In a quiet moment under the soft moonlight, Nosil felt the warmth of Aya's words envelop him, filling his heart with tranquility.
His gaze wandered across her sorrowful expressions, and her closeness made him acutely aware of their deep connection.
He whispered, barely audible, "Thank you, Aya... I'm sorry about what happened earlier." Aya responded gently, "It's alright, as long as you're okay."
But the moment was fleeting. Aya lifted her head slightly away from Nosil and began to stand. Nosil's eyes unintentionally drifted to her bare body, the first time he'd seen a girl in such a state.
In a flash, he averted his gaze, turning his head away quickly, trying to hide his intense embarrassment. His face flushed red, as bright as a rose.
Aya noticed the redness of Nosil's face, then looked down at herself and realized she was naked. Anger and embarrassment flared within her, and she couldn't control herself.
She punched him hard on the head, screaming, "You pervert... look what you've caused... I'll kill you!... It's all your fault" Nosil, desperate, tried to explain, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look... I'm really sorry."
Seething with suppressed anger, Aya headed towards the river to retrieve her clothes, trying to cover her body with her hands as she ran.
She shot threatening glances back at Nosil, "Turn around or I'll kill you... do you understand?" Nosil kept his gaze averted, waiting until she was out of sight.
When Aya reached her clothes and dressed, she called out from a distance, "Come here... wash up and then return to the cave. We'll rest here tonight and decide our next destination in the morning." Nosil stood and walked towards the river, while Aya prepared to leave.
She spoke in a calm voice, "Don't take too long, I'll prepare the bandages while you're gone." Nosil replied, "Alright... see you later then."
Nosil began washing his body, trying to remove the traces of blood that were left from his battle against Makal, as Aya quietly walked away.
He stared at his reflection in the water, which mirrored a blurry image telling a story of his mysterious and secretive past.
The scars etched on his small face had appeared when he was just a baby, and he didn't know how or why they had happened. The more he gazed at his reflection, the deeper he sank into a whirlpool of unanswered questions.
Nosil knew little about his past or even his parents. This mystery surrounded him and slipped away every time he tried to grasp it.
The same was true for Aya, Bogod, Lerna, and Vano, his four friends who had shared this enigmatic journey since their early childhood.
They grew up together, and the mystery grew with them, surrounding them like an ever-present shadow. They knew there was something shared among them, but they lacked the details of their past lives.
What they all knew was that they had been saved from certain death by Maya, the enigmatic woman who had appeared in their lives for one sole reason: the mission she had given them.
This mission seemed more like repaying a debt for saving their lives, leaving them oscillating between gratitude and obligation.
Maya, the woman who raised the five children, seemed to Nosil like a kind, compassionate girl who had cared for them in their youth. When they grew up, she assigned them the mission as a form of repayment.
But this impression was just a thin veneer hiding a much deeper and greater truth.
Maya wasn't just an ordinary woman; she was a central figure in their world. Everything in it danced in the palm of her hand, controlled by her as she wished, guiding this world from the shadows, unseen by others. Every move, every heartbeat, played under her watchful eyes.
For the five children, they were pawns in a complex game, unaware of its rules or purpose. Yet, they felt part of a larger story, a story yet to be told, waiting for them to unveil and declare its ending.
And so, Nosil continued to gaze at his reflection in the water, realizing that the answers did not lie in the past but in the path ahead of them, the path where they would discover their truth and the truth of their world, no matter the cost.
For a while, Nosil drifted in his thoughts, floating between memories and fantasies. The atmosphere around him was serene, accompanied only by the faint sound of the wind as he immersed himself in contemplation.
He recalled the days spent together with his four friends and how they faced challenges with a united spirit.
Finally, he broke the silence, speaking in a low voice as if addressing himself, "I wonder how Lerna and Fano are doing; I haven't seen them in a long time." Then he added, more clearly, "Things have gone well for us, I hope the same for them."
Nosil emerged from the water slowly, as if transitioning from a dream world to reality. He felt a heaviness in his muscles and fatigue in his body.
He began walking back to the cave, opening and closing his hands, rotating his shoulders and head to shake off the tiredness. He muttered to himself, "I think my blood levels are returning to normal again... I was reckless the last time."
He reached the entrance of the cave, his voice preceding his steps, "Aya, I'm back." Aya's voice came from inside the cave, "Ah, I've prepared the bandages for you, they're over there." She pointed to a corner of the cave.
Nosil replied gratefully, "Thank you." Aya responded with a sarcastic tone, "Don't get used to it... this is the last time."
Nosil sat in the corner and began applying the bandages to his face, covering the scars that always reminded him of his unknown past. He approached Aya and asked for her help in wrapping the bandages on his hands. "Why don't you do it yourself?" Aya asked in surprise.
Nosil replied with a faint smile, "They won't be tight enough if I do it with one hand." He laughed a little and added, "They'll hinder me in a fight... you know."
Aya looked at Nosil seriously, trying to understand what he had been through. "Was that huge beast really that strong? I know he is a predator, but compared to Moka... He seems ordinary to me", referring to Makal, The smile faded from Nosil's face; he lowered his head slightly, then raised it again and said seriously, "he was strong no doubt... really." He added, "If he had known the nature of my abilities before our fight... I think we would have been evenly matched."
Aya was puzzled by Nosil's response but didn't comment. She finished applying the bandages and said, "Alright, I'm done..."
Nosil inspected the tightness of the bandages, and Aya added confidently, "Once we reunite with the others... we won't be defeated, even if we face all the predators at once."
These words reassured Nosil, a feeling of safety and comfort seeping into his heart.
He looked at Aya and replied confidently, "Of course... having Lerna, Vano, and Bogod with us makes us unbeatable." Nosil knew that true strength lay in their unity and that no matter what challenges they faced, together they could overcome them.
Aya pointed to a cloth bag placed in the corner of the cave and said softly, "There's some fruit... I gathered it while you were sleeping." She added, stretching her tired body, "I'll take a rest now... you take the watch."
With a faint smile, Nosil nodded, saying, "Sure, go ahead and rest... Sweet dreams." He then reached into the bag, took a shiny red apple, and began eating it slowly, savoring its taste.
Nosil leaned against the cave wall near the entrance, resting against a cold rock, and took a deep breath.
The moon was at its fullest, illuminating the sky with a soft silver light. The night's silence was deep, occasionally broken by the rustling of distant trees or the hooting of an owl.
As he kept watch, Nosil began to wonder again about Lerna, Vano, and Bogod. Were they alright? Were they wondering about him too?
His thoughts slowly faded, and he began to enjoy the surrounding peace. He took moments for reflection and contemplation, reassessing all the battles he had fought so far.
As he looked up at the sky, he felt a sense of calm envelop his heart, those moments where one feels a deep connection to the world around them.
He glanced at Aya, who had begun to drift into a peaceful sleep and smiled, thinking to himself, "She's much cuter when she's asleep.
It must be harder for her than for the rest of us, that's why she acts tough." He added silently, "They are my family, and all I have in this harsh world. I'll make sure they survive it".
And so, as the night drew its curtain, Nosil remained awake, guarding the cave entrance with vigilant eyes.
He knew that a new dawn would come, and news of what had happened would reach the four ruling families, and their response would not be long in coming.
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