Morning was breaking. The sun was rising before me. We were moving slowly on horseback. I hadn't slept all night, my eyes were heavy with exhaustion. Dima was in front of me on the horse, drifting in and out of consciousness. She had fainted twice and woken again. All night she murmured her child's name in her sleep. Those moments still haunted me.
The mission had been completed, but I had failed… I couldn't protect her or her family.
Kara, my horse, had been carrying us for hours without food or water. When I spotted a spring, I tied him up and placed some feed before him. Then I carried Dima in my arms and laid her against a tree.
My phone rang.
"24, listening."
"The mission is complete. Why haven't you returned to base yet?"
"There were… complications."
"Yes, like blowing up half the village and setting it on fire."
"There's a girl… her family is dead."
"There are always losses in war, 24."
"This is different. It's my fault. They were dragged into this unwillingly, and I couldn't stop it."
Karahan sensed my state of mind and switched to the private line.
"Son, until yesterday you didn't even know this girl. You can't get attached like this. You're a soldier."
"It's not about that… She's different. I have to help her."
"What are you asking of me, son? Speak, so I know how to act."
"I want the girl sent to Turkey."
"What… What are you saying? Boy, that's impossible!"
"She needs help. That's all."
"This is far too complicated. It's not my decision to make."
"You're the system commander. If you chose me for this task, then you knew this part of me. I can't throw away my conscience."
Karahan groaned, thinking. At last, a plan came to him.
"Ah, son… 14 kilometers southwest of the ranch, there's a wooden house. The key is above the door. Take her there. I'll send food before you leave. Afterward, bring the girl to the place where I first picked you up before your training."
"Thank you, Karahan. I'll take responsibility for the rest. Put some money in her pocket. Give her the house you assigned me."
"Why not marry her too, eh, son?"
"I'm just helping her, brother. Don't twist this."
Karahan hung up.
Suddenly, Dima struck me from behind with a stick. Pain surged through my back and neck. My vision darkened. It had been a long time since I'd felt such pain at the nape of my neck… A memory flashed of my training with Caner three months ago. We had been on opposing teams. In hand-to-hand combat, I had thrown him down. Unable to accept defeat, he had struck me with the butt of his weapon. That was the memory that came back.
My vision slowly returned. My hands were tied behind me, and I was now bound to the very tree where I had left Dima. She was crying as she aimed my own gun at me.
When she saw me awake, she lunged forward, her voice breaking:
"This is all your fault! If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have lost the last of my family!"
"I'm sorry, Dima… I never wanted this."
"What did I ever do to you? What did you want from me?!"
"I only wanted to help. Nothing more."
"Help? This is your help?! You took my child from me, you took my father from me!"
She was right. I had destroyed her life simply by being there. I had failed my very first mission.
Still crying, she finally aimed the gun directly at me.
"Dima, don't. Don't do something that will haunt you forever."
"You took everything from me! Everything!"
I was trying to buy time, to free my hands. This couldn't end here. I managed to untie myself and leapt for the gun, but it was too late—Dima had already fired. Warm blood trickled down my arm. The bullet had grazed me.
She dropped the gun and fell to her knees, whispering only one word:
"Why… Why… Why?"
I tucked the weapon back into my belt. We had to move, quietly. Somehow, I convinced her to get back on the horse.
"Come with me, Dima. You have nowhere else to go. Let me help you."
"I don't want your help! Let me die here! Let me join them!"
"I can't change the past, but I can take you far from here. Don't do this to yourself. Your family wouldn't want you to die."
She calmed a little. Following Karahan's instructions, we headed toward the house. This time, I didn't tie her hands. She was neither ready to live nor ready to kill. She simply rested her head against my shoulder, crying as we rode.
The house appeared in the distance—a small, wooden cabin once used as a safehouse by the system. I tied the horse, retrieved the key, and opened the door. Inside, it was damp, but it would do for now.
Dima hesitated, glancing at me before entering. I held out my hand.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
She slapped it away.
"You being here is exactly why I'm like this!"
She was right to be angry. I couldn't argue. Instead, I prepared a warm shower and laid out some clothes.
"There's hot water. Clean yourself up. The clothes aren't traditional, but they'll do."
"Nothing from there remains anyway. It doesn't matter."
She disappeared into the bathroom, tears still in her eyes. I sat in the living room, checked the area, and replenished my weapons. Exhausted, I collapsed onto the couch.
I jolted awake. A blanket covered me. Dima sat across the room, watching me.
"Do you ever wake up normally?" she asked.
"Maybe once… but not anymore."
"There's something about you I don't understand…"
She looked stunning in the black clothes I had given her, damp hair framing her face like an angel.
"It's nothing. Just a nightmare," I muttered.
She studied me, then softly asked:
"Who is Alara?"
The question caught me off guard. How could she know?
"If it's private, you don't have to say," she continued. "But you kept calling her name in your sleep."
"She's not private. She's just… an important friend."
Her eyes, though filled with sorrow, gleamed with a faint light. I could see she felt something for me. And I… I couldn't deny I felt something for her. But it couldn't be.
"Dima, listen carefully," I said. "I have to tell you something."
She met my gaze, waiting.
"I'm sorry for what happened to your family. Tomorrow, you'll be taken to Turkey. They'll settle you in a quiet city and give you money to start fresh. I have friends there. They'll come for you tomorrow. They're cautious people, but don't be afraid."
She stayed silent, eyes glistening with tears.
"And you?" she finally asked.
"I'll come later. I just… have things to do first."
"What things? Didn't they kidnap you? Who are you, really, that they're after you?"
I scribbled my number on a piece of paper.
"This is my personal number. You can always reach me here. But first… I have to find those who captured me. I have to take revenge."
"Don't go! You told me to trust you, and now you'll just leave me like everyone else?!"
"I'm not leaving you. But I don't forget debts—good or bad. You helped me, and I'll repay you."
She stormed off, furious, and shut herself in the bedroom.
My phone rang again.
"Yes, sir."
"24, plans have changed. Be ready tomorrow at 8. Both of you are coming back."
"Understood. We'll be ready."
I went upstairs. Dima was lying on her bed, eyes closed. I retreated to my own room, poured a bit of leftover alcohol, and lit a cigarette on the balcony.
The night sky was clear when Dima stepped out onto the adjacent balcony. She was half-dressed, startled when she saw me, and retreated in embarrassment.
Later, footsteps approached my bed. Pretending to sleep, I waited until the figure was close, then grabbed their wrist. It was Dima. She wore only a towel, which slipped to the floor.
"All my life, everything has been forced upon me," she whispered. "But this time… I choose it."
And she kissed me.