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This chapter is a special bonus, but also a warning: something bigger is coming. Prepare yourselves, because what happens here is only the beginning of events that will transform everything.
As the first rays of sun tinged the Mountain in orange and gold, each survivor felt the weight of the previous day in a unique way.
Some breathed with difficulty, still taken by the relief of having escaped death by a hair — a gift too expensive. Others carried the guilt of surviving at the cost of the sacrifice of companions. There were still those who had fought desperately in bloody battles, and those who had been spared, marked by a silent shame.
But among all, only one had faced the impossible: the veteran who had faced the Alpha Supervisor.
He had survived what many would consider inescapable — the brutality of a thirteen-year-old child. Each strike was cold, meticulous, with no room for hesitation. It was not only strength or skill: it was cruelty devoid of emotion, as if crushing something already condemned. The veteran carried on his body the wounds and, in his soul, the memory that, for moments, he had not fought a child… but a predator.
At the base, Telvaris awaited him. The concern on his face was unusual, almost human.
When he appeared, he asked in a low voice, hesitant:"How many survived?"
The young man did not respond. He passed straight by, as if Telvaris were only another shadow. The silence he left was cutting, more terrible than any word.
"The director sent you to go to his office," said Telvaris, trying to disguise the discomfort.
He went ahead, indifferent. Each step was the portrait of someone who saw no faces or memories behind him, only erased bodies. Telvaris remained still, seized by a shiver. The silence of that figure was worse than open cruelty: there was no vanity, pleasure, or remorse. Only a void. A void that erased.
Shortly after, Number One descended from the Mountain. His body was a collection of wounds: broken ribs, internal organs throbbing in pain. But he remained upright, refusing to yield.
He stopped before Telvaris and spoke with a voice heavy with guilt:"Even though I wanted to… I couldn't save many."
Telvaris stared at him in silence. The veteran continued:"Have you faced him?"
The question surprised him."I remember the day Phoebrus had to intervene…" he breathed deeply, voice faltering. "But after what I saw on the Mountain… I fear that if that fight had not been interrupted, you would not be here now."
He lowered his gaze."I hate to admit it, but the Alpha Supervisor is an unparalleled monster. If the bell had not rung… I would have stayed up there too."
Behind them, the survivors began to descend. Exhausted, mutilated, but alive. Among them, Number 200 dragged himself, his body trembling, eyes burning like embers about to extinguish.
Number One observed in silence. Then he turned and walked toward the orphanage. Each step carried not only the wounds but the truth: none of them would ever forget what the Mountain had revealed.
And above all, everyone knew that among the survivors there was someone who had not only resisted… but shown that even a child could carry the cruelty of an entire world.
In the office, one of the shadows presented himself before the director. His voice was firm, but hesitant:"I came to give my report. He has already descended from the Mountain and will be here soon. But I warn you… the damage was greater than expected. Of two hundred orphans, only twenty returned."
Even for someone accustomed to trials, that shadow could not hide his unease. After a moment, he ventured:"Sir… what was the order given?"
Teseu drew smoke from his pipe and exhaled it in dense spirals. His answer was calm but cutting:"The order was clear. We did not need doubts."
Before he could add more, footsteps appeared in the corridor. They were not ordinary. To untrained ears, nothing — only silence. But to the shadows, each approach was an invisible weight pressing the air.
The door opened silently. He entered, still covered in dried blood, his gaze empty. The shadow watched in silence, feeling something different in the air. It was not fear of a child, but the perception of being before an instrument that no longer belonged to the ordinary world.
Teseu stared at him without emotion."Report."
Few words:"No doubts remain."
The director interlaced his fingers over the county map."Prepare yourself. You will depart at dusk. It will be your last mission… but first, go to the top of the Mountain."
He kept his gaze fixed on the map, as if each line were a sentence already written."The path that opens before you has no return," he murmured, almost to himself. "And so it must be."
He drew the smoke slowly, exhaling it in dense spirals."The orphanage will also fulfill its function to the end… just like me."
When Ereon left, the office sank into silence, broken only by the crackle of the cigar.
Outside, the orphanage was steeped in shadows tinted orange by the setting sun. Low voices ran through the corridors and the courtyard, whispers that spoke of uncertain paths and things approaching.
Telvaris watched from afar, eyes fixed on the young man departing, feeling something he could not name."Something bigger approaches… I don't know if we can prepare for this."
Number One remained still, hands crossed, staring at the path where Ereon had disappeared. Murmurs reached him, indistinct, like echoes of a world rearranging itself."I don't know what this means… but I feel that nothing will remain as before."
The wind stirred the dry leaves, spreading the whispers across the empty courtyard. A strange density hovered in the air, silent and heavy, as if the orphanage itself were aware that something was about to move — something large, inexorable, still invisible.
The gate was quiet. He walked with firm steps, each movement measured, as if he did not fully belong to this world.
A boy leaning on the fence stared at him, eyes wide, breathing held."Why… did you let me climb the Mountain?" he asked, voice trembling.
He stopped. The evening light reflected in his impassive eyes. The young man felt as if he faced something beyond human comprehension."I only followed the order." The word sounded as if it carried centuries.
The boy swallowed hard. He did not know if he felt relief or fear. He took a step forward, but said nothing. He, however, turned and disappeared down the county road. Each step marked the beginning of his last mission.
The boy remained still, staring at the Mountain. He felt the weight of something extraordinary and terrifying. He had the clear impression that the Mountain did not only test… but also revealed small pieces of a greater destiny.
When Ereon left the orphanage at dusk, the wind stirred the dry leaves, spreading whispers across the empty courtyard. Telvaris watched from afar, eyes fixed on the young man, feeling something he could not name. "Something bigger approaches… I don't know if we can prepare for this."
Number One remained motionless, hands crossed, watching the path where Ereon had disappeared. Murmurs reached him, indistinct, like echoes of a world rearranging itself. "I don't know what this means… but I feel that nothing will remain as before."
The path to the Red Zone was silent, except for the crackle of his firm steps on the uneven ground. The district rose like a living organism: smoke, shouts, the metallic clink of goods, and red lights blinking through the alleys. Each reflection seemed to watch Ereon closely.
He walked without hesitation. Every street and every shadow seemed already mapped in his mind. He headed toward the mission point — ready to obey. Nothing beyond that.
The district pulsed with dangers and secrets. Any distraction could be fatal. But he did not feel fear. He only followed the single path he knew: that of absolute obedience.