Sami spent a few hours lying beside the boy, or at least pretending to sleep. He wouldn't actually sleep in a dangerous situation like this, surrounded by enemies on all sides, but he needed some rest and to gather his energy. And so, after hours of waiting, he began to see the light of dawn creeping across the sky.
Then, suddenly, a massive explosion thundered. Its power was so immense that the sound didn't seem close; it was as if it had traveled several kilometers before reaching them. What terrified Sami more was that its source was the direction of the Clan's prison, the facility closest to the Colosseum. He felt intense discomfort and a sharp pain in his arm. The medicines he had used seemed to be working, and thanks to his Bound body, the bleeding had stopped.
He turned to the boy beside him and gently woke him. "Little Eagle" opened his eyes quietly, his eyes, which were always calm and devoid of any emotion. Sami wondered what made him this way, but he already knew the answer—the damned first ordeal, which still haunted him to this day.
Sami briefly explained the current situation to Little Eagle. The boy didn't show any surprised expression; he was fully aware of everything, as if he had expected this scenario beforehand. That's why he had resorted to the commercial center and hidden there, where he could find the resources needed to survive.
They took some bags and filled them with supplies. They had no idea when this siege would end or when the time to flee would come. Sami noticed a sticker lying on the ground; it had a picture of Niko's favorite character, the one he boasted about so much. He picked it up and put it in his pocket to give to him later. Somehow, he felt a strange comfort in doing that.
They began sneaking silently. Sami held the boy's hand and carefully pulled him along through the rubble, avoiding scattered metal and the destruction that had engulfed the place. Smoke was rising from several spots, and devastation surrounded them from all sides, but this was, in an absurd way, in their favor.
Sami's initial plan had been to escape the facility, but after hearing that explosion, he realized he no longer knew if the Clan itself was okay. Escape was no longer an option because he didn't know where to go. So he decided to stay and look for another solution.
On their way, he decided to pass by his room to retrieve his notebook. It wasn't the wisest decision, but he wasn't ready to leave it behind. It was still there, in his wardrobe. And now he was heading towards it with Little Eagle, under the golden dawn light and deep shadows.
They crossed the training yard, which was now nothing but debris. Little Eagle turned his gaze towards it, then lifted his eyes to Sami and asked in his usual voice, devoid of any emotion:
"Brother, do you think the old man is okay? I lost him when we ran towards the protection facility. I hope he's okay... He was kind to me."
Sami felt a strange relief that the boy had finally spoken, even if his speech was strange for a child. But it also affected Sami in a painful way. He didn't expect the old man to be okay after leaving him behind with that Demon, but he hoped so. He answered simply:
"Well, let's hope he's okay."
The boy lowered his gaze again and continued sneaking in silence for a short while. Then he lifted his eyes to Sami once more, and this time, there was something in his voice that Sami couldn't quite identify—perhaps a vague sadness.
"Brother, do you have a younger brother?"
Sami froze for a moment, then continued on his way silently for a few seconds before answering quietly:
"Yes, actually, I have two younger brothers... I wish I could go back and see them now."
"Why do you ask?"
The boy looked at him with the same dead eyes.
"Ah, I was wondering... how lucky is the person who is your little brother. You're so nice... I wish I had a brother too. I never had a brother."
Sami looked at him in surprise. He felt sadness for the boy's feelings, but he was also curious to know what made this child feel this way. He asked in a curious tone:
"Why?"
The boy smiled quietly as they continued their journey amidst the rubble and dust, under the dawn light.
"You know, brother? My words might sound strange, but I actually have ten brothers. Imagine that, ten brothers! And yet, none of them treated me like a brother... Maybe they just wanted me dead. In fact, they wanted each other dead too, but the one thing they all agreed on... was that I was the one who should die."
Sami looked at him silently, listening attentively.
The boy continued:
"And the most absurd thing is that the ordeal agreed with them. I entered the ordeal as the youngest person ever... Usually, no one talks about their first ordeal because everyone prefers to hide it. But do you know what my ordeal was? It was simply... an eternal prison. I was locked in a dark room, alone, for a very long time. No matter what I did, there was no way out, neither from the ordeal nor from life itself. No matter how much I hurt myself, I wasn't affected. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't die... And in the end, I stopped sleeping because I was afraid of myself... afraid I would hurt myself. I never wanted to be alone again. And so, after my mind completely collapsed, I died... but unfortunately, I didn't find rest; instead, I came back to life. And that was the trap of completing my ordeal... Isn't that absurd?"
Sami was completely silent. Perhaps the boy's words seemed simple, but Sami could read between the lines. He realized that the child he was holding hands with now... was extremely wretched. He had suffered in ways Sami couldn't comprehend. He felt sadness, anger, and pity, but he didn't let his emotions take over.
He sighed deeply, then forced a smile onto his face. He raised the boy's hand that he was holding and looked at him, saying in an encouraging tone:
"Well, if you don't want to be alone, just walk with me... and I'll never leave you alone."
A flicker of emotion appeared in the boy's eyes, and he smiled for the first time under the morning light.
"Okay, I'll walk with you, brother."
And so, they continued on their way in silence, but it wasn't a cold silence this time... it was comforting and soothing for both of them.
When they reached the stairs leading to Sami's dormitory, he noticed something strange—even though all the surrounding areas were destroyed, it was almost intact. They cautiously climbed the stairs, and upon reaching the room's door, Sami listened carefully. He felt a presence inside but sensed no threat.
He decided to open the door, and what he saw made him freeze in place.
There were two people inside the room, dressed entirely in white, in combat stances. One was a girl with bright white hair, holding a black sword, and the other was a slender blond boy holding a strange device.
It was "Niko" and "Aasia".
As soon as they saw him, they immediately relaxed.
Sami sighed, then said sarcastically:
"Well, it seems the situation isn't that bad after all."
To be continued...
---