Days of rebuilding quickly turned into weeks and those weeks slowly turned into months. The people of Vytal were proving to be as resilient as ever though. Each day they worked as hard as the day before and it didn't take long for the island to bounce back. Even without the help of other Kingdoms. The people had plans to come back stronger and nothing was going to stop them.
And for those who had lost all hope, a small saying spread and gave them the strength to continue. No one knew who started it, but by the time everything was rebuilt, everyone knew it. It was simple but impactful and it meant everything to some. For a few people, it's what got them up in the morning.
Rather than building a new building on the grounds of where the first building was destroyed by the prehistoric Leviathan, the people of Vytal made a memorial of remembrance in its place.
The perimeter of where the building stood was fenced off by a black metal fence. The entrance was an arch made of the same material. In each corner there was a cherry blossom tree. They were still small, but in a few years they would be strong and tall. The grass was perfect with no bare patches. There was an old man who came by everyday to make sure the grass stayed trimmed and evenly cut. He had clearly lost someone close to him during Vytal's darkest hour.
Following a pathway from the entrance led to several concrete walls after walls twice the height of the average human. Each of them were engraved with near countless names of those who died and those missing and never found on both the front and back. Flowers were placed all around and a few had small framed pictures leaned up against them.
Pathways went around each wall giving everyone the chance to see each name. Near the center, a few walls were cut shorter so a circular concrete pillar could be placed. There the names of fallen Huntsmen and Huntresses as well as the lost men and women of Vytal's Self Defence Force were engraved. At the top of the pillar a statue stood of a female soldier saluting with a basic rifle in her free hand. Back to back with her, a male Huntsman in a cloak smiled while holding a battle axe shotgun in his hands.
Standing in the center, Kagami stared up at the statue. The sun was just barely behind it and casting a shadow over her. While she watched her home change, so did she.
Once again wearing slim black cargo shorts, she chose to wear padded knee sleeves underneath them. She had finally taken her hoodie back from her little sister and kept the left sleeve pushed up to make room for her bracer. She had learned to braid her hair from her father and now kept it constantly up and out of her face. The bandana he had given her was tied tightly around the handle of her sword and always fluttered in the wind.
She was young but she wasn't a kid anymore.
"You're brooding again." Baren spoke as she walked up beside her with crossed arms. Her clothes might not have changed, but she held herself differently. She kept her hair tied back in a ponytail rather than a mess and actually used her wooden arm daily.
"Mourning, not brooding." She eyed her mentor with a partial glare.
She half smiled back at her. Moving her hands behind her head, she tilted her head back to stare up at the statue. "Everyone did a really great job with this place. It's a beautiful and peaceful place. The birds seem to like it too." She glanced over at one of the trees which had chirping birds hidden inside it.
"It is nice." Kagami finally smiled. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at her feet.
Exhaling, the pinkette took a step closer. "What are you thinking about?" She placed her wooden hand on her shoulder.
"How no one in any of the four Kingdoms and Menagerie will ever believe what happened here." She flexed her jaw before looking back up at the statue.
"That might be true." She nodded slowly back. "A Grimm that size sounds like something from horror movies or stories. But," she pulled her hand away and crossed her arms again, "everything becomes stories in the end. Everything."
"But everyone who died..." She trailed off. "They deserve to be remembered for what they did. For the monster they faced."
Sighing, Baren lowered her head and closed her eyes. "I know they do. So you know what you need to do?" She eyed her.
"What?"
"Tell everyone the story of what happened in Vytal during the longest night it has ever seen." She turned to face her student. "Tell all of Remnant the legend of the fearsome Grimm named Gojira that terrorized the island and nearly dragged it back down into the sea." Reaching out, she placed both her hands on her shoulders and gripped them tight. "Tell them about the brave warrior who wasn't afraid to stare such a beast down and tell it to leave with a strong enough voice that it listened and left."
Blinking, Kagami furrowed her brow. Her eyes glazed over slightly before she averted her gaze.
"Tell the story to children." The pinkette gently grabbed her face and forced her to look her in the eyes. "Teach them a lesson in standing their ground and how even if they're completely scared out of their mind, they can still be brave and do something. And how sometimes, even a single person who is just an ordinary person can change the fate of millions of people."
With a soft exhale, Kagami lowered her head.
"People forget names. You don't need to name the warrior." She continued while pulling her arms away. "Just tell the world. Remembering something as a story is better than fully forgetting it."
"I think I understand." She slowly nodded back. "Like how no one knows the King of Vale's name despite everything he did." She took a deep breath and looked back up at the statues. "A nameless man changed all of history."
"So why can't a nameless warrior be remembered for her actions, hm?" Baren looked down at her. "Even if it is just a fairytale."
"I suppose she could be." Kagami exhaled. "I just wish they could all be remembered by name."
"I know you do. We all do." She patted her shoulder with her left hand before stepping away. "Your mother wants you to stop by the store. Milk, eggs and bread. Gurin has been eating everything since she started training."
"Of course she has." She smiled. "I'll swing by on my way home."
"Good." The pinkette nodded. "I'll be there waiting for you."
"See you later." Kagami nodded back. After seeing her leave, she looked back at the list of names. Reaching out, she ran her fingers over a few of the engraved letters. Exhaling, she lowered her head. She quietly thought to herself for a moment before reaching into her pocket. She pulled out Fleck's dog tags and placed them at the top of the pillar that flattened out for the statues. "I promise, Vytal is safe now." She took a deep breath before stepping away. "I promise."
Making her way through the once again busy streets of the main city, she slipped between a few people and entered a convenient store. It was a quiet place compared to the loud street outside. There was even soft music playing from the store's speakers.
She grabbed everything her mother wanted and even managed to hold it all in one hand. It only partially looked like she was going to drop everything. She walked down the snack aisle and paused. Glancing at everything available, she quickly snatched a large bag of Hello Grimm snacks that were flavored with matcha. Her mother wouldn't mind.
She walked up to the register and set everything down. Eyeing her, the cashier working began to scan everything. He could see the exhausted look in her eyes. "Need anything else?" He asked. "There's a really good strawberry flavor of these." He pointed towards the bag of Hello Grimm.
"I'm good. But thanks." She smiled.
"Alright." He nodded and put everything in two bags. After setting them down on the counter, he looked back up at her. "That's twelve lien then."
Nodding, she pulled out her wallet and handed over a few lien cards. "Here."
"Thanks." He took the money and placed it inside the register. By the time he closed it, he noticed her already walking away with her stuff. "Hey!" He called out.
"Hm?" She glanced back. Had she forgotten something?
"Remember." He smiled while leaning onto the counter. "Fall down seven times..."
Softly smiling back, Kagami stood up a little taller while rolling her shoulders back. "Get up eight." She nodded back before opening the door and stepping back out onto the busy street.