His eyes flew open. He blinked. His heart raced.
A sharp, excruciating pain struck his head without warning.
Evandro saw nothing—no one—just an endless white void; and yet, he felt fear.
A hiss, like that of a snake, was blown into his face—formed of words.
"Were you given the right to take a man's life?"
The voice repeated, louder and more severe.
"Were you given the right to take a man's life?"
It repeated again, its tone now terrifying and deep, uttering words in unknown tongues—burning, like fire and ember.
It was almost as if Evandro could feel the heat.
"Were you given the right to take a man's life?"
A sweeter, more pleasant voice, however, replied. The voice's gender was indistinguishable.
"A good reason… is all one needs."
Evandro smiled, almost unconsciously. For the first time, he was able to form a thought.
'This is a dream, truly…'
He pondered quickly.
'It's me. A dialogue between myself and… me.'
The headache faded before he even realized it.
Then a voice emerged in the back of his mind—distant and unclear.
It was shouting something he couldn't understand.
He took a few steps back and rubbed his temple.
"E8v9fe!"
"Ev888a!"
"E-Evandro!"
Blink!
In the blink of an eye, he woke up, lying on a hard stone surface.
Alexander stood a few meters away, shouting.
"What are you doing there? Get up already—you're the one who said we had to hurry…"
Evandro simply nodded in agreement.
As he picked up his backpack, he noticed Alexander watching him for a few seconds.
Evandro looked back.
"What is it?"
"You were laughing in your sleep… It was kind of… weird…"
Alexander's eyes were almost teary, and Evandro quickly noticed the dark circles under them—he hadn't slept.
Evandro opened his mouth, as if to say something—but gave up.
Alexander turned and kept walking, deep in thought.
'That… that wasn't the laugh of a normal person. I've seen a lot of crazy people, but this guy… This guy… I'm starting to get scared. What prophecy is this?!'
…
They continued their path deeper into the forest, heading eastward toward the kingdom's capital city.
For several days, they walked, heading for the heart of the forest.
With every step they took, the towering palace grew closer and closer.
Each night, they stopped only to eat a little psoad, and to avoid drawing attention, they never lit a fire.
Occasionally, they came across small puddles of water—left over even after several rainless days.
It had been five days since they began their trek through the forest, and everything still seemed normal, quiet, and calm.
No one appeared to be following them—no animal, no person.
It was autumn, and all they saw were fallen leaves carpeting the ground—leaves that, whenever they dropped and began the process of dying, changed from various shades of green to vibrant yellows.
The death of the leaves led to a final breath of life—giving way to beautiful blooms: sunflowers, roses, lilies, violets.
Things like this were commonly known by much of the population.
But the alchemists—scholars who studied both the natural and the supernatural—knew far more about the strange compounds found in the kastanós-common, a plant that seemed ordinary, just like its name, but which, according to deeper tales, held special secrets tied to that land.
Alexander stopped and crouched near a small violet—still young, yet more vivid and firm in appearance than anything around it.
He was overtaken, above all, by a strange fondness for the flower.
Something about it felt different.
A sudden desire rose within him—to care for that delicate, beautiful blossom.
Not just because of its beauty, but because it seemed to have survived chaos.
Around it, the ground was torn, the grass shredded.
The setting was idyllic—amid all the disorder of the forest, that tiny flower somehow stood out.
Alexander inhaled deeply, drawing in its sweet, gentle aroma, then rose and caught up to Evandro.
A warm feeling spread through his chest.
Like a trace of memory—or perhaps a message the forest was leaving just for him.
The peace of the forest made him less hardened, more thoughtful.
Gradually, he felt a sense of inner calm, gentle and pure. Beautiful and ethereal.
After all, nature—with all its secrets and dangers—was still one of the most beautiful parts of the entire world.