"Is that all, gentlemen?" Wisdow asks, looking at Thamiso and Ílliou.
"Yes, sir. This is the final mission report."
"Great. Before I dismiss you, I have something to discuss with you. Please, have a seat for a moment."
Thamiso and Ílliou, curious about what was coming, quickly pull up chairs and sit, without saying a word, making room for the general to continue.
"I know you've just returned from a mission and you're tired; after all, it's been seven days. However, I'd like you both to be back in the capital in a maximum of 11 days if you decide to visit your families," says Wisdow, with seriousness.
"Of course, sir. We won't have any problems with that; we'll be here. Could you give us more details about why you're calling us back earlier than usual?" Thamiso asks.
The general, opening the drawer of his wooden desk, looks for a cigarette and his lighter. After grabbing them, Wisdow slowly stands up, turns his back to Thamiso and Ílliou, and walks with short steps to the window in the room. After these moments of silence, the general begins:
"Please don't panic or get anxious about what I'm going to tell you, but to be straightforward, we're about to enter a complicated phase of the war."
Thamiso, uneasy, asks:
"Complicated? What's happening?"
"What's happening is that there are suspicions that rebels are infiltrating major centers of the empire. Last week, 7 rebels were arrested and later executed by the military police. They were found in an apartment filled with rifles, shotguns, and grenades," Wisdow says, tapping the cigarette lightly twice on the window edge for the ashes to fall outside.
Upon hearing about the possibility of subversives being inside cities, Thamiso and Ílliou nervously look at each other, as they had just witnessed and, in a way, contributed to something of the same nature.
"But how did they manage to gain so much ground without being noticed?" the eyepatch-wearing young man asks the general.
"I figured you'd ask, Artemisa," the military man replies, turning again to the duo and walking slowly toward his desk. Approaching it, the general opens the drawer on the opposite side from where he took the cigarette and lighter earlier. Taking a newspaper from inside, Wisdow tosses it onto the table in front of Thamiso and Ílliou so they can see the headline.
The duo looks alarmed at the newspaper the general left on the table. The main photo is of two people in military police uniforms decapitated. It's a very strong image. Just above the picture, the headline reads:
"Military police sentenced to death for covering up rebels and betraying the empire"
Both are completely distraught by the situation because it's exactly what they had just done by letting that rebel family go. Without having time to say anything, Wisdow continues:
"I believe this answers your question. There are military personnel covering up these terrorists, and because of that, they manage to infiltrate."
Staring seriously at both, he concludes:
"Because of this, if you have anyone or any suspicious behavior to report, now is the time to speak up. With that, we can better prepare and prevent lives from being lost."
Thamiso and Ílliou break into a cold sweat because this conversation with the general couldn't have come at a worse time. Struggling to control their emotions and anxiety, Thamiso can't immediately respond to Wisdow. Ílliou, who is a bit more composed than his friend, says:
"We have nothing to report, sir. We haven't witnessed anything unusual since we returned."
"Great. You're dismissed then, soldiers. Enjoy your short break because chaos is about to come... even greater chaos than we've faced so far."
"Thank you for your attention, sir," says Thamiso, with a slightly trembling voice.
Ílliou and Thamiso stand up, straighten the chairs, and get ready to leave the room. Opening the door, they both walk out calmly, closing it while Wisdow's gaze follows Thamiso through the narrowing gap. After leaving the room, they descend the stairs again, bid farewell to the secretary they spoke to when they arrived, and leave the military unit's door.
Outside, they start walking toward their dormitory where Lian and Stan were, and Thamiso finally calms down breathing the fresh air of an open space where he didn't have to face the general's scary expression while being questioned.
"We've become criminals, Ílliou."
"Yes, Thamiso. We chose this together, and now we have to deal with it."
"What if the people we let go cause problems in the future, and what if they find out about us?"
"It was a gamble; let's not think about the worst outcome. They won't find out; only we know what happened."
"What I feared the most happened; I put you in trouble," says Thamiso, blaming himself.
"Do you think you decided for me? Don't be so arrogant; I agreed with you, and we, not just you, let them go. You chose to let that boy grow and live, didn't you? So, don't dare to regret it now."
"You're right, Ílliou. But if it weren't for me, you wouldn't even know they were rebels; you wouldn't be guilty of anything."
"Thamiso, there's no use worrying about that now. We've made our decision, and we can't change it. Our biggest concern now should be what the general told us; maybe things will get worse, so let's focus on that."
"I'm afraid of what's coming, but maybe it will help us forget what we did."
In an attempt to set aside what happened and aiming to alleviate the guilt they felt, the friends went to their dormitory without mentioning the subject again. Now, they had something bigger to worry about, something they were unaware of. Of course, Thamiso and Ílliou would never completely forget what they did; after all, it was a serious crime of betraying the empire. But, at least, they could mature over time and punish themselves less.
Arriving at the dormitory, Thamiso opens the door but hesitates to enter, as Ílliou planned something to scare their friends so that they would feel that everything was normal.
"Hot!" exclaims Ílliou, throwing a flaming-covered stone into the dormitory where Stan and Lian were.
"What is this, Ílliou?! Have you gone mad?" says Lian, desperate.
Stan, who was reading a book lying on the sofa, without saying much, only uses his ice power to extinguish the flames around the stone. After extinguishing it, he says:
"It's obvious that you two have arrived."
Thamiso and Ílliou, laughing, enter the room where their friends were, and Ílliou says, trying not to laugh:
"Don't get so mad at us, Stan; you should have already gotten used to it."
"Stan may be able to get used to it, but I can't. Keep an eye out!" says Lian, infuri