*Chapter 3*
They were all in shock from what they had heard. The realization that Zero was gone-and that Jun had been the one to end him-hung heavily in the air. What made them believe Jun even more was the strange sight of the thick pegs, which had pierced their bodies, slowly fading away.
C, panicked, rushed toward his five brothers, desperate to see how deep their wounds were and if there was any way he could save them. But just as he neared them, U pushed him back, eyes wide with anger.
"What were you doing?" U demanded. "Why didn't you ask him? He didn't touch you for a reason-there was something about you to him!"
C, alarmed, held up his hands. "Don't move-just let me treat you first!"
But U, trembling with frustration, stared at him in disbelief. "Treat me?" he repeated, his voice growing louder. He turned to his brothers, then back to C, confusion etched across his face. "What wound are you talking about?"
U ripped open his shirt, revealing his unmarked chest. "Look at me! I'm perfectly fine-all of us are! Did you really believe Zero would do something like that?"
C faltered, his voice barely a whisper. "I thought..."
"You *shouldn't have!*" U shouted, the weight of everything hitting him hard. His anger quickly dissolved into sorrow as he dropped to his knees, his voice breaking. "If you'd just spoken to him... maybe he would still be-"
He couldn't finish the sentence. His voice cracked, and he hung his head in grief. "Alive," he whispered, tears streaming down his face.
A wave of silence swept over the place, heavy and unbroken. Every second felt stretched, dragging on as if time itself had slowed. The quiet was so deep, so intense, that the soft sound of U's tears hitting the ground seemed deafening.
They were all lost in shock. No one knew how to react. Everything was overwhelming: from K overpowering them and bringing them to the brink of death; to facing the might of the military; to witnessing countless lives lost; to discovering that Zero was the monster they feared-and then, just as suddenly, he wasn't. And now, he was gone.
Each realization hit them one by one, like waves, and they were left drowning in their confusion and grief, unable to grasp what to feel, what to say. They looked at each other, exchanging glances that held more meaning than any words could. Every look, every slight movement, every blink carried the weight of things they couldn't bring themselves to say.
And somehow, in that silence, they found the clearest expression of their emotions. Silence became louder than words, more truthful than any attempt to explain.
---
But in the midst of that heavy silence-a silence that felt like it had been forced upon them-Yearwelv suddenly screamed as loud as he could. Every single one of them jumped, the sudden outburst nearly stopping their hearts. The scream shattered the weight that held them down, bringing them abruptly back to reality. One by one, they joined in, each letting out a scream until the whole group's voices were raised, raw and unrestrained, until finally, they all collapsed onto their knees, spent.
D broke the tension with a weak laugh. "How many times have we been down on our knees now?"
Mayo chuckled softly. "Two or four times?"
"Who's counting?" Febi replied, a faint smile cracking through the grief.
A small laugh forced itself from each of them, a brief, fragile moment of lightness. Then Juls asked, "What now?"
"I don't know," Septim admitted, his voice low.
Octavios spoke up, his words thick with regret. "We didn't even thank him properly."
Aggie nodded, her gaze distant. "Yeah... he was the reason we kept going. And we... we were..." Her voice trailed off.
Summer finished for her, the weight of her words sinking in. "We were the reason for his death."
Weeki's voice broke as he spoke. "Why, Jun? If the only way to thank him was to give our lives, then we'd be honored to do so."
Seven nodded slowly. "He's right. I'd gladly offer my life to show my gratitude."
"Me too," Unday agreed, Decota nodding alongside him.
April turned to Jun, her voice hard. "Jun, you should be ashamed of yourself."
S shook his head, standing in Jun's defense. "No, no. Don't blame him. He did the right thing."
R's eyes widened in disbelief, looking at S with hurt. "Are you actually defending him? He killed our brother."
Nevara added, voice trembling, "And our hope."
Autumn spoke next, her voice thick with sorrow. "And our savior."
Mars sighed, adding quietly, "And last but not least... our hero."
C looked between them, trying to steady his voice. "S is right. He-"
Sudown cut him off sharply. "You're the last one who should be speaking, C. You didn't even try to save him, so keep your mouth shut. No one wants to hear your opinion."
S stood up, his eyes hard. "He did what he had to do. He defeated Zero when he turned on us. Thanks to him, Zero is still a hero to us. So thank him. Don't blame him."
Winter, still looking up at the now-clear sky, whispered, "Maybe you're right... but then, why did the rain stop after we heard the news?"
The six of them exchanged confused glances, but the rest of the group looked at each other with shock and disbelief, a growing realization dawning in their eyes.
Finally, Monreal spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "Wait... does that mean... K was Zero? And that... was his ability?"
*To be continued...*