Liora's sharp gaze fixed on everyone who passed nearby during the conversation, reading all possible minds.
'I'm hungry, maybe buying from the system wouldn't be so bad.'
'Being young feels so good... Every day I feel like I can do more and more.'
'Should I go visit my wives? Nobody is watching the southeast exit, good, it's just a pity that they all already seem like adults.'
Liora turned her head to see where that voice was; it was an old man's. 'Southeast...'
She raised her finger and looked at where the sun was. 'Did it rise in the east or the west?'
She wasn't able to see the sun well; it was covered by the large mountain near the camp, making the girl frown.
She lowered her hand suddenly and closed her eyes. Her mind cleared. She didn't think, but the others did. Each thought that arrived was different in everything and in voice.
Each thought came from a different side; after a long time, she caught another thought with that worn-out and now disgusting inner voice.
She turned toward where that thought was, then activated her on/off skill.
'Kael, I'm going to do something; when you finish talking with the old people, go to the southeast area and look for an exit there.'
'Huh?' A single thought from the protector was caught by Liora, but she didn't focus on it; she continued toward where she remembered having heard the voice.
She walked naturally; her slow step pressed down the tall green grass of the place.
'Hufufu. I'm going to visit them now; I hope they haven't behaved badly.'
Hearing this, Liora's expression darkened; even so, she kept walking with a light step.
Soon she spotted an old man touching the wood placed as a wall for the camp. That man had a warm smile, deep and strange black eyes, and a small beard.
It's the man who greeted them; the girl realized it the instant she saw him. A predator had fixed its sights on the newcomers.
He continued; with a strength improper for an old man, he moved the lower part of the trunk, creating a space so small that only small and compressed people could pass.
He left without problems, clearly accustomed to taking that path. He sealed the entrance with the same piece of trunk, without leaving an obvious change.
After waiting a bit, Liora approached and removed the trunk, doing the same, and passed through that narrow place.
On the other side she found a place full of plants, trees, and flowers. 'Maybe it's not a good idea to seal it again; if Kael sees it, he'll know this is the path.' She left the trunk to one side and searched for the old man with her gaze and her mind.
Her right hand trembled slightly at the sight of the darkness deep in the forest leaves.
'Since I have to pass by the river on the way, it wouldn't be bad to bring them some water.'
'Ahead.' After catching the thoughts, Liora knew where to walk.
Each step was light and deliberately slow so as not to make noise.
Liora caught the sound of running water, then saw the river. She scanned with her gaze for any trace of that old man, but she didn't find the old man; that pure and transparent water flowed calmly.
The path ahead of her was different from what she had imagined; now there was a passage where there had clearly been human intervention; the foliage of the place was reduced to nothing, leaving the path clear.
She nodded to herself to give herself strength.
Upon reaching an area with foliage again, she peeked out from among the grass. Behind, hidden among the foliage, a disgusting place could be seen; the entrance of a cave was exposed, full of blood.
A vomit-inducing smell filtered through the air. Liora, without knowing what it was that smelled so bad, drew closer, placing herself among the bushes.
"Come on, little one." The old man's raspy voice came from inside, then he came out into the sunlight.
The girl who emerged from among the shadows had only shreds of clothing covering her erogenous zones. Over her entire body could be seen the red of fresh blood and a blacker color, rotten blood. In addition, she had traces of feces over the rest of her body.
'How disgusting.' Liora felt her throat burn from the acid of the bile that began to rise from her stomach.
Suddenly the old man turned to see where she was. 'How strange, I detect fear and fury coming from there.'
A numbing cold pierced the girl's spine when she heard that thought. 'He's going to discover me, he's going to discover me.'
She couldn't take it anymore and vomited on the ground, then stood up and ran backward.
The old man reacted quickly, with the thought that Liora was in the camp, he followed her quickly.
'He... he.' Kael's image was imprinted in Liora's mind: his black curly hair, his skin of that same color, his eyes, his entire body, appeared with great precision.
'Kael, the short old man is a child predator, help, help me please.' That thought also repeated in her mind hundreds of times along with his appearance, trying to call him as quickly as possible.
The girl seemed like she was going to fall several times, but she kept her balance. Small tears began to sprout from her glands during the chase.
'I can't let her return to the camp; if some find out, I'll stop having Yuste's protection.'
'Liora! Where are you?' Kael's voice resonated in the girl's head, which made her happy.
'Follow the voice that sounds in your mind; it's like hearing screams.'
'The old man is allied with Yuste; he kills children, mistreats them, and who knows what else.' That thought was not only for the protector; she didn't limit herself to saying it once; she communicated this to all the voices in the camp that she could hear.
The girl's excitement rose upon knowing that she was only a few steps away from solving the problem. 'Liora, I can see you—'
Tak!
At the river the girl took a false step, falling into the water. Two leaves stuck into her back, a deep injury. The old man reached her in a matter of seconds with an invisible attack.
Soon a saber appeared in the old man's hand, with which he decapitated Liora in a single movement.
...
The river was stained with the girl's red blood; her head rolled downstream. The color of her blood diluted in the crystalline water, giving a terrifying tone.
Kael, the protector, stayed still in his place before that scene. "Liora..." He whispered to himself upon seeing such a terrifying scene.
"L-Liora..." He repeated, with his broken voice and an inaudible whisper tone, so that only his being could hear it.
Water appeared quickly in his eyes; a light weeping fell down his cheek, staining his clothes. A whirlwind of blue was created in his eyes; they were not tears: illusory threads took over his irises, creating a monotonous blue movement covering the empty black in his gaze.
'Is she dead? No... right? It's obvious, she clearly is... but... if Adriel were here, if I had had that skill to move faster and reach her.'
His fists clenched suddenly; a flash of determination appeared in his posture, but not in his gaze. 'If that damn old man were dead, this wouldn't have happened.'
The young man's empty eyes remained the same; that illusory circle kept spinning with more and more force. He turned around with tears still sprouting and falling like a waterfall, returning to the camp.