Earlier, before they reached the gate, they sat down to rest.

  The place was quiet, a frightening quiet. No sounds of monsters, no screams of death, only that heavy silence that fills the emptiness between the trees. The sun had begun to tilt, and the shadows had become longer, extending like giant fingers trying to grab them even here.

  They sat on large rocks.

  Suddenly, Clarissa approached.

  She was angry. Her anger was not like the anger of ordinary people. Her anger was cold, focused, like a knife waiting for the right moment to stab. She stood in front of Shin, looked at him with her dark eyes, then struck the rock near him.

  The rock was destroyed.

  Shrapnel flew in every direction. San raised an eyebrow, but he did not intervene. He was still learning how these companions worked, and how their emotions behaved in times like these.

  Clarissa spoke only one word: "Explain."

  Shin did not speak for seconds.

  There was sadness in his eyes. Not that superficial sadness that people show when they remember something painful, but a deep, old sadness, as if it was a part of him he could not get rid of no matter how hard he tried. He looked at the ground, then at the destroyed rock, then at Clarissa.

  And he began to say:

  "I hate bullies. But of course, bullying's punishment is not death. I hate harassers. But of course, their punishment is not death. But I am not regretful nor bothered by them. Quite the opposite. I just don't want you to think I'm a hypocrite. I show kindness, and at the same time I am like this. I have my reason."

  He was silent for a moment, as if the next words weighed more than he could bear.

  San spoke. His voice was calm, but decisive: "Say it. Make us support your decision."

  Shin raised his head. His eyes were burning with something resembling old pain, the pain that had not truly healed, only its owner had learned to live with it.

  And he said:

  "In my family... I had a little brother. Kind. Ambitious. He used to dream of big things, things a child like him could not achieve, but he dreamed. He used to come home with blood on his body. He used to try to hide it from us. There was a group that would hit him, tear his clothes, play very hurtful tricks on him. And my parents were busy away from him. Busy with their lives, with their problems, with anything else. And I... I was no better than them. I did not ask him. I did not try to protect him. I thought they were just children's problems, they would go away with time."

  He stopped. He breathed deeply. He continued:

  "My brother had stopped laughing. He stopped talking to us. Because he had grown tired of my father's words to him: 'Face them, stand up to them, they will stop when they see you are strong.' But he was not strong. He was a kind child, alone, who only wanted to live in peace. So the kind boy became sullen. He did not speak. Even on ordinary days, he was silent, like a ghost living among us."

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  Shin's voice began to falter, but he continued:

  "And on a very ordinary day... not different from any other day... the screams escalated from my mother. He had killed himself. In his room. Alone. He left a short message, a few words, no one truly understood them. But I understood them. I understood that he could no longer bear it. That the pain had become bigger than him. Bigger than all of us."

  There were no tears in his eyes, but the pain was there. Clear, real, like an open wound despite the passing of years.

  "I lost something that day. I cried. I got angry. I did not even know who did this to him. I did not step forward to help him. What a worthless brother I am. The grief I felt and the regret tore me apart for months. And they tore my family apart. My father and mother stopped speaking, until they divorced. And I went to live with my grandfather. As if they did not want me. As if my existence reminded them of their failure. Of our failure, all of us."

  He looked at the ground. Then he continued:

  "My grandfather was different. He was harsh sometimes, but he taught me everything I know. And the best thing he taught me was sword fighting. For long years of training, until the moment of his death. Then the black aura began to emerge from my hand. And what happened, happened. I became what I am now."

  Everyone was silent.

  No one spoke. No one moved. Even the wind stopped, as if the world itself respected this pain.

  Then San said: "How much was your price? A billion years?" and smiled, trying to lighten the mood for Shin.

  But no one smiled except him.

  Shin looked at him with expressions that did not understand: "I don't understand what you're saying."

  San looked at him in surprise. Before he could speak, Elena intervened.

  She was still watching the road, but she was hearing every word. She said in a calm voice, without turning to them: "I don't see what you did as bad. I understand. There's no need to make a big deal out of it. I'll watch the road."

  Everyone was silent again.

  San laughed.

  A strange, mocking laugh, out of place. Everyone looked at him. Clarissa with her angry eyes, Shin with his sad, tired eyes, and Elena who finally turned to look at him with astonishment.

  San said, his voice becoming sharp, and nervousness beginning to appear on his face: "Are you trying to make me kill myself or what?"

  His voice was not loud, but it was sharp, like a sword. And annoyance was clear in it.

  "Do you remember that we are in a place whose purpose is to kill us? Or at least bring us close to our death? Do you remember that we have made eight enemies for ourselves? Do you remember that one of the smallest things for survival is not to make loud sounds?"

  He turned to Clarissa: "You, you go to him and try to force him to talk. Yes, I understand your anger. But what do you mean by striking the rock with force? Are you sending an invitation to the curses and the enemies?"

  Then he looked at Shin: "And you. Do you think I care whether I am a hypocrite or not? We are here for survival. Survival only. I told you 'enough' earlier, but you did not listen to my words. And you did not just attack and kill some of them, you continued. You gave them the feeling that we would attack. You would have eliminated any way out of there without fighting."

  Silence.

  Clarissa and Shin were silent. As if they had accepted San's words. No wounded pride, no attempt to defend. Just the silence of acceptance.

  San went to Elena.

  She was smiling. A strange, light smile, as if she had seen something amusing in all this.

  San said: "What?"

  She replied with a strange sentence: "You remind me of my family."

  San did not speak. But his face showed strange details. A mix of surprise, curiosity, and something resembling caution.

  He said: "Do you want to call me 'daddy'? It's okay, I'll accept."

  She looked at him. A long look, as if asking: Really? Are you joking now?

  He said: "But at least, family is a good thing. I'm grateful for your feeling."

  She said: "Don't thank me. Because I hate my family. They are first-class politicians. Even among themselves."

  San said: "That's not good. Are you sure that I am like that?"

  Elena: "Are you truly not sure that you are not like that?"

  He did not answer her. He was only silent for a moment. Then he said:

  "Do you remember the cave? You said there were no words to thank me for saving you. Well, I don't need words. I only need your continuous support for me. You are the only one I feel I can speak honestly with. The other two might oppose my plans in the future. Do I expect you to repay my saving of you with this?"

  She smiled and looked at him. She said: "Okay. I was going to do this anyway."

  San said: "Perfect. I'll go rest for a bit."

  He looked at everyone. At Clarissa sitting in silence. At Shin still drowning in his memories. At Elena who had returned to watching the road.

  And he thought: I feel some kind of comfort. Finally.

  He looked at Clarissa: Noble, honest, her pride is enormous. But a few words of truth about the weakness of her actions were enough to deter her.

  He looked at Shin: From the moment we entered here, your choice of me to make the plan, to your decision to walk along the wall, to your cutting off their heads. Perhaps you don't know this, but you are the type I respect and am annoyed by at the same time. You are a leader by nature. But with mentioning negatives we have not yet experienced, and taking Clarissa's reaction into account, his confidence that he is higher in decisions was destroyed. I am the leader. And I am the one who will decide what will happen. I have no desire to put my life in the decisions of another person.

  As for Elena... I feel that any talk with her will make my situation with her worse. Therefore, all I have to do is exploit my saving of her, and a few words she said to me. This is enough.

  A leader by nature, with combat ability and high sword skills. With a governor's daughter, with enhanced strength from class C. With a girl who uses a special ability like me. If we survive several times, this group can take me to amazing places.

  He smiled a wide smile.

  For the first time in a long time, he felt that things might be okay. Not good, not perfect, but okay. And that was more than he had expected.