The world around Makoto was silent.

The village square lay in ruins, the Akuma long gone, leaving only destruction and death in their wake. The fires had burned down to embers, and the once-lively sounds of his circus family had been replaced by a suffocating stillness.

Makoto knelt in the center of it all, his knees pressed into the dirt, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of his friends. Lila, Nico, Jasper, and Lily—all of them were gone. His trembling hands were still stained with blood, his face streaked with tears and dirt. The cursed glow of his new eye dimmed, leaving only exhaustion and pain.

He felt hollow. As if a piece of his soul had been torn away and replaced with nothingness. His chest ached, not from injury but from the crushing weight of his grief.

"Why..." he whispered, his voice hoarse and broken. "Why did it have to be like this?"

The only answer was the distant crackle of flames and the faint rustle of the wind.

As Makoto sat there, lost in his despair, a chillingly familiar voice broke the silence.

"Well, well... look at you."

Makoto's head snapped up, his body tense despite his exhaustion. Standing at the edge of the square was the Millennium Earl, his grotesque grin stretched wide across his face. The oversized hat and coat cast an eerie shadow, making his already unnerving appearance even more sinister.

"You're all alone now, aren't you?" the Earl said, stepping closer. His tone was sweet, almost pitying, but his sharp teeth gleamed with malice. "So much pain, so much loss... It's heartbreaking, truly."

Makoto staggered to his feet, his body swaying as he glared at the Earl. "You," he growled, his voice shaking. "You're the reason they're dead."

The Earl placed a hand on his chest, feigning shock. "Me? Oh no, my dear boy. I didn't kill them. That was the Akuma." His grin widened. "But I suppose, in a way, they wouldn't have come here if it weren't for me. A tragic coincidence, don't you think?"

Makoto's fists clenched, his body trembling with a mixture of rage and despair. "Why are you here? What do you want from me?"

The Earl's smile softened, though it remained unnervingly wide. "I came to help you, of course. You've lost everything, haven't you? Your father figure, your friends, your family... You must feel so empty inside."

Makoto's jaw tightened, his teeth grinding together. He didn't trust the Earl, but his words hit painfully close to home.

"You don't have to feel this way," the Earl continued, his voice dripping with honey. "You can bring them back."

Makoto froze. "What?"

"They don't have to stay dead," the Earl said, stepping closer. His golden eyes gleamed with a sickly light. "I can give them back to you. All of them. Lila, Jasper, Nico, Lily... even Mana."

Makoto's breath caught in his throat. The names, spoken so casually, felt like a knife to his chest. His vision blurred with fresh tears as his mind raced.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "It's not possible."

"Oh, but it is," the Earl said, his grin widening once more. "You've seen what I can do. All you have to do is call their names. Call them back, and they'll return to you."

Makoto's chest heaved, his heart pounding as the temptation clawed at his mind. The thought of seeing them again—of hearing their voices, feeling their warmth—was almost too much to resist.

But then, deep in his mind, Mana's voice echoed: "No matter what happens, you have to keep moving forward."

Makoto clenched his fists, his tears falling freely. "No," he said, his voice trembling but firm. "I won't do it."

The Earl's eyes narrowed, his grin faltering for the first time. "Are you sure? You'll regret this, boy. You'll regret it every day for the rest of your life."

Makoto shook his head, his body shaking. "Mana wouldn't want this. None of them would. You're a liar, and I won't let you use me."

For a moment, the Earl stared at him, his expression unreadable. Then, his grin returned, sharper and more menacing than before. "Very well," he said softly. "But mark my words—you've made a mistake. This world will break you, little boy. And when it does, I'll be waiting."

With that, the Earl vanished into the shadows, leaving Makoto standing alone in the ruined square.

Makoto sank to the ground, his legs giving out beneath him. His entire body ached, but the pain in his heart was far worse. He stared at the spot where the Earl had stood, his words still echoing in his mind.

"You'll regret this..."

Would he? A part of him wondered if the Earl was right. The thought of moving forward without his friends—without Mana—felt unbearable. But he knew, deep down, that bringing them back wouldn't truly save them. It would only twist them into something else.

"I'm sorry," Makoto whispered, his tears dripping onto the dirt. "I couldn't save you... but I'll honor you. I promise."

Makoto wandered through the village the next morning, his footsteps heavy and slow. The bodies of his friends remained where they had fallen, but he couldn't bring himself to bury them. He didn't have the strength.

Instead, he gathered their belongings—Lily's knives, Lila's scarf, Jasper's worn boots, Nico's pendant—and packed them into his bag. These small tokens would be his way of remembering them.

As he prepared to leave the village, a single thought burned in his mind: I have to get stronger.

The Akuma weren't going to stop. If he wanted to survive—if he wanted to make sure no one else suffered the way he had—he needed to learn how to fight. How to control his Innocence. How to become someone who could stand against the darkness.

"I'll keep moving," Makoto said to himself, his voice quiet but resolute. "For all of you."

And with that, he set off, leaving the ruins of his old life behind.

To Be Continued...