I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY, BUT IT WAS NECESSARY TO PRESERVE THE QUALITY OF THE PLOT AND PACE.
Evandro and Alexander had passed through a place earlier [BONUS CHAPTER], and afterward, walked as fast as they could. They were trying to reach a lower point of the river.
A melancholic silence hung in the air. One could hear the mysterious sounds of the forest, full of secrets.
As they walked, Alexander looked up, trying to glimpse the moon hidden behind the tree leaves. Then, alerted by a loud and jumbled sound of vultures in the sky, he noticed a group of them flying toward Evandro's village.
Alexander paused for a moment, his face slightly flushed, his brow furrowed.
"Hey! Hero!"
Evandro stopped a few meters ahead, turning his face—stained with dried blood—in a blank, almost expressionless manner.
"What?"
Alexander scratched his head. "I never asked—what's the name of your village?"
Evandro faintly raised the corners of his mouth, still expressionless.
"Oh. That... Zómpi Land. (It means Zombie Land.)"
He paused for a moment, staring into nothingness, then turned back and kept walking.
Alexander felt a strange chill rise through his body. Zómpi Land was once known as a place cursed by ancient evil.
He kept walking slowly.
A key turned in his mind, like a memory unlocking itself.
'Zómpi Land was a place where... two lords lived, and their ward, who comes from a cursed bloodline, according to legend...'
Unconsciously, he picked up his pace, lost in his thoughts.
'Wait... then he... he... Who is he, really?! To hell with the prophecy... Who is this man?'
Pa!
He bumped into Evandro, still half-distracted.
His body froze, and he clenched his teeth.
Evandro had stopped and turned to look at him. His eyes were the eyes of someone suffering.
Alexander tried to shrug it off and gave a nervous, awkward laugh.
Evandro suddenly changed his expression. It became serene, friendly, and, above all, that of someone seemingly... happy.
The corners of Evandro's mouth lifted immediately. He gave a soft chuckle. His face no longer looked so harsh and cold. The muscles in his face relaxed.
"Watch where you're going. Heheh."
Alexander scratched his head and looked away, avoiding eye contact.
Evandro kept walking, and a few steps later, Alexander followed, visibly tense.
…
After several long minutes, they reached a rocky rise with a platform overhead. A few meters away, there was a small pool of water.
They settled there.
Everything seemed to be going fine now.
They washed their faces and cleaned what they could of their swords.
Evandro focused on building the fire while humming softly.
Alexander leaned against the rock as Evandro gathered sticks and other bits of wood for the fire.
More thoughtful and uneasy than usual, Alexander decided to ask Evandro a question.
"Where are we going now?"
Evandro, smirking slightly, stopped crouched as he stacked the last branches, rubbing his beard thoughtfully.
"We're heading to the capital… That's where we'll find someone who can help us."
Alexander frowned.
"Who?"
"Yes… The revolutionaries gather there."
Alexander widened his eyes, blinking.
"There are other revolutionaries?!"
Evandro nodded. "Did you really think we were the only ones? That's oddly funny."
He stood up, a charming smile spreading across his face.
Evandro then leaned back a bit, distancing himself from Alexander.
As he turned his head, he noticed Alexander was nearly asleep. Then he remembered something.
"Hey!"
Alexander raised his head from his knee, a bit dazed.
"W-What?"
Evandro narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Get ready—autumn is almost over… And you know what that means. With the creatures... we won't be able to sleep at night anymore."
Alexander gave a slight nod and drifted back to sleep. Evandro followed just a few minutes later, lying on his back on the ground.
Slowly, his mind was pulled into a growing darkness.
…
Suddenly, Evandro's mind was invaded by intense murmurs and strange, inaudible hissing.
In an instant, he was falling from the sky into an endless white abyss.
Gradually, the abyss transformed into something like a sea, swirling with countless shades of green.
Around him, as he fell, clouds began to sprout from nothing, moving gently and naturally.
Distracted by the clouds, he was startled to find himself suddenly on the ground, as if teleported.
The environment was an infinite field. There was no wind, no heat, no cold—only a faint mist covering the distant horizon.
A terrifying silence settled in — so deep that he could hear his own heartbeat, the blood pulsing through his veins and arteries, his organs working, even his brain's countless synapses.
Evandro looked around, panicked.
Then he noticed—far behind him—someone mowing the grass.
He walked quickly, but said nothing.
As he got closer, he realized the figure was an old man who looked just like him.
A cold shiver ran down his spine, his eyes widened, and his body hair stood on end.
His older self was mowing the grass with a strange red and black machine.
Approaching his elderly doppelgänger, nervous, he swallowed hard.
"Sir."
There was no answer.
"Sir… Why are you cutting grass that's already been cut? Why cut all of this?"
The words spilled from his mouth without his permission, as if he had to say them.
Evandro covered his mouth, stunned.
His doppelgänger pointed behind him, off in the mist.
Confused, he looked—and with some effort, he saw a door faintly visible through the fog.
Evandro quickly ignored his copy and ran toward the door, hoping for answers.
He ran, panting. Then noticed—his body felt heavy.
As he got closer, he saw the door was white, wooden, with blue trim.
He stopped, not showing any sign of exhaustion.
Hesitantly, he placed his hand on the bronze handle.
He took a deep breath—and opened the door on impulse.
His eyes widened.
A cold, cruel wind blew against his face…
And something familiar was waiting on the other side.