As the sun, which had been hidden behind dark clouds, shone upon the earth once again, the screams that had echoed throughout the city began to subside. In the distance, people who had been controlled started to regain their senses one by one. The terrifying situation that had shaken the city for several hours finally came to an end. For a moment, I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the damage, which could have been much worse, had been minimized. But then I realized that there was still work to be done, and I wiped away the tears from my reddened eyes.
I looked at Yun Siwoo and Sylvia, and as if reminding myself, I said, "Let's move. There are still so many people who need help."
As I stood up, a sudden dizziness made me stagger, and Yun Siwoo and Sylvia quickly grabbed my arms to steady me. They looked at me with concern and said, "Scarlett, if you're tired, don't push yourself. Take a rest."
"You're right. You've been running around for a while now. If your health is affected in any way..."
I shook my head and replied, "I appreciate your concern, but I'm still okay physically. And right now, we need all the help we can get."
As the sun illuminated the city, which had been dark, the city's appearance, which had been hard to see earlier, became clearer. I took in the scene, squeezed the hands of the two people holding my arms, and said, "Let's focus on what we need to do. We need to save people. As many as we can."
With that, they nodded with determined expressions and ran off in different directions. I also started moving to find people who needed help.
I loaded critically injured people onto stretchers and transported them to the hospital. I comforted a child who was having trouble breathing, shocked by the sight of their bleeding parents. I talked a person out of making a drastic decision after they had harmed someone while trying to protect themselves from being controlled.
As I moved around to help people, I heard the sobs of those who had collapsed and were weeping bitterly over those who could no longer move. The sound must have echoed throughout the city, as if it were following the screams.
After helping people for a long time, the sun had set, and it was deep into the night. If only my body didn't have its limits. After running around without rest for almost half a day, I was so exhausted that I felt like collapsing. I returned to the gym, which was being used as a temporary resting place for students, to take a break.
As I entered the gym, I saw Jisoo among the many students who were resting. She seemed to have fainted and was lying on the ground. When I approached her, she slowly opened her eyes and greeted me weakly. I nodded slowly and collapsed beside her.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, overwhelmed by fatigue, Jisoo's phone, which was in her pocket, started vibrating. It seemed that the communication lines, which had been cut off earlier, had been restored. Jisoo, who was lying next to me, stirred and struggled to take out her phone and put it to her ear.
After a short while, I saw tears welling up in her eyes. "A, uh... Huh, uh..."
Jisoo's phone slipped from her trembling hand and fell to the ground with a thud. From the other end of the phone, I heard the heart-wrenching sobs that I had heard countless times while moving around the city. "Our brother... Big, big brother..."
Thinking of her older brother, who had seemed much more mature than his age, I bit my lip. I had only seen him a few times, but he had left a good impression on me. The news of his death brought a wave of sadness.
However, instead of feeling sad, I chose to comfort the girl in front of me, knowing how devastating the loss of a loved one can be. I gently pulled her into a hug, and despite her exhaustion, she sobbed for a long time in my arms.
The time during which the city's people were controlled and acted abnormally was only a few hours, but the events that occurred during that short period left deep scars on many.
*
Perhaps because of the magnitude of the event, I woke up early in the morning despite being so tired. I carefully got up, trying not to wake Jisoo, who was sleeping soundly with puffy eyes in my arms. As I moved, Jisoo stirred and mumbled in her sleep, "Mm... The evil witch who killed my brother... I can never forgive her..."
I smiled bitterly at her muttering and left the gym. The city was still dark, as the sun had not yet risen, but I could see some people moving around busily.
Just as I was about to step out of the school gate to help, I heard a voice from outside. "They said it's almost under control, so you should rest. You worked hard yesterday, so take it easy."
I recognized the voice as Yun Siwoo's. His words suggested that things were finally winding down. I had thought it would take longer to clean up, but it seemed the damage was less severe than expected. I felt a bit relieved and sat down on a flower bed near the school gate.
Yun Siwoo hesitated for a moment and then sat down a short distance away from me. It was clear he had been up all night, given that he was trying to enter the school at this hour.
"...You didn't sleep? You must be exhausted."
"It's nothing. Staying up all night is no big deal."
When I asked, he replied as if it were no big deal, but even with the power of the indomitable holy sword, which enhanced his physical abilities, he couldn't have been completely unaffected. The power of the holy sword that Yun Siwoo used yesterday was a high-consumption technique that required a lot of energy.
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"I'm not pushing myself. I'm just doing what I can."
"Just doing what I can," a phrase he had used countless times in the original story. In the original, Yun Siwoo was someone who had to be able to do things. If he couldn't handle the challenges that came his way, humanity would have been doomed. This time, if it weren't for Yun Siwoo, who knows what might have happened. But seeing him say this made me feel a bit uneasy.
He usually said such things when he was dealing with something very difficult.
"...You're lying. You told me before that if you have any problems, you can talk to me. You look tired, so if you have anything you want to say, just let it out."
When I said this, Yun Siwoo flinched for a moment and then smiled bitterly. "While helping people earlier, someone said that all this happened because of people like me. They said that the heroes who are supposed to protect people failed in their duty. Hearing that made me feel a bit discouraged. We, you, me, and the other heroes, are all doing our best for people..."
It was a frustrating thing to hear from someone who had been running around, exhausted, to help others. But I couldn't blame them.
I looked at the city and said, "...Everyone is just too sad."
The sky was gradually brightening, as if the sun was rising beyond the horizon. The faint light cast shadows that looked like scars on the city.
"Do you know what happens when people are too sad?"
Thinking of the people who had lost loved ones and the city that had been wounded, I continued, "They get angry first. They want to blame someone, anyone. It could be the witch, or the heroes."
Jisoo, who had muttered in her sleep about not forgiving the witch, and the person who had blamed the heroes for the incident.
"Maybe some people will end up hating the world itself."
And I, who hadn't shown it, had hated the world that had taken away someone precious to me, a world where good people suffer. Seeing this, perhaps sadness is also a form of anger.
In the original story, those who had lost loved ones to the demons that appeared in the gym had taken to the streets in protest, overwhelmed by their grief. This time, we might follow the same path, so we had to prevent it.
We could mitigate it by giving people someone to blame, but...
"...But sad people don't just look for someone to blame."
I looked at the dawn breaking in the distance and said, "They also look for someone to lean on, to forget their sadness."
Just as shadows disappear when you look at the light, having something to lean on can help you forget your sadness.
For some, it might be God, and for others, it might be friends.
"I have a favor to ask."
So, who can be that someone for the people of this world?
"It might be too much to ask, but it's something only you can do."
In the distance, the sun rose, shining brightly.
People might be disappointed in the heroes who couldn't protect them, but there is someone here who saved everyone from danger.
"Yun Siwoo."
That's why I have to rely on this boy. I have to ask him.
The protagonist of this world.
The hope of this world.
"For everyone, please be a hero."
The era needs a new hero.
Author's Note (Afterword)
For me, become Fire Punch.
I'm sorry for the delay. I had some health issues, and while finishing this episode, I was thinking about the future plot...
I'll try my best to write.
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