Antifragile

The moon hung low over the sea, its pale light spilling across the crashing waves, casting a soft glow on the beach. But there was no peace tonight. The air was thick with tension, with the weight of what they had just lost, and the brutal reality of what was coming next. The boat they had hoped to use for escape now lay in ruins, its remnants swallowed by the fire and smoke that rose to the heavens, licking at the sky like the tongues of demons.

Eunbi’s command echoed in Sakura’s ears, pulling her from the haze of her thoughts. "Run."

But there was no running now. They had nowhere to go. No way out. The soldiers were closing in, their figures slowly materializing from the shadows of the jungle, moving with the precision of trained hunters. The Japanese royal soldiers, the Emperor’s elite warriors, each one a living weapon. They were too many. Their armor clinked with every step, their eyes hidden behind metal masks, but Sakura could feel their gaze on her like a suffocating weight.

She felt the cold, familiar chill of terror rise in her chest. The same feeling she had experienced so many times before, the one that had haunted her since she was a little girl in the Emperor’s court. The feeling that nothing she did could stop the overwhelming tide of destiny. They had trained her to be cold, to be a weapon, but in this moment, she was nothing but a girl—trapped, helpless, and filled with grief.

Her eyes shifted to Chaewon, who was standing at her side, her posture tense but resolute. Chaewon’s hand brushed briefly against Sakura’s, their fingers entwining for the briefest moment, a silent promise between them, one that spoke of their shared past and the future they had dreamed of. But that future was slipping away, fading like the light of the stars above them.

"Sakura," Chaewon said softly, her voice steady but with an underlying tremor that Sakura could hear. "We can still make it. If we fight, we can—"

"No," Sakura cut her off, her voice sharper than she intended. "No more fighting. We need to get out of here. We can’t fight them all."

But deep down, Sakura knew there was no escape. She was running from the inevitable. And in that inevitability, her heart twisted with a deep, painful sorrow. If they didn’t die here, it would only be a matter of time before they were found, caught, and silenced forever.

Eunbi’s eyes locked onto hers. The fierce leader, the ever-calm strategist, had no intention of running. She had never intended to give up, not once, not even when they’d faced impossible odds. Her eyes burned with that same fire, and her voice was cold as she spoke, as if everything were already decided.

"We fight," Eunbi said. "We’ll hold them off as long as we can."

Sakura didn’t have the strength to argue. The pain of losing Yena and Yuri was still too fresh, still too raw. Their deaths haunted her, gnawing at the edges of her thoughts, but there was no time for that now. The soldiers were closing in, and they had no choice. They had to fight or die trying.

They rushed forward, desperate to make it to the trees, to the cover of the jungle. But the Japanese royal soldiers were faster. They emerged from the shadows like phantoms, surrounding them in a tightening circle.

"Stay together!" Eunbi shouted, pulling them into a defensive formation, weapons—whatever they had left—raised, ready to fight.

Sakura’s mind was spinning, her heart pounding in her chest, but her eyes never left Chaewon. The woman who had been by her side through it all. The one who had always been her anchor. Chaewon was breathing hard, her sword gripped tightly in her hand, but there was no fear in her eyes. Only the steady determination of a warrior who knew that they were going to die. But she would go down fighting.

Sakura knew that Chaewon would never run. She had made her peace with it, long ago. They both had. But that didn’t stop the ache in her chest—the crushing pain that this, their love, would end here.

The first soldier lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air toward Chaewon. Sakura’s heart stopped. In one fluid motion, Chaewon parried the blow, her sword ringing against the soldier’s, but it was too late. The soldier wasn’t alone. The others moved in, surrounding them, weapons raised, their eyes cold and emotionless.

Sakura fought back, her blade flashing through the air in quick, practiced strikes, but it wasn’t enough. There were too many of them. She could feel the panic rising in her chest, and for a moment, she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. She was trapped in a whirlwind of flashing steel, desperate grunts, and the sickening sound of metal against flesh.

"Sakura!" Chaewon’s voice broke through the chaos.

Sakura spun around just in time to see Chaewon take a blow to the side. The impact was brutal—Chaewon stumbled but didn’t fall. For a moment, Sakura thought she might have dodged it, that she might still be alive. But when Chaewon’s feet hit the ground again, blood was seeping from her side.

"No!" Sakura screamed.

She rushed toward her love, pushing aside anyone who dared to stand in her way. Chaewon’s face was pale, her lips pressed tightly together, but her eyes were still locked onto Sakura’s. There was a smile there, one full of pain and sorrow, but also a strange kind of peace.

"Chaewon," Sakura whispered, kneeling beside her. "You’re going to be alright. We’ll—"

But Chaewon shook her head weakly, the smile fading as the pain took over. "It’s too late, Sakura." Her voice was a hoarse whisper, the life slowly draining from her body. "I’m sorry. I couldn’t—"

"You can’t—" Sakura’s voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest felt as if it were collapsing in on itself. "Don’t say that. We’ll get you out of here. We’ll make it."

But Chaewon’s hand found Sakura’s, and she squeezed it weakly.

"You’ve given me a lifetime of love, Sakura," she said, her breath shallow. "A lifetime I never thought I’d have. I’m grateful for every moment of it."

Sakura’s heart shattered. She felt the tears fall, hot and unrelenting, as she gripped Chaewon’s hand, unable to hold back the flood of grief and heartbreak that crashed over her. She had known this would happen. She had always known this moment would come. But she hadn’t been ready. She could never be ready for this.

Chaewon’s eyes were closing now, the blood soaking through her clothes, the life leaving her body with each passing second.

"I love you," Chaewon whispered, her voice barely audible.

Sakura felt the world tilt beneath her feet. She couldn’t respond. She couldn’t find the words. All she could do was hold Chaewon close, her body shaking with the force of her sobs. The love of her life was dying in her arms, and there was nothing she could do to save her.

The soldiers watched, cold and silent, as Sakura cradled Chaewon’s lifeless body in her arms, her heart breaking with every passing second.

The moment seemed to stretch on forever, the world holding its breath as Sakura held on to the one person she had always fought for. But it was too late.

Chaewon was gone.

Sakura’s chest heaved as she let out a strangled scream of fury, grief, and rage. The soldiers didn’t move. They didn’t care. They were just doing their duty.

But Sakura couldn’t stop. The anger boiled up inside her like molten lava. She stood, her eyes wild with grief, her fists clenched tight around the hilt of the sword she had taken from the ground.

"You’ll pay for this," Sakura growled, her voice shaking with the intensity of her emotions. "I will make you all pay."

And with that, the battle raged on. But this time, it was different. This time, Sakura fought not for survival, not for escape, but for vengeance. For Chaewon. And no matter how many soldiers she cut down, how many enemies she fought, the emptiness in her chest never went away.

The fight went on, but the battle had already been lost. Because the person she had loved most in the world was gone, and nothing would ever be the same again.