Amina and Ethan were walking through the forest when Amina suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Ethan asked, puzzled, approaching.
"I feel something... something familiar."
The two fell silent.
"But this is—"
"This is the sea!" Amina suddenly exclaimed, leaving Ethan stunned.
She grabbed his hand.
"Can we go?"
Ethan blushed slightly.
"But we should reach the foot of the mountain..."
He felt her grip tighten, then noticed her expression, like that of a child begging a parent. The look made him blush even more, forcing him to look away.
"Ahhh... good! But only for a little while—"
Before he could even finish, Amina dragged him along at full speed.
[A short while later, they reached the beach.]
"Wow! It's beautiful!"
Amina let go of Ethan's hand, kicked off her shoes, and ran toward the water.
Ethan, exhausted from his sudden sprint, dropped onto the sand, carefully scanning his surroundings.
Thank goodness there's no one around... — he thought with relief.
Amina dipped her foot into the water, only to quickly pull it back.
"Oh! It's cold!" she said, laughing.
Ethan looked at her, then glanced beyond, catching sight of the sunset over the sea. Suddenly, Amina whirled toward him, surprising him.
"Come on, Ethan! You too!"
After a moment's hesitation, Ethan smiled. He took off his shoes and walked over to her, dipping his feet in the water. His reaction mirrored hers, which made Amina smile.
"Wow! It's so cold, it feels like my ocean!"
"Is your ocean cold?"
"Yes... the Pacific always is."
Ethan gradually relaxed as he spoke.
"But luckily, after a while you get used to it..."
Amina noticed the change in him, and her expression softened.
"Finally..." she whispered.
"Did you say something?"
She quickly turned toward the horizon.
"No, nothing..."
Ethan tilted his head, a little confused.
Amina began to stroll along the shore, her feet scuffling in the water.
"Shall we take a walk before the sun goes down?"
[The two walked for a while.]
"It's so nice to enjoy something normal... in this crazy place."
"Yes."
"Weird question... do you mind if I ask?" Ethan said.
"Sure, why not."
"I guess the answer is obvious, but... would you be happy to go back to your old life?"
Amina blinked at the question, then gave a small, wry laugh.
"It's not such a strange question..."
"Of course, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"No, that's fine. I'll talk about it. But my feelings about it are strange... On the one hand, yes, I'd like to go back, see my family, my friends. And, well, I wasn't risking my life there every single day!"
"And the but?"
"But here... I feel free. Free from certain constraints."
Ethan looked at her, then looked away again.
"I understand. But unlike you... I don't miss my old life."
Amina's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yes. My old life... wasn't exactly normal. I wasn't reliable, not even close. And where I grew up... it left me with scars. So, I'm grateful to the gods for this second chance. To redeem every mistake I've made."
"As they say: it's not who you were, but who you are now and who you will become. In your case, what matters is what you do with this second chance!"
Her words didn't entirely convince Ethan.
"Yes... maybe you're right."
Amina noticed his expression, but then something in the distance caught her attention.
"What is that?"
Ethan followed his gaze and narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know. Let's go check it out."
The two approached cautiously. What they found made them both pause: it was a grave. Ethan's instincts immediately kicked in, and he carefully scanned the surroundings. Meanwhile, Amina knelt and began to pray silently.
Even now... still no one around
When Ethan turned around, he saw that she had finished her prayer.
"Amina, we should go. There might be someone nearby."
He began to walk, but Amina remained still in front of the grave.
"Amina?"
"...It's nothing. I was just wondering...if I'll have the courage to kill someone when the time comes."
Ethan let out a long sigh and approached her.
"It's hard, but we all knew that before we set foot on this planet. However... you can rest assured: if the time comes and you can't do it, I'll do it for you."
Amina's cheeks flushed at his words.
"Thanks..."
"Good. Let's go, it's getting dark."
"All right."
Ethan began to walk away. Amina took one last look at the ocean, then reluctantly followed.
But neither of them noticed.
From the shadows of the forest near the shore, hidden behind a tree, someone was watching.