𝑆 𝑇 𝑈 𝐶 𝐾

ℎ 𝑜 𝑛 𝑜 𝑟

THE SKY WAS a tumultuous sea of gray, thick clouds swirling ominously overhead, casting a heavy shadow over the yard.

The wind howled through the trees, rattling the branches and sending leaves spiraling through the air like lost souls.

The atmosphere was thick with the scent of damp earth and the promise of rain, mirroring the sorrow that hung in the air.

Silas stood at the front of the line, an all-white gi, Cobra Kai students surrounded him, their presence a blur in his periphery.

But Silas couldn't pay any mind to them.

He hadn't in weeks.

The world had become a distant echo, each day blending into the next in a haze of grief and guilt.

His heart aches with a pain so profound it left him numb. The guilt gnaws at him, relentless and unforgiving, as tears well in his eyes.

He stares straight ahead at the wooden casket, knowing that Kwon's body lay within. Draped over the casket was Kwon's all-black gi, a haunting reminder of the life that had been extinguished.

The world seemed to shrink around Silas, the edges blurring as the memory replayed in his mind.

Tears fill Silas's eyes as he slowly lowers himself to the ground, cradling Kwon in his arms. "No, no, no, no! K-Kwon!"

The boy tries to speak, but it was no use. His breaths came in ragged gasps, blood bubbling up from his lips as he choked on the crimson tide.

His grip on Silas's hand was weak, but it was all he had left. Silas clung to him, his own tears mingling with the blood that stained his clothes.

"Help! Someone help!" Silas's pleading cries echoes through the arena, but no one moved.

The fighters, once locked in combat, now stood frozen in shock, their eyes wide with horror. The arena was silent but for the sound of Silas's pleas, his voice raw with emotion.

He could see it all so clearly—the moment that changed everything.

The regret was a constant companion, a shadow that clung to him, refusing to let go.

As he stood there, the wind tugging at his gi and the tears streaming down his face, Silas felt the weight of his sorrow pressing down on him, threatening to crush him under its unbearable load.

Silas hadn't seen Yoon since what had become the worst day of both their lives.

The pain Silas felt was unlike any other, a searing, relentless agony that coursed through every fiber of his being.

Everything hurt so badly, from the deepest recesses of his heart to the very surface of his skin, as if the grief itself had taken on a physical form.

Lost in his torment, Silas flinches violently when a sudden loud bang echoed against the ground. His teary eyes snap up, and he saw Kim Sun-Yung standing before him.

The older man's gaze was filled with disdain, a look that pierced through Silas as if accusing him of Kwon's death.

Silas didn't blame him.

It was his fault.

The guilt was a heavy, unyielding burden that he carried with him every moment.

Yet, in the time he had come to know Kwon, they had become family. Both of them were so lonely, with no one else to depend on besides each other. That bond had been their lifeline, a fragile thread of hope in an otherwise desolate existence.

And that's why Silas was here now.

He knew Kwon would want him to be here, to be the one to honor him.

The memories of their time together flooded Silas's mind, each one a bittersweet reminder of the time they had shared.

The laughter, the struggles, the silent understanding—they were all pieces of a bond that transcended blood.

As the wind whips around him, Silas stood firm, his heart heavy with sorrow but also filled with a fierce determination. He was here for Kwon, to honor the memory of the family they had become, and to find some semblance of redemption in the act.

The loud bang against the ground was a signal for Silas to take a step forward.

When he did, he nods softly at Kim Sun-Yung, wiping his tears before taking the large wooden fire stick that was being held out to him.

With a heavy heart, he moved towards Kwon's casket.

As Silas approaches, he could feel himself becoming shaky. His hands trembling as he held the stick out, something deep inside his heart holding him back.

If he did this, it would all become real.

It would mean that Kwon was truly gone and never coming back.

The finality of it all was almost too much to bear.

Silas sucks in a deep breath, his chest so tight with emotion, as he finally lowers the stick onto the corner of the wooden casket.

In a matter of seconds, flames began to surround it, consuming the wood with a fierce, hungry intensity.

He had to hold back a sob as he slowly bowed his head, honoring Kwon once again.

"I-I wish it could've been different. I'm-I'm sorry, K." He whispers softly, his voice breaking.

That was all Silas could manage before he quickly passed the fire stick back to Kim Sun-Yung and ran off, not looking back and not caring for Kreese's shouts for him to come back.

He didn't care about any of it anymore.

Someone had died.

Kwon had died.

How was he supposed to just move on from this?

The answer was simple...

He couldn't.