"Can you hear me clearly?" asked a figure dressed in a white cloak striped with black, holding a sunflower in his hand.
A voice crackled through the flower: "Yes, I hear you perfectly. What is it? Did you find him?"
"Yes, he is tied to a tree in front of a house in the village. When I drew closer, I found two strangers inside the house. I didn't want to move until we consulted the Commander."
"Are you certain they are strangers?"
"Confirmed."
"Very well. I will speak with the Leader and see what he decides."
***
Inside the house, the conversation continued around a table littered with leftovers. Helmo was tossing scraps to a small, bushy-haired gray mouse.
"By the way," Yuray asked, "is it just the two of you living here?"
"Yes, just us," Helmo replied, throwing another piece to the mouse.
"And your mother?" Yuray followed up.
Helmo's voice held a tinge of sorrow. "My mother died when I was a small child. I never knew her."
The father flinched, his expression shifting at his son's words. Neither Yousafer nor Yuray missed the reaction.
Yousafer leaned in, his gaze fixed on the man's face. "How did she die? And when?"
The man stared down at the table, looking like a ghost haunted by memory. He didn't realize that Yousafer and Yuray were dissecting his every micro-expression.
Helmo tapped his chin, looking upward. "I think she fell ill and passed away. That's what Father told me, right?" He turned his eyes toward his father.
The man trembled, forcing a performer's smile as he looked up. "Yes... that's all there is to it."
"Sir," Yousafer said with sudden gravity, "is there something you aren't telling us?"
Helmo looked at Yousafer, startled by his change in tone, then turned back to his father. The man stammered, "What? No, there's nothing."
Yousafer smiled but said nothing more. He knew the man was hiding something. Though Yousafer had spent his life on a secluded island, the infinite experiences within his nightmares had given him the intuition of someone who had lived a thousand lives. He didn't want to push further—it was a private matter—but his comment was enough to alert Helmo.
Helmo was sharp. He caught the weight in Yousafer's words and the tremor in his father's hands. "Father, what is it? Are you hiding something about Mother from your own son?"
The man's hands shook even more violently. He glanced at the smiling Yousafer and realized the boy had seen right through him. He gritted his teeth, adjusted his seat, and looked into his son's eyes. He was hesitant, standing at the edge of a past he had tried for years to outrun.
"Where do I begin? It's a long story... I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would hate me." The man bowed his head again, as if ashamed to look at his son. "The truth is, we aren't from this village. We aren't even from this continent. We came here thirteen years ago, when you were only four years old. That is why you don't remember."
Helmo's eyes widened. Yousafer and Yuray remained calm, listening intently. It wasn't just Yousafer's suspicion that made the man speak; he knew that sooner or later, the truth had to come out. Yousafer's words were merely the spark that lit the fuse.
"As for your mother... she didn't die. She was imprisoned by her own family."
Helmo's heart began to race.
"Your mother's family are not ordinary people," the father said, gesturing toward Yousafer. "They are like this young man. They are **Possessed**."
Helmo sat in stunned silence. Even Yousafer and Yuray straightened up at this revelation.
"Originally, I was a merchant working with my father in a kingdom on another continent. We had several shops, including clothing boutiques. Your mother met me in one of them; she admired the clothes we sold. She began coming every three days for new outfits. That was how we met, and our relationship grew in secret, away from her family's eyes."
"Eventually, we married without them knowing. The only witness was her elder sister. I was hesitant, but your mother insisted; she wanted to surprise them so they wouldn't reject me. I loved her deeply, and she loved me. Her sister—your aunt—helped us. Your mother knew her family well, especially her father, and she knew they would never approve. She would visit me every day under various pretexts."
"After our secret marriage, time passed. When she realized she was pregnant, she grew anxious, but she quickly devised a plan. She claimed she was going on a long holiday with her sister in another kingdom, but instead, she came to live with me. She stayed with me for three months, never leaving the house, until she gave birth to a boy—you. I lived alone then, away from my own family."
"She said, 'Now is the time to tell them.' But her sister told us to wait until she arrived. We waited a week, and her sister came, carrying a baby girl in her arms—she was just a few months older than you."
The man spoke with a desperate urgency, his breath hitching, while the three youths hung on every word. The dim light cast long shadows, and the only sounds were the man's voice and the rhythmic pounding of Helmo's heart.
"The three of us went to your mother's ancestral home. It was massive, located far outside the capital. When we arrived, her father's rage reached the heavens. I was terrified, but your mother held you in one hand and my hand in the other. She told me, 'Don't worry, I am with you.' To this day, those words ring in my head."
"Her elder sister stood up for us. We had done nothing wrong; we were simply in love. But her family could not accept a commoner. They hushed the matter up and moved us to a house far away from the rest of the clan. We lived there for four years, cut off from the world. I didn't work; everything we needed was provided for us. They were happy years."
"Sometimes your aunt would visit with her little girl. You loved playing with her, though she was always frowning. Her mother said she had never smiled once in her life—she was a strange child. Then, one day, everything changed. Masked men stormed the house and captured us. Your mother was taken by your grandfather, who watched from a distance."
"I didn't know where they were taking us, but I overheard two men discussing our execution. I was paralyzed with fear for you. But four days later, your mother sent someone to free us. He brought a message telling me to take you and run far away. Her only concern was our survival. We fled, but they hunted us."
"We ended up on this continent by accident. During the pursuit, I boarded a merchant ship preparing to sail. As soon as we were on board, I heard explosions. The ship departed in a rush. We hid for five days. The sound of your stomach crying out in hunger broke my heart. When the ship docked, we were in the capital of the **Ousan Kingdom**—a city called **Hajar**."
*(Yousafer and Yuray both recalled their grandfather's instructions to go to the Ousan Kingdom and seek out Lardor.)*
"Hajar was too massive, and I was too afraid to stay. We took a train through two other kingdoms and ended up in Randor. I didn't want to stay in the capital there either, so I kept moving until I found this forest and this village. I liked how hidden it was. The Chief welcomed us, and we lived in peace for years... until those strangers arrived."
"I planned for us to return when you were older to find her and reunite our family. But you see what has become of us..." The man's head dropped, tears splashing onto the wooden table. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm sorry I hid it. I'm sorry I couldn't give you the life you dreamed of... I am so sorry."
Helmo stood up instinctively, walked to his father, leaned down, and kissed his head. Tears shimmered on his own cheeks as he embraced him. "Don't worry, Father. You did everything for me. You did your best."
***
In a large, dimly lit room, a middle-aged man sat in a black leather chair. He wore a rumpled dark green jacket with white buttons and matching trousers. His brown hair was slicked back, revealing thick eyebrows and black spectacles that reflected the glow of the massive screens before him.
He was listening to a subordinate kneeling behind him, dressed in a white-and-black striped cloak. The Commander swiveled his chair around, his voice gravelly.
"Go and bring them here immediately. Take five others with you. Seven of you should be enough for them, shouldn't it?"
"Yes, sir," the subordinate replied.
The Commander waved his hand as if shooing a fly. The man bowed and rushed out. Left alone, the Commander stared at the screens, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"It's been a long time since someone new entered this forest."
**End of Chapter**