Chapter 21 — The Voice of Wrath

Darkness. There was no sky. No earth. No wind. No sound. Only an endless sea of black stretching in every direction.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes.

"...Taichi?"

Instinctively, that was the first name she called. Silence answered her.

Then, a calm, emotionless voice echoed throughout the void.

"...I find it curious..."

"...that you still call that name."

Sakura spun around.

"W-Who's there?... I can't see you!"

The voice answered without revealing itself.

"I am..."

"...the Void."

Silence lingered. Then it asked,

"Why do you still call for him?"

Sakura lowered her head.

"...Because..."

She hesitated, but the words slowly came from her heart.

"Because it's the name... of the person I love."

The Void remained quiet for a moment.

Then—

"Even after he betrayed you?"

Sakura's eyes widened.

"N-No!"

She shouted in denial.

"That wasn't Taichi! The person on that stage... wasn't him!"

She couldn't accept it. The kind and brave boy she had fallen in love with couldn't possibly be the same person as that twisted girl with the disturbing, impossibly wide smile—the girl who laughed as others suffered.

However, the Void answered immediately.

"He betrayed you long before he became Greed."

Sakura's breathing became uneven.

"...What...?"

"He placed you inside a cage."

The image of the promise beneath the cherry blossoms appeared before her, Taichi extending his little finger.

I'll protect people's lives.

You'll protect people's hearts.

Sakura shook her head.

"No... That wasn't..."

The Void continued.

"...That promise was made..."

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"...to keep you locked away..."

"...and miserable..."

Sakura immediately rejected those words.

"...No... you're lying... That promise... that promise... was proof of our bond!"

The Void ignored her words as it continued speaking.

"The same is true of your other companions."

"They admired a beautiful bird."

"One they never wished to lose."

"So they clipped its wings..."

"...and placed it inside a cage built from sweet promises and comforting lies."

"They gave that cage a beautiful name..."

"...duty."

Sakura clenched her fists.

"Shut up... My life wasn't meaningless!"

Her voice echoed through the darkness, her usual nervous and shy tone slowly turning into shouts of anger.

"I fought as a Braver! I saved countless people!"

Sakura remembered that her promise with Taichi wasn't meaningless. She could still see the smiling faces of her fans, small little girls dressed as Fluffy Star, watching her with admiration.

"My songs helped heal the hearts of those who survived!"

The Void interrupted.

"...And what did you receive inreturn?"

Sakura froze as the voice continued relentlessly.

"The boy you loved chose duty over you."

A memory played before her in the darkness, showing Taichi on the news after he saved people inside a burning apartment building. She saw him smiling with the children he had saved on TV, while deep down, she felt a twisted sense of frustration and anger at seeing the boy she loved on the news every day while rarely being able to talk to him or see him in person.

"...No... stop..."

"Your companions pursued their own dreams."

"Did any of them ever ask..."

"...whether singing was truly what you wanted?"

Sakura remained silent. Another memory manifested before her. She was singing before the crowd week after week, feeling a horrible sense of exhaustion every time she finished, as she waited every night for calls from her precious companions, who called her less and less each day as they continued living their own lives while she continued singing.

The Void pressed further.

"They simply expected you to continue smiling."

"To continue singing."

"Forever."

"I told you... shut up..."

Sakura's voice trembled.

The Void ignored her.

"And the people you devoted your life to..."

"How did they repay you...?"

The latest memory returned: the terrified crowd, the accusations.

You let this happen!

Get up!

Save us!

You're supposed to be a hero!

Sakura covered her ears and closed her eyes. The faces of the people in the crowd in the memory began to morph into monstrous shapes, as if she could finally see them for what they truly were inside their hearts.

"No..."

The voices only became louder. The voices of people who had once cherished and praised her name while she stood on stage were now cursing her with venomous words that pierced her already wounded heart.

This is all your fault!

Do something!

"Hate..." she whispered.

The word escaped almost unconsciously.

"Hate..."

The crowd's screams echoed again.

Stop being useless and save us!

People are dying because of you!

"Hate..."

The Void spoke softly.

"Humans reveal themselves when fear strips away their masks."

"Tell me..."

"...what do you hate?"

"Hate..."

Sakura repeated. Again. And again. Each time louder.

"Hate... Hate... HATE!..."

The darkness around her trembled. The Void waited, then asked once more.

"...What do you hate?"

Something inside Sakura snapped.

"TAICHI!...My friends! Myself! My fans! Everyone! Everything!"

Her scream echoed endlessly.

Tears streamed down her face. All the grief, all the despair, all the anger she had buried beneath countless fake smiles exploded at once.

"They're selfish! They're liars! They only care when it's convenient! They smile... and then abandon you!"

Her breathing became ragged. She clenched her fists so tightly that blood began to seep from her palms.

"I hate them! I hate all of them! I hate this world!"

The darkness around her pulsed violently. The Void remained silent, allowing every hateful word to escape.

Finally, it asked one last question.

"...What will you do now?"

Sakura slowly raised her head. Her tear-filled eyes no longer held sadness, only burning rage.

"I'll destroy everything. I'll make this world scream. I'll make humanity drown in the same despair they gave me."

She clenched her fists.

"I'll leave behind nothing... except despair."

For the first time, the Void sounded almost satisfied.

"Then..."

"...welcome."

"...Witch of Wrath."

The darkness surged toward Sakura, wrapping around her like living shadows.

Far away, within the ruined stadium, the black living uniform continued embracing her body as the transformation advanced. Greed stood nearby, watching in delighted anticipation, her impossible smile never leaving her face.