Several weeks had passed since the duel with the Aunt.
It was supply day, and many of the mentors had gone off in different directions to gather what the village needed. As always, whenever Kaela visited the market, she made time to see Silas.
Yuli was doing chores with her friends, shaking out the bedding, cleaning ash from the hearth, tending the gardens, sweeping leaves, and more. But something unsettled her. Around midday, the elite Guardians began to move swiftly, setting up a large tent in the center of the village. There was a flurry of activity inside; beds, lamps, and medical equipment were being arranged.
"What kind of event are they preparing for?" Yuli asked one of the mentors.
"This isn't an event, little one. I can't talk now," the young woman said, her face clouded with worry. "Tell the other apprentices to stay away from this side of the village."
Something in her tone made Yuli hurry to spread the warning.
As she moved through the village, she spotted the Aunt giving orders, rushing back and forth with uncharacteristic urgency. Minutes later, transport capsules arrived, the ones used by the Guardians to travel to the city. They opened, and what followed left Yuli frozen.
Guardians emerged carrying their comrades in their arms, some unconscious, others mutilated, others... no longer breathing.
Amid the chaos, Yuli's eyes landed on a familiar face: Kaela.
She was carrying the young man from the market, Silas, in her arms. Her expression was devastated.
Lua ran to meet her as Kaela laid Silas gently on the ground.
"It came out of nowhere," Kaela said, her voice cracking. "It caught us off guard. Our attacks did nothing to it. It threw explosives. In the chaos… Silas protected the girls with us. He shielded them… but he was caught in the blast. I couldn't stop it. He was in my arms…"
Yuli heard every word.
"What did the attacker look like?" the Aunt asked, fury darkening her face.
Kaela's answer was chilling:
A figure with cybernetic enhancements, movements perfect, merciless, inhuman.
Later, Silas was laid beside the others who had met the same fate.
No one slept that night, Kaela stayed by his side, her face pressed against his chest.
She didn't cry, she didn't scream, she just remained there, silent.
Yuli approached, took her hand, gave her a soft smile, then embraced her.
The next morning, at the village cemetery, a funeral was held for those who didn't return. Lua stood to speak on behalf of the fallen.
"Today we do not only mourn the deaths of warriors…
We mourn the absence of sisters.
Of girls who laughed, who trained, who dreamed.
Who walked these same paths with the hope of building a better world…
And gave everything to protect it.
They were not weapons.
They were not obedient shadows.
They were fire. They were light.
And that fire, even if it seems extinguished today, will burn within us as long as we breathe."
She paused, struggling against her tears and the rage rising within her. Her eyes swept over the crowd, resting on Kaela, who remained stoic and silent, tearless.
"We will not let their names be forgotten," she continued.
"We will not let their sacrifice be in vain.
We did not ask for this war, but if one of us falls, we rise for her."
She turned toward the graves.
"Silas, you were not a Guardian, but your heart belonged to one.
Through her, you came to us.
And for us, you gave your life.
You will not be forgotten.
Because when I met you, I loved you like a son.
Rest now, daughters of flame.
Guardians in spirit.
We swear before you, we will keep fighting.
Not for vengeance…
But for love.
For what you tried to protect.
And when peace comes to us at last… it will be because of you."
Then she raised her arms and, through her sobs, cried out:
"May the wind carry you high, my daughters… and never forget, you were loved!"
With that, she collapsed to her knees, covering her face.
"My daughters… my poor daughters…" she wept, as others rushed to lift her and take her home.
That afternoon, there was only silence.
No laughter, no games, no training.
Only mourning.
Yuli replayed the day Kaela had introduced her to Silas in her mind.
And when she thought of how the others had returned, broken, bloodied, or not at all, her heart filled with a sorrow deeper than anything she had ever known.