The flames had long since died out, leaving nothing but ashes and the faint smell of charred leather in the air. Kai and Minseo’s lifeless bodies lay still, side by side, their hands touching, their faces peaceful as if they had finally found the rest they sought. The Ledger, once the source of so much pain and destruction, was now nothing but a pile of blackened remnants, smoldering in the night.

But the night was not as quiet as it seemed.

From the shadows, a figure emerged—silent, deliberate. Her footsteps were light, almost inaudible, as she approached the hill where the two bodies lay. The figure was Hana.

She walked slowly, her dark eyes fixed on Kai and Minseo. There was no malice in her gaze now, only something that looked like sadness—an emotion she had long thought herself incapable of feeling. Her once fierce expression was softened by the flickering moonlight as she knelt beside them, her movements deliberate, almost reverent.

For a long moment, she simply stared at them, her breath barely audible in the night air. She had been watching from a distance, watching as they had made their choice. Watching as the Ledger, the cursed object that had drawn them all into its web, was reduced to nothing.

Hana had wanted to intervene, had wanted to stop them, but something held her back. Maybe it was the look in Kai’s eyes, that final spark of defiance and hope that had always marked him as different. Or maybe it was the realization that even she, with all her power and knowledge, could not change the fate they had chosen for themselves.

Slowly, Hana reached out and brushed her fingers against Kai’s cold hand. His skin was already pale, the warmth of life long gone. She flinched, pulling her hand back, as if the reality of his death had only now begun to sink in.

"You were always so stubborn, Kai," she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath. "You could’ve had everything… but you chose this."

Her gaze shifted to Minseo, her expression softening further. She had never hated Minseo. The girl had been an innocent bystander, drawn into this nightmare by Kai’s choices. But she had stayed, loyal to him until the very end.

"You both could’ve been so much more," Hana murmured, her voice thick with something that almost sounded like regret.

For a moment, Hana sat back on her heels, staring out into the darkness. The world felt strangely empty now. She had been fighting for so long—for power, for control, for her place in this chaotic game—and now it was over. The Ledger was gone. Kai was gone. And with them, the purpose that had driven her for so many years seemed to evaporate.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The silence stretched on, heavy and oppressive, and Hana could feel the weight of it pressing down on her chest. But she wasn’t the type to wallow in grief. She couldn’t afford to. There was still something that needed to be done.

Rising to her feet, she glanced around the clearing, her eyes searching the ground. A few feet away, she spotted a worn shovel leaning against a tree—left there from some long-forgotten use. It would do.

Hana picked up the shovel, feeling its weight in her hands. She wasn’t sure why she was doing this. Maybe it was a final act of respect, a way to honor the choices Kai and Minseo had made. Or maybe it was simply her way of closing this chapter once and for all.

Either way, she didn’t hesitate.

She began to dig.

The earth was hard, unyielding, but Hana’s determination was stronger. The rhythmic sound of the shovel piercing the ground echoed in the stillness of the night, a stark contrast to the soft whispers of the wind. Hana’s movements were methodical, precise, as if she were trying to bury not just their bodies, but the memories of everything that had led to this moment.

It wasn’t long before the hole was deep enough. Hana set the shovel aside and carefully lifted Minseo’s body first, cradling her as gently as one would a sleeping child. She placed her in the grave, her hands trembling slightly as she arranged her limbs, ensuring she lay peacefully.

Next, she turned to Kai. His body felt heavier in her arms, though Hana wasn’t sure if it was the physical weight or the emotional toll of what she was doing. She laid him beside Minseo, making sure their hands were still touching.

For a moment, Hana stood at the edge of the grave, staring down at them. The moonlight bathed their faces in a soft, ethereal glow, making them look almost alive again. But the truth was undeniable. They were gone.

She grabbed the shovel again and began to cover them with dirt, the soft thuds of the earth hitting their bodies reverberating in the silence. With each shovelful, Hana felt a strange sense of finality settle over her. She was burying more than just their bodies. She was burying the past, the anger, the resentment, and the thirst for power that had consumed her for so long.

By the time the grave was filled, Hana was exhausted. She stood there for a moment, staring at the freshly turned earth, her chest rising and falling with labored breaths. She had no words left. No prayers, no goodbyes. Just silence.

She placed the shovel back against the tree and turned to leave, her footsteps slow and deliberate. But before she disappeared into the shadows, she glanced back one last time at the grave. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying with it the faint scent of smoke and earth.

"Goodbye, Kai," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Goodbye, Minseo."

And with that, Hana vanished into the night, leaving behind nothing but a quiet, unmarked grave under the pale light of the moon.

In the end, it wasn’t the Ledger, the power, or the battles that defined them. It was the choices they made, the lives they lived, and the love that bound them together, even in death.

Hana had buried their bodies, but she couldn’t bury the memory of what they had shared. It would stay with her, lingering in the recesses of her mind, long after the grave had been forgotten.

Because some things, no matter how deeply buried, could never truly die.