One of the villagers: "What is this? A gunshot?"
Another man: "This is very rare."
Someone else: "There's someone screaming! The shot came from the lake!"
At that moment, Kamel rushed in front of Hidara.
The bullet pierced his chest, and he fell onto the grass.
Jaber was shocked: "You fool! What are you doing? I wanted him only!"
When he heard the villagers approaching, Jaber growled in anger.
He whispered: "Ugh! Not now! I would have killed you all if I had the time… but not today."
Then he looked at Hidara with a cold gaze.
"Hidara… enjoy your borrowed time. I will come back to finish you. Enjoy it while you can."
Jaber jumped into his car and drove away quickly.
A villager (shouting): "Don't run away, you coward!"
Another man: "Are you okay, boy? Kamel! My God, what happened to you? Press on the wound! Don't let him bleed!"
Kamel whispered weakly: "It's… no use. Where's Ren?"
Hidara looked at him, his eyes full of terror.
"Kamel! Hold on! I'll save you! Please, don't die! Keep your eyes open… please!"
Ren was walking home from school when she heard some boys talking.
One boy: "The man who kidnapped that child is back… it seems Uncle Kamel is in trouble."
Fear gripped Ren's heart.
"No! Where are they?! What happened to Dad?! Is he okay?!"
"Calm down… they're at the lake."
Ren ran.
Tears poured from her eyes like rain.
When she arrived, she saw the villagers gathered in a sorrowful circle.
She saw Hidara, broken and crying.
Then she saw her father on the ground.
"Dad!"
She threw herself on his chest, crying hysterically.
Then she looked at Hidara, and her sadness turned into anger.
"Stay away! Your hands are filthy! Stay away from him! This is your fault! If it weren't for you saving him that day… he wouldn't be dying now! You should have died instead of him! I hate you!"
"I… I'm so sorry… I never meant this… please believe me…"
Kamel opened his eyes with difficulty for the last time.
(in a weak voice): "Hidara… don't apologize. What happened… isn't your fault."
Ren: "Yes, Dad… stay with us."
Kamel: "Don't blame him, Ren… this is my fate."
He smiled at her with a tired smile.
"Live happily, Ren… and achieve your dreams… and don't cry. Death is a right upon all of us, my little butterfly…"
Then he looked at Hidara with the last of his strength.
"Leave Ren in your care… don't leave her alone. Protect her, support her… do you promise me?"
Hidara whispered (choked with tears): "I promise… I will protect her until the last day of my life."
Silence fell over the lake, broken only by the villagers' crying.
The next morning, Ren sat by the window, her eyes swollen from a night of crying.
The silence in the house was heavier than any words.
Hidara hesitated before knocking gently on the door.
"Ren… can I come in?"
There was no immediate response.
Then a weak, broken voice: "Come in."
Hidara entered slowly, stopping a few steps away.
"I… I know you don't want to see me. But I had to speak with you."
She looked at him, her eyes a mixture of anger and sorrow.
"Why? Didn't you say enough yesterday? Dad is dead, and you're still standing here."
Hidara lowered his head.
"I know. And I know words won't bring him back. But before he passed… he gave me one last request."
Ren clenched her hands tightly.
"One last request? Do you think words make death easier?"
He said: "No… but they bind the living. He told me: 'Ren is a trust in your hands… don't leave her alone.'"
Ren let out a bitter laugh, and new tears fell.
"A trust? I am not something to be handed over after death!"
Hidara stepped forward, then stopped.
"I know that. And I won't force you. But I have to tell you one thing. If I could have died instead of him… I would have done it without hesitation."
Silence fell.
Ren closed her eyes.
"Don't say that… Dad chose his path. But he left me alone… and that's what hurts me."
He said: "You won't be alone. Not just because I want it… but because I promised him."
Ren wiped her tears.
"I'll go with you to the city. Not for you… but because it was my father's wish."
Hidara took a deep breath.
"I promise… I will never try to replace your father, but I will be by your side… no matter what."
She didn't answer him, but she didn't ask him to leave.
"I'll wait for you at the station in an hour."
In a place dominated by darkness, Jaber slapped his cheek with his palm while muttering in frustration:
"Damn it! I couldn't kill him. Seems luck was on his side this time."
A cold voice of Zarak emerged from the shadows, saying mockingly:
"It's natural for someone like you to fail at killing him."
Jaber whispered:
"If our leader finds out I wasted his money, he will pour his wrath on me… doesn't matter, I won't tell anyone what happened… do as you please."
Jaber whispered:
"I'll kill him… and then I'll earn a lot of money."
With a merciless gaze.
Hidara stared at the road anxiously, until he saw her approaching from afar.
"…I thought you wouldn't come."
Ren approached slowly, carrying a small bag reflecting her simple circumstances.
"I said I would come… and I don't want to break my father's will."
Hidara turned to her.
"Thank you for coming, Ren."
"Don't be too happy… I'm not doing this for you."
"I know… but I promise I will do everything I can to protect you."
The bus arrived, and they got on together as the journey began.
"This is the first time I leave the village."
"We're going to the city now… to my home. It may not be a palace, but it will be a safe haven for you."
Ren looked out the window, watching the raindrops racing on the glass.
"I hope so…"
Jaber and Zarak stood in front of an abandoned warehouse.
Jaber whispered: "Let's go in."ت