At dawn, Cora was already ready to set off. The sky was cloudy and it seemed like rain would make an appearance soon.

"We need to make a small detour," Camiel began. "We're close to a path, and I heard some strange noises from that direction last night."

They had been on the road for three days now. They had gone past the mountains, leaving them to the north, and had taken the road that followed the Darn River, just a few steps away from Badur. Luckily, their guide had been skillful in avoiding exposed routes as much as possible.

"Kharzanians?" Fez asked, terror in his eyes.

Camiel pressed his lips together and nodded. "Their Cec systems," he said. "I'm sure of it. I think they're sweeping the area and I have no intention of facing them with you in tow."

Aran straightened his shoulders and headed towards the forest. "We can't slow down."

Cora watched him go. He seemed strong, but she was sure he hadn't slept a wink the night before. Aran had gotten up from his bed and spent the time comforting Marmorel by stroking her hand. It was such a different behavior from the one he had in Edel, from the one he had always shown towards her. Had he changed his mind?

They set off without further delay, with Camiel at the head of the group. Elidana and Cora walked close together, in the middle of the line. "The sun is still low, and I'm already tired," he said.

She gestured towards Marmorel. "She's barely standing," she said. The young woman was dragging her feet, clinging to Aran's hand.

They stepped past a large oak tree covered in moss, and Fez turned to the others, his eyes wide. "There are three dead wolves here."

"We had a small argument last night. I'm sorry for them," Camiel explained. Marmorel choked back a scream and took refuge in the arms of the young Allet.

They were big, much more threatening than the beast they had faced alone a few days earlier: only the fangs were twice as long. Cora barely held back a tremble.

The density of the forest made it difficult to orient oneself, and the thick, humid summer air didn't even allow them to enjoy the shade of a natural shelter. Camiel started to move forward, looking up among the branches. "This way."

As the line of boys reformed, the roar of a gunshot tore through the silence and flocks of birds flew up from the branches above their heads.

Cora looked around. Aran froze, and a trickle of blood stained the rest of his sleeve from his shoulder. He was breathless.

"Quick, hide!" Camiel ordered, pointing to a large hollow trunk. He turned towards the direction from which the shot had come.

Elidana and Fez held Aran up and laid him on the ground; he was still conscious. "It's a superficial wound," Elidana said.

Marmorel jerked and held him by the head. Cora, on the other hand, leaned forward to observe the Hozman warrior and remained very careful not to blink so as not to miss any details.

Camiel drew his sword in one motion and approached the tree in front of him. He narrowed his eyes for a few moments and quickly set off towards a nearby boulder, before a wide clearing.

Cora stepped over the wolf carcasses and walked crouched to take the spot just left by the warrior. He struggled through the branches of a large bush and watched Camiel closely as he approached the man spread out on the rock with his rifle in his hands. The barrel shone with its own light.

In the moments when the wind didn't move the leaves, you could hear the screech of the stone inserted into the Cec system, a buzz like the flight of a hornet. Cora moved even closer. He wanted to see him, he wanted to know if he really was a Kharzanian. A mixture of terror and curiosity moved his last steps. It was the first time he risked so much to have a certainty.

Camiel circled the sniper, moving with feline grace as he approached from behind. His hulking shadow loomed over the man and the rock. He extended his sword towards the nape of the sniper's neck and pressed the blade against his bare skin. He towered over him like an executioner over a condemned man, his raven hair blowing in the wind. "How did you find us?" he asked, but the sniper didn't respond.

The attacker dropped his rifle and, without turning around, showed his empty hands.

"Let's try this again, but this time I'll try to be more polite."

Camiel scratched his neck with the blade. "How did you find us?"

"I suppose I found Seorite's cargo," the sniper croaked. "An Hozman and five boys. You're the terrorists from Lud," he growled. "It's too late, I've already warned my comrades, and soon the entire Kharzanian contingent stationed in Boros will be after you."

Cora saw the hesitation in Camiel's movements, a brief pause that ended with an even firmer grip on the sword.

"I'm sorry, soldier, but you've had the most unfortunate day of your life." He plunged the weapon without giving him a chance to reply. He pushed the lifeless body to the ground. "Now even the walls will know where we are," he continued in anger.

When he returned to the boys, Cora kept his eyes fixed on him. "As cold as ice," he muttered.

Camiel raised an eyebrow. "Would you have preferred him to shoot you?" he asked.

But Cora held his defiant gaze. "You could have immobilized him..."

Camiel approached him and grabbed him by the shoulders. Cora felt the depth of his dark eyes and almost regretted his retort. "What's your problem?" the warrior shouted. "Do you really think I enjoyed it? He knew our route!"

The boy grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands away. "We're not animals!"

"It's either us or them," Camiel replied curtly. "There's a truck near the clearing. We were careless. He was a damn Kharzanian on leave," he finally snapped. He went to the others and pushed Elidana and Fez aside to tend to Aran's wound. He checked it carefully. "You'll have a scar, but you can stand now." He tore off a piece of fabric from Allet's shirt and tied it tightly around the wound.

"I can take care of myself," said Aran.

"You said you would protect us!" exclaimed Fez. "We trusted you!"

"It was a coincidence that he found us;she was only in the area because she was hunting." He turned to the group. "Let's get moving!"

In three days, they crossed the border of the Republic of Lamia to enter the province of Amanastre. It was three days of silence and fatigue. After that stretch, they began to walk through mud and small mangroves. The environment became even more humid, and the breaks increased at a rate of one every few hours.

They found a cave to rest in the evening, a place where they could use abandoned wood and a fire ready to be rekindled.

"These mosquitoes are killing me," Elidana said, slapping her leg.

"We're almost there, Amanastre should be in sight tomorrow. I'm sorry I had to take this route, but we didn't have many alternatives. This area is full of shelters left by merchants," Camiel replied.

Cora looked over, but the stench of stagnant water prevented him from relaxing. Still, the idea of having a roof over his head seemed like the best opportunity. He looked at Aran, who was massaging his wound.

If I was in his place? He wondered every night for three days.

If Ethan Standford was in the sniper's place?

He couldn't believe how quickly things had deteriorated since they had left Edel.

During dinner, Camiel kept his eyes fixed on Fez for a while, a smile on his face. "Is it to your liking?" he asked.

Fez put down the rabbit leg, leaned back, and gave his stomach a pat. The smoke from the fire rose towards the ceiling and exited the entrance of the cave. "It's the best meat I've ever eaten."

"I'm glad," Camiel replied.

"You fool!" barked Aran. "It's so tasty because we haven't eaten anything for a whole day!" He rekindled the fire with a dry log.

"Do you think it's a good excuse to call him a fool?" Elidana retorted with a scowling forehead.

"But he is "fool",how else would you describe it? And you, stop playing the part of Mrs. Flint," Aran snapped. Even Marmorel stopped scratching her ankle and looked up.

Cora swallowed his food and pointed the rabbit bones at his friend. "Hey, Aran!" he exclaimed. "Cut it out."

"Enough, I won't stop!" he continued, "It's getting on my nerves! The whole situation is getting on my nerves! A few days ago a wolf was about to tear you apart, and if you hadn't noticed, they shot at me! SHOT! " He touched his wounded arm. "But for Fez, the important thing is the taste of the rabbit? Is he serious?"

Camiel took a deep breath and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, it's my fault, I just wanted to make conversation."

Elidana interrupted him with a gesture and stood up menacingly towards Aran. "Hey, boy, don't you dare! I'm sorry that life is not going according to your plans, but we're all in this bad situation! Up to our necks! Thank your lucky stars that at least we're alive." She pointed at Marmorel. "Look what you've done!"

The girl had both arms wrapped around her knees. In her shell, she cried silently.

Aran grimaced and calmed down. He got up from his spot and turned around with his hand on his forehead. "Well, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry, I overreacted..." His gaze wandered amidst the crackling of the fire.

Fez, who had sulked during the discussion, joined Marmorel, "Hey, do you want to eat something?" he asked.

"I don't feel like it," she murmured, "if you want, you can take my portion," she added with a hiss of a voice.

"No, thanks. I didn't ask you for that. It's just that you always seem tired. And trust me, Aran can say whatever he wants, but it's really the best meat I've ever eaten! Try it." Fez swayed back and forth.

Cora scrutinized Aran's expression, which now changed into a sad smile. "At least his spontaneity is still intact," he muttered.

Elidana finished cleaning a bone and threw it into the fire. "Camiel, have you ever been to Amanastre?"

Yes, many times. After leaving Hozma, I spent quite some time in those lands. I even had a small boat with a crew," he chuckled. "Before all of this happened, it was my intention to go back there."

"Why did you leave the Empire of Hozma?" Cora asked.

Camiel remained silent for a few moments, playing with the rope bracelet on his wrist. "It's a long story," he said. He got up and brushed the food remains off his clothes. "I'll check outside." He headed outside.

"He must have his own problems," Fez said, lying on the barren ground.

Cora shrugged, got up, and followed him. He searched for Camiel and jogged to catch up with him. "Hey, I need to talk to you," he said in a low voice. Camiel scratched his cheek. In the darkness of the swamp, he caught a mosquito that was flying around his neck and rubbed his hands on his dirty pants.

"I'm sorry about the other day," Cora suddenly said. "My back hasn't been bothering me today," he continued. A way to keep the conversation going.

Camiel glanced towards the entrance of the cave. With a regretful expression, he tried to speak, but no sound came out, and he started stroking his chin. His face became serious, and in a low voice, the Hozman said, "I've thought about it a lot, and I think it's necessary to tell you how things really are."

Cora furrowed his brow. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't have a burn on your back, let alone a wound."

Cora twisted his neck back until he felt the muscles strain and wrinkled what was left of his collar. However, with the corner of his eye, he saw nothing. "You lied to me?"

"I was wrong, and I apologize. I want to tell you a truth that you will find difficult to accept. Come on, let's go somewhere else."

Cora followed him hesitantly and waited for him to continue.

They moved even further away from the entrance and sat among the branches of a large mangrove tree split on its side, whose mossy trunk began much higher than ground level, supported by numerous roots resembling spider legs.The starry sky filled the nearby puddle with tiny reflections of light, until an ungainly toad interrupted the calm surface.

"On your back, the other day, I saw a symbol for a few moments. It's something you shouldn't theoretically have," confessed Camiel. "It's the Sun of Aletar, the imperial emblem of Hozma."

"What are you talking about?" snapped Cora.

"I don't think someone tattooed it on your back without your knowledge." With his sword, Camiel traced the symbol in the mud and showed it to him under the silvery moonlight.

Cora observed carefully. He didn't understand why, but he studied it as if some information would come back to him. "I'm not stupid, you know? The Great Jalme started regenerating the Seorite, and after I fell among his roots, all this happened," he said in a low voice.

"So you already knew?" Camiel asked.

"I connected the dots after the train incident. We had exhausted stones before leaving Kharzan, and a few hours later, we found them regenerated. It's impossible to think that someone replaced them. When you told the story of your journey to Lud... everything became clearer." He pounded his fist on the tree bark.

"You're smart enough to understand that it was just an unfortunate incident, but it has implications that I can't understand."

"Camiel! Be honest, what's happening to me?" Cora pressed.

"I think that your fall among the roots of the Great Jalme caused you to be able to regenerate Seorite. I had proof of it the first night we met. Now it's not just a simple assumption. Both me and the Kharzanians have detected the large amount of energy that you have somehow acquired from the tree."

Cora stiffened. The responsibility for the events had been his all along. He stared at the ground, and the mud rippled as insects passed by. He raised his eyes and sought comfort in Camiel's expression. The idea that he had something to do with the end of Lud and their escape tightened his stomach. The grip became even more unbearable when he realized he would have to tell the truth to his friends. He would become the object of their frustrations. "I have to tell the others, don't I?" he whispered.

"Get it in your head: it was just a coincidence. I'm sure that when you're ready, they'll understand. I need to talk to my master and explain what happened to you, that's why we're going to Amanastre."

Cora turned away, hot tears silently streaking down his face, an inadequate release for the anguish that had overcome him.

Camiel squeezed his shoulder. "Now go to sleep. We have a long stretch ahead of us before we reach our destination tomorrow."

Cora nodded and retreated with his head down. He reached the cave and placed his hand on the entrance wall. Fez had just finished eating Marmorel's part, and Elidana was already sleeping. So peaceful in his eyes, unaware of a truth that he was obligated to keep for a little while longer.