Just as the two were about to head out to search for the villagers, Yousafer paused, his gaze fixed on the wall separating them from the other side of the facility.
He scanned the partition before calling out to Yuray, who was a few paces ahead. "Yuray, that wall... you haven't checked what's behind it, have you?"
Yuray turned back. "You just found me after I dealt with that beast. I haven't been through there yet."
"Then let's see what they're hiding on the other side."
Yuray nodded and fell into step beside him. They wove through the rows of machinery until they reached a wall featuring three openings where the conveyor belts passed through.
"So, this is the limit," Yousafer whispered. "The point the villagers were never allowed to cross."
A heavy red wooden door stood in the center of the wall. Yuray grabbed the handle, but it wouldn't budge. Coating his hand in reinforced bone, he delivered a single, crushing blow.
*Boom!*
The lock shattered, and the door was kicked off its hinges. Yuray entered, with Yousafer close behind.
The room inside was spacious. The conveyor belts converged here, leading into a massive vat filled with a colorless, shimmering liquid. Beside the vat lay three crates, one of them already pried open. Inside were several small compartments, each holding a long vial filled with a vibrant purple fluid.
Yousafer lifted one and brought it to his nose. A surprisingly pleasant, floral scent filled his senses. He blinked in surprise before pulling the vial away, a strange, fleeting sensation washing over him.
"What is it?" Yuray asked.
Yousafer tossed him the vial. Yuray caught it and sniffed. "That's... unexpected. The air on the other side is foul, but this smells like a garden. It's as if we're in two different factories."
"What are they using this for?" Yousafer wondered aloud.
"There's something hidden in the chemistry of this liquid," Yuray noted, his expression darkening. "I can't see the substance itself, but I suspect it's the source of this scent."
Suddenly, both youths froze. Blood began to trickle from Yuray's nose and mouth.
"Yuray, you're bleeding," Yousafer said, reaching up to wipe his own face—only to find his hand stained crimson as well.
"So are you, Yousafer," Yuray replied, wiping the blood with his sleeve.
"That fluid we smelled..." Yousafer muttered, placing the vial down. "It's toxic. A fatal mistake not to leave one of the supervisors alive to explain this." He sighed. "Come on. Let's find the prisoners and get out of here."
After an exhaustive search, they found the captives—twenty people, mostly the elderly and young children—imprisoned in a subterranean bunker near a massive tree outside the factory walls. After the tearful thanks of the rescued, Yousafer returned to the observation room to retrieve the heavy box of Solars.
When he stepped back outside, Yuray was missing. A few minutes later, he saw him approaching from the direction of the horse stables.
"Where were you?" Yousafer asked.
"Uprooting a persistent weed," Yuray replied cryptically. He glanced at the box. "What's that?"
Yousafer flipped the lid. Yuray smiled. "Is that enough for a ship?"
"I'm not sure. But we aren't keeping it all. We'll leave half for the villagers."
Yousafer looked at the huddled group of survivors, shivering in the cold wind despite the rain having stopped. He coughed to clear his throat. "Let's finish this. Let's erase these factories from existence."
They entered the first building. The only sound was the wind whistling through the hole Yousafer had made earlier. Then, two voices rang out in unison:
"**CHAIN GERM!**"
"**BONE GERM!**"
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Explosions rocked the earth. The metal roof groaned and collapsed in a shower of rusted iron. One machine detonated, triggering a chain reaction. Gray smoke billowed into the night sky as the roar of fire and the screech of twisting metal filled the air.
They moved to the second factory.
*BOOM! BOOM!*
The structures that once loomed as symbols of oppression were reduced to smoldering rubble within minutes.
The rescued prisoners watched in stunned silence, their faces pale. None could comprehend how two boys possessed such destructive power.
"This... this isn't natural," one old man whispered, clutching his chest. A small child hid behind his robes, his bright green eyes reflecting the orange glow of the fires.
Yousafer asked about the source of the purple stones. They led him to a dark cave nearby. Yuray went in alone and returned shortly after. "Nothing unusual inside. Just thick veins of purple ore embedded in the walls."
Yousafer nodded. *BOOM!* With a single strike, he collapsed the entrance, sealing the cave forever.
The group was led back to the wooden perimeter, where twenty horses stood waiting. The survivors mounted up, and the convoy headed back toward the village. At the gate, they passed the mangled remains of the gatekeeper—Yuray's handiwork.
The ride was somber. The elderly were exhausted, and though they were free, the weight of their lost homes and families hung heavy on them. Some children wept quietly, knowing no one was waiting for them back at the village. Such is the cruelty of life; one must face it with an iron will.
They arrived at the village to find it flooded with rainwater. As the horses splashed through the streets, doors flew open. The villagers emerged, already packed and ready to move.
Earlier, in the Chief's house, Yousafer had given a command: "When we are taken to the factory, gather the people. Tell them to pack only the essentials. We are getting you out of here tonight."
The Chief had hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"Trust me," Yousafer had said. "Everything ends tonight."
The reunion was a bittersweet mix of joy and mourning. Children called out for mothers who would never answer. Yousafer felt a sharp, phantom pang in his own heart—a fleeting memory he quickly suppressed. The Village Chief moved among the orphans, hugging them and promising to care for them. But as everyone knew, the warmth of a thousand strangers cannot replace the love of a parent.
Helmo and his father approached Yousafer. "Where is Yuray?" Helmo asked, looking around.
"He's handling something," Yousafer said with a faint, tired smile. "He'll meet us ahead."
The Chief mounted a black horse. "From this moment, we leave this forest behind!" he announced. "Help those returning from the factories pack their things. Essentials only. We move now!"
Yousafer set the box of money before the Chief. "There are twenty horses. We take two; the rest are yours."
The Chief nodded gratefully. "We will need them. Thank you."
The exodus began at midnight. Yousafer and the Chief led the way, followed by Helmo and his father. The father watched Yousafer's back, muttering to himself, *I know I've seen him... he looks so much like someone... but my memory is a fog.*
A short while later, they found a figure standing in the middle of the path—still and steady, his clothes stained with fresh blood. It was Yuray. He had spent the time hunting down the remaining supervisors scattered around the village. He leaped onto the empty horse beside Yousafer.
"Finished?" Yousafer asked.
"They are all dead," Yuray replied simply.
"Tell the people we move through the river," Yousafer instructed the Chief. "The water is cold, but it will hide our tracks."
The river was shallow, only a few centimeters deep, but the ice-cold water made the women and children gasp. The cold was a physical weight, threatening to freeze their very marrow.
They trekked for a day and a half without stopping. Driven by the primal urge to escape the cursed forest, they forgot the meaning of exhaustion.
On the second morning, the sun began to filter through the thinning trees. Birds sang among the branches, and the sound of the rushing river provided a beautiful soundtrack to their escape. For the first time in years, the villagers felt a spark of true hope.
Two days later, the edge of the forest appeared.
"We rest for three hours," the Chief announced, his voice cracking with emotion. "Rest well. Then, we head West."
**End of Chapter**