After Suzumi looked at the cherry blossom petals around the boat once more, one thing became clear to her.
She looked into the baby's eyes, and a name formed gently but irrevocably within her.
A name born of both loss and hope.
"From today, your name shall be Sakura."
The petals danced in the wind as if they had accepted the name.
Sakura spent the next few years in the sacred palace in Einoji's capital, Kogonochi.
At Suzumi's command, Gabriel, a guardian of the Lightkeepers, took him under his wing to train him over the years.
The Lightkeepers formed the supreme guard of the sacred palace of Kogonochi, a unit that was both respected and feared by all. Their presence alone was often enough to silence even the bravest.
Gabriel, one of the highest-ranking among them, was not from Einoji. His home was on the distant mainland, in a country called Sunrise. He was one of the youngest members, but strict, disciplined, and taciturn. Behind his tough exterior, however, lay an unyielding will to pass on knowledge and an unusual interest in Sakura's development.
However, there was one thing that Sakura could never get out of his mind. Gabriel never showed his face in all those years. He always hid it behind a mask, which look more like a fox... or a cat? Sakura could never tell for sure.
Even when he slept, he never seemed to take it off.
Every now and then, Sakura heard rumors. It was rumored that Gabriel had once been punished by the holy fire of the sun god in Sunrise. Others whispered that his true face was a sight no mortal could bear.
Sakura paid little attention to these stories. For him, Gabriel was not a myth or a monster, but his teacher.
And yet he had always carried within him the desire to ask him himself one day.
But every time he tried to muster the courage to do so, his voice stuck in his throat.
Perhaps out of respect. Perhaps out of fear of the answer.
Sakura also saw Suzumi less often now. But every time their eyes met, he felt that warmth again that had once surrounded him when she found him on the coast.
A quiet, comforting certainty that gave him strength even during the hardest training sessions.
During Gabriel's instruction, he noticed something that increasingly troubled him: Sakura's innate affinity had not manifested itself once in all these years.
This was unusual, as innate affinities usually became apparent at a young age. These were abilities that usually affected often only one's own body, such as superhuman strength, increased resilience, or an extraordinary understanding of certain contexts.
Gabriel explained to Sakura that even some of the Lightkeepers possessed such affinities. Over time, these abilities could grow, refine, and become more stronger as their bearer gained more experience.
However, there were also cases where a person never developed an innate affinity.
After many years of observation, Gabriel began to believe that this was the case with Sakura.
It was also noticeable that Sakura did not receive any divine blessings.
Divine blessings manifested themselves in the form of crystals, which contained a wide variety of powers. These ranged from elemental powers such as water, fire, or air to rare and feared powers such as light, darkness, time, or telekinesis. In order to be effective, the crystals had to be worn close to the body, as their range was limited.
There were several ways to obtain such a blessing. The most common was to be chosen by a god. The gods occasionally blessed lower life forms of their own accord or in recognition of special merits.
Another possibility was inheritance. A bearer could voluntarily pass on their crystal and thus transfer their blessing.
The most despicable way, however, was theft. Sakura read in ancient records that stolen crystals reacted differently to this sacrilege. Some lost their purity, their souls became imbued with sadness, or turned blood red with hatred.
However, there were also reports of corrupted crystal souls that only revealed their true, cruel power through theft.
Despite all these possibilities, Sakura remained without divine blessing.
When Sakura was fifteen years old, Suzumi decided to devote herself personally to this situation, but nothing changed.
She tried to bestow a divine blessing upon Sakura, an act considered the highest grace even among mortals. The crystal hovered between them for a brief moment, filled with light and divine order.
But as soon as it approached Sakura, resistance arose.
The light flickered, the crystal trembled, and was repelled.
An invisible force hurled it back, as if Sakura's very existence had rejected the blessing.
There was no anger, no refusal on the part of the crystal, but a clear and unmistakable rejection.
Suzumi remained silent. She had expected this, but kept the reason from Sakura.
Nevertheless, at the age of seventeen, Sakura was finally chosen as Suzumi's bodyguard.
For Gabriel, this decision was a special honor. He himself had trained Sakura, shaped him, tested him, and pushed him to his limits. Even without divine blessing and innate affinity, Sakura had developed abilities that put many blessed ones to shame. The techniques he had learned under Gabriel's guidance were more than sufficient—precise, efficient, and free of unnecessary waste of energy.
But it was not his skill alone that determined this choice.
Suzumi's own will played a decisive role. She had often observed Sakura quietly since that day on the coast. His steadfastness and the quiet determination in his gaze had not escaped her.
The council of Kogonochi, of which Gardenia is also a part, had agreed because of Suzumi.
So Sakura took up his post.
Another year had passed.
Sakura was now eighteen years old.
Another year has passed.
Sakura is now eighteen years old.
He slowly opens his eyes and wakes up in his quarters. Still half asleep, he rubs his face, yawns quietly, and lies motionless for a moment.
while the silence of the early morning surrounds him. Finally, he sits up and stands up after a short time.
From the bed, he lets his gaze wander around the room. His room is simple, free of personal belongings or decorative details. No memories, no traces of individuality, only the bare essentials find a place here.
This is required by the rules for all units in the sacred palace.
Discipline before comfort.
Duty before personality.
Sakura has long since become accustomed to this.
Finally, he sluggishly creeps into the bathroom, still scratching his back.
After washing his face, he looks up and sees himself in the mirror.
He is no longer a child, but a young man. His face is clean and gently contoured, with two moles directly below each other under his left cheek. His hair is black, medium length, and slightly tousled from sleep.
His irises are black as night.
His gaze is calm and alert at the same time.
His eyes wander briefly to the chain around his neck, from which hangs a black crystal.
He often wonders where this pendant came from. It has simply always been there, for as long as he can remember. A silent companion whose origins lie in darkness.
He has asked Suzumi about it more than once, and each time he has received the same answer.
"You already had it with you when we found you. I'm sorry, even I don't know anything more about it."
These words still echo in his head as his gaze rests on the crystal.
As if it were preserving something that is not yet ready to be heard.
Sakura snaps him out of his daydreams. He pushes the pendant under his shirt and straightens up from the sink. With one last look in the mirror, he turns away.
He returns to his room and stops in front of the wardrobe. Routinely, he reaches for his uniform and puts it on. It, too, is simple: a black kimono with the coat of arms of the bodyguard, designed for movement and combat.
Finally, he picks up his katana, which Gabriel gave him for his 12th birthday. Forged by Kogonochi, the best swordsmith. The blade rests quietly in its sheath, perfectly balanced, as if it were a part of him.
Sakura adjusts his kimono one last time and leaves his room. As soon as he steps outside, the morning sun briefly blinds him. From a distance, he can already hear the rhythmic clanging of steel and the shouts of guards from other divisions completing their morning training.
As he does every morning, he takes the same route to the throne room. He greets the familiar faces, nods here and there, pauses briefly to glance at the trainees before continuing on his way.
Finally, he passes a mural carved deep into the stone.
He often stops right here.
Today, too, he slows his pace and fixes his gaze on the ancient lines carved into the stone.
Gabriel once explained to him what the mural was all about:
Gabriel stands next to the young Sakura, his voice slightly muffled by his mask as he speaks.
"This mural, Sakura, depicts the holy war that took place over two thousand years ago. You must know that at that time, several factions of gods fought for supremacy, for territory, for power, or simply for the pure joy of fighting. Many humans were also affected by this.
Ultimately, however, twelve gods rose above the rest and emerged victorious. They now bear the title of Overlord. You know two of them."
Gabriel points to two figures in the mural that clearly depict Suzumi and Gardenia.
"The rest gave up after that. Some accepted their defeat, some did not. Some still demand their place to this day. And not all of those depicted here are still around today, some have lost their titles, others have passed them on."
Sakura remains silent and lets her gaze wander over the stone figures.
Gabriel places a hand on Sakura's shoulder and points to another figure in the mural who looks strikingly similar to Suzumi.
"And that is Nozomi," he says quietly.
"Suzumi's older sister. She was killed by a beast during the fighting back then."
His voice loses its usual harshness for a moment.
Sakura follows Gabriel's gaze. He then points to another figure in the mural.
The god depicted is large and terrifying. His hair is long and wild, and war paint in a zigzag pattern covers his entire body. In the depiction, he hovers above a massive tornado, as if the storm itself were part of his being.
"That is Noctis, the Storm," Gabriel explains with undisguised revulsion.
"He was one of the supreme hostile gods, abominable and repulsive to his core. He tortured others solely for his own pleasure."
Gabriel lets his gaze rest on the stone figure for a moment before continuing:
"Fortunately, he was never seen again after the final battle in the holy war."
Sakura feels a cold shiver from his subconscious as he looks at the carved lines.
Even in stone, the figure looks as if it will never leave the storm.
Young Sakura's gaze wanders over the mural once more until it finally rests in the center. There is another image there: the figure of a young man whose gaze and outstretched arm are directed toward the sky, as if he were reaching for something.
Gabriel notices what Sakura is looking at and hesitates for a moment before speaking.
"Ahh..." he begins quietly.
"The Lightning of Einoji. The one who stands between light and shadow."
He takes a step closer to the mural.
"He played one of the key roles in this war. But no one knows much about him except the gods themselves. Rumor has it that he was as fast as light and struck like a cannon."
Gabriel's voice lowers.
"But one thing is certain. He, too, was never seen again after the final battle."
His gaze wanders back to Sakura briefly.
"He was very close to Suzumi, Gardenia, and Nozomi. Maybe one day you'll be able to ask Suzumi about it yourself."
Sakura remained silent.
But something about this figure made him linger longer than with all the others.
As if the stone had returned his gaze.
Sakura is abruptly torn from his daydreams of times past when suddenly a hand shakes his shoulder from behind.
For a brief moment, his body tenses, his senses immediately alert, ready to react.
Then he recognizes the familiar presence behind him.