As the dust rose like a witness to the bloody battle, the team stood at the edge of the forest, breathing the heavy air—thick with the scent of blood, smoke, and a bitter victory.
The scattered corpses testified to the ferocity of the confrontation, yet the eyes of the comrades held more questions than triumph.
A sudden, thunderous explosion ripped through the air as the organization's headquarters erupted, fragments of the building flying in every direction—
Announcing the end of the first chapter of the war.
A familiar truck approached, and OBASO appeared from the window, his face reflecting a fleeting relief after the storm.
"Everyone… are you all alright?"
Tension hung over them like a dense fog.
SOLIMON hadn't stopped glaring at MOHITO, as if trying to etch the accusation onto his forehead.
Finally, the silence was shattered:
"MOHITO! What was that thing you did back there?!"
MOHITO didn't turn, as if he were speaking to the wind:
"I completed the mission."
"What?!" SOLIMON lunged forward. "Are you kidding me? You put yourself—and all of us—in danger!"
MOHITO continued to ignore him, but SOLIMON advanced and grabbed his shoulder firmly:
"I asked you… answer me!"
The comrades intervened quickly:
"Everyone, calm down!" BELL tried to break the raging tension.
"This is not the time for us to fight," he added.
Reluctantly, SOLIMAN stepped back, postponing the confrontation.
OBASO glanced at the girl SOLIMAN was carrying:
"Who is she?"
ZICK answered, "A survivor. Seems she fainted from exhaustion."
"We need to get back to the tunnels now. This explosion is going to cause a lot of problems — and the mission isn't over yet." BELL as he turned his gaze toward everyone
"He's right — we need to inform the others of the new developments," OBASO agreed.
And so, everyone headed to the track in silence.
************
Beneath the Tunnel — Where the Walls Hide the Secrets of the Survivors
Everyone sat in a heavy silence, as if gathering the broken fragments of themselves for the next confrontation.
THE HOUNDS hadn't taken their eyes off the black sword; tension encircled them like a curse that had descended upon their group.
But Silence was broken by the girl waking up, confused as she looked around.
She saw SOLIMON sitting beside her, his gaze still holding the remnants of the storm.
"I'm… sorry," she whispered. "Who are you GUYS?"
SOLIMON turned toward her, trying to hide his anger behind a faint smile:
"You must be confused.
Let's just say that we are all victims of the organization…
And we've gathered for one purpose:
To make sure they don't get away with what they've done."
"Don't get away with it…"
The girl's eyes suddenly glowed, as if she had finally found a compass in her sea of loss.
"Comrades, do you hear me?"
The radio broke the quiet with ADEL's voice.
"Yes, we hear you clearly," OBASO replied.
"How are things over there?"
"We retrieved THE HOUNDS, but the mission failed.
Someone activated the self-destruct system—destroying everything. We're preparing to return now."
"That's good… I have important news: we've located SHOUTNA and the others."
"GHAZLANE, tell them what you found," ADEL continued.
"We detected a suspicious ship carrying the clearance of one of the missing royal vessels."
"Then that's our destination," BELL said.
"But there's something crucial: the ship departs in four hours from BAYADNA Port."
"Damn it! We have to hurry," CLAY said, tension showing on his face.
"There's a private jet at TZARIA Airport. Head there immediately and tell the guards you're sent by MAYNO. They'll fly you back."
"In the meantime, ZAKI and I will delay them," MESNAS said firmly.
"Alright, I'll join you," MAYNO added.
"Then it's settled. We'll meet you there as soon as we arrive. Stay alert," BELL concluded.
As everyone prepared to leave, the girl stepped forward hesitantly:
"Everyone… I know this isn't the right time, but thank you—truly—for saving me.
Despite everything you're going through… You still took care of me."
She sighed, gathering her courage:
"My name is SAMA…"
She looked down at the ground in embarrassment, and her next words came out like a broken whisper:
"I… I don't have a place to return to anymore."
Breaths halted in the room.
The group exchanged silent glances.
Fear and uncertainty were written all over her face, as if she were awaiting a verdict on her fate.
She felt her heart pounding so hard it might leap out of her chest.
Cruel questions echoed in her mind:
"Do they see me as a burden? Just a helpless girl who will slow them down?"
And suddenly…
Memories of the past crashed over her like a wave.
She felt the cold of that basement crawl back into her bones,
the smell of mold choking her throat again.
She imagined herself trapped there forever—
abandoned… forgotten…
But the nightmare was shattered by OBASO's calm voice:
"Wait… just a moment."
SAMA lifted her head in fear, only to find his eyes smiling at her,
and his voice carrying a gentle, playful warmth:
"Aren't you already one of us?"
She couldn't respond.
A strange surge of warmth burst inside her chest, like a ray of sunlight piercing a winter night.
She looked around at the exhausted faces—stern on the surface,
but in their eyes she saw only compassion.
Not pity.
But acceptance.
The eyes of a family.
At last, …
She had found a place to belong.
Her tears fell.
Not tears of sorrow or pain,
but the tears of a heart that believed it would never beat again.
And without realizing it, a smile—her first true smile in a very long time—found its way to her lips.
"Thank you… all of you."
"Welcome to the family, SAMA."
The voices rose together in a tired harmony—
Yet it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.
Everyone welcomed here except one…
MOHITO
He remained sitting in the back, holding his sword as if trying to grasp something slipping between his fingers.
His eyes were fixed on the distance—where shadows met darkness—carrying questions no voice could answer.
Knowing that some answers exist only at the heart of the storm.
And one voice whispered inside him:
"GIVE ME MORE…"