𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 | 𝐓𝐨𝐣𝐢 𝐅𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐨

- Chapter 52 -

Three days have gone by, and the hope of waking up from a nightmare is fading fast. Reality grips Helia tighter with each passing hour, the pain of Toji's absence is as real as ever, a stark reminder of the fact that this is a terrible reality she must now face.

Her lack of sleep weights heavy on her physical and mental state. The dark shadows beneath her eyes are a visible sign of her sorrow and fatigue.

However, the absence of sleep doesn't seem to faze her as much as it should. Instead, she feels a strange numbness, as if she's incapable of feeling anything but the crushing weight of her grief and despair.

Helia would do anything, give anything, just to have Toji back for even a brief moment. The magnitude of her longing and desperation are beyond measure.

But he's never returning, and even worse, they didn't even give him a proper burial. The lack of respect shown to Toji makes the pain even more unbearable.

They never really knew him, they thought he was a monster, but this clan is the real monster. They made his life a living hell and they feel proud that they were able to kill him.

And now, she's left with not even a place to mourn him, the absence of a burial only magnifying her despair.

And on top of that, she heard the news about Naoya being chosen as the next head of the clan. It only adds another layer of pain and resentment to her already overwhelming situation.

Naoya, the very sorcerer who was responsible for Toji's death, has now been elevated to a position of power within the Zenin clan.

The Zenin clan sees Naoya as a hero, rather than the despicable villain he truly is, and it only increases her sadness and anger.

The pain in her heart intensifies as she reflects on the fact that after all Toji has done to rid the clan of bad people, they have elected the worst possible person to lead them.

The thought of Naoya, someone who represents everything Toji stood against, now at the head of the clan's leadership feels so unfair.

Toji had given his life to make the Zen'in clan better, only for them to go back to square one. It's as if Toji's death was vain because in the end it didn't change anything.

The thought that Toji's sacrifice might be in vain is unacceptable to Helia. She cannot bear the idea that his death was pointless, that he left this world without making any difference.

The desire to give meaning to his sacrifice, to somehow honor his memory and make his death matter, is overwhelming.

An idea, almost like a whisper, starts to form in the back of her mind. It's barely a thought, a flicker of possibility in the midst of her grief.

Maybe she has lost her grip on reality, maybe Toji's death has pushed her to the brink of sanity. The idea of bringing down Naoya, of making him pay for everything he's done and stands for, is tempting.

It's like a siren call, luring her closer to the very edge of madness.

The desire for Naoya's death, for Toji's sacrifice to have actual impact, consumes her. The pain and anger she's feeling morph into a burning determination.

She wants Naoya to pay for everything he's done, to suffer for the pain he's caused. The thought of avenging Toji's death becomes an increasingly overwhelming obsession.

A question crosses her mind - is she even thinking clearly at this point? The intensity of her emotions may cloud her judgment, making it difficult to separate rational thought from anger and grief.

She wonders if her desire for revenge is coming from a place of logic, or if it's just the product of her pain and desperation.

But this moment, it doesn't matter whether she's thinking straight or not. It's as if the anger and thirst for revenge have become a shield, guarding her against the intensity of her grief and sadness.