Chapter Two - Continued
Saint and Darim stood before the towering wall, eyes scanning its surface as they searched for a way to climb.
Darim crossed his arms, sighing. "Told you this was a bad idea. Look at this thing-it's twice as high as you thought. And even if you somehow manage to scale it, how do you plan to get past the thousands of soldiers surrounding Rod?"
He brushed the dust from his clothes, clearly unimpressed.
Saint shrugged with a faint smile. "I didn't think that far ahead. But I'm sure once I reach the battlefield, I'll figure something out."
Darim narrowed his eyes. "Figure something out? You can't even figure out how to get out of this place."
Saint: "Says who?"
Darim: "Then tell me-you know how we're getting out?"
Saint nodded confidently, glancing to his right. "Of course. At this exact time every week, the informants return with their reports. The gate will be opened-especially with the commander here in person to receive them."
Darim shook his head. "I genuinely can't tell if you're brilliant or just a delusional idiot."
Saint: "Could you try being supportive for once? I'm feeling a little down, you know."
Darim: "Support? I'm risking my life for this. If we don't die out there, we'll be executed when we come back-for breaking every rule in the book."
Saint: "You're being dramatic."
Darim (to himself): "You really are a spoiled brat. You'll never understand."
The sound of creaking iron interrupted them.
Saint: "Told you."
Darim (sarcastically, clapping): "Bravo. You really are insane."
Saint: "We'll wait until the last informant enters, then slip through before the gate shuts again."
They moved quietly behind a tree, watching from the shadows. When the final figure entered the base, they darted for the gate, sliding out just before it clanged shut. Hidden behind the trees now, they breathed easier.
Darim: "You must really hate Rod to go through all this just to kill him."
Saint chuckled. "Old grudges can only be settled by the sword."
Darim: "Guess that explains your insane determination."
They pressed on, moving in short bursts and scanning the terrain often. Eventually, they reached a rugged mountain path.
Darim (panting): "Where exactly is Iqot?"
Saint: "Once we cross the mountain, we'll reach Silcon. From there, we can catch a ride to Iquot. But..."
Darim: "But what?"
Saint: "I have no idea what direction Rod took."
Darim: "Maybe the people of Silcon will know something."
Saint: "Doubt it. They keep to themselves. Silcon's constantly on edge, always preparing for attack-they're an easy target for any kingdom seeking expansion. They're not going to welcome us with open arms during a war. But it's our only lead. And if I'm lucky, Rod might be there-negotiating or trying to seize control by force."
Darim glanced at him, eyebrows raised. "Wow. You actually sound like a real leader for once."
Saint: "Don't get used to it. I've got no interest in leading anyone-especially if it means making choices I hate."
Darim: "What kind of choices?"
Saint: "You'll understand one day."
They kept walking. Saint moved confidently, as if the path were familiar.
Darim: "You know this place?"
Saint: "Used to sneak out here when I was bored. This trail was my escape route."
He shot Darim a mischievous look. "Be careful, though. This mountain's crawling with creatures that stalk you in silence. You won't see them until it's too late." He laughed.
Darim (turning around): "That's it-I'm going back."
Saint (grabbing his sleeve): "Relax! I'm just kidding."
Darim: "You really know how to make everything worse."
Saint: "Okay, okay. No more jokes."
They finally sat under a tree, catching their breath. Saint pulled out a pair of dinner pastries and tossed one to Darim.
Saint: "Here. I saved it for later, but you can have it."
Darim: "Pretty sure it's already past its expiration date."
Saint: "Stop whining and eat. You need the energy."
Darim: "You've got no idea how much patience I'm using right now."
Saint: "Thank you."
Darim (raising an eyebrow): "For what?"
Saint: "For being crazy enough to come with me-even though you're terrified of your own shadow."

Darim: "This isn't bravery. It's me being too soft to let you die alone."
Saint (smiling): "Still. Thanks."
Darim: "So? Are you finally going to tell me what happened between you and Rod?"
Saint stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded.
Saint: "Fine. Since you've thrown your life into this mess, I owe you that much."
He leaned back against the trunk, eyes focused on something far away.
Saint: "Since I was a kid, I attended diplomatic meetings with my father-boring, stiff talks between kingdoms about alliances and war. Rod was always there too. We were the only two kids in a sea of cold, calculating adults."
"We escaped those meetings whenever we could-ran off to the gardens, played, talked about dreams. We became friends. Real friends, or so I thought."
"Over the years, we grew closer. I even trusted him enough to tell him about something incredible-stones near Silcon that glowed with a strange energy. I warned him that if the kingdoms found out, greed and bloodshed would follow."
"He laughed, said they were probably just pretty rocks. Said the people of Silcon-poor and defenseless-would suffer the most. I believed him. I thought he understood."
"But two weeks later, Bitaj Kingdom announced they were claiming the Silcon region-citing the stones as a resource. War broke out. Kingdoms turned on each other. Blood was spilled-all because I trusted someone I shouldn't have."
Saint's voice dropped to a whisper.
Saint: "He betrayed me. Used my trust to start a war. Everything we built... it was just a lie."
He looked at Darim, eyes burning with something deep and dark.
Saint: "This time, I won't be fooled. I'll get my revenge. Not just for me-but for everyone who died because of his lies."

In the distant mountains, far from the reach of war cries or marching armies, there echoed only the sounds of humming engines, soft mechanical clicks, and, on occasion, the excited shouts of one man - Veitin - when his wild experiments bore even the smallest fruit.
With the rise of a new sun - another day to chase the impossible - Veitin dressed in his usual crystal-blue lab coat and stepped out onto the balcony of his isolated laboratory.
He took in a deep breath of crisp morning air, closing his eyes as if trying to soak in fragments of hope - as if the universe might finally grant him a sign.
Sitting on the edge of the balcony, he gazed up at the sky.
Not just to admire it, but to search it...
To will a miracle into existence.

After a moment, he returned to his lab.
The machines were already waiting, blinking and pulsing in their cold, faithful rhythm.
Veitin approached the resonance device - a custom-built structure of strange coils and humming crystals - and began feeding it signals.
Frequencies. Reflections. Inversions.
Again and again, he repeated the cycle.
And then -
It happened.
A thin ripple shimmered above the machine.
Like a black pinprick in the air, a small void - a distortion in space - opened.
Veitin blinked in disbelief.
Was it real?
But it was still there.
Right above the device.
And from it... came the sound of breathing.
Deep. Hollow. Inhuman.
It hovered for a few seconds - then vanished without a trace.
His heart pounded in his chest.
> "I did it... It worked!
The other world heard me!
They responded - they're out there - they heard the signal!"
He stumbled toward his journal, hands trembling from adrenaline.
But his fingers refused to write.
Frustrated, Veitin grabbed a glass of water and drank.
It was the first time in years that water tasted sweet.
He steadied himself, gripped the pen with shaking fingers, and finally wrote:
"The world... responded and breathed."
Chapter two ended ....