"Hey—stay back! Don't come near us! Don't come near us!" one of the bandits shouted, his voice shaking with fear. He tried to back away, but panic overtook him. Suddenly, he spun around and bolted.

Before he could run far—Nolan was already there.

In a blink, Nolan appeared in front of him. His eyes glinted, cold and unyielding. He reached out, grabbing the man by the face with one hand, lifting him off the ground effortlessly. With a swift motion, Nolan's other hand grabbed the second bandit by the jaw.

BOOM!

The force of Nolan's punch sent the first man flying into a tree. The impact splintered the trunk, piercing him with jagged wood. He went limp. The second man's head twisted unnaturally as Nolan's grip tightened, and then—he too collapsed. Silence fell over the clearing.

The remaining six bandits froze, staring wide-eyed at Nolan. One of them, trembling, raised his sword with shaky hands and charged. The blade cut through the air with deadly intent, aimed at Nolan's chest.

Nolan didn't flinch. Not even a muscle moved.

CLANG!

The sword slammed against his shoulder, but it didn't even leave a scratch. The bandit stumbled back, wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what just happened.

Nolan's voice was cold, sharp as ice. "Is that the best you can do?"

"You kill humans like they're insects. You think demi-humans are nothing. People like you… don't deserve to live."

With a single motion, Nolan grabbed the man by the neck and drove his fist straight through his throat. The bandit's body fell lifelessly, collapsing to the forest floor.

Five remained.

Three of them, desperate, charged forward with their swords raised, screams piercing the air. But Nolan's movements were a blur—so fast that the human eye could barely follow.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Before they could reach him, their heads dropped to the ground, their bodies crumpling after them. Silence descended, broken only by the heavy breaths of the remaining two.

Panicking, the last two bandits bolted for the carriage. They leaped in, whipped the reins, and the horses bolted forward, trying to escape the inevitable.

Nolan's eyes narrowed. He activated his third skill, scanning time and space, tracing their path. With a burst of speed that left afterimages in the air, he was already closing in. The forest around him blurred as he moved faster than the eye could track.

The carriage driver shouted, "We're outta here!" but it was too late. Nolan's hand shot through the air, pinning the horses in place as if stopping time itself. The bandits screamed, realizing that no amount of speed could save them.

Nolan's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "You thought you could run from your crimes? From justice?"

With a flick of his wrist, the carriage tipped violently to the side. The bandits were thrown out, landing harshly on the forest floor. Nolan approached, calm and deadly, his aura radiating absolute power.

The little girl, hiding behind a tree, watched in awe. Tears ran down her face as she whispered, "Th-thank you…"

Nolan turned to her, kneeling down so his eyes were level with hers. "It's okay. You're safe now. No one will hurt you again."

She slowly stood, wiping her tears, bowing her head in gratitude. "Thank you, sir… I… I don't know how to repay you…"

Nolan shook his head gently. "Just stay alive. That's all the thanks I need."

Then, using his third skill, Nolan scanned the area. His temporal awareness revealed the remnants of the bandit group—some unconscious, some already dead. He frowned slightly, a shadow crossing his expression. "There's someone behind this… someone who wanted them to harm her."

"I don't need to waste my strength on weaklings like them anymore," Nolan said calmly, dusting his hands as the last bandit's body hit the ground.

He turned to the little girl, who was still standing with her head lowered, trembling.

"Hey, little one," Nolan said softly. "Don't worry. We'll give your parents a proper burial."

He paused for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

A gentle ripple of energy spread across the forest floor. In an instant, the bodies of her parents appeared beside him—carefully transferred from where they originally lay.

Nolan immediately stepped in front of the girl to block her view. "Don't look yet," he told her. "Face the other way."

She nodded and slowly turned around, her little hands clutching her torn dress.

Nolan raised his right hand toward the sky.

"Goblin General… I summon you," he commanded.

A magic circle formed beneath the ground—glowing violently green. A massive Goblin General, taller than two men, emerged with a thunderous roar. Its red eyes locked onto Nolan with absolute obedience.

Nolan pointed at the earth in front of him. "Dig this ground."

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The Goblin General slammed its huge arms into the soil, tearing open a deep grave with each strike.

"Good. Now another one," Nolan said.

The general nodded, digging a second grave beside the first. Dirt flew everywhere, the ground trembling with every punch.

Then Nolan waved his hand. "Now… eight more."

The Goblin General roared and continued digging—one grave after another—until ten graves lined the ground in two neat rows.

Nolan snapped his fingers again.

Eight more bodies—the bandits' victims who had been killed earlier—vanished from their original places and reappeared beside the graves.

He dismissed the Goblin General. It nodded respectfully before disappearing into a swirl of green light.

Nolan lifted both hands. "Summon Goblins."

FWOOM!

Eleven goblins appeared.

Then with another gesture—"Summon more."

Another eleven goblins materialized, making twenty-two in total. They stood waiting, heads bowed, awaiting orders.

"You two—go gather flowers from the forest," Nolan said.

Two goblins sprinted off instantly.

"You eight," he continued, pointing at the bodies of the villagers. "Carry each person gently. Place them in the graves made for them."

The goblins obeyed, lifting the bodies carefully and laying them into their resting places with surprising gentleness.

The two goblins with the flowers returned, placing them near each grave.

Finally, Nolan pointed to the last three goblins. "You three… handle the girl's parents."

The goblins approached silently, bowing their heads as they lifted the little girl's mother and father. They placed them into the graves at the front—side by side.

Nolan looked at the graves solemnly. "Begin covering them."

The goblins started closing the graves with their hands and magic, slowly and respectfully.

The forest was silent. The wind blew gently.

The little girl kept her back turned, quietly sniffling, unaware that an entire army of monsters was working to honor her family.

Nolan watched everything with a calm but heavy expression. "I won't let your suffering be in vain," he whispered.

"I could have brought them back to life… that would have been amazing," Nolan said quietly, watching the goblins cover the graves. "But after becoming a Chrono God, there are rules—strict rules."

He exhaled slowly.

"Those whose deaths don't shake the world… I cannot revive them. If their deaths do not distort time itself, then reviving them would create imbalance. A shift in the world's flow. And no matter how much it hurts…" Nolan clenched his fist, "…I'm not allowed to do that."

The last mound of earth was gently patted down by the goblins.

Two goblins approached him, each holding five roses. Together they offered all ten roses to Nolan, bowing their heads.

"Good," Nolan said softly.

He waved his hand, and all the goblins dissolved into pale green light—returning to the place he summoned them from.

Then Nolan turned to the little girl. "Little one… you can turn around now."

She slowly turned toward him, her eyes trembling, red from crying.

Nolan kneeled down in front of her and offered her one of the roses. "Take this," he said gently. "Come with me. Let's place a rose on each grave… together."

Her small hands shook as she took the rose from him. Tears welled up again as she followed Nolan to the graves. One by one, she placed a rose on each mound of earth, whispering something under her breath every time.

By the tenth grave, tears were rolling freely down her cheeks.

Nolan stood beside her silently, letting her cry—letting her honor them with her own hands.

The little girl and her younger brother kneeled side by side, their small hands clasped tightly together. They bent toward their parents' grave, eyes closed, lips moving in silent prayer.

Nolan stood a short distance behind them, watching quietly, giving them space. He could feel the weight of their grief, the emptiness left behind by lives stolen too soon.

"This… is their parents' grave," Nolan thought to himself, his chest tightening at the sight of their solemn faces.

The girl's tears slowly stopped as she focused on her prayer, whispering words of hope and remembrance. Her brother mirrored her, his tiny shoulders shaking with silent sobs that faded with each passing second.

For the first time since the tragedy, a small sense of peace seemed to settle over them.

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