She would never admit it, but deep down, she knew that this enigmatic man named Whurel represented safety for her and Yue-liang. That was the reason she could finally succumb to sleep by the small fire, deep in the woods, while he kept watch.

Her friend remained the same, completely consumed by apathy.

Interrupting her contemplation, she stood up. Sun rays pierced through the canopy, illuminating the forest floor, the undergrowth, and all the vibrant vegetation. Shades of green, yellow, and brown surrounded them, with only two exceptions.

One was the tall man in red and black armor, his gaze fixed ahead, beyond the trees in the direction they had traveled the day before. In his hand, he held a partially consumed strip of jerky, poised to take another bite. The other exception was Yue-Liang, lying on the ground, his eyes fixed on the remnants of the extinguished campfire. The boy’s grimy shirt mirrored the ashes.

Yura couldn't bear it any longer. She approached him and knelt down. The nourishment and rest had revived some of her energy, enough to engage in a conversation.

"Hey..." she whispered to him. "Are you alright? Can you get up?"

There was no response, at least not from him. However, it eventually came from a different source. She heard heavy footsteps, branches crushed under the weight of the massive man, as Whurel closed the distance. She glanced at him, but the fear that surged within her left her speechless.

His heavy hand landed on her shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine. She flinched but couldn't voice a protest.

"You won't reach him like that," he said.

"Like that? What do you mean?" she asked, confused with a raised voice because of the fear.

"Kind words, your care... They mean nothing to him right now. He has suffered a loss and is grieving. If you want to reach him, you need to evoke a different emotion," he explained. „A stronger one.”

Their gazes then turned to the motionless boy on the ground. He lay there, seemingly capable of hearing everything, yet he didn't budge. If not for the faint rise and fall of his ribcage with each breath, they wouldn't even know if he was alive. His eyes, vacant and hollow, revealed nothing.

"Let me try," Whurel interjected after a moment.

Before she could react, he gently pushed her aside, compelling her to step back. Then, with a firm grip on the boy's collar, he effortlessly lifted him off the ground, as if he weighed nothing.

Yue-liang's fingers wrapped around Whurel's wrist, his teeth bared like a wild beast, a display of his seething rage. His nails scraped against the metal, but it was a futile resistance.

"Listen to me!" Whurel bellowed, his voice reverberating through the forest. "Do you think lying on the ground and whimpering will change anything?! They killed your mother, and if you're a true man, you must make them pay! So now ask yourself a question. Will you make them pay, or will you lay on your ass and do nothing, so they can kill more mothers?!"

The boy didn’t respond with words, but his nails scraped a bit more against the metal protecting the warrior’s arm.

„Are you a man, or a wuss?! A man fights for what is his, and avenges those dear to him! That is what a true man is! Now answer me, are you a man or a wuss?!”

No answer came, so he simply released the boy, snorted, then turned on his heel and began marching in the direction he had been observing for so long before Yura forced his intervention.

The girl hurried to her friend, dropping to her knees. "Are you alright?" she asked, concern etched on her face.

He pushed her away, fixating his gaze on the towering figure of the warrior, growing smaller and smaller as it swayed with each step. Biting his lips until they drew blood, a growl of pure fury escaped his mouth. He leaped to his feet and sprinted after Whurel.

Yura watched for a moment but soon found herself following, unable to let them out of her sight.

„I’m a man! Do you hear me?! I’m a man!” Yue-Liang shouted before stopping abruptly and sliding on the forest litter because the warrior halted and turned around to face him.

„Words are just words. A man doesn’t talk but does instead. Now… Follow me. I’ll lead both of you to safety. I understand it’s hard for you to trust me, as I’m a complete stranger… And might have killed a few people… But you don’t have a better option. I’ll keep you safe in the wild, and get you to the man I spoke about before. He knows things. He will want to know more about the stone you found, and the mark on your hand… He might be selfish and annoying, but he is reasonable. If you play your cards right with him, he might help you with your revenge,” Whurel said, before turning again and resuming his walk.

„Who is that man?” Yue-lieng asked, moving as well, but then he stopped abruptly once more because the warrior halted again and turned toward him.

„Not directly, but he might put you on the right path for your revenge,” Whurel said, ignoring the question. „And don’t mention to him I told you this in the first place...” He added, before turning around and resuming his march.

The boy swarmed him with questions, but the warrior ignored them all. In this atmosphere, the two of them led the journey forward. Yura watched them from behind, smiling slightly, as the tense situation resolved itself in a peaceful way. Her friend seemed to return to his former self, which was another reason for her happiness, but behind it crawled a worry, hidden in the corners of her mind like a lurking shadow.

She was surrounded by the unknown. The man calling himself Whurel was nothing but a stranger capable of violence, which didn’t seem that bad considering the nature of the events that transpired around Yue-Liang and her, making him not the source of her fear. It was those events that scared her, as she had no idea what the future could bring and the dark thought kept whispering to her ear that whatever it was, it would be bloody.