After the events, Desza and his band of followers found refuge in a forest far from Resistance, in an abandoned house. There they waited until nightfall, having managed to evade Almirón's capture squad after an afternoon filled with attempts. Luck was on their side, as they lost thirty-eight of the forty men sent to eliminate them. It was easy to reward the survivors with ten million dollars each, who left with a suitcase full of money. Desza was euphoric to have obtained the secret documents of the Guilds, which they had sought for a long time to bring back Thanatos and purify the corrupt world.
As night fell upon them, Rŭsseŭs provided the necessary light for them to see, their group having dwindled from a thousand to just eleven members. Desza settled into a chair, worn by the dampness.
"Who would have imagined this house would be our refuge?" Dockly commented, cleaning his rifle.
"Did you live here before, Desza?" Jørgen asked, peering out the window.
"Of course I did, here I starved."
"That sounds sad," Jørgen remarked.
"Yeah, it would be if it mattered, wouldn't it?" Desza replied before bursting into a wild laughter that left everyone perplexed. Jørgen, curious, turned to see what made him laugh like that.
"Life can be a box of surprises; it just depends on how we give it meaning, whether good or bad."
Everyone paid attention to Desza's words until he decided to end the conversation.
"Enough talk. Today we celebrate the achievement of our comrades Jørgen and Isabel. Please give them a round of applause."
Desza stuck his machete into the ground and everyone began to clap with joy on their faces. Isabel felt flattered by the adoration she received, while Jørgen, despite his sad and empty expression, lifted his head and stared directly at Desza.
"Sir, would you mind if I take the first watch?"
"No, of course not," Desza replied, confused by the request.
With permission granted, Jørgen opened the door and stepped out of the house. As he walked away, the sounds of celebration grew fainter. Transforming his arms into metal, he began to cut through the tall weeds surrounding him before sitting under the light of the full moon, providing enough illumination. For the first time in a long time, Jørgen showed a smile as he gazed at the night sky.
Suddenly, Isabel emerged from the house and decided to follow Jørgen. She walked, scanning the area until she finally spotted his back. She immediately noticed that Jørgen was at peace, which was rare. Every time she had seen him before, he was always on high alert. Moreover, she remembered the nights they shared the same sleeping place; he would spend hours staring out the window at the night sky, never closing his eyes to rest. He was an enigma when it came to sleep.
Isabel approached cautiously, trying not to startle him, until she decided to touch his shoulder. Jørgen didn't react abruptly; he simply turned to meet Isabel's gaze. Despite the deep circles darkening his eyes, he managed to offer a faint, tranquil smile.
"Good evening, Isabel."
"Good evening, Jørgen. Do you mind if I sit beside you?"
"No, of course not."
Isabel adjusted her dress and sat on the log, making sure to place a handkerchief on the spot to avoid getting dirty.
"Why aren't you inside with the others?" she asked.
"I could ask you the same, Isabel. Why are you outside?"
He looked her in the eyes for a moment before turning his gaze back to the night sky.
"As I mentioned before, I'm on guard duty."
"Jørgen, at every gathering and celebration, you always keep yourself apart or simply ignore our presence. Why? Today is a special day; we've dealt a deadly blow to the Guilds. Please, celebrate with us."
"..."
"Please, answer me," Isabel insisted.
Jørgen lowered his gaze but kept his head held high.
"Celebrate, you say?"
"Yes, celebrate."
"What is there to celebrate? Celebrate the fact that we slaughtered children?"
"If you think like that, why did you come with us?"
"I seek a fairer world; I don't want to destroy it to rebuild it. Those creatures were surely normal people like you and me, with a close-knit family, and we took everything from them. Is that what you want to celebrate?"
Isabel pondered what he said but then decided to ask again.
"If you think that way, why do you stay with us?"
"Because you are my family," Jørgen replied. "I lost everyone I cared about four years ago, when I was ten. The fire appeared and razed everything—my brothers, my parents, and my mothers, all of them, dead in the night and by an unknown hand. That's when I met Desza; he took my hand when no one else would. He gave me a home and gave me to you. That's why I decided to keep quiet and not reflect on what I or he do. However, every time I go with Desza to cause trouble or to beat guild members with whom I never had dealings, I feel Sister Rosa in my head telling me that I am a disgrace to the things she taught me. But I can't do anything because I don't want to lose you."
Isabel was stunned by everything she was hearing. It was the first time she had seen Jørgen like this, remorseful for the path he had taken. She decided to ask him more about himself.
"Does all of this have to do with the fact that you don't sleep?"
Jørgen looked at Isabel, surprised by the question, but decided to confess. After all, it wasn't a secret.
"You see, I lost my loved ones while I slept, and to this day, I blame myself for it. If only I had been awake, they would still be alive, and I wouldn't have become what I am now. But when I met you all, I felt like a door opened before me, giving me another chance to protect what I couldn't protect before. And since that day, when I shook hands with Desza, I made a promise to myself never to indulge in sleep, to be alert to any danger that might harm you."
"But you must have rested at some point, right?"
"I haven't slept in over three years."
"How do you manage to stay on your feet?"
"My blood has metal in it, so it doesn't matter. My powers renew my cells, although they don't take away my fatigue. But you get used to it over time."
"I think you should rest."
"I can't. My actions have harmed so many people that they could come after you. No, sir, I'll be awake and alert. I don't want to lose you."
"But at least you'll be able to celebrate with us next time."
"Alright, I will."
Isabel stood up and took Jørgen's arm.
"What are you doing?"
"Let's go inside to celebrate."
"What?"
"It's a long time until next time."
With those words, Isabel led Jørgen, tugging him towards the house. When they entered, they saw everyone having fun. Playing music and dancing. Dockly was playing the flute, Guz the guitar, and Jane the violin, which belonged to Isabel. Then there were those who danced. Desza danced with Rŭsseŭs, Joel danced with his Rose, Azricam danced with Chesulloth, who had taken off the mask, revealing a beautiful ash-white hair and striking green eyes.
"Hey, Jørgen, I didn't think you'd come back. Come, brother, and leave the guard duty for later," said Desza as he danced with Rŭsseŭs.
"I'm sorry, I think I..."
Isabel dragged him onto the dance floor, and they both danced.
"Look, Jørgen dancing. Pinch me, it looks like the moon's going to fall," said Azricam.
Everyone laughed, including Guz and Joel.
"Isabel, I don't know how to dance."
"Neither do I, but since we're here, let's dance."
Desza, who was laughing hysterically, pointed at the musicians.
"Comrades, play something more lively."
Dockly winked at Guz and Jane.
"Let's do as the boss asked."
Dockly stretched his flute, Guz spun his guitar around, and Jane simply switched the violin to her other shoulder. And once they finished doing all they were doing, they started playing a music they had invented for special occasions, more lively and dynamic.
"There it is, I like it," said Desza as he danced with Rŭsseŭs.
Joel got tired and sat in an armchair with a white sheet, placing Rose on his lap.
"Everyone's happy today," said Rose.
"Yes, indeed. Today we've dealt a hard blow to the guild members."
Rose didn't reply; she just became disillusioned for a while, but then showed a cynical smile.
As they kept dancing, Jørgen started to feel uncomfortable. He had never danced in his life, but despite his lack of experience, he wasn't doing badly. In fact, he was doing quite well, but he was so worried about making a mistake that he didn't notice he was dancing well. His insecurity was so evident that it was amusing for the group.
"It's like watching Van Gogh trying to imitate Martín Quinquela," said Guz.
"What?" asked Jane.
"Oh, nothing."
"Come on, Jørgen, you're not doing so bad!"
"Hey, thanks, Dockly."
"Don't worry, just follow my lead."
"Which one?"
Isabel let out a giggle, but quickly recovered and guided Jørgen through the steps to make him feel more comfortable, and indeed, she succeeded.
"YOU'RE ROCKING IT!" shouted Azricam.
Isabel guided Jørgen's steps toward where he stood and gave him a strong stomp. So strong that Azricam let out a silent scream because he felt his armor sinking.
"That's what you get for messing with the iron lady," Rŭsseŭs said.
"Haha, that's what happens when you mess with very strong women, baby," Desza said as he picked up the pace.
But then Isabel sidled up to Jørgen, and this time, no one paid attention to them and continued with their own business.
"I don't know this step."
"Relax, I'll guide you."
Isabel, close to Jørgen, their dance began to slow amid the movement around them.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know, are you?"
"Me? Of course."
"I'm glad," he said with a slight smile. "Thank you for bringing me here."
Isabel buried her face in Jørgen's chest and said, "There's nothing to thank for."
The party went on and on. It was one in the morning when everything ended, and an hour later, everyone was sleeping, except Jørgen, who sat in a wooden chair with a mate in his hands, looking at the night sky with a cold gaze. With every sip he took from his mate, he never stopped looking at the moon and the stars. He felt at peace. Using his senses, he could determine what was around him. Then he turned and saw that Isabel was asleep on a nearby armchair. Because of how close he was to the armchair, Jørgen placed his hand on her forehead, brushing a few strands of hair aside and exposing her forehead. Jørgen stroked Isabel's forehead with his right hand; his black leather gloves were very thin, but he could feel Isabel's forehead on his fingertips. Then he withdrew his hand and looked at the sky again. Then, a door opened behind him. Jørgen didn't turn; he just moved his eyes to the left as if trying to sharpen the sound and guess who it was. When the first foot touched the room, he closed his eyes, showed a smile, and whispered softly.
"Is that you? Joel?"
"Oh, it seems your senses are sharp," Joel whispered back.
Jørgen stood up and brought his chair to the table, at least two meters away from Isabel, so as not to wake her. Joel followed him and sat at the other end of the table, while Jørgen sat on the opposite side.
"Trouble sleeping? Right?"
"Heh, something like that. Rose was having nightmares, so I took her to her sister to calm down a bit. When I returned to my bed, sleep had vanished, so I thought I'd take a little stroll outside, but I ran into you."
"Well," Jørgen refilled the mate with water and offered it. Joel accepted and took a sip.
"Thanks, now I won't be sleepy anymore."
Jørgen smiled and took another sip from the mate.
"Where did you get this from?"
"I brought it with me. Why?"
"Oh, nothing, it just seems strange to me that you drink this."
"Why?"
"Well... Your name is Jørgen Czacki, right?"
"Sure, but where I lived, mate was always drunk."
"Heh, I guess so, it was more plausible to believe that," Joel said sarcastically.
Then, Jørgen looked down.
"Tomorrow morning we'll have to hand over those documents to Pullbarey."
"Yeah, I hope after what we did today, it was worth it. Believe me, I had a really hard time with that strange guy; he hit me hard in the chest, almost killed me."
"Haha, it's incredible that you're skilled with needles, but not with powers."
"Very funny. I hope you have that confidence when you have to fight Candado."
Jørgen wiped the smile off his face and showed his serious attitude again.
"I'm sure Candado will come after us. After what we did, it's more likely to believe that he won't just sit idly by."
"You talk as if you fear him."
"I should fear him. After all, Candado was able to snatch powers from Desza. If he were to catch me, he would snatch mine too."
"Thank God I don't have powers like you; my sight alone is powerful enough."
"That's not enough to not fear him. It's stupid to say that."
At that moment, Guz interrupted the conversation; he was leaning against a wall, watching them closely. His mask in the darkness was creepy, and his clear eyes shone in the darkness like a cat's.
"Guz, I thought you were asleep."
"Jørgen, Jørgen, Jørgen, I always wake up at this hour, you just don't notice it, since you and I don't share rooms."
"I'm sorry, I've never noticed."
Guz walked over to them and grabbed a chair, sitting at the head of the table, resembling a director in a boardroom.
"Hello, early birds."
"Hi, I see you love getting up at this hour."
"The parasites in my body need it. I sleep four hours, five at most, so it's very common for me to wake up at this hour."
"Wow, you're an enigma for our group, always so reserved."
"Don't talk like that, Jørgen, because there's no one more mysterious than you here. You don't sleep, you don't talk much, and you don't even attend Desza's meetings."
"Better, I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Exactly, better shut it. And what were you talking about?"
"About Candado and his danger to you," Joel said sarcastically.
"You should fear him too," Jørgen said.
"I have no reason to fear him; he can't take anything from me, I don't have powers, although they think I do."
"And what about your sisters? What about Jane?" Guz asked.
"I wouldn't let someone like him lay his damn hands on them."
"Now that I think about it, I never saw Rose's powers," Jørgen commented.
"Ah, her, only Jane has powers in our family," he then changed his attitude and became nostalgic. "After our parents."
When Jørgen heard that, he stopped drinking his mate and set it aside.
"Sorry for asking."
"No, it's okay."
"Once, when I was cleaning the house, I overheard Desza talking about you with Azricam, a year ago. I remember he mentioned you as 'mercenaries' and that you were called 'The Wandering Brothers'. That got me thinking, why do you call yourselves that?"
Joel pulled an old watch out of his pocket and slid it across the table. Jørgen grabbed it and examined it closely.
"That belonged to my father. He gave it to me when I turned nine."
"It's a very nice gesture on his part, also old and expensive," Guz praised.
"He was a Circuist, and my mother was a guild member; however, that union was not compatible. Three years after he gave me that watch, while I was going to school, guild men murdered my parents. I remember I took Rose and Jane, we ran and ran, until we jumped into the river to survive."
"What happened next?"
"We became mercenaries. Jane and I accepted work from anyone: kidnapping, stealing, and above all, making life impossible whenever we could for the O.M.G.A.B."
"I never heard you mention the word 'kill.'"
"That's because we only focused on that, we never even thought about killing. But Jane and I gained experience."
"Kill? Who?" Jørgen asked.
"Anything that bothered us: kidnappers, murderers, and rapists."
"Did Rose ever kill?" Guz asked.
"No, I never allowed her to. In fact, we were the ones who did the job."
"Where did your surname Wandering come from?"
"An American businessman came to us one afternoon, a rainy afternoon. He wanted us to kill a family to make his employee suffer for winning a lawsuit against him. We refused, but he wasn't satisfied. He came back the next morning with our sister in his arms, threatening to kill her if we didn't accept the mission."
"And what happened?"
"The answer came quickly. We went to where the kidnappers were and we took them out, every single one of them. We found Rose, chained up, dirty, and beaten. Seeing her like that was enough for us to end his life, but not before torturing the man. His screams and insults didn't reach us, as we didn't understand a word he said. We had killed his translator, so there was no way to understand him. But we did manage to extract a word from him that he kept repeating: 'Wandering.' He said it the first time we saw him. So, from that day on, we called ourselves 'The Wandering'."
"It was too chilling, I can almost say it scared me," said Jørgen as he sipped his mate, with his serious demeanor.
"I think it would be better if you kept those comments to yourself."
Guz adjusted his mask and looked out the window.
"I wish I could know what will happen tomorrow."
"You can find out. It's fun to know things rather than predict them. It would be boring to know in advance what might happen," said Jørgen as he sipped his mate.
"In my case, it would be useful, because I would like to know how long this will last."
"It will last as long as it needs to."
Guz leaned forward and looked at Joel.
"It will last as long as it needs to? Of course, I suppose you're cunning enough to say that."
"What do you mean?"
"Joel, don't be naive. How long are you going to fight to secure a future for your sisters?"
"I'll fight until my body says enough."
"Nice words, but..."
"Guz, silence," said Jørgen as he watched Isabel shifting on the sofa. Guz fell silent and reclined in his chair, while Joel looked at him, trying to figure out what he was about to say.
"Wow, in love, keeping quiet for a girl like her," Guz whispered.
When Isabel became still, Jørgen turned and continued sipping his mate, completely ignoring what Guz had said.
At that moment, a door opened and Rose came out, half asleep and wearing her teddy bear pajamas.
"Joel, I need to go to the bathroom."
"I'm coming."
Joel stood up and walked over to her, took her hand, and they walked down a hallway to their right, both disappearing from sight.
"Heh, that boy. How long is he going to be her babysitter? A girl who can't even go to the bathroom by herself will be an easy target."
Jørgen poured the mate and slid it into Guz's hands.
"Drink up, you'll feel better if you try it a little."
Guz lifted his mask slightly, revealing part of his chin, took the mate, and sipped it.
"It's been a while since I've had mate."
"Then, it's your lucky day," said Jørgen with a crooked smile.
"I think I should make a hole around the mouth area to be able to drink, right? It's too annoying to drink like this, I can't see."
After saying that, Guz lowered the mate and slid it back into Jørgen's hands.
"Thanks," said Guz as he adjusted his mask.
"Don't mention it."
At that moment, Jørgen took out a book and started reading it.
"You know, I think this is the first time we've all talked together," Guz remarked.
"I thought so too, Guz," Jørgen replied.
"I think we should do it more often, don't you think?" Guz suggested.
Jørgen looked up, showing relaxation on his face once again.
"That would be great, yes," he agreed.
Guz was surprised to see that expression on Jørgen's face, so much so that he was about to comment, but at that moment, Joel appeared with his sleepy sister Rose, who had a smile on her face.
"Good night, everyone," Joel said in a very low voice that was barely audible.
He nodded in acknowledgment, while Guz just waved his hand. Rose smiled, but she was swaying; she couldn't stay still for a moment.
"I think you should send her to bed, Joel, she can't even stand," Guz remarked.
Joel lifted his sister and carried her to her bed, opened the door, and placed her beside her sister. She quickly hugged her sister and fell asleep instantly. Joel smiled, stroked both of their heads, and kissed them on the forehead. Then he left the room and sat back with his companions.
"You know, I think you should teach that little one how to fight," Guz suggested.
"What makes you think she can't defend herself?" Joel asked as he sat down.
"Please lower your voice," Jørgen interjected.
"We're sorry."
Jørgen slid the watch into Joel's hands and said, "Take care of it. It's a gift from you and your family, and I imagine it's the only one, so take care of it."
"In fact, it's not the only memento from my parents," Joel smiled and pointed his thumb behind him. "They are also a reminder of my parents, I think you should consider that, always."
"Wow, how deep," Guz commented.
"We all have something we want to protect, that's how we Witnesses are, right?" Joel asked.
"It's true, I protect my identity," Guz said.
"How subjective," Joel remarked with a smirk.
"Now that you mention it, it's true, everyone protects something," Guz agreed.
"Rŭsseŭs protects his cat, Dockly protects his family, you protect your identity, Chesulloth protects his uncle, Azricam his parrot, my sisters protect each other and I protect them, Isabel protects her jewels, I think, Desza seeks to protect us," Joel listed.
"Wow, looks like you're bored," Guz said.
"What you call being bored, I call passing the time," Joel retorted.
"Wow, you really are bored," Guz repeated.
Joel just laughed at the comment, then looked at Jørgen, who had already stopped drinking mate to read a book the size of his palm.
"And you, Jørgen? Don't you have something to protect or someone you consider valuable?"
At that moment, the first light of dawn delighted the windows, the night was over, but the sunlight passed through one of the windows of the house and fell on Isabel's sleeping face. This caused her to open her eyes with difficulty, she got up and looked around the room, her light blue and clean dress shining in the morning sunlight. But after observing her surroundings, her eyes rested on Jørgen's back, while the sunlight continued to shine on her.
"Protect someone important?" Jørgen asked as he closed his book and looked around the room lost in thought.