After the fierce battle, we walked through the snowdrifts.
The wind was cold. Pure breezes reached my lungs... For the first time, I felt this way.
The moon shone through the clouds that were beginning to fade.
The light sparkled, blending with the sky and the earth, creating something I had never seen in all my years in hell. It was a sight that moved me.
Until our feet stepped in front of a house in the center of Casalini, it had a red tile roof and the colors of the walls pleased the eye.
"I live here. Let's go inside before the snow gets heavier," Daniel told them.
"I'm excited. Let's go inside," Luca exclaimed, overcome with enthusiasm.
Maldo's eyes were still fixed on the house, and he was inexplicably absent-minded, like a child who had suddenly lost his home. Daniel approached, gently took him by the arm, and led him inside.
They entered a warm living room, where the wooden floor reflected the dim light of the lamps hanging on the walls. The faint aroma of fresh coffee from one of the neighboring apartments filled the room.
They climbed the stairs to Daniel's apartment on the second floor. Daniel opened the door, and they entered a small but carefully arranged space.
The furniture was simple but reflected Daniel's calm taste: a deep brown leather sofa, a low wooden table with books scattered carefully on it, and a small flower in a ceramic pot.
Sturdy shelves on the wall held a selection of books and a few small statues that resembled old memories.
There is a door on the right, next to a narrow passageway leading to other rooms.
Daniel smiles and runs his hand over the cluttered table, gathering the books. "Excuse the mess, I haven't had time to tidy up... This is your new home, Maldo. I hope you get used to it."
"You have a wonderful home... it reminds me of your room at headquarters."
He closed the door behind him and began to wander around the apartment, taking in the details.
"I'll show you your room now," Daniel said, following him.
He headed toward the hallway, where there were three closed doors. He stopped at the door on the right, and Daniel quietly opened it. "This is your room... I tried to furnish it in a way that suits your style, but I found myself arranging it more like my own style."
"It's fine... It's beautiful," Maldo said, looking around.
Luca entered enthusiastically, exclaiming, "It's wonderful!"
The room was simple and elegant at the same time. The bed, with its dark brown, soft mattress, occupied the largest corner, and Maldo's bag was carefully placed on top of it. Opposite the bed was a small window that let in dim light, and next to it was a small wooden desk scattered with identical notebooks, all with black covers, and next to them was a small lamp.
Daniel approached, placed his hand on the wooden edge of the wardrobe, and said quietly, "I'm glad you like it. I've put several notebooks in there for you... I know you love writing. I've also put some clothes in the wardrobe for you."
A feeling of curiosity overwhelmed Maldo, prompting him to lean forward and open the door. In front of him, the clothes were arranged in light colors ranging from beige to brown, a far cry from the black he was used to.
"Thank you..." Maldo said, his voice a little low, as he touched the fabric. Then he added with a sigh, "But I prefer black." He closed the closet carefully.
Daniel smiled faintly and said after a moment of silence, "It's okay... You'll need these colors someday."
Maldo raised his head slightly, lost in thought for a brief second, before hearing Daniel add in a calm voice, "Okay... I'll let you rest now, but go take a shower first. You'll find the bathroom next to your room... and don't open the door opposite yours."
Maldo didn't know the reason for the warning, but he simply nodded his head, confirming that he understood.
Before leaving, Daniel stopped at the door and smiled slightly: "Tomorrow I'll take you on a tour of the city and show you the most beautiful café in this neighborhood. Get ready."
Maldo was confused for a moment and said with almost provocative surprise, "What trip?"
Although he knew the meaning of the word, he wanted to pretend ignorance, as he had always avoided going out or mixing with others.
Luca laughed loudly, shaking his head enthusiastically: "Forget about stupid Maldo.. I'm excited!"
Daniel chuckled lightly and left the room, leaving behind the echo of his laughter.
Maldo turned his eyes toward Luca, then pushed him away coldly.
"Do you know you're mean? Pushing a little guy like that?" Luca muttered grumpily.
"I know," Maldo replied simply, walking over to the window.
He stood there silently, contemplating the scene before him.
Moonlight spilled onto the street and onto the surface of the lake, which glistened like a thin piece of glass.
He took a deep breath, then whispered.
"This is the first time I've had a window in my room... It's a beautiful view."
Maldo took a deep breath, then walked over to the suitcase on the bed. He sat on the edge and slowly began to empty its contents.
The clothes were pitifully similar; all black, with no discernible differences, as if reflecting his colorless inner world.
As he pulled out one of the shirts, a metal necklace slipped out from between the folds and fell lightly to the floor with a short metallic clink.
He bent down and picked it up, staring at it for several long seconds. It was the same necklace that had never left his neck when he was a child.
" Isn't that the necklace you were wearing the first time I saw you?" Luca commented, looking at it with obvious curiosity.
"Yes, it is," Maldo replied in a low voice.
He looked at it again and whispered as if talking to himself, "I thought I had lost it... It's good that it's still here."
Luca tilted his head slightly, a small smile on his face.
"Aren't you going to look for the person who gave it to you?"
Maldo paused for a moment before answering, his tone clouded with something resembling determination:
"This necklace is still a mystery to me... I don't know anything about it, but I will soon." "
He slowly hung it around his neck, then turned to Luca, gesturing with his hand in a slight warning:
"Now I'm going to take a shower. Don't mess with anything."
A few minutes later, Maldo entered, drying his hair with a towel. His steps were slow, weighed down by the exhaustion of a hard day.
He threw himself onto the bed without thinking and let out a long sigh, emptying what little energy he had left in his chest.
He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then whispered weakly:
"Luca... I wonder what will happen tomorrow?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
His words were interrupted by a faint yawn, and he continued in a barely audible voice, his eyes growing heavy with sleep:
"I feel... curious."
Then he slowly surrendered to sleep, as if the night had gently taken him in its arms.
Luca approached with quiet steps, a small smile coloring his transparent face.
He pulled the blanket and covered Maldo carefully, then muttered in a soft tone closer to a whisper:
"Everything will be better... Don't worry too much, just rest."
His voice faded away little by little, and the room remained immersed in complete silence, with only his ragged breathing and the whisper of the wind behind the window to be heard.
Ha! What is this place?
Where am I?
The place was strange, but it gave him a disturbing sense of familiarity. Maldo couldn't remember when he had been here or how he had arrived, but his mind knew that something about this place belonged to him, something buried in his memory that he could no longer reach.
In the distance, he heard a bird singing, a nightingale, it seemed to him, but the beauty of its song did not reassure him; rather, it reinforced the feeling of alienation that filled the place. The air was cold, silent, and filled with an invisible pressure, as if the place itself was watching his every move.
Then Maldo felt a strange touch on his back. There were no footsteps, nothing moved, but the touch was real. He turned and saw a child standing there, his face unclear, but staring directly at him. The child did not come to scare him, but he carried a mysterious message, one that Maldo could not interpret.
The child suddenly ran away, and Maldo shouted without thinking:
"Don't go!"
He tried to chase after him, but he couldn't. An invisible force grabbed his feet and prevented him from moving. The ground beneath his feet began to shake strangely, and suddenly it let go of him, and he collapsed and rolled down a slope.
When he lifted his head, he found himself standing in a pool of blood. The air around him was filled with a strange, faint, incomprehensible whisper. He tried to move his head from side to side,
Then he saw the child himself. He was standing next to him, his face unclear, his eyes fixed on him as if weighing every thought in his mind.
"You killed me. You must die too," said the child in a faint but somehow frightening voice.
Maldo opened his mouth and tried to reply, "Wait... I..."
But before he could finish, two hands grabbed his arms. They pulled him hard, relentlessly, and dragged him to the center of the pool.
Damn... What's happening? I'm going to drown like this!
His breath struggled against the red water that was pulling him down. He tried to move his hands, but his body failed him; his strength was gone.
Suddenly, he woke up with a gasp. His body was dripping with sweat, his breathing was rapid, and his limbs were shaking uncontrollably.
It was a dream... he convinced himself, even though its impact still ran through his veins.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
Luca's voice was beside him, tinged with concern.
When Luca saw his eyes, he exhaled with relief and said, "Luca... I'm going to ask you a strange question, but answer me honestly."
Then he asked without hesitation, "Have I ever... killed a child?"