The next morning, dawn slowly came, sunlight slipping through the broken roof tiles. Noir woke up very early and already went to warm up a bit. Orion dragged Kaelith out of her blanket, while Specter had been awake even earlier and was splitting the breakfast portions for the team. Everyone tried to get moving while the weather was still nice.
After that, the three of them ate first, since Noir hasn't come back yet, so they left her a portion.
When he finished, Orion stretched and handed Kaelith a small wooden stick instead of a real knife.
"Come on, at first, I'll teach you how to stand. Don't just think about attacking, you need to know how to guard and dodge too. Those things are… kinda the basics that'll save your life."
Kaelith grabbed the stick, almost tripping a few steps. Orion laughed at her, but his eyes were still patient. Noir had already come back, leaning against a tree nearby, arms folded, watching every movement. Specter kept checking the map, but sometimes he glanced over, and when he saw Noir he called out.
"Noir, go eat something. I saved your part."
She just nodded, not going to eat right away.
After a few rounds of practice, Kaelith was exhausted and dropped herself on the ground. She looked up at Noir and asked the question she'd been holding in her chest since last night.
"Noir… do you ever think about yourself? I want to know… who you really are."
Orion paused, staring at Noir with curiosity. Even Specter stopped writing. The air felt frozen for a moment.
Noir stayed quiet for a few seconds. She walked toward the temple ruins and spoke, her voice cold and straight.
"In my memories, I had worked for VOID since I was a kid. A perfect product trained by the organization. Killing, infiltrating, intel work, interrogating, everything. Under my hands, there are thousands of lives—guilty or not doesn't matter. The rest… I don't remember. Or maybe there's nothing left worth remembering."
Kaelith was speechless. Orion squinted like he wanted to tease her, but he only let out a dry laugh. Specter lowered his gaze a little, knowing that behind that answer were holes no one could fill.
Noir turned back, cutting off the heavy mood.
"We should keep searching for Doctor Aurel. He used to work in their research division but escaped a long time ago. If he's still alive, he knows how to crack their control system."
A tiny bit of hope slipped into the tired silence.
Kaelith gripped the wooden stick tighter, her eyes brighter.
"Then I'll learn too. I want to be strong like you… and not become a burden."
"Everyone is trying… why would I not? And my family is still in their hands…"
Orion laughed loudly and patted her shoulder.
"Not bad buddy. But following our 'perfect product' over there? Not that easy."
Noir shot him a look, hard to tell if she was mocking him or warning him. Suddenly she glanced at Specter and remembered his leg.
"Specter, unwrap the bandage." *walking to him*
"Huh?" Specter blinked.
"Moving too much slows healing, but it's been days. It should be fine now." *sits down*
Specter froze a bit seeing Noir so close.
"Oh…. I can do it by myself…" He said.
She didn't reply, didn't show any emotions, just carefully unwrapped the bandage. The wound had closed, it was usable again. Noir told him to be more careful next time, then gently applied medicine to his leg. Specter's heart felt like a storm—he didn't realize since when the distance between them had shrunk.
"Alright," Noir said, snapping him out of it.
"Ah… yeah… thank you, Noir."
Orion saw everything from nearby, didn't say a word, but he definitely stored it for future teasing.
That afternoon, after resting and packing, Noir quietly spread the map over the cold stone floor. Her finger stopped at a mountain forest area in the north. The bits of data they had pointed to that zone—possibly linked to Dr. Aurel.
"He probably left the organization through here. His traces should be around this place." Noir murmured.
Orion leaned against the wall, whistling.
"An old doctor… and finding him is like searching a needle in a burning forest."
Specter nodded, but his voice was firm.
"This is our only chance. We have to go."
Kaelith sat cross-legged, looking at all three. She hesitated, then bravely asked.
"I'm sorry, but… I want to know about all of you too. Not just about Noir. Orion, Specter… are you two also 'products' of the organization?"
The three of them froze a little, turning to her. Noir stayed silent, narrowing her eyes slightly as if weighing something deeper in the question.
Orion smirked, this time without jokes.
"Products? Yahh, guess that fits. They trained me into something quick, slippery, and tricky like a fox. Basically made for breaking in and stealing stuff. Nothing pretty. Just a luxury tool."
Specter's voice dropped lower, eyes drifting somewhere far.
"Me… I'm the silent blade. They shaped every habit, every movement, until I disappeared into the dark. And in the end they threw me away like garbage. What's left is just a blood-stained hand… not sure if you can still call it 'a person.'"
Kaelith stayed still, her hands tightening together. In her young eyes, fear and pity mixed faintly.
Noir said nothing. But a blurry memory surfaced, the moment she read Kaelith's mind.
It wasn't fully lies… but something was covered by fog. A strange chill told Noir she still couldn't fully lower her guard with this girl.
She folded the map, voice cutting clean.
"Enough. This isn't the time to dig into the past."
"Go. The organization won't stop until they find us. And Dr. Aurel is the one who can change the game."
Orion gave Noir a half-smile to ease the tension.
"Let's go then. Hope the old man's still breathing, or this trip's gonna turn into a useless picnic."
Specter adjusted the gun on his side, and Kaelith rushed to tie up her messy hair. The four of them left the temple, their silhouettes fading into the warm sunlight.
Time slipped by noon, then night. Dawn returned again, dim and gray over the wet forest. Dry leaves cracked under their boots, the sound of birds made the forest has more colors. The group moved quietly, guns hidden in backpacks and under jackets. Only Kaelith's small knife sometimes flashed under the light.
Orion lifted a branch blocking the path and smirked.
"Hey Kaelith! If you hold your knife like that, your enemy's gonna think you're about to slice an apple, not for fight."
Kaelith blushed, stumbling with her words.
"I… I'll learn more. If you teach me, I'll do better."
Orion laughed out loud and threw Noir a wink.
"See? Two color? She trusts me more than she trusts you."
Noir only glanced at him, voice plain.
"Stop it. A knife is still a weapon, and she's still a kid."
Specter walked at the back, quietly watching. His eyes sometimes lingered on Noir—on her steady pace and the firm shoulders leading them forward. Being with her, something long lost inside him slowly returned. His instincts, awareness… even the breath he held at night felt different.
He wanted to protect her.
He tightened his grip on the gun and whispered in his heart.
/Thank you, Noir…/