Yuna watched Ren, her gaze settling on his quiet, withdrawn expression.
Ren didn't dodge her question, but he didn't really answer it either.
Just a fleeting moment, a soft breath, a stillness between the crackling of the fire... and it was enough for her to realize she had unknowingly touched something deep, something private, within him.
A quiet corner, hidden behind a resilient shell, where even the flickering firelight couldn't quite reach.
She didn't press further. Not out of fear of making him uncomfortable, nor because of the silence that had just fallen between them, but simply because she understood.
Some things, some losses, can't be eased just by speaking them aloud. Sometimes, silence is the only shield a person has left against wounds that haven't yet healed.
Instead of saying more, she simply sat and watched him, watching how the firelight danced across his face, painting flickering patterns of light and shadow.
That face showed little expression, yet carried an odd stillness, as if it had long grown used to hiding everything inside.
Those deep blue eyes always kept a certain distance from the world, and yet… she could still sense something else lingering in them.
Something unwavering. Persistent. A flame that, even shrouded in darkness, had never gone out.
And then she realized, Ren was truly strong.
Not the flashy strength of famed players. Not a power measured by levels or accomplishments. Nor the kind of force that could shake a battlefield with its mere presence.
But a quiet kind of strength, one that didn't need to prove itself to anyone.
The strength of someone who had walked alone for far too long.
No one at his side. No one waiting for him. No one to reach out a hand when he fell.
And yet, he kept moving forward.
Yuna pressed her lips together, then softly spoke, like a breeze passing through the night.
"Hey, Ren."
Ren looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, as if unsure she had just addressed him.
"You're amazing."
He froze, momentarily stunned, like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
"…What?"
"I mean it—you're strong." Yuna smiled, the flames reflecting gently in her eyes. "Not because you're good at fighting. But because you're still standing. Still moving forward, no matter what you've been through."
The fire flickered, casting dancing shadows across both their faces.
Ren didn't know how to respond. He had never thought of himself as someone strong.
If anything had kept him going until now, it wasn't strength, it was simply that he had no other choice.
But Yuna didn't say those words to comfort him, or out of pity. She simply spoke what she saw.
He stayed quiet for a while, then softly replied.
"…Thank you."
His gaze returned to the fire before him, but this time, it didn't feel as cold as it had before.
Yuna said nothing more.
She simply stayed beside him, sharing in the silence of the night.
Ren sat in silence for a long while, his eyes quietly following the embers as they danced in the darkness.
The fire still burned before him, glowing specks rising into the air before vanishing into the endless black, leaving behind only fading trails of light that disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The warmth of the flames lingered in the air, yet he felt none of it. The cold of the night still wrapped around him, as though no heat could reach the place buried deepest within his mind.
Silent. Empty. Unmoored. It felt like a thick invisible shell cloaking him, isolating him from everything, even himself.
After a long pause, Ren finally spoke, his voice low and steady, like wind slipping through the leaves.
"I think you're wrong."
His tone was calm, devoid of emotion, like he was simply stating a fact, not something up for debate. "I'm not strong. And I'm not brave like you think I am."
Yuna tilted her head slightly, eyes calm, waiting.
She didn't rush to disagree. She didn't try to soften the air between them. She just waited, letting him speak.
Ren lowered his gaze, his hand tightening on his knee. His fingers curled inward, as if trying to hold onto something… but there was nothing there.
Only a heavy emptiness clinging to him like something real. The fire's reflection flickered in his eyes, but it illuminated nothing beyond the darkness that lay within.
"I left the starting town…" He spoke slowly, carefully weighing each word, like they had never been voiced before. "Not because I wanted to explore the world. Not because I had a dream driving me forward. I don't have any grand ambition. No noble goal."
He paused for a moment, his shoulders subtly sinking, as if even speaking those words drained him.
"The truth is… there was nothing good about that decision." His voice grew quieter, eyes drifting into the distance. "I was just running away."
The night breeze stirred the trees, leaves rustling in soft whispers. Ren didn't notice. He remained still, like a statue worn down by the years.
"I couldn't stand the way the bigger groups controlled everything, the way they treated the weaker ones." He continued, each word sinking into the stillness around them.
"I saw it all. Players being pushed aside. Forced to accept unfairness. Cornered with no way out. I stood there, saw it happen… and then I walked away."
His voice faltered, as if even admitting that was something he didn't want to do. A flicker of something, regret, shame, passed through his eyes but vanished just as quickly.
"If I were really strong…" He said the words slowly, like each one weighed heavily on his chest. "If I were brave… if I had even a shred of honor… I wouldn't have left. I should've stayed."
He looked up slightly, his eyes still calm, but deeper now, like the darkness inside had grown just a bit harder to reach.
"I should've done something. But I didn't."
His fingers clenched tighter, as if trying to hold onto something that kept slipping away. But at last, they relaxed. A soft breath escaped into the night, as if he had let go of it all.
Ren let out a faint chuckle. A rare smile, but one lacking warmth, empty of joy or comfort.
"So yeah, you're wrong." His voice was light, but colder than before. More distant. "I'm not the person you think I am, Yuna."
Yuna didn't speak right away.
She didn't rush to fill the silence, didn't try to ease the weight of his words with reassurances.
Only the wind rustling through the leaves, and the soft crackle of firewood, kept them company beneath the quiet night sky.
Then, after a moment of reflection, she slowly exhaled and began to speak.
"Do you want to hear a story?"
Ren didn't answer, but Yuna didn't wait for a response. She began speaking, her voice gentle like water flowing over small pebbles in a stream.
"Once upon a time, there was a boy born into a farmer's family. His life was as quiet as anyone else's, he'd wake at dawn, work in the fields until dusk, then return home to a modest meal.
He had no ambitions, no grand dreams. His life was just that simple."
The flickering fire cast shadows of Yuna onto the ground, wavering like a faded painting in the fragile light.
"But then, war came." Her voice dropped slightly, like a sudden low note in a melody.
"The homeland was trampled, the crops burned to ash, and his loved ones fell one by one.
The boy had no choice but to leave the fields he once held dear, to leave the roof that had sheltered him through all his childhood years, and don the armor of a soldier."
Ren remained silent, but his hand unconsciously clenched tighter.
"He fought through brutal battles, endured hunger and thirst, endless cold nights, and brushes with death.
He learned to wield a sword, to kill, to survive. And with time, that nameless soldier became a mighty general, a hero sung across the battlefield."
Yuna paused briefly, her eyes reflecting the wavering firelight, deep and still like a lake at night.
"At last, the war ended." Her voice slowed, carrying a faint, lingering echo.
"The king, moved by his service, granted him every honor a man could hope for. He offered his daughter's hand, and even the entire kingdom. If he accepted, he would live in luxury, never needing to lift a weapon again. The entire country hailed him as a legend."
Ren kept his gaze on the fire, but the light could not reach the darkest parts of his eyes.
"But on the day of his greatest glory…" Yuna smiled faintly, the kind of smile that drifted by like a breeze. "He refused."
Ren shifted slightly, but still said nothing.
"No one understood his decision," Yuna continued, her voice calm and soft.
"Why would someone who endured so much to achieve victory, who had everything the world could possibly offer, choose to give it all up?
They called him a fool, said he didn't know how to treasure his chance. But he simply turned his back, walked through the city gates, and left the place that had once chanted his name, returning to his small, quiet home."
The night wind passed through, gently stirring her hair.
"He went back to the field he once abandoned," she said, her tone falling to a quiet, distant echo.
"He took off the heavy armor, laid down his sword, and once again picked up the farmer's hoe. No more glory, no more fame, just an ordinary man living an ordinary life among ordinary people."
The fire gave a faint quiver, as if responding to her final words.
Then Yuna tilted her head, glancing softly at Ren.
"Do you know why he gave up all his glory… to return to being a farmer?"