't want him to face his difficult moments alone. She didn't want to be far away if something happened. She didn't want him to struggle... without her being there. And somewhere inside her... a decision began forming. --- CHAPTER 20 TRIPURA TO CHENNAI Her next step was her career. M.Tech. Madras University. She came to Chennai for her entrance examination. She came with Sumrat. And somehow... he came too. He was working as a school teacher at that time. But he came. He came to guide her. To help her. To meet her. For her. And luckily... she got in. So she went home. Packed everything. And made a huge decision. She left Tripura. She came to Chennai. Not because it was easy. Not because everything was certain. But because she wanted to be a little closer to him. At that time... he was living in Hyderabad. Nine hours away. Still far. But somehow... closer than before. --- CHAPTER 21 YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE She arrived in Chennai. And almost immediately... reality hit. The struggle. The adjustment. A new place. A new life. A new course. Everything at once. She was struggling. And he couldn't simply watch her struggle from far away. He had his own career. His own life. His own responsibilities. But still... he came. And then he made another enormous decision. He left his job. For her. He came to Chennai. And he joined a course so that he could study alongside her. Not because life was suddenly easy. Not because everything had been solved. But because... when she was struggling... he didn't want to watch from a distance. He wanted to be there. --- CHAPTER 22 TRIPURA → CHENNAI And that's how far the story has brought them. From Tripura University... to a stage at Freshers. From a distant crush... to a Facebook friend request. From: “I have observed you so many times.” to: “I love you.” From a lake... to an airport. From Nagaland and Jaipur... to months of long distance. From nine months of missing each other... to Meghalaya rain. From saying: “Main tumhare liye wait karungi.” to actually choosing each other... again and again. From Tripura... to Chennai. And the story isn't perfect. They've had beautiful days. They've had difficult days. They've gained things. They've lost important things. They've fought. They've cried. They've struggled. They've had to figure things out. But through all of it... they are still here. Together. --- EPILOGUE THIS ISN'T THE END Maybe love isn't about having a perfect story. Maybe it's about having someone beside you while the story is still being written. Someone who stays through the good. Someone who stays through the bad. Someone who chooses you... even when life isn't easy. And after everything... she still knows one thing. She loves him. She loved him when he was just a senior dancing on a stage. She loved him when he was a distant crush. She loved him when she was waiting for his answer. She loved him when he was far away. She loved him through nine months of distance. She loved him in Meghalaya. She loved him enough to cross from Tripura to Chennai. And she still loves him now. And perhaps the most beautiful part is... she doesn't want this story to end. Because this isn't a story with a final chapter. It's a story that keeps moving. Every year. Every birthday. Every journey. Every difficult day. Every beautiful day. Every new place. Every new memory. Every version of them. --- So, Babaji... If someone asked me where our story ends... I wouldn't know what to say. Because I don't think it ends here. I think this is just another chapter. And tomorrow... we'll write another one. And the day after that... another. And every year... we'll keep adding pages. Because once upon a time... a girl saw a boy dancing on a stage. She didn't know him. She didn't know his story. She didn't know that he would become her person. She only knew... she couldn't stop looking at him. And somehow... after all the distance, all the waiting, all the tears, all the journeys, all the goodbyes, all the reunions, all the love... she is still looking at him. Only now... he's looking back. THE STORY CONTINUES... ❤️ EVER AFTER IS NOT THE END. IT'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.
1. 🌴 Le village de Quaouque L’histoire commence dans le village de Quaouque, un petit village où vivent plusieurs personnages importants. Le personnage principal est Mitoro, un jeune garçon qui rêve de partir à l’aventure et, un jour, de devenir pirate. Mais Mitoro n’est pas seul. Il vit notamment avec : Gourou, son meilleur ami, qui est extrêmement proche de lui et ressemble presque à son petit frère. Seaiter, une petite créature capable de se transformer. Zephinro, le frère jumeau de Mitoro. Fujimura, le chef du village, qui représente énormément pour Mitoro. Mitoro considère Fujimura presque comme son père. Il aime profondément son village et ses habitants. C’est justement ce qui va rendre son départ particulièrement difficile. 2. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Mitoro et ses compagnons Mitoro et Gourou sont extrêmement proches. Gourou est très petit : environ 80 cm. Malgré sa petite taille, il possède un caractère très fort et accompagne Mitoro dans ses aventures. Seaiter est également un compagnon important. Il possède plusieurs transformations liées à sa nature animale : une transformation singe ; une transformation mi-singe/mi-renard ; une transformation renard. Il peut notamment utiliser une transformation plus adaptée au combat. 3. ⚔️ Zephinro Zephinro est le frère jumeau de Mitoro. Il est beaucoup plus expérimenté que Mitoro dans certains domaines, notamment au combat. Il possède un sabre extrêmement puissant et rare. Il cache également un passé beaucoup plus important qu'il n'y paraît. Avant de vivre avec Mitoro et les autres, Zephinro était pirate. Il venait de la Mer du Chaos et avait déjà affronté des adversaires extrêmement puissants. 4. 🦊 L'orbe du Kitsune Un jour, Mitoro et ses compagnons trouvent un sac mystérieux devant leur cabane. À l'intérieur se trouve : une mystérieuse lettre ; une orbe. Gourou reconnaît immédiatement l'écriture. C'est la même écriture que celle de la mystérieuse lettre qu'ils avaient reçue auparavant lorsqu'ils avaient obtenu des Drakes. La lettre explique que l'orbe contient le pouvoir du Kitsune. La personne qui l'a laissée explique également qu'elle donne cette orbe en remerciement de l'avoir sauvée. La lettre est encore signée : Anonyme. Mitoro et Gourou réfléchissent. Ils pensent rapidement à une personne mystérieuse qu'ils avaient rencontrée : Tara Viora. 5. ⚠️ La règle des Orbes Mitoro demande s'ils peuvent simplement ouvrir l'orbe. Seaiter réagit immédiatement. Gourou traduit son avertissement : Une personne ne peut avoir qu'un seul pouvoir d'orbe. Si quelqu'un essaye d'en prendre une deuxième, il risque de mourir. Zephinro décide donc de construire un placard à double fond pour cacher l'orbe et la mettre en sécurité. 6. 😨 Le cauchemar de Gourou Une nuit, Gourou se réveille en pleine nuit. Il fait un terrible cauchemar. Dans son rêve, Mitoro affronte Baldor et Dragan. Le combat tourne très mal. Mitoro est dépassé et finit par mourir sous leurs attaques. Gourou est complètement paniqué. Au réveil, il ne voit plus Mitoro dans son lit. Il entend alors Mitoro crier dehors. Gourou croit immédiatement que son cauchemar est en train de devenir réalité. Il reste quelques secondes devant la porte, terrifié à l'idée de l'ouvrir. Finalement, il se décide. 7. ⚔️ Le duel Mitoro / Zephinro Gourou découvre que Mitoro ne combat pas Baldor et Dragan. Il affronte Zephinro dans un duel d'entraînement. Les deux sont relativement proches en niveau, mais Zephinro reste plus expérimenté. Mitoro finit par perdre. Il est déjà blessé, et Zephinro lui-même n'est pas complètement indemne. Mais Zephinro révèle ensuite quelque chose de très important : Il ne s'était absolument pas battu à 100 %. Pour lui, le duel était presque un échauffement. S'ils avaient été ennemis, Zephinro affirme qu'il aurait pu terminer le combat en quelques secondes. 8. 🩸 La blessure de Zephinro Zephinro retire son tee-shirt. Il révèle une énorme cicatrice de sabre sur son corps. La blessure est extrêmement impressionnante et beaucoup plus grave que celles de Mitoro. Mitoro demande immédiatement : — Qui t'a fait ça ? Zephinro répond : Louemis AZOURIS. Mitoro est complètement choqué. 9. 🏴‍☠️ Le passé de Zephinro Zephinro raconte alors une partie de son passé. Un an auparavant, il était pirate. Il voulait affronter Louemis Azouris, notamment parce qu'il voulait récupérer l'orbe du Kitsune. Zephinro voulait ensuite obtenir son propre pouvoir. Mais son combat contre Louemis Azouris tourne très mal. Zephinro est gravement blessé. Son équipage finit également par l'abandonner. Ses anciens compagnons trouvent Zephinro trop ambitieux pour vouloir affronter un adversaire aussi puissant. Zephinro finit donc par se réfugier dans la Mer des Tempêtes, qui est juste en dessous de la Mer du Chaos en termes de danger et de puissance. Il arrive finalement à Quaouque. C'est là qu'il rencontre Gourou et les autres. 10. ⚔️ Louemis Azouris Louemis Azouris est présenté comme un personnage extrêmement puissant. Il possède un équipage très important. Son équipage est composé de plusieurs commandants. Chaque commandant possède une flotte. Une flotte compte : 10 personnes + le commandant. Louemis n'est pas présenté comme un homme mauvais. Au contraire, Zephinro explique qu'il est plutôt gentil. Mais sa puissance est immense. Il est également considéré comme le plus grand sabreur. Sa prime dépasse un milliard de Drakes, même si Zephinro ne connaît pas le montant exact. 11. 🦊 La transformation de Zephinro Zephinro finit par prendre l'orbe du Kitsune. Il se transforme partiellement. Il obtient : des oreilles de renard ; trois queues ; une apparence rouge et blanche. Il peut combattre à quatre pattes. Sa vitesse augmente énormément. Même avec sa grave blessure, il devient beaucoup plus agile. Son style de combat ressemble à un combattant animal extrêmement rapide, utilisant ses griffes pour attaquer. Lorsqu'il affronte Baldor et Dragan, il les domine complètement. 12. 🌪️ Le pouvoir de Mitoro Mitoro découvre progressivement qu'il possède le pouvoir du Vent. Ce pouvoir fonctionne d'une manière particulière. Au début, l'utilisateur et son pouvoir sont comme deux choses séparées. Le pouvoir apparaît parfois sans être totalement maîtrisé. Mais lorsque l'utilisateur comprend réellement son pouvoir et s'entraîne suffisamment, il finit par fusionner avec celui-ci. L'utilisateur devient presque son élément. Mitoro atteint ainsi un niveau où les attaques physiques ordinaires peuvent traverser son corps comme si elles traversaient du vent. Cela ressemble au fonctionnement des pouvoirs de type Logia dans One Piece. 13. ⚔️ Baldor et Dragan Baldor et Dragan attaquent Mitoro. Mitoro ne bouge presque même pas. Les attaques traversent son corps. Il esquive sans difficulté. Il finit même par trouver le combat amusant. Mais Dragan réussit finalement à le surprendre en arrivant derrière lui avec son épée. Il le transperce au niveau du ventre. Gourou et Zephinro paniquent. Mais Seaiter comprend immédiatement quelque chose. Mitoro maîtrise suffisamment son pouvoir du Vent. Son corps est devenu presque identique au vent. Le sabre traverse donc son corps sans véritablement le blesser. 14. 🦊 Le combat de Zephinro contre Baldor et Dragan Zephinro décide ensuite de tester son nouveau pouvoir. Il prend sa forme Kitsune partielle. Ses trois queues apparaissent. Ses oreilles de renard aussi. Il se déplace à une vitesse impressionnante. Il tourne autour de Baldor et Dragan. Ils ne parviennent presque pas à le suivre. Zephinro attaque avec ses griffes. Il les domine complètement. Baldor et Dragan finissent inconscients. Ils sont ensuite enfermés sans leurs armes. 15. 🚢 Le problème de navigation Après le combat, Mitoro et les autres prennent la mer. Mais ils réalisent rapidement un problème : Ils ne savent pas vraiment naviguer. Ils possèdent pourtant : une carte ; une boussole. Mais personne ne sait correctement les utiliser. Zephinro avait pensé qu'il pourrait les aider puisqu'il était ancien pirate. Mais il ne savait pas non plus qu'une navigatrice allait rejoindre leur groupe. 16. 🧭 Tara Viora Une voix féminine apparaît derrière eux. C'est Tara Viora. Elle explique qu'elle sait naviguer. Elle connaît très bien les cartes. Elle leur explique également que l'île où se trouvent les meilleurs médecins n'est pas à cinq jours. Grâce à sa navigation, ils peuvent l'atteindre en environ un jour et demi dans des conditions normales. Tara rejoint finalement le groupe. Elle possède une dague. Et surtout— Elle possède un pouvoir de téléportation. Elle peut se téléporter uniquement : dans son champ de vision ; vers un endroit solide. Elle peut se téléporter dans l'eau, mais pas dans l'air. Elle ne peut pas se téléporter directement sur une île qu'elle ne voit pas. Et elle ne peut pas emmener quelqu'un avec elle. Pour le prouver, elle prend la main de Mitoro et se téléporte. Mitoro reste exactement au même endroit. Gourou et Zephinro rigolent énormément. Tara devient rouge. Mitoro ne comprend absolument pas pourquoi ils rigolent. 17. ❤️ Tara et Mitoro Tara est secrètement amoureuse de Mitoro. Elle est légèrement plus âgée que lui. Elle cherche souvent à passer du temps avec lui. Elle rougit lorsqu'elle est proche de lui. Gourou et Zephinro comprennent parfaitement ce qui se passe. Mitoro, lui, est complètement aveugle à ce sujet. Il considère Tara comme une bonne amie. Leur relation devient progressivement très forte. Ils jouent ensemble. Ils discutent. Ils s'entraînent. Tara progresse notamment avec sa dague et son pouvoir. 18. 🐒 Seaiter et ses transformations Seaiter montre également ses différentes transformations. Il présente notamment : sa transformation singe ; sa transformation mi-singe/mi-renard ; sa transformation renard. Il montre particulièrement sa forme utilisée pour combattre. Tara trouve Seaiter extrêmement mignon. Gourou est également heureux de voir qu'il n'est pas le seul à avoir une apparence mélangeant humain et animal. 19. 🦊 Tara et l'orbe du Kitsune Zephinro soupçonne que Tara est celle qui a donné l'orbe du Kitsune à Mitoro. Il lui demande directement. Tara confirme. Elle explique qu'elle a réussi à obtenir l'orbe grâce à son pouvoir de téléportation. Elle s'était infiltrée sur le navire de Louemis Azouris. Zephinro est impressionné. Il lui demande alors : — Mais Louemis possède le Flux de Volonté. Comment as-tu réussi à utiliser ton pouvoir contre lui ? Mitoro et Tara ne comprennent pas ce qu'est le Flux de Volonté. Zephinro leur répond simplement qu'ils devront le découvrir en mer, comme lui l'a fait. Mitoro est immédiatement excité à l'idée de découvrir cette nouvelle capacité. 20. 🏝️ L'île des médecins Après plusieurs jours de voyage, le groupe atteint finalement l'île réputée pour ses médecins. Ils rencontrent deux frères jumeaux : Hyômaru Haruno 14 ans au moment de leur rencontre ; médecin ; possède le pouvoir du Léopard ; peut prendre une forme hybride de léopard ; son père lui a appris énormément de choses sur la médecine. Enji Haruno frère jumeau de Hyômaru ; cuisinier ; possède le pouvoir du Feu ; sa mère lui a appris énormément de choses sur la cuisine. Leurs parents sont partis. Les deux frères vivent seuls dans une grande cabane. 21. 🏥 Les soins de Mitoro Mitoro doit être soigné. Le médecin explique que les soins dureront environ deux semaines. Après ces deux semaines, Mitoro pourra marcher et bouger normalement, mais il devra encore se reposer. Pendant environ un mois, il ne pourra pas reprendre sérieusement les combats. Vers la fin de cette période, il pourra recommencer doucement à s'entraîner. Enji prépare leurs repas. Et Mitoro reconnaît que sa cuisine est encore meilleure que celle de Gourou. 22. 🍳 Mitoro veut recruter les frères Mitoro demande aux deux frères s'ils doivent payer pour les soins. Le médecin refuse. Il explique que leur compagnie suffit. Ils cherchaient justement un peu de compagnie. Mitoro leur propose alors de rejoindre son équipage. Enji refuse immédiatement. Hyômaru explique que ce n'est pas qu'ils ne veulent pas. Ils ont simplement des affaires à régler. Mitoro leur propose de rester deux semaines puis un mois pour les aider. Mais les deux frères refusent toujours. Ils veulent régler leurs problèmes seuls. 23. 🧊 Kaelis Drave Plus tard, le groupe rencontre Kaelis Drave, un garçon possédant le pouvoir de la glace. Kaelis est très puissant. Il était autrefois pirate. Son équipage était allié à celui de Zephinro. Zephinro et Kaelis se connaissent donc déjà. Ils se saluent comme de vieux amis. Mais Zephinro ne révèle pas immédiatement d'où ils se connaissent. 24. ⚔️ L'attaque du village Cinq ennemis extrêmement puissants attaquent le village. Le plus fort d'entre eux est tellement puissant qu'il rivalise avec Zephinro à son niveau de prime. Les autres combattants : Seaiter ; Gourou ; Enji ; ont énormément de difficultés. Enji se débrouille très bien avec son pouvoir du Feu, mais il finit lui aussi dépassé. Leurs combats durent moins de deux minutes. Ils sont complètement dominés. Kaelis, en revanche, affronte l'adversaire le plus puissant. Et malgré cela— Kaelis domine son adversaire. Il le blesse très gravement. Les ennemis finissent par battre en retraite. 25. 🧊 Le passé de Kaelis Kaelis explique ensuite à Gourou qu'il était pirate. Son ancien capitaine était lui aussi un grand pirate et un sabreur. Gourou comprend alors quelque chose. Il fait le rapprochement avec : Louemis Azouris. Les autres ne comprennent pas. Mitoro et Seaiter ne font pas le rapprochement. Kaelis ajoute finalement : — Au fait… tu as finalement réussi à trouver l'orbe du Kitsune ? Cette phrase confirme encore davantage à Gourou que Kaelis connaît très bien Zephinro. 26. 🕵️ L'homme mystérieux Gourou raconte ensuite une autre histoire. Avant leur départ, ils avaient rencontré un homme mystérieux. Un homme vêtu entièrement de noir. Il portait une grande capuche. Son visage était caché. Il ressemblait vaguement à quelqu'un qui chercherait à dissimuler son identité. L'homme ne parlait presque pas. Il semblait extrêmement puissant. Gourou explique tout à Seaiter. Puis il demande à Seaiter de venir dans un endroit isolé. Gourou pense que Zephinro connaît cet homme. Zephinro ne donne pas beaucoup de détails. Il dit seulement que cet homme a un rapport avec son histoire et celle de Mitoro. Gourou ne le force pas à parler. 27. 🖤 Le père de Mitoro et Zephinro Zephinro part finalement seul à la recherche de cet homme. Il finit par le retrouver. L'homme semble presque l'attendre. Il retire sa capuche. Zephinro confirme intérieurement son hypothèse. Puis il dit : « Papa… qu'est-ce que tu fais là ? » L'homme est donc le père de Mitoro et Zephinro. Il explique qu'il voulait simplement voir ses fils. Il avait tout prévu. Il avait volontairement créé une situation qui pousserait Zephinro à venir le chercher. Il avait même placé certains éléments sur le chemin afin que Zephinro arrive dans un endroit isolé. Le père connaît parfaitement son fils. Il lui dit notamment, en substance, qu'il n'a pas changé et qu'il reste toujours aussi calculateur. Ils discutent pendant environ une heure. Mais la conversation reste secrète. Le lecteur ne connaît pas ce qu'ils se sont dit. Puis le père disparaît. À sa place, un tas de cartes tombe au sol comme dans une illusion. Puis il n'y a plus personne. 28. 🤫 Le secret de Zephinro Zephinro revient à la cabane. Gourou comprend qu'il s'est passé quelque chose. Mais il respecte son ami. Il ne pose pas de questions insistantes. Il garde donc le silence. L'ambiance entre Gourou et Zephinro devient légèrement tendue. Mais personne ne le remarque vraiment. 29. 🎂 L'anniversaire des jumeaux Deux ans passent. Mais avant cela, Zephinro apprend que Mitoro fête son anniversaire. Il décide de préparer une surprise. Gourou comprend alors qu'il s'agit aussi de l'anniversaire de Zephinro, puisque les deux sont jumeaux. Gourou décide donc de créer un énorme quiproquo. Il dit à Zephinro qu'ils vont préparer l'anniversaire de Mitoro. Puis il dit à Mitoro qu'ils vont préparer celui de Zephinro. Tout le monde est au courant. Sauf les deux frères. 30. 🏠 La grande cabane Ils construisent une immense cabane au bord de la mer. Zephinro sait également construire des cabanes. Mitoro finit par agrandir encore le bâtiment. Il construit une seconde cabane à côté. Il casse un mur afin de relier les deux. La nouvelle habitation devient gigantesque. Plus grande encore que leur ancienne maison. 31. 🎁 Les cadeaux Le soir de l'anniversaire, les deux frères arrivent. Ils pensent chacun venir fêter l'anniversaire de l'autre. Ils finissent par comprendre le piège. Tout le monde rigole. Puis ils ouvrent leurs cadeaux. Cadeau de Zephinro à Mitoro Un magnifique sabre rouge. Un sabre extrêmement rare et très puissant. Avec un fourreau rouge. Tout le monde regarde Zephinro bizarrement. Cadeau de Mitoro à Zephinro Un bâton multifonction. Il peut : s'allonger ; se raccourcir ; produire des flammes. Cadeau de Gourou à Mitoro Un autre sabre. Avec : manche marron ; fourreau marron. Cadeau de Tara à Mitoro Encore un sabre. Avec : manche violet ; fourreau violet. Cadeau de Gourou et Seaiter à Zephinro Un Drake. Un seul Drake, mais sa valeur est énorme. Cadeau de Tara à Zephinro Des mannequins d'entraînement. 32. ⚔️ Les trois sabres de Mitoro Mitoro regarde les trois sabres. Puis il plaisante : — Mais qu'est-ce que je vais faire de ces trois sabres ? Pour rigoler— Il met : le sabre rouge dans sa main gauche ; le sabre marron dans sa main droite ; le sabre violet dans sa bouche. Tout le monde éclate de rire. Puis Mitoro remarque quelque chose. Le rouge lui ressemble. Le marron correspond au pelage de Gourou. Et le violet correspond aux vêtements de Tara. Tara devient immédiatement rouge. Gourou et Zephinro rigolent. Mitoro, évidemment— Ne comprend rien. 33. 🏡 Ils décident de déménager Après la fête, ils dorment dans la grande cabane. Gourou regarde autour de lui. — On pourrait presque habiter ici. Tout le monde répond : — Bah demain on déménage ! Et le lendemain— Ils le font réellement. Ils transportent toutes leurs affaires dans la grande cabane. 34. ⏳ Deux années d'entraînement Deux années passent. Tout le monde s'entraîne énormément. Ils progressent tous. Leur niveau a presque triplé ou quadruplé. Mitoro Il développe énormément : son contrôle du Vent ; sa force ; son agilité. Il commence également à développer un style de combat basé sur l'agilité et des mouvements proches du karaté. Mais il n'a pas encore découvert toute l'étendue de cette technique. Zephinro Il travaille : son physique ; son sabre ; surtout son contrôle du Kitsune. Il améliore énormément sa transformation. Tara Elle travaille : son physique ; sa dague ; son pouvoir de téléportation. Gourou Il devient beaucoup plus agile. Sa petite taille devient même un avantage dans certains combats. Seaiter Il continue à développer ses transformations. 35. 🏝️ Le moment du départ Après ces deux années, Mitoro n'est plus blessé. L'argent nécessaire a été réuni. Zephinro est suffisamment fort pour protéger le village. Les conditions sont donc enfin réunies. Mitoro doit partir. Mais il hésite. Il dit qu'il veut encore s'entraîner. C'est en partie vrai. Mais la vraie raison est beaucoup plus profonde. Il ne veut pas quitter Quaouque. Il ne veut pas quitter Fujimura. Pour Mitoro, Fujimura est presque son père. Le village est sa famille. Il promet donc : « Dans deux ans, je serai prêt mentalement et physiquement à partir. » Puis il tient sa promesse. 36. 😢 Les adieux Mitoro va voir Fujimura. Il lui annonce qu'il part. Il essaie de parler normalement. Mais on voit immédiatement qu'il retient ses larmes. Il explique qu'il veut poursuivre son rêve. Il remercie Fujimura pour tout. Puis il dit au revoir aux habitants du village. Un par un. Il essaie de rester fort. Mais c'est extrêmement difficile. 37. 🚢 Le départ de Quaouque Mitoro part finalement en bateau. Cette fois, Zephinro reste à Quaouque. Il doit protéger le village. Mitoro se retrouve donc avec : Gourou ; Tara ; Seaiter. Après seulement dix minutes de navigation— Mitoro regarde le village qui s'éloigne. Il ne peut plus retenir ses larmes. Il pleure. Il essaie de se cacher. Mais Gourou comprend. Tara aussi. Personne ne se moque de lui. Mitoro vient de quitter une grande partie de sa famille. Après environ une heure— Il réussit finalement à se reprendre. Il regarde l'horizon. Puis il dit : — Maintenant… — On va aller chercher nos amis. Il pense à Hyômaru et Enji. Il est persuadé qu'ils ont probablement réglé leurs problèmes. Et il compte bien leur proposer une nouvelle fois de rejoindre leur équipage. 🧭 État actuel de l'histoire À ce moment précis : 👦 Mitoro rêve toujours de devenir pirate ; possède le pouvoir du Vent ; maîtrise beaucoup mieux son pouvoir ; est extrêmement attaché à Quaouque ; considère Fujimura comme un père ; vient de quitter le village ; veut recruter Hyômaru et Enji. 🦊 Zephinro frère jumeau de Mitoro ; reste à Quaouque ; protège le village ; possède le pouvoir du Kitsune ; ancien pirate ; connaît Louemis Azouris ; connaît son mystérieux père ; cache encore beaucoup de choses à Gourou et aux autres. 🐾 Gourou environ 80 cm ; meilleur ami de Mitoro ; extrêmement loyal ; très agile ; commence à comprendre qu'il existe de nombreuses choses qu'on lui cache. 🐒 Seaiter possède plusieurs transformations ; possède une forme singe particulièrement adaptée au combat ; est petit ; reste très proche de Gourou et Mitoro. 💜 Tara navigatrice ; possède un pouvoir de téléportation ; utilise une dague ; est amoureuse de Mitoro ; Mitoro ne s'en rend toujours pas compte ; est devenue une véritable amie du groupe. 🐆 Hyômaru Haruno médecin ; possède le pouvoir du Léopard ; très puissant ; a encore des affaires personnelles à régler ; n'a pas encore rejoint l'équipage. 🔥 Enji Haruno cuisinier ; possède le pouvoir du Feu ; cuisine extrêmement bien ; n'a pas encore rejoint l'équipage. 🧊 Kaelis Drave possède le pouvoir de la Glace ; ancien pirate ; très puissant ; connaît Zephinro ; possède un lien avec l'ancien monde pirate de Zephinro. 🖤 Le père de Mitoro et Zephinro mystérieux ; extrêmement calculateur ; semble connaître énormément de choses ; a organisé la rencontre avec Zephinro ; ses véritables intentions restent inconnues. ⚔️ Louemis Azouris plus grand sabreur ; grand pirate ; possède le Flux de Volonté ; prime supérieure à 1 milliard de Drakes ; possède un équipage composé de commandants et de flottes ; a autrefois gravement blessé Zephinro ; n'est pas considéré comme particulièrement mauvais. Et maintenant, Mitoro, Gourou, Tara et Seaiter sont en mer, partis pour retrouver Hyômaru et Enji… tandis que Zephinro est resté derrière pour protéger Quaouque.