Ryuken acknowledged the consequences of his crusade that started in the name of revenge and freedom of his countrymen. Yet, the first-ever large-scale battle he fought… led to such devastation… and death. "Hold it tightly! I'll try to stop the bleeding!" a determined yet trembling voice echoed through the chaos. Ryuken's gaze shifted to the left, where he saw a woman in a white and blue kimono, her hands deftly working with medicinal paste and a needle. She was crouched over an elderly woman, her hands stained with blood as she tried to sew up a deep wound in the old lady's stomach. The injury was severe, the kind that drained life swiftly. Each passing second seemed to rob the old woman of her strength, her breaths growing shallower. "Please, please save my grandma!" cried a 12-year-old girl, her voice breaking as she clung to her grandmother's head, cradling it in her lap. Her tear-streaked face mirrored sheer terror and helplessness. The woman in the kimono, evidently a physician or someone with medical training, remained composed despite the frantic situation. Her hands moved swiftly, securing a towel over the wound and applying pressure in a desperate attempt to staunch the bleeding. However... "Auhhh…" The old woman's muffled groan was her final sound as her body went still. Her chest no longer rose and fell. "No, no, no!" the physician exclaimed, her voice cracking with despair as she checked the woman's pulse and breathing. Her ashen expression told the story before words could. The young girl froze, her small hands trembling as they clutched her grandmother's lifeless form. The shock paralyzed her; even her sobs ceased as she stared at the unmoving figure in disbelief. The physician, refusing to accept the inevitable, began pressing the old woman's chest with frantic energy. Her hands pumped rhythmically, her voice a whispered mantra of urgency. "Come on... come on..." But fate had already claimed its toll. The old woman's age and the severity of her wounds left no room for miracles. Minutes stretched painfully as each effort proved futile. The physician eventually stopped, her hands falling limply to her sides. She sat back, slouching as the weight of failure pressed down on her. Her face was a portrait of defeat, the light in her eyes dimmed by the grim reality she could not alter. Find adventures on empire It was then she turned her head and saw him. Standing nearby was a tall man clad in black hakama, his silhouette stark against the smoke-filled ruins. His piercing gaze was fixed on them, unblinking and heavy with silent sorrow. The woman's breath hitched as recognition dawned. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized who the man was. "You… you're him, aren't you?! You're the leader of those rebels!" The woman's voice, trembling with fury, cut through the air like a blade. Her body shook, her fists clenched in pure hatred as she glared at Ryuken. "You did this!!" Behind her, the young girl's anguished cries echoed as she clung to her grandmother's lifeless body. "Agghhhh!! NOOO!!!" The woman in the kimono stood, her bloodstained hands trembling as she pointed an accusatory finger at Ryuken. "We were struggling. But at least we were alive. Do you think of yourself as some kind of hero? Do you truly believe your crusade represents us? Did you think we wanted this? Did you think we needed another war? Living was already hard enough… and now, what do we even live for? Are we just another casualty of your lofty ambitions, you damned Royals?!" Her voice cracked with raw emotion, her words landing like blows on Ryuken's already burdened heart. Ryuken's mouth opened, but the weight of her accusations crushed his voice. Finally, he stammered, his own pain evident in his shaken tone. "No… I, I… I just wanted to free these people. I was only trying to save everyone." "Save us? Look around you!" She gestured wildly at the destruction surrounding them. "Hah! You call this saving us? This city...this graveyard...is your victory? For all I know, we need saving from people like you!" the woman's laughter was bitter, laced with unfiltered scorn. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚 Her words struck like thunder, and the world seemed to stop for Ryuken. The noise of the city...the cries of the wounded, the crackling fires...faded into a haunting silence as he stood frozen. His mind raced, each thought heavier than the last. [What have I done? All I wanted was to save the people of these lands. What's the point of fighting this war if innocent lives...lives I swore to protect...are lost in a battle they never chose?] He glanced around, his eyes taking in the devastation. The crumbled walls, the smoke rising from the ruins, the bodies littered across the streets. Men, women, children...all gone, their blood soaking into the earth he had fought so desperately to reclaim. His gaze returned to the young girl still clinging to her grandmother's body, her sobs quieter now, almost as if the pain had drained her of her strength. Even his own forces had suffered greatly. While their victory was undeniable, the cost was staggering. [So what if I've avenged my family? What of these people? What did they do to deserve this? They were victims of oppression, just like us. Yet here they lie, their lives claimed by my war. These are the people I fought for. And now, their blood is on my hands.] His fists tightened, his body trembling not from exhaustion but from a growing storm of doubt and guilt. [Was my thirst for vengeance so blinding that it obscured everything else? If I've become no different from the monsters I sought to destroy… Then what am I even fighting for?] he asked himself. The woman in the white and blue kimono in front of Ryuken continued her tirade, her voice trembling with rage and despair. Each word pierced like a dagger, but Ryuken remained still, his mind and body frozen. The cries of the grieving child, the acrid scent of burning wood and blood, the devastation surrounding him...none of it registered anymore. His world seemed to narrow, becoming a void of guilt and anguish. Flap! It was at this moment that a figure appeared before him...a presence so vivid it made his heart skip a beat. A man in a golden, regal hakama stood tall, his form shimmering with an otherworldly glow. The air around him seemed to hum with a quiet intensity, yet no one else reacted to his arrival. Ryuken's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in disbelief as he mouthed the words, his voice barely a whisper. "F… Father?!" The ethereal figure smiled gently. Sasakibe Tanjiro, the man Ryuken had admired and longed to avenge, stood before him, just as noble and serene as Ryuken remembered. Tanjiro's voice was calm, resonating with warmth and wisdom as he spoke. "Do you remember what I told you when you were a child, my son?" Ryuken's trembling lips parted as his father's words from long ago resurfaced in his mind, echoing with clarity. "That there are no winners in war. There is no true victory, only loss. Whether it's your side or the enemy's… innocent lives are always at stake. Just as there is Good in Evil… there is also Evil in Good." The weight of his father's wisdom struck him like a hammer. The guilt that had consumed him grew heavier, almost unbearable. His knees buckled, and for a moment, he thought he might collapse under the enormity of what he had done. In his heart, Ryuken cried out to the specter. [I was so hasty, so blinded by my thirst for revenge, that I forgot why I was even fighting this war. What's the point of winning if I'm just replacing the oppressor, using the same methods, leaving the same destruction in my wake? I'm sorry, Father… I failed you.] He expected anger, disappointment, perhaps even reproach. But instead, Tanjiro's expression remained kind, his voice soft and reassuring… "Do not be sorry, my son… Be better."