NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50 - A Letter to the Future - 01
“Reina…”
Kenya could only hold Reina tightly. He understood that the flashbacks shown during the Goblin King battle were because he had overlapped himself and his parents with the bloodshed he saw. He also understood why he had hesitated and pulled back multiple times, fearing he might hurt someone with his own power.
Reina, who had hurt her parents with that power, was trapped in the past. She was bound by the curse of being a hero who had touched the death of her parents. Still, Kenya thought:
“Reina’s parents definitely do not resent her.”
It was just a belief. But surely, those parents should not resent Reina. It was nothing but a wishful thinking, and he could only think so now. Still, he had no choice but to believe it for her to be saved.
“That’s not… that’s not…”
Yes, he didn’t understand. So perhaps all he could do was believe. But surely, the parents were not angry. The parents who tried to help their daughter until the end were not angry.
At that moment, Kenya remembered.
*
“Kenya, if Reina could talk to you about the past, give her this. It’s a letter to the future.”
*
(Could it be that the letter means that!?)
Kenya recalled Tanaka’s words and took out the old smartphone he had been given.
“Reina, I’m going to play this voice recording now.”
“What is it…?”
“I don’t know. But it’s something Tanaka gave me, saying that you should listen to it together when you’re ready to face the past.”
“I understand… I’m prepared.”
If Kenya’s intuition was correct, this recording would likely contain…
In the quiet warehouse, the two of them huddled together and played the recording.
Static crackles, then a click
“Reina, it’s Papa. Reina, it’s Mama.”
The voice was that of Reina’s parents.
*Christmas night after Reina had lost consciousness.*
“Mama…”
“P…Papa”
After Reina lost consciousness, the two of them strained their voices. While bleeding and already dazed, the two waited only for death. The father crawled as best he could to lie next to his wife and sleeping daughter.
Just being alive was a miracle. The love for their family kept them alive. The determination of those who wanted to save their daughter at the very least. But they wouldn’t last a few more minutes.
“Reina is safe…”
“That’s good…”
They had seen Reina activate her special power. They had seen her try to help them. They had also seen her lose control.
The father called for an ambulance with a smartphone in his pocket. Just giving the address briefly, help should arrive. But it was already too late; with this amount of bleeding, they wouldn’t be saved. It wasn’t Reina’s fault; they were already beyond help from the beginning.
So,
“Mama, let’s leave a message for this child at the end.”
“Yes…”
The father then activated the recording function on the smartphone he held. A message directed to their beloved daughter lying in front of them.
Spinning the remaining minute into the future.
*
“Reina, it’s Papa. Reina, it’s Mama.”
“Mama, Papa!”
Reina immediately understood upon hearing the voice. This was a message from her parents. She pressed her hands to her eyes and listened with an incredulous expression.
The voice was unmistakably that of her parents, tucked away in the corner of her memory. The voice was hoarse and seemed on the verge of disappearing.
“We’re leaving this message for you in case you remember today and can face it someday.”
“I wonder how old you will be when you hear this message… soon? Or much later?”
“I’m already sixteen… Mama.”
“Reina, Papa and Mama are probably already dead. But you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Reina, you’re not at fault. You’re really not at fault. It was a fatal wound from the beginning…”
Reina shook her head but continued listening silently to the recording.
“Thank you for trying so hard to save us. Papa and Mama understand. We understand Reina’s kindness.”
“Reina… I’m sorry, but you have to live. Even without Papa and Mama, we want you to live with all your might. As parents, it’s selfish, but we want you to live.”
“I’m sorry, Reina. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry for not being by your side, Reina.”
“I’m sorry for leaving you alone, Reina.”
“I wanted to see more of your growth. Seeing you grow up was Papa’s greatest happiness.”
“I wanted to see your growth together, always… just when you finally learned to jump rope this morning…”
“You’ll surely be a beautiful person like Mama.”
“Will you become good at sports like Papa?”
“I wonder if you’ll marry someone someday. I intended to drive him away once… it’s a shame.”
“You’ll surely find someone wonderful. After all, it’s someone you chose.”
“Find someone who will make you smile… cough… someone like Papa… cough… If someone makes you cry, Papa will come back as a ghost…”
“If, if you’re listening together, you understand, right? I really wanted to see it directly, but make sure to make Reina happy…”
“Reina, be happy…”
“Papa?……… Reina. Live, laugh a lot, be happy, definitely, definitely…”
“Ah, I’m sorry, it feels like a farewell… I want to tell you more, I wanted to talk more… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
“Papa and Mama… love you more than anyone…”
“…”
After a period of silence, no more voices from the two could be heard. The message from Reina’s parents to the future ended.
Reina stared at the smartphone silently. She took in every last word of her parents’ final message with resolve, prepared to accept anything said.