⚠️ Warning: The following chapter may contain highly graphic imagery and very sensitive topics for WebNovel readers and audiences.The author has no intention of creating morbid curiosity or sensationalizing any of these subjects.Reader discretion is advised.
📝🫠 Author's Note:This chapter might be a bit long, but it's necessary.This is what one would call a timeskip, though it's more like a transition point.
From now on, chapters will be two thousand words or less — to make them more enjoyable 😌👍
Remember, guys: stay hydrated! 💧
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Adelaida woke up slowly, with that morning haze that weighs down every muscle.
She stretched her body hard, as if trying to fall back asleep for a few more minutes.
Her eyes wandered around the room, wondering if it was really worth getting up.
Her gaze traced the ceiling—heavy, drowsy.
Then, the sound of a nearby breath made her turn her head.
As if by accident—or an excuse—she noticed a strange arm resting over her.
A whirlwind of emotions spun through her mind: confusion, excitement, and a small sting of fear.
"What's he doing here…?" she thought."Ah, right… that idiot Jack blew up my room."
Three months ago, Jack had come to ask Adelaida for some leather to make himself a pair of boots.
But Dánae, as always, appeared out of nowhere and startled him.
What followed was a small but powerful blast that destroyed both his room and Adelaida's, right across the hall.
Dánae flew straight through the impact wall, while Adelaida was launched—bed, roof pieces, and all—into the pig pen corner.
She definitely got the worst of it.
After Kamei-san scolded them for their nonsense, Jack and Dánae slept together while repairing their rooms, leaving Adelaida feeling both empty and oddly relieved.
Nuriel, observing the situation, offered his own room so she could rest.
Uneasy, she noticed the mix of joy and hesitation on his face.
Then she saw Kamei-san, and a fleeting thought crossed her mind:"This idiot… you think I don't notice?"
Trying to help her without saying it outright, Nuriel gently suggested:"Now that I think about it, Adelaida…you don't really know how my room's organized,
and I don't want you messing up my research files.Everything's on the floor—where would you even sleep?"
Speaking with a hint of irony, he added:
"Well, looks like your only options are sleeping with Kamei-san or on the couch, whichever you prefer.
Though personally, I'd recommend Kamei-san—he's the most responsible one among us."
And so, Adelaida and Kamei-san shared a quiet moment together.
Each instant carried something new: closeness, care, and the spark of a bond that had slowly been growing.
She could've slept in the living room, but her intentions were clear.She wanted to be closer to him—to show, even in a subtle way, what she felt and to strengthen that connection between them.
One night of wine and dinner ended with both of them falling deeply asleep… until today.
Neither of them noticed how much time had passed; it was as if their bodies had only just begun to adapt to the forest.
Dánae, checking the rooms, said sarcastically:"Finally! You two are awake.Sleeping for a week or two is fine…but almost three months? That's bear-level hibernation!"
She laughed."And cuddled up together, hahaha, what a sight.
Anyway, I hope you're making lunch.I'm tired of Jack taking advantage of Nuriel doing all the cooking—he never has time for anything!"
Both Kamei-san and Adelaida blushed, caught between embarrassment and a quiet sense of complicity.
To break the awkward silence, Kamei-san said:"Good morning, Adelaida."
They went to the kitchen for breakfast.
Adelaida ate beside Kamei-san; even though a couple of years had passed, they had grown much closer.
The house had changed.
It was no longer the austere refuge it once was—now it was full of life.
Paintings and photographs hung on the walls, and on the shelves rested vinyl records and a few rolls of film they never dared to use.
There were five little music boxes—each one playing a different melody—porcelain tea sets, and flowers of all kinds decorating the room.
Among the decorations stood out a piece of Chinese art: delicate paper cutouts, hand-painted, forming a mural in the kitchen.
The kitchen itself was a work of ingenuity.The gas came from cow methane, channeled and installed by Nuriel.
There was a small storeroom filled with grains, nuts, dried meat, and fish.
Like everything in that home, each space seemed to have a life of its own.
Just by peeking through the doors, one could guess who lived in each room.
Jack's room was chaos—full of tools, sketches, and half-finished projects.
Dánae's shared that same disarray, but with a livelier, more playful air.
Nuriel's room was messy in a different way: mountains of books piled up everywhere—architecture, zoology, anatomy, medicine, mathematics, physics—along with manuscripts and scientific articles covered in notes.
Adelaida's room, on the other hand, was still charred.Nothing more to say about that.
And Kamei-san's was far too ordinary.
Adelaida almost always wore soft, floral fabrics—bright and delicate.
Kamei-san, on the other hand, had yielded a little to modernity.For about a year now, he had started wearing tailored clothes, though he still kept his long hair and braids, part of who he was.
Over time, Adelaida learned to understand Dánae.What once had been distance was now sisterhood.
The Vermont forest, once dark and confining, had changed.
It no longer felt like a prison of roots, but a peaceful, natural place.
The trees swayed gently,the flowers bloomed without warning,and the air was filled with scents that did not belong to this world.
In the distance, the cabin was no longer just one — it had become three.
The third served as a storehouse,where they kept the metals Kamei-san dug from the earth — gold, silver, copper, quartz, lead, iron, and others in smaller amounts.
Water channels ran through the fields,nourishing the crops.
The venomous insects had vanished,leaving only bees, earthworms, spiders, ants, moles, and a few fruit flies.
Rice grew untouched.The tubers and fruits ripened quickly.
By Jack's decision,the cougars and wolves that once prowled the valley were wiped out.
They also built stairs leading up the hill,and a stone tower that Kamei-san carved for storage and observation.
Every dawn,Jack, Nuriel, Dánae, and Adelaida climbed up there to organize their tasksand lift their prayers to the God of Israel —the God who had brought them to this place.
At the far end of the field stood Nuriel's laboratory.
There he studied divine force,watching how Creation responded to the will of the Creator.
He sought to understand the gifts God had entrusted to the saints...and the mystery of that forest that, without speaking, heard everything.
But in the end,none of that truly mattered.
Because they had all the time in the world.
Wars no longer existed within that forest.There was only peace — strange, profound.
A calm that seemed to have no end.
That was why Jack remembered the confined forest with a bitter taste.
When he was mistreated by Galton,the forest reacted to that pain — it darkened,it became hostile.
It was as if the forest itself shared his trauma.
But all that was behind him now.
Everything had changed.
At last,he was given the chance to love.
ChatGPT dijo:
Jack was eighty-one years old, yet his face still looked that of a young man.The gift of Creation had frozen his age in appearance, keeping him somewhere between twenty and twenty-five.
Adelaida, though she still limped, tried to get closer to Kamei-san.And even if time seemed not to touch her, Vermont was different.
There, time flowed in another way — slow, suspended, almost unreal.The only thing that truly existed was peace.
Since Galton's departure, nothing had been the same.He hadn't returned since 1946… and seemed to have no intention of doing so.
Adelaida was now a mature woman.A month ago, she had turned thirty-eight.Nuriel was thirty-four, and Dánae — now twenty-seven — spent her days reading or writing letters she would never send.
That day, Nuriel was exploring the edge of the forest.Something in his mind kept him uneasy; he spoke almost aloud:
"There's something strange about this forest."
"Even though we still can't leave… it no longer bothers me.This place has become my home, and I don't feel the urge to leave."
He looked around, watching how the light filtered through the trees, moving with an almost organic rhythm.
"I'm starting to notice patterns in its behavior —the way the foliage reacts to temperature, the irregular light cycles,the way sounds seem to adapt to our presence.
It could be a highly sensitive ecosystem… or something else."
"I think I was wrong to assume this forest exists only in an additional plane."
"I'm starting to form an alternative hypothesis —that this forest is, in itself, a living entity.
Not a collection of isolated organisms, but an integrated system —a shared biological and spiritual consciousness.
Or… maybe… a combination of both."
Then he remembered Kamei-san's words, spoken many years ago:
"There are two types of spirit — the one that shapes inert things, and the one that shapes organic life.We are life. The spirit responds to the living being."
Nuriel lowered his gaze, silent.He thought to himself:
"If that's true… then why does this forest behave like a living organism?"
"There's empirical evidence — the plants don't follow the patterns described in any botanical treatise.They react to external stimuli, but not in predictable ways.They seem to respond to some other force I don't understand."
He scratched his hands, uneasy.
"It could be a form of environmental homeostasis… or something more complex."
"There are moments when I feel the forest is listening —that the roots communicate with each other, and with us."
'Not just living matter… but a conscious spiritual network.'
"A collective response system.If that's true, then this forest doesn't contain life —"
"It is life itself."
He went silent for a moment.
Though he had partly overcome the trauma of the concentration camps, Nuriel remained reserved, introspective.He was no longer the same young man he once was.
Now, he lived to research — to understand the invisible structure of Creation.He didn't just train divine force; his spirit resonated with it.The gift of Creation flowed within him like a quiet current — as natural as breathing.
While Nuriel reflected in silence to the west of the forest,to the south, near the cabin, Dánae bathed in the waterfall with Jack.
They were competing to see who could make the biggest splash, laughing like children… or siblings.
Dánae looked at him with a teasing smile.
"You know, I knew it from the moment I met you — you were going to be boring… and look at you, you still are. Old man."
Jack frowned.
"Hey, don't start with that nonsense, alright? What are we… what…?"
"What are we what?" Dánae asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jack lowered his gaze."Shit… I can't think of anything. Forget it."
She burst out laughing and gave him a few playful pats on the back.
"You know, Jack, it still surprises me that you have no sense of humor.But it's fine — I like you that way: dumb and slow to come up with something clever."
"Just shut up," Jack said.
She was a grown woman now — confident, free.She laughed without fear.
Meanwhile, Adelaida was preparing lunch inside the house.Kamei-san appeared behind her in silence, carrying that usual calmness.
"Woman," he said, "would you like me to help you?"
"Ah… yes, of course. Sorry, I was distracted," Adelaida replied with a nervous smile. "Please, help me."
Everything seemed peaceful and beautiful, yet there was something in the air…a feeling hard to name.
Adelaida paused for a moment, her eyes distant.
"Why do I feel like we're losing track of the years?" she whispered."I'm supposed to be thirty-eight already, but…I can't believe that one day I fell asleep, and when I woke up, three months had passed."
"It's not a metaphor — I literally slept for three months. Again."
Kamei-san crossed his arms, thoughtful.
"That's because the confined forest of Vermont isn't just a physical place," he said calmly."It's a spiritual environment, and it reacts to the state of the soul.
If we are calm… time is calm as well.Or perhaps," he added with a faint smile, "it's just my imagination."
He paused briefly before continuing:"Nuriel is studying that phenomenon.And although we don't have conclusive results,technically, the forest behaves like a living being.At least, that's my current hypothesis."
His voice dropped a tone."Even Dánae has slept for almost an entire year. That worries me.It's one of the reasons I prefer to spend some time outside…
Out there, time flows with more consistency.But in here…"
He looked toward the window, where the light shifted as if it were breathing, and said:"But I don't mind it. I think you and I… I mean, we could live here forever… right?"
Adelaida lowered her gaze, blushing, as Kamei-san gently wrapped his arm around her waist.
And at that very moment, the door burst open.Nuriel kicked it in and shouted:"Shit, I haven't found anything!"
Adelaida and Kamei-san stepped apart awkwardly,as if they'd just been caught doing something they shouldn't.
"Nuriel… what's going on?" Adelaida asked.
"It seems I'm getting nowhere," he said, his voice heavy with frustration."I don't have enough materials.
I've realized that, to study the spiritual phenomena of this forest,I'd need someone like Kamei-san.
But Kamei-san is too ambiguous, and honestly… I'm about to give up."
He ran his hands through his hair, exhausted.
"I've been to the forest's boundary more than once,and when I think I'm about to break through the barrier… I end up on the other side.
It's like running around a ball.It makes no sense… I've been researching for ten years and haven't achieved a thing.Frankly, I'm frustrated."
Kamei-san looked at him calmly."I think you should rest," he said quietly.
Adelaida took advantage of the silence to murmur:"There's something that puzzles me… how is it that the vegetables we grow never rot?"
Nuriel threw up his hands, exasperated."I don't know, woman! Alright? I don't know!"
"I don't understand why what we planted a year ago is still fresh when we harvest it.I also don't understand why the trees seem to scream when we cut them…or why the grass seems to sing when we step on it."
He paused, slamming his hand on the table."This place is too strange. It's… it's… I don't even know what to say.There's no scientific answer. No logical explanation.
It all feels like an illusion.It must be our perception."
Suddenly, his tone changed — more thoughtful.
"The best way to study it would be by consulting someone blind.Maybe that way, it could be understood differently.
Or someone deaf…No, not mute. A mute wouldn't help."
He turned to Kamei-san."What do you think, Kamei-san?"
"Rip out my eyes and you can try it," Kamei-san replied sarcastically.
Nuriel sighed."Ah, damn it… you know what, Kamei-san? Fine. I'll take your advice. I'm going to sleep."
At that moment, Dánae burst into the kitchen, slamming the door open.Her voice rang out in her usual sarcastic tone:
"Adi! Listen to me carefully — don't cook for me, okay? I'm going out with Jack."
Adelaida looked at her in surprise."And where to?"
Jack appeared behind her, visibly excited.
"We have an idea. Lately, for some reason we don't understand,Dánae says the mountain is covered in snow," said Dánae."And I… I haven't seen it in years. Literally years. And I love that!"
Jack jumped in, thrilled."And you know what? We're going to cut down a tree, make a sled, and slide down at full speed.One so strong it could plow through the earth if it had to!"
Adelaida frowned."Snow… I'd almost forgotten that word."
Jack burst out laughing."But seriously, what is snow?"
"You'll love it," added Dánae. "It's like dirt, but frozen."
Jack looked puzzled."And you can eat that? Why are you so excited?"
Kamei-san intervened calmly."Don't worry. Adelaida and I will stay here."
Dánae grabbed her tools and walked over to Jack."Come on, Jack! Let the lovebirds be."
Then, with a teasing grin, she looked at Adelaida."Don't worry, Adeli. I'll leave you alone with your boyfriend.I'm sure you'll spend the afternoon making out.
I know you've been wanting him for years."
Adelaida blushed instantly.And though Dánae wasn't entirely wrong… she hadn't taken even a single step with Kamei-san.Not one that mattered.
"Just go already… stop teasing," she muttered, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Jack grabbed Dánae by the collar of her jacket."Dánae, we're leaving. Leave them alone."
Before stepping out, Dánae turned around — half joking, half threatening."Hey, Kamei-san… I've always seen you as a father.But if you ever do something with Adelaida, I swear I won't see her as my mother.That'd be weird."
Jack sighed and pushed her outside."Come on, idiot."
Silence filled the entrance for a few seconds.
Then, in unison — and somewhat reluctantly:"Let's eat.""Yeah, let's eat.""Let's eat."
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers to the south, things didn't smell like peace.From Vermont, the world drifted toward another corner of the continent…
It was night, far from Rio de Janeiro — around nine o'clock —and the jungle smelled of humidity.
Helena appeared tied to a tree, from her chest down to her legs.She looked at the river, the shadows, the footprints in the dirt, and whispered, confused:"What…? How…?"
Everything smelled like a dream — the drug, the hotel, the emptiness between one memory and another.
She was hyperventilating, on the verge of screaming in panic, but swallowed hard instead.
She felt that if she screamed, everything could get worse.
A dry noise shook her: something fell through the branches as if it had been waiting there, hidden.
A hooded man emerged holding a snake.
With a swift motion he severed its head from its body; the head rolled and the snap mixed with the crackle of the campfire.
The shock and disorientation hit her at once.
Helena gasped, her chest tight, cold sweat running down her back.
She felt the shadow in front of her could hurt her… and fear tore a muffled scream from her:"Help! Help! Ma…ma!"
The man approached calmly.
The dagger grazed her neck and stayed lodged. Then he covered her mouth with his hand to stop her from screaming.
Helena felt courage slip away as she realized she couldn't even move.
Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst out of her mouth.
Her eyes trembled, as if her fear even warped her own perception.
"Shut up, girl," he said in a hard voice. "I'm doing this for your own good.
Imagine: you wake up disoriented and run into any animal — that would be a problem; saints are strong… but we can lose our lives."
He uncovered his face, and like a silhouette — an epiphany of something already told before — she could see that the man was about forty, with a rough beard and a physique that needed no proof.
He spoke arrogantly. There was no doubt: it was Galton.
Sitting by the fire, skinning the snake as if it were a trophy, he asked in a harsh voice:
"Do you know how long it took me to find you, girl? God seems more intent on testing me every time a saint appears."
Helena trembled; her gaze drifted between the dagger and the river.
Galton looked at her with a mix of annoyance and resignation, and said bluntly:
"I'll make it clear: this time I want to do it differently… You are the saint of light… and I have to take you to Vermont.
But first I have to help you control your gift… You'll help me find the saint of ice… This time I won't do it like last time, not after what happened.
If that speeds up my death, then so be it."
Helena didn't understand. She shook her head, frightened. Galton clenched his jaw.
"Girl," he warned, "if you try to grab the dagger, I'll throw the snake's head at your legs. Want that?"
She shook her head. She thought quickly; she knew any wrong move could make things worse.
At that moment the night split with something that didn't belong to the mountain: a cherub appeared, descending from the air as if down an invisible stair.
This cherub was different: while the previous one had the head of an ox, lion, eagle and a human face, this one bore the heads of a reptile, a jaguar, a man and a bear.
"Finally you show up! I haven't seen you in a year. Tell me… is she or isn't she? I'm in a good mood; I'll believe I'm wrong. We all make mistakes."
The cherub looked at him sternly and replied as if issuing a decree:"She is the saint of light."
Galton spat an insult."Damn! The saint of light is going to be a prostitute? It makes no sense. There's no place for that.
I've never understood why God chose women… but whatever.
I get it: it's supposed to give some cosmic balance, but this really makes no sense."
"God chooses the most fit," the cherub replied, impassive. "If He chose Helena, it's because there's no one better in this time — nor in the next — to handle that gift. You will take her to Vermont. That's the order."
Galton tensed; he wanted to avoid going to Vermont, for reasons beyond Jack."I want to train her," he replied. "Help me find the saint of ice and the one of metal. The world has become too dangerous to walk through."
The cherub did not hesitate."Take Helena to Vermont. That's the order."
Galton protested, looking for loopholes:"Why don't they give me a partner? Why does all this have to be on me? I don't understand."
"You already had a partner. His name was Kamei-san… and you despised him.
You were about to kill the Saint of Lightning, the one of Wind, of Nature and of Fire. God does not forget what you did to Jack."
"Understand this… God allows angels to speak from time to time."
"Humanity always blames the Creator for its mistakes. They never take responsibility."
"They cast their guilt upon idols or other men."
"They think rebellion is independence, that it makes them different. They believe that with a speech they can challenge the Lord of Hosts."
"But they're nothing but fools."
"If only they knew everything we've done, everything we've tried to do to help them… and still, they refused."
"The wicked act; the good do nothing; and the bystanders believe this is all just a show. They think these are only legends."
"Now those who call themselves 'righteous' sit down to place heavy burdens on others and cause injustice, never measuring the weight their decisions carry in Heaven."
"They think their offerings, their tithes, their false faith are heard by the Creator."
"God hears nothing that comes from a proud heart or any act that resembles the rites of Babylon."
The cherub's voice turned into a sentence:
"The saints God is choosing are proof that He still loves humanity. But you do not love God."
"God knows you are innocent, but you choose to live as sinners. If that's what you want, then God will destroy you and save only those who deserve to enter."
"The New Jerusalem is far too small for all of mankind."
"When you stand before Judgment and watch the first man be condemned, you will beg for mercy."
"You will be afraid."
"Man can live by his own love, but if God removes His love from the spirit, all he'll think about is how to die."
"Life is sustained by love, for love upholds the pillars of the purest act of Creation."
The angel vanished.
Helena was in shock, and as a reflex from her fragile mind, she screamed with all her strength.
The air escaped her lungs as she tried to break free, hurting herself against the friction of the ropes.
It felt like she had seen the most terrifying thing in her life — something beyond understanding.
Galton just stared at the campfire and said:"First, we'll find the saint of ice, and together with the one of metal, we'll go to Vermont. For that, I need the saint of light."