Youray and Ames were both amazed by the scene that unfolded before them, but Mihon was the most shocked.
Why did she retreat?
A question stuck in his chest, unsettling him as it did his two companions.
What snapped Youray and Ames out of their daze was Mihon's voice—calm like someone who had realized the truth:
— "She has fully awakened."
— "What?!"
They exchanged looks, surprised by his words.
— "Are you sure?"
— "Yes. Her gaze a moment ago wasn't like her gaze when she approached me," Mihon said.
Youray said thoughtfully, his eyes questioning:
— "I wonder... did she retreat because she fully awakened?"
Mihon nodded:
— "That's possible. Maybe she saw no benefit in killing us."
Ames smiled, his blue eyes flashing with mocking light:
— "What a farce... we almost died."
Mihon smiled too and lifted his gaze toward the ceiling of the cave, then said sarcastically:
— "We are so weak compared to the outside world... hahahaha."
And inside the cave, their laughter echoed together: hahahaha—they laughed at their own fragility.
Youray said:
— "We need to leave this place soon; surely the army will send someone to investigate the lieutenant's disappearance."
Mihon nodded:
— "We won't stay here long, and they likely won't send anyone right now."
Ames said:
— "After we killed some of their soldiers, they'll intensify the hunt. They won't let it slide."
Mihon said with calm confidence:
— "The more pressure they put on us, the more resilient we become. Let them hunt us... they're only helping us grow stronger."
The three of them were lying on the floor of the cave, too exhausted from fatigue and battle to lift their arms.
Suddenly, slow footsteps were heard approaching the cave's entrance.
Silence fell, and everyone sharpened their hearing toward those heavy steps.
Ames murmured:
— "Seems like someone's coming."
Youray laughed lightly with sarcasm:
— "Killing us now is easier than drinking water."
The Mute appeared.
She looked right and left cautiously, then walked slowly forward, examining her surroundings.
She stared at them, then a smile formed on her lips. She sat at a distance from them, but her eyes kept watching everyone.
Ames said jokingly:
— "Hey, aren't you going to help us, Mute?"
She looked at him and gestured with her hands, refusing.
Hours passed.
Mihon stood on his feet, swaying, not yet balanced.
Ames and Youray looked at him, and so did the Mute.
Ames said:
— "Mihon, you're not normal at all."
Mihon said lightly:
— "What's the matter? Are you jealous of that?"
Ames smiled:
— "Why would I be jealous of you, you idiot? Does anyone get jealous of his brother?"
Mihon replied sarcastically:
— "Speak for yourself—this world is full of people who envy even those closest to them."
A full day passed.
Youray and Ames stood up, though their wounds still pained them.
Mihon said:
— "Let's go to the village."
The four of them walked together toward it, three of them leaning on each other, tossed by fierce winds.
As they neared the village gate, a man standing there spotted them, rushed to a small tower, and then the sound of the bell rang out.
With its tolls, people began to gather at the entrance, waiting for those who had freed them from years of torment.
As the four drew closer, the crowd swelled.
And once they reached them, the chants rose:
— "Welcome! Welcome! Thank you! You are the best! We'll never forget what you did!"
Words of gratitude poured over them like rain, in praise of what they had done.
From the crowd, a small boy stepped forward—he was the one who had thrown a stone at Mihon earlier, and whose mother had been unconscious in the clinic.
He stood before them, then bowed.
The boy said:
— "I apologize for what I did earlier, and thank you for what you gave us. I will never forget this as long as I live."
Mihon nodded to him, a smile never leaving his face.
After this warm welcome, the village chief took them to his house to rest. Then the village witnessed a great celebration at night, rejoicing in the end of their suffering.
It wasn't just a one‑day celebration… it lasted three days, after the supplies of the rebel Karno had been looted.
And on the final night of the celebration, the boy came to Mihon and his companions, who were sitting under a tree.
The boy asked:
— "Are you really a rebel?"
Mihon smiled:
— "And if I am, will you drive me out of your village?"
The boy said:
— "So… you are a rebel, right?"
Mihon answered:
— "Yes."
He asked again:
— "Are there good rebels like you?"
Mihon replied:
— "This world is full of rebels, but there are free rebels, and there are evil ones."
The boy said:
— "Tell me about some of the free ones."
— "You know that rebels are free, they move wherever they want, nothing binds them, right?"
The boy nodded.
Mihon continued:
— "And they are always hunted by the army. Do you want to hear about the greatest of them?"
The boy replied eagerly:
— "Yes!"
Mihon said:
— "In the past, there was an extremely strong rebel, and he was so fierce that the army would flee upon seeing him. All rebels were hunted… except for him—he was the one who hunted them. He was the nightmare of the Union of Nations.
It has been twenty-five years since his death, which means even before I was born. There isn't a place on this land that his feet didn't tread."
The boy asked:
— "Was he a lone rebel?"
Mihon answered:
— "No, he had men with him—extremely strong ones."
The boy said:
— "If they were so strong, then how did that rebel die?"
Mihon replied:
— "You must know, boy, that every great man, if not taken by the years, is brought down by betrayal. That's what we were told—or what we heard about him. It's said he died betrayed, but we don't know whether it was truly betrayal, or illness, or something else."
The boy said:
— "What's his name?"
Mihon replied:
— "His name is Somar. Don't mention his name to anyone."
The boy said:
— "Why?"
Mihon replied with a serious look:
— "Just don't say his name in front of anyone, understood?"
The boy said:
— "Okay."
Ames asked:
— "Is your mother alright?"
The boy said:
— "Yes, thank you for what you did."
Before Mihon and the others went to the factories, they headed toward the clinic.
There, Ames drew his sickle and began cutting the woman's body in various spots, driving out the poison from within her. And so, her skin returned to its normal color after having been purple.
Ames' sickle was unique—especially the cold aura it emitted, and that aura was the reason for her recovery from the poison.
After the boy left, while they were sitting, the village chief approached Mihon and his companions and said:
— "I hope the food and drink were to your liking."
Youray replied:
— "The food is delicious, and so is the drink."
Ames said:
— "Yes, yes, everything is wonderful here. Thank you for your hospitality."
The old man said:
— "No, thank you. You saved us from a crisis that nearly took all our lives."
Mihon said:
— "No need for thanks. What matters is that you're safe now."
The village chief said:
— "Can you come with me for a moment? I want to show you something."
Everyone was surprised by the stern tone in the chief's voice.