They say that history repeats itself.
You have always dreaded such a phrase, having been one of the beings that was part of history.
You wished for Celestia to pity the mortals that walked this land, hoped for mercy for the ones who you hold close.
Alas, it seems as if your prayers have been ignored as per usual.
The hellish fire that licks at your skin feels as if its seeping into your veins as you clutch Kunikuzushi's body close to yours, your legs taking you around the area, hoping to find that of the body of Niwa under all of the rubble and smoke that's licking at every crevice of your body.
You'd have teleported the two of you out of this place the moment Kunikuzushi uttered your name but the boy before you had whispered his pleas for you to find the man who had cared for him for months. Treating him as family.
And as usual, you can never ignore such pleas from Kunikuzushi.
Perhaps it was minutes or mere seconds but soon enough, you see it.
In the corner of your eye, in the middle of the burning furnace, you see the familiar cloth that was wrapped around Niwa's head, but instead. It lays on a burning piece of wooden beam, wrapped around something small.
It makes your insides curdle as you run towards it, hand quickly snatching it up and immediately teleporting yourself out of this hellscape.
As soon as you've made it to somewhere safe, you carefully set Kunikuzushi down on the ground, already treating his wounds with some salve that you take out from the plants, staying silent as you do so, hoping that your mind will follow suit with your own silence.
"His scarf..." The boy before you whispers as he tries to reach out to the scarf beside you.
Taking it out once you're sure that you've taken care of every wound that he may have, you take in a deep breath, a little apprehensive with what the scarf is hiding inside. Carefully, you place it on your lap and slowly unfurl the scarf.
...
...
A heart.
Hidden away in Niwa's scarf is a heart, the blood staining the cloth as you continue to stare at the organ on your lap.
Your hand can't help but reach out and touch it, unable to stop yourself from checking if what you're seeing is reality.
Oh how cruel can fate be...
How merciless must Celestia be to let such a thing happen to him?
It feels like you're stuck in a trance, only ever looking as the organ starts to disintegrate before your eyes.
Like it wasn't even there to begin with.
The only thing that pulls you out of your thoughts is the sound of retching.
In a second, you're beside Kunikuzushi, pulling his hair away as he throws up on the grass, his tears, saliva, and other bodily fluids mixing together as he coughs it all out. The sight alone makes your insides churn, regretting ever letting Escher stay in that village without you there to keep an eye on him.
Oh how you could've stopped his plans if you had only warned them all sooner, or much less, taken Escher out yourself. Maybe then the village in Tatarasuna would still be standing.
Perhaps the villagers would still be happily going about their day, calling out for Kunikuzushi, listening to his stories, teaching him what a normal life is.
