In the vast "Fog Forest," while pitch-black darkness mixed with thick mist covered most of the surroundings, the beautiful moonlight slipped between the trees and blended with the silent, eerie darkness of the forest.
From the darkness toward the moonlight, Nidal walked with steady steps. The light revealed his pale face and the well-trained build of his body, evidence of countless harsh trainings. He could barely keep his blue eyes open as his steps grew slower, one after another.
He had not rested for days. He was completely exhausted after several days of continuous walking without rest. His worn-out body was driven only by the desire to keep moving forward, without any real motive…!
He fell to the ground!!!
…
You walk and walk without reason.
You are nothing but a monster… an insect running from death or… from me.
In a small hut on top of a hill overlooking the "Fog Forest," Nidal opened his eyes to find himself lying on the floor. His body was under an old, worn blanket with a foul smell. As soon as he opened his eyes, he scanned the entire area carefully, focusing on every corner of the hut while several questions occupied his mind.
Where am I?
Who brought me here?
How long have I been here?
The questions were rising in his mind when the creaking sound of the door interrupted him.
"Someone is opening the door."
Nidal threw all his questions deep into his mind and focused completely on preparing for any possible danger.
Emily opened the door while holding a plate of food that contained a cup of water and two pieces of handmade bread. As soon as she stepped inside the hut, she was surprised to see that the man she had found unconscious in the forest had already woken up.
His stance and the sharp look he directed toward Emily suggested hostility.
Emily quickly understood the situation.
"He's afraid!"
She slowly placed the plate on the ground while Nidal closely observed every movement she made.
"How are you? You were unconscious when I found you, and you looked extremely exhausted."
Emily said this with a comforting and reassuring smile.
Nidal adjusted his posture while maintaining some of his caution.
"How long since I was brought here? Where is this hut and—"
"How dare you delay paying the taxes for all this time? Don't you appreciate the efforts of the soldiers who protect this village?!"
The rough voice of a man coming from outside interrupted Nidal.
"Not again…"
As soon as Emily heard the voice, she ignored Nidal and headed outside. Nidal followed her while feeling the hostility emanating from the man's voice.
Outside, on the hill, an old woman stood while several children hid behind her. In front of them stood four men dressed entirely in black. Their leader stood at the front—the source of the voice.
"I will try to provide the amount as soon as possible. This time, I promise."
The old woman spoke while many worries passed through her mind. Militias like these that claimed to protect the village while imposing taxes for their fabricated services had no moral principles preventing them from harming children or committing other vile acts.
While Nidal observed the situation quietly from behind, the soldiers' leader noticed Emily, who—unlike the children—was a mature young woman around nineteen years old.
"Perhaps she can pay the debt you owe in our own special ways."
The soldiers' leader said with a wicked smile as he walked toward Emily, stretching his hand to grab hers.
But…
Nidal grabbed the soldier leader's extended hand and looked directly into his eyes.
When the furious leader raised his gaze to meet Nidal's eyes, he suddenly felt as if he were staring into a lifeless corpse.
Goosebumps, fear, and shock quickly filled the soldier leader's heart. He felt like an insect standing before inevitable death.
He stepped back while looking at the "Angel of Death" with extreme caution and fear.
"We're leaving."
He said while looking at his men.
…
The soldiers' truck had left more than ten minutes ago and was about to reach the fortress they used as their headquarters, yet fear had not left the soldiers' leader.
"What's wrong? Why didn't you order us to crush that arrogant man's head and take the tax before leaving? Don't you know what the boss will do when he hears that you ran away from an unarmed man?"
One of the soldiers asked in confusion.
The terrified leader answered:
"That thing… is not human!!!"
…
The children stared at Nidal with curiosity while sitting at the dining table. Nidal dipped the bread into his bowl of broth eagerly and devoured it quickly without caring about table manners or the looks of those around him. It was the first real food he had eaten in days.
Emily and the old woman exchanged glances before the woman spoke.
"I hope you liked the food. Please make yourself comfortable with us, and thank you again for your courage against those thugs."
Nidal ignored the response and continued eating eagerly. However, the woman continued speaking as her friendly tone turned serious.
"I used to be a 'Scout' like you…"
The previously warm atmosphere instantly turned tense.
Nidal—along with Emily, the only two who understood what the woman meant—stopped eating and turned toward her with sharp eyes and full attention.
Surprise was clear on Emily's face, as she had not known that Nidal was one of the "Scouts." Painful memories related to that organization quickly surfaced in her mind.
Memories of those who had taken her parents…!
The woman continued after confirming she had Nidal's full attention.
"I was a scout for many years. I can easily recognize one among thousands of people. The sharp personality, always prepared for danger, never lowering its defenses. It was very easy to realize you are one of them. But you are probably not a scout from this country. You're from Suro, aren't you?"
She smiled, trying to restore the comforting atmosphere.
"Am I right? My name is Shari. It seems we're similar… running away from service like I did, hahaha."
Nidal's gaze toward Shari sharpened. He looked like an eagle staring at its prey.
"You saw hell just like I did. How many children did you kill? How many innocent people's blood did you spill coldly? You lived through hell and were drowned in regret, weren't you? I can tell that every child here is an orphan you are raising to atone for your sins…"
Shari was surprised by the accuracy of Nidal's observation. She realized he was no ordinary person but a professional scout far more experienced than her, despite being only a young man no older than twenty-five.
Since the children were listening curiously to their conversation, Shari ordered them to go outside and play in front of the hut, but—
"I don't want to go play. I want to listen to what the mysterious handsome man is saying."
Arthur insisted, while the other children obeyed Shari and left.
Arthur's personality, unlike the kinder children, was always sharp and aggressive because of his harsh and tragic childhood. While the other children never had the chance to see their parents, Arthur was four years old when he saw his parents killed before his eyes by bandits who enslaved him until Shari bought him at the age of six—three years ago.
"Arthur, my son, if you obey your mother, I promise I will buy you whatever toys you want from the village market."
Shari said while gently stroking his hair.
"You're not my mother… Don't you dare try to take her place with words like that."
Arthur left the hut quickly without waiting for Shari's response.
Shari turned toward Nidal and Emily, who was annoyed by Arthur's rude behavior.
"They grow up so fast and start demanding independence and rebellion at such a young age, don't they? That poor child suffered a lot before I adopted him."
Shari said with a voice mixed with pain and sympathy behind a forced smile.
Nidal stepped forward slightly and spoke in a rough voice.
"Those soldiers are demanding some kind of tax… I'll help you pay it, only to make sure you spend the rest of your miserable life atoning for your sins by raising these orphan children with love."
Emily felt irritated by Nidal's insulting tone and was about to interrupt him, but Shari's eyes signaled her not to.
Nidal continued.
"How much is that tax?"
"A lot."
Shari replied before continuing.
"I used to survive by selling Red Blood Flowers, since they are expensive. I gather them from the top of the mountain behind the village. But recently a replicated monster has settled there, and those thugs who claim to protect the village refused to deal with it. If—"
"I'll do it."
Nidal interrupted, already knowing what she was about to ask.
"This girl will accompany me to gather the flowers since I don't know what they look like."
He added while pointing at Emily.
Before heading toward the mountain, Nidal approached Arthur, who was sitting alone away from the other children. He patted his head while looking at his gloomy face.
"I always considered her your mother despite everything. I never had a mother who took care of me, so be grateful for what you have."
Nidal said in a soft voice, unusually gentle.
…
Less than an hour later, at the top of the mountain behind the village, Emily stood behind Nidal, who was fully prepared for any sudden attack from the replicated monster.
Suddenly, from the pitch darkness among the tall bushes, a blue gelatinous monster rushed forward. Its body strangely resembled that of a human. Its round eyes, wide hollow mouth, and disturbing shape sent chills down the spine.
Nidal dashed toward the monster in an instant.
Suddenly, while charging at it, Nidal's entire right wrist transformed into a deadly black blade. It was as if he had used some ability to transform his arm.
BOOOOM!!
The replicated monster fell to the ground as its body began to evaporate.
A finishing blow.
Emily looked at Nidal's right hand and realized he was a user of RU Transformation. She was not surprised—she had already suspected he belonged to one of the RU factions since he was a former scout. What shocked her was his unbelievable speed.
From within its dissolving body, the monster pulled out a worn photograph covered with the sticky substance that made up its body.
The picture showed a small dark-skinned boy with curly hair.
"Mar… ko… Marco…"
The monster murmured the name painfully while staring at the picture.
Emily watched the scene in confusion as the monster completely dissolved into the air.
"Most replicated monsters were once people who lived before the Day of Purification. The RU energy released that day transformed them into these forms."
Nidal answered Emily's unspoken question.
…
On the way back to the house on top of the hill overlooking the Fog Forest, Emily carried the Red Blood Flowers in a container she had brought from the house.
Suddenly the atmosphere changed.
Nidal's expression shifted as he smelled blood nearby.
Or rather… a corpse.
He rushed toward the source of the smell near the hill while Emily followed in confusion.
The source was Shari… and two children.
They had died recently.
Blood covered them completely.
Emily rushed toward them in panic, crying.
Realizing they were already dead, she ran toward the hut in fear to check on the rest of the children.
The hut was completely destroyed.
The bodies of the remaining children were scattered everywhere.
Emily desperately searched to see if any of them were still alive.
Then she heard a voice.
"Em… ily… Emily…"
Arthur was still alive.
Emily rushed to him and held his hand as tears mixed with pain streamed down her face.
"Those thugs from this morning… attacked…"
Arthur struggled to speak as dark red blood flowed heavily from his body.
"I'm sorry… Mom… I wanted to tell her… but they attacked suddenly… I tried to stop them and give everyone time to escape… but they got Chris… Naya… and Mary… I managed to buy time for Mom, Jimmy, and Mark to escape at least… Tell Mom I'm sorry…"
Emily wiped his tears and forced a hopeful smile. She knew Arthur was about to die and didn't want to tell him Shari was dead.
But—
Nidal stepped forward through the corpses and looked into Arthur's eyes.
"You're a hero… You sacrificed yourself for everyone's safety. But dying in the hell of awareness is better than dying in the comfort of ignorance."
Emily turned toward Nidal, trying to stop him after realizing what he intended to say.
But he continued firmly.
"Your mother… is dead."
Shock spread across Arthur's face as he tried to crawl toward the hill searching for her while groaning in pain.
From the edge of the hill, he could see the bodies of Shari, Jimmy, and Mark.
Pain, disappointment, and heartbreak filled Arthur's heart.
With a sorrowful face covered in tears mixed with dark red blood, he stretched his hand toward his mother's body.
Arthur died.
His final word was:
"Mom…"