Even ashes remember. So he burns the ashes too.
---
1:11 A.M.
Somewhere Off-Grid – Naomi's Transport Van
The van tears through a mountain highway.
Yuzu sits in the back, strapped in, guarded, safe.
Or so they believe.
Naomi drives, heart pounding.
She's memorized every back road, every shortcut, every blind curve.
And she knows something's wrong.
Because the radio cuts.
The GPS glitches.
And in the mirror—
A drone. Following. Armed.
---
1:14 A.M.
The Ambush
The sky cracks.
The drone fires —
The van explodes off the road in a storm of glass and steel.
Metal screams.
Naomi's body is flung through the windshield.
Yuzu, barely conscious, crawls out of the wreckage—
And stands face-to-face with Silas.
White hair slicked with rain.
Golden eyes cold as winter.
> "I didn't come for a speech," he says.
Yuzu trembles. Blood on her lips.
> "Then don't give one."
---
1:16 A.M.
Naomi, Bleeding — Tries to Reach for Her Gun
Her fingers twitch.
Broken arm.
She watches, helpless, as Silas approaches Yuzu.
The girl raises her hands.
> "You don't need to kill me. They already hate you."
Silas smiles gently.
> "Exactly.
But not enough."
---
1:17 A.M.
Silas Executes Yuzu
A shot.
Clean. Between the eyes.
No hesitation.
No last words.
The girl crumples.
The symbol of resistance — erased.
Naomi screams.
Silas looks at her. Walks over.
Places his boot on her gun.
> "She was your hope."
He leans down.
> "Now you carry that corpse."
And walks away.
---
1:35 A.M.
Emergency Broadcast – From Silas Himself
His face. Calm. Composed.
> "Yuzu Nakatomi has been executed."
"She was brave. But bravery isn't protection."
"You don't survive Hollow. You don't outlive me."
He holds up her student ID. Bloodied.
> "You watched her speak."
"Now you'll watch her burn."
The feed cuts to flames consuming her body.
All across the world, people weep.
Some cheer.
But most just break.
---
2:00 A.M.
Naomi Escapes — Barely Alive
She carries Yuzu's body for miles.
Shoulder torn. Ribs shattered.
She doesn't cry.
She doesn't scream.
She whispers:
> "You wanted a martyr, Silas."
> "Now you gave me one."
---
4:00 A.M.
Viral Reaction — #HeBurnedHer Trends Worldwide
The video explodes.
But it backfires.
This time, the world doesn't flinch — it turns.
Art pours out.
Murals of Yuzu flood subways, alleys, school gates.
Candles burn in every city.
Children hold up signs:
> "WE REMEMBER."
"YUZU DIDN'T DIE FOR NOTHING."
"YOU BURNED OUR HOPE. NOW WE BECOME FLAME."
---
Final Scene
Silas stands before a map of the globe.
Dots light up across countries. Targets. Timers.
But his eyes linger on one small photo.
Yuzu, smiling.
He sets it down.
Draws a red X over it.
Then turns to the map.
> "Time to teach the rest of the world what happens when you defy a god."
---
Final Line:
> "Let this be the last funeral before the first extinction." — Silas Creed
---