Dana had just woken up and yawned deeply.
"Good morning!"
Dana heard the voice and realized it was Dalai, outside the cave, preparing food.
"Good morning..." she replied sleepily.
Dana got up and left the cave.
"Oh! Good morning, Dana!"
She looked up and noticed Estrella sitting in a tree.
"Good morning. Are you still keeping watch?"
"Yes, and it's quite nice here."
"If you say so..."
Dana picked up her sword near the cave entrance, which caught Dalai's attention.
"Don't you want to eat something before you leave?"
"No, I'm not very hungry, so it's best to save the food for when it's really needed."
"I understand, but you should still watch your diet."
"I will! For now, I'll go exploring."
"Okay, but if you see any potential danger, come back right away."
"Understood."
Dana started to walk away.
"Dana, be careful out there!" Estrella shouted as she watched her companion leave.
[After walking a bit]
Dana stopped in front of a tree.
"If I remember correctly, Dalai set a trap around here."
—
Dana and Estrella were watching Dalai crouched near a tree.
"What are you doing?" Estrella asked.
"I'm setting a trap for small animals using these vines hanging from the trees."
Dana grabbed one of the vines and examined it.
"And why did you need to know how to set a trap?" Dana asked, puzzled.
"No real reason. I was watching a video once and suddenly fell asleep. When I woke up, I found a forest survival tutorial playing in the background, and I got hooked."
"So you're one of those people who watches videos until you collapse!" Estrella said, amused.
"If you put it that way..."
Dana walked over to look at Dalai's work.
"We should leave a mark somewhere to remind us of the trap."
"Yes, even a mark on a tree will do."
Dana stood up and carved a mark on a tree with her sword.
—
Dana found the mark on the tree, but noticed that the trap hadn't caught anything yet.
"Nothing..."
She sighed, discouraged, got up, and continued walking.
"Leave me alone!"
A scream echoed through the forest, startling Dana.
"Where did that come from!?"
"Help!"
The second scream sent Dana running in the direction of the noise.
Shortly afterward, she came across a group of boys beating other subordinates tied to trees.
"What..."
Dana froze in shock as she looked at the wounds of the tied boys.
"Please..." the boy was interrupted by a punch to the stomach.
"Stop asking for help, Lars! You're annoying!"
Another boy approached Lars and pulled his hair.
"This is a fitting punishment. You're weak, and we almost died because of you."
"You're crazy..." said a blond boy, his face covered in blood.
"What!?"
The blond boy received a knee straight to the face, hitting his head against the tree trunk.
"Are you trying to tell us it's not true? You're nothing but trash, dead weight. Don't you think so, John?" said a boy with short hair and a black jacket.
The boy hit John in the face with brutal force. Dana sensed the situation was escalating, so she decided to intervene, but before she could take a step forward, someone grabbed her right arm and dragged her behind a tree.
"Let me—" Dana was interrupted by a hand over her mouth.
"Wait..." a low male voice whispered.
Dana felt the grip on her wrist: firm, cold, as if to remind her there was no room for hesitation. The look he gave her needed no words: he calculated, observed, weighed every possibility with ruthless clarity. A shiver ran down her spine. It wasn't fear, not entirely. It was the feeling of being next to someone who could see further than she could, even if the price seemed too high.
"Look..." he pointed to a boy perched in a tree, armed with a bow, observing the area.
Where the hell did he come from? — Dana thought, surprised.
Suddenly, a noise caught Dana's attention. She saw John being beaten mercilessly, repeatedly struck in the head, until his attacker finally stopped: John's body was limp and lifeless.
"The first refusal is gone... let's move on to the next!"
The others immediately began beating Lars, while the boys still tied to the trees could only watch in terror. Dana, furious, tried to break free from the boy's grip, but couldn't.
"Why?" Dana asked, her frustrated gaze fixed on him, her voice cracking.
"If you rush in now, you'll die. And then who will save them?"
Riccardo stared at her without blinking. Dana suddenly realized her cheeks were burning; tears had slipped down her cheeks without her noticing.
"But if I don't intervene, more will die... so let me go!"
"You're not going in there like that, without a plan, against four armed men. That's nothing but throwing away your life and your chance. Honestly, I advise you to turn around and go back the way you came..."
At those cold words, Dana clenched her free fist.
"And who are you to tell me what to do?"
"Someone who won't die today."
Dana snorted, then looked back at Lars, defeated and on the verge of collapse.
"So you're willing to let them die?"
"I wouldn't want to. But there are too many of them, and they're quite skilled. I think you noticed that too, right?"
"Yes, I knew right away... but I'm going anyway!"
Dana broke free of his grip, leaving the boy slightly surprised. She grabbed her sword and was about to lunge forward.
"Wait."
Dana stopped and looked at him.
"What?"
"I'll help you. But I won't risk my life without any real chance of success."
"You mean... you actually have a plan?"
The boy approached, a faint smile on his lips.
"Something like that... I'll be the bait. While they're focused on me, you go around them and take down the one in the tree."
Dana frowned disapprovingly.
"Being the bait... wouldn't that be risking your life for nothing?"
"Exactly. But I think that boy is the first one we need to eliminate."
"Why? How could he learn to use a bow in just over a week?"
"I think he's already used one. But there's no time to explain why... they're about to move on to the next one."
Dana angrily noticed that Lars was also dead.
"Are you okay with this plan or not?"
"Yes, fine..." Dana said regretfully.
"Well, then go and try not to be noticed."
The two were about to separate, but something suddenly occurred to Dana.
"Before you go, I'd like to know your name."
The boy stopped and looked at her.
"My name is Riccardo. And yours?"
"Dana."
"Okay, Dana. I'm counting on you."
Riccardo gave her a sincere, reassuring smile before heading off toward the other boys, leaving his new ally surprised.
"I'll do the same for you..."
The two went to do their chores. Riccardo hid behind a bush.
The boy with the bow was watching his companions slaughter another hostage when he noticed Riccardo's head poking out from the bushes.
"Hey, you over there! Come out!" the boy shouted, already ready to shoot an arrow.
His voice alerted the others, who stopped their pounding and grabbed their weapons, focusing on the new threat.
Riccardo stepped out into the open and walked toward them with his hands raised.
"Don't worry, I'm not your enemy."
He approached, but suddenly an arrow struck the ground inches from him, halting his advance. Riccardo stared at the arrow, then looked up at the archer with eyes that showed he understood perfectly what was happening.
"Don't come any closer, or the next arrow won't miss!"
Riccardo immediately spotted Dana, who hadn't yet reached the tree where the archer was standing.
"I see you have a weapon. Drop it!" ordered a boy with an axe.
Riccardo looked at him, then slowly drew his sword, waiting as long as possible. Another of them fretted at how long he was taking.
"Come on, hurry up!"
"Don't panic, Tenzin." said the boy in the black jacket, placing a hand on his companion's shoulder. Tenzin seemed to calm down.
"You're right, Ardit."
"Sorry, I'm about to drop it."
Riccardo dropped the sword to the ground.
"Good."
The boys noticed Riccardo staring at them intently, though his thoughts remained unreadable.
"What are you staring at!?" Tenzin asked, irritated.
"No, nothing. I was just thinking about how much you need to show off by doing this to those boys, pretending to be superior." Riccardo's words had a hint of mockery.
At that moment, an arrow grazed his right cheek.
"I think you're getting carried away! We're the ones in charge here!"
"Calm down, Thomas! He's just trying to provoke us, obviously!" Ardit said.
"It seems your boss is the only one with any common sense."
"You said we think we're superior. You're wrong: we don't think we're superior! We won't stoop to your provocations!" Ardit shouted back, while Riccardo smiled.
"Really? I think I can beat all four of you."
"Oh yeah!? Then come on!" Tenzin shrugged off Ardit's hand and lunged at Riccardo.
Riccardo saw him, but then looked up.
"Thomas, shoot him with an arrow! He's just a problem for us!" Ardit ordered, but there was no response.
"Thomas, did you hear me!?"
Ardit turned toward the tree where Thomas was standing, only to see him fall, Dana's sword stuck in his chest. She broke the fall with the archer's body. Ardit froze in shock at how easily his man had been dispatched.
"It was a trap..."
Dana didn't even have time to get up before one of Ardit's ally lunged at her with a spear.
I can't dodge in time! — Dana thought desperately.
But then an axe pierced the enemy's head from behind, shocking Dana.
"What!?" Dana said, confused.
"Simeon!"
Ardit looked at the axe, then suddenly understood something. He turned, suddenly filled with terror. What he saw froze him: Riccardo, standing over Tenzin's body.
"Tenzin... no, this is impossible."
Riccardo picked up the sword from the ground and calmly walked toward Ardit, a cold, merciless aura about him.
"Who the hell are you!?"
The last enemy charged Riccardo with his sword. He swung it to the side, but Riccardo ducked and with a single swing, severed the boy's legs, sending him to the ground, writhing in pain.
"AAH! Help..." Her scream was interrupted by Riccardo, who plunged the blade into the boy's head, killing him.
All the hostages stared at Riccardo in fear as he passed them. Dana did the same. She tried to get up, but couldn't: her ankle buckled.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine..."
Dana looked up and saw Riccardo offering her his hand.
"Here, let me help you."
Dana stared into Riccardo's calm eyes and was fascinated.
How can he be so calm after that? she thought, letting him help her up.
"Thank you..."
The two suddenly heard footsteps running away. Turning, they noticed two of the hostages running away.
"Looks like they freed themselves."
"Yes."
Dana's eyes lingered on the scene: the lifeless bodies of the hostages and the young men she and Riccardo had killed. Her expression darkened.
"I didn't ask you before... it was the first time you'd killed a human being, right?"
"Exactly. And the feeling I get... it's horrible." Dana clutched her chest.
"Of course it is. That's how it should feel. But in this situation, it was the right thing to do. We had no choice." Riccardo placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"You're right... but do you think the kids we saved will survive?"
"I don't know... but I know we did our best. We couldn't have done more."
Dana's face lit up and she smiled warmly at Riccardo.
"You're right!"
Riccardo looked at her in surprise, then after a moment smiled back before turning to leave.
"Good, I'm going now."
Dana watched him walk away.
"Wait!"
Riccardo paused, thoughtful.
Why is it that every time I try to leave, someone always stops me? — he thought, turning to the girl.
"Yes?"
"I didn't thank you properly... and I wanted to give you something back."
"Thanks, but I don't want gratitude or reward for killing someone."
"I understand..." Dana's expression softened in disappointment.
Riccardo was about to continue walking.
"As I was saying, we'll see each other again..." but his words were cut off by the loud rumbling of his stomach.
For a moment, silence filled the air. Dana tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn't.
"What's so funny!?"
"Well... you just created the perfect scene for a dramatic exit..." Suddenly Dana burst out laughing again.
Riccardo looked at her, puzzled.
"You don't waste time getting to know people, do you..."
Finally, Dana held back her laughter and approached Riccardo.
"Yes, you're right. But apparently I've found a way to repay you."
"I told you, I don't want any rewards."
"It's not a reward, let's say it's a gesture of friendship!"
"A gesture of friendship..."
Riccardo thought about it, while Dana seemed to grow impatient.
"If you don't like it..."
"I accept! I accept your gesture of friendship."
Dana's face lit up as Riccardo accepted her offer.
"Great! Then let's go!"
Riccardo smiled faintly at Dana's genuine reaction. She started walking, and he followed.
"I'm sure the others will like you!"
"I hope so!"
Riccardo considered Dana's words, then realized something.
"The others?"
"Yes, thanks to them, I've survived this far. You can trust them, believe me."
"Of course..." Riccardo replied, sounding a little uncertain.
"By the way, how did you know that guy with the bow was skilled?"
"I didn't know."
Dana was puzzled by the answer.
"But you seemed so sure."
"I wasn't. It was just my guess."
"A guess based on what?"
"The fact that he was in that tree, taking on the responsibility of protecting his companions, means he has confidence in himself, right?"
"Perhaps, but is that all?"
"We live in a world where nothing should be ruled out. Not even mere guesses. To always be one step ahead of everyone else." Riccardo spoke with a determined look.
Dana looked at Riccardo furtively and, with a slight smile, seemed to confirm his words.
"Right."