Ellionora stood before me. Her face showed neither horror nor joy. A lifeless expression. A bloodied hand protruded from her chest.

  I wanted to look away from this grotesque sight. We'd spent the whole week traveling side by side. Joking and talking about various things. Though I never managed to trust either of them, I'd grown attached. And it turned into another betrayal.

  An innocent girl? In reality, a person ready to return me to my cage at any cost. And our accompanying "kind grandfather" turned out to be a monster-maniac that even the otherworlders couldn't harm.

  Behind the now lifeless body stood Gart. His impassive face was covered in blood and dust raised in this chaos. The surviving soldier shot at his back, but the old man didn't care.

  "This is starting to bore me."

  He turned to the fighter, but I wasn't paying attention to that.

  I watched Ellionora. The girl's body collapsed in a heap on the ground. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the grass dark crimson. Her eyes still looked somewhere into the distance, as if seeing what's only available to the dead. Strange... No grief, no disgust. All I felt inside was confusion.

  I didn't understand what was happening or what I should do. Raising my gaze to Gart, I saw on his back a small ring of withered flowers, that same ring that haunted me in nightmares and memories. The flowers fell one by one, revealing his essence. With each movement of the ring toward Gart's head, only a barely noticeable distortion of air remained. Just like...

  "It's you! You're that thing!"

  The past flashed before my eyes. Rage boiled over, and I lunged at this monster with bare fists. Didn't care that he could turn me to dust. Didn't care that I wouldn't hurt him!

  "Calm down, Luten."

  I jumped on him and knocked him down. He didn't resist or react to me at all. My fists shattered his bones, ripped skin from his face. Bloody bruises spread across his body, but he didn't care.

  "I saved you, and this is how you thank me now?"

  "Saved?! You only saved yourself! They were after you from the start! You deserve death! You killed Tarian! You!"

  I screamed in anger and pounded on him until my hands couldn't make fists anymore.

  I collapsed beside him from exhaustion and shock. Breathing heavily, I could only watch as Gart got to his feet. His body slowly healed. The skin closed up and returned to its normal color.

  "Yes. I saved you. You interested me greatly since our last meeting."

  "With what?! My weakness?!"

  "No. What weakness! You were able to become the gatekeeper's vessel. That would've torn anyone else to pieces. I might want to talk with you and ask for help with my business, but I won't. I know you'll refuse. Just answer one question for me."

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  He was silent. Either waiting for me to catch my breath or building tension.

  "Get to the point, demon."

  "So then. What's your goal?"

  I didn't expect such a question. Too vague, and what's the point?

  "What difference does it make? Everything I knew turned out to be a lie. I just wanted to survive. And now I don't even know why. Maybe I just want peace and freedom?"

  Gart sat on a fallen tree like it was nothing, brushing ash from his palm.

  "You know, when you live long enough, you start to understand that truth and lies are just masks the winners wear. And survival isn't a goal. It's just momentum."

  I wanted to object, but words stuck in my throat.

  "Want freedom? Then learn to be someone's chain, not just another cog. Otherwise they'll simply replace you."

  "A chain? You want me to become a slave?"

  He laughed quietly, but in that laugh I heard something very far from human.

  "Not a slave. An instrument. A force. You're not an ordinary boy. Something's breaking through in you that doesn't fit their laws. Remember who rejected you. And who extended a hand."

  I stood up sharply.

  "You're no hero, Gart."

  He just nodded.

  "And you shouldn't be the gods' toy. Even if they call themselves something else."

  I thought about his words. Probably still do. But then, those couple of minutes seemed like an eternity that allowed me to comprehend my past. I probably broke. Understood that I had no goal. No, it won't appear with a snap of fingers. I need to find it.

  "Alright, lad. Time for me to go, and for you too."

  Somewhere in the background a rumbling grew. Clearly reinforcements. Gart approached me and picked me up. I was like a toy about to be thrown.

  "Get stronger, Luten. Find your goal, and then we'll talk."

  "Wait, what are you doing?!"

  Like a projectile, I was hurled far upward. Breaking through the treetops with my body, I saw the gleam of river water below. Falling into the water, I immediately swam to the other bank. Getting onto dry land and wiping my eyes, I saw an otherworlder aircraft hanging above.

  No, not like before, bigger. The previous ones were many times smaller. This aircraft was clearly for cargo, as I saw no weapons on board. Hatches opened on the underside and huge silhouettes crashed to the ground with such force that the earth shook to the nearest trees.

  To the accompaniment of battle noise and explosions, I ran as far as possible. I needed to use the chaos to make it to the city—there they wouldn't dare do anything to me.

  I spent the rest of the day traveling. At some point I stumbled upon a trail and joined one of the trade caravans. These turned out to be village traders, hauling everything they'd grown on farms to the city.

  "Passes."

  A massive guard approached the wagon. Same dark blue uniforms with silver insignia, high collars, capital's coat of arms with the army symbol added. Same polished strictness as those I'd met then, returning with my brother to Alice—just new faces.

  One was younger, with neat stubble and a focused expression, the other hefty, with a slow gaze, as if falling asleep at his post. But they carried themselves confidently, and their rifles weren't for show.

  "Here you go, paperwork, sonny."

  A grandmother from the village handed the entry permit to the guard. She, like the other travelers, wore peasant clothes, all riding in an ordinary horse-drawn wagon. But that short time I spent with them, the world seemed carefree and simple to me.

  They lent me clothes, so I passed through the gate guards without problems and entered the capital. It didn't look like I was used to seeing it. The southern part of the city wasn't as wealthy and built-up as the northern.

  The road we took to the market was being repaired. Workers walked here and there doing something. Apparently, part of the road was allocated for railway construction. Now steel beasts would ride here.

  After saying goodbye to everyone, I moved along the indicated route to the wealthy districts with tall towers. The journey wasn't short, as the city had grown, making the distant royal palace look impossibly far away on my path for a long while.