I stepped out of the tent accompanied by Cairo. The night air was cold enough to awaken the senses and weigh down the limbs all at once. I turned to him and said in a calm tone:
"So... is it my shift now?"
He nodded with visible exhaustion, as if the past few hours had been stolen from his life, then said:
"Yes... you can't imagine how slowly time passed while it was Marcus's and my turn on guard."
He paused for a moment, then added as he turned away toward his tent:
"In any case... good luck."
I watched him until the darkness swallowed him between the tents, then let out a light sigh, as if emptying the remains of fatigue from my chest, before heading toward the log placed in front of the burning fire.
I sat down slowly and stretched my hands toward the flames, watching how the orange tongues danced in the silence of the night, feeling the heat seep into my cold skin bit by bit.
"This scene..."
I whispered to myself, my eyes fixed on the fire.
"Reminds me of something distant..."
Old memories began to take shape slowly, like mist thickening at the edges of consciousness...
Scenes of camping I used to watch on the television screen when I was a child; laughter, fire, friends, adventures.
I smiled faintly.
At that time... I used to pester my mother with an almost annoying persistence, asking her to let me join the scouts...
But she, as was her habit, would refuse, tapping my forehead with the tip of her finger and saying:
"Focus on your studies, if you have time to think about camping!"
A soft laugh escaped me.
"What days those were..."
But soon that smile faded, and the warmth of the memory vanished, replaced by a heavy realization.
"...They won't return."
Silence prevailed once more, a silence that wasn't unsettling... but deep, expansive, as if swallowing everything.
But—
"It seems you arrived first."
A calm, cold voice pierced that stillness.
I raised my head.
It was Calstier.
That person whose features cannot be read, and whose intentions are not easily understood, as if he always stood at a distance from the world.
"Yes..."
I answered briefly.
He sat on the opposite log, facing the fire, and said in a tone void of enthusiasm:
"We have an hour of guarding ahead... how boring."
I looked at him for a moment.
This was the first time I had been alone with him...
I hadn't paid him much attention before, but now, in this quiet, he seemed to carry something behind those still features... a story, perhaps.
He interrupted my thoughts, saying:
"Though it's none of my business... your features look very gloomy."
Then he added in a slightly sarcastic tone:
"If an enemy came now, I think they would be afraid of you and run away."
I raised my eyebrow slightly.
"...Oh."
It seems the dream is still haunting me.
I smiled a pale smile and said:
"I had a nightmare... I think that's the reason."
He shrugged indifferently, then said:
"In any case, won't time pass faster than this? Barely five minutes have gone by."
I paused for a moment... then laughed, a light but genuine laugh:
"Heh... I didn't expect that from you."
He looked at me with surprise:
"What are you laughing at?"
I said while still smiling:
"Nothing... I just realized something."
He didn't ask.
He only smiled a small, barely noticeable smile, then said:
"If you have time for talking... then focus on the guard duty."
"Yes..."
And the minutes passed.
Intermittent conversation here and there, silence punctuated by the sound of the fire, and the cold night breeze.
The strange thing—
Was that time... passed quickly, unexpectedly.
Until my shift ended.
I stood up, stretched my body a little, then headed toward Vesper's tent to wake him.
I opened the flap... and there he was lying, lost in a deep sleep.
But—
Something... wasn't normal.
Beads of sweat were gathering on his forehead, flowing at an unusual speed, as if his body were living through an unseen battle.
I approached him and leaned down slightly.
"Vesper... wake up."
No response.
"Oi... Vesper."
Still motionless, but the sweat... was increasing. An uncomfortable feeling began to creep into my chest.
"Vesper!"
And suddenly—
He opened his eyes, violently.
He sat up quickly, breathing with difficulty, his chest rising and falling heavily, his eyes searching the void as if trying to escape from something.
I took a step back.
"Vesper... are you okay?"
Silence.
Seconds passed... as he tried to process his surroundings.
Then—
He smiled.
A forced smile.
"Oh... yes, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Are you sure? You were sweating unnaturally."
He replied quickly, and with a bit of sarcasm:
"It's just a nightmare... don't exaggerate."
I stopped.
I knew... that he wasn't saying everything, but I didn't press him.
I sighed and said with a light yawn:
"In any case... it's your turn for guard duty."
"Yes..."
We stepped out of the tent together, then parted ways.
I watched him for a moment... before turning toward my tent.
I entered and lay down.
But—
Sleep did not come immediately.
The image of Vesper... wouldn't leave my mind. That sweat, that panic.
"Was it really just a nightmare...?"
A question that kept echoing in my head.
But—
Before I could find an answer... sleep crept over me slowly, as if the darkness... had decided to temporarily show me mercy.
...
And so... the days passed.
The Eighth Day—
Was a mixture of broken conversation, laughter born from nothing, and fatigue that weighed down the bodies without mercy.
Tasteless food, heavy steps, and a sudden fall into the mud followed by a torrent of mockery... then, as if it had become an inescapable event—
Camping once again.
The Ninth Day—
A quick, barely mentionable wash, fatigue that renewed itself instead of disappearing, and a barren land stretching to infinity.
No trees, no shade, no life... only a killing heat striking the heads without pity.
Food, water, silence... then another camping session.
The Tenth Day—
A boredom thick as dust, and flies that wouldn't stop buzzing, as if feeding on our nerves.
Aimless talk, steps without enthusiasm... and a recurring camping session like a punishment.
The Eleventh Day—
Double the fatigue, a scorching sun that knew no mercy, and intermittent conversation every now and then.
Luxian... and his unquenchable ego, even in this torment.
Food, water... then—
Camping.
Camping that almost... made me lose my temper.
I closed my eyes for a moment and exhaled slowly.
"Only now... do I understand."
I whispered to myself.
"I understand why my mother always refused to let me go camping."
A sarcastic smile etched itself on my face... but it didn't last.
And so... the twelfth day arrived.
Nothing special.
No unexpected events... no surprises... no change.
Except for one thing.
"Today... I will get a new skill."
That thought alone was enough to wake something inside me.
In the first week of the journey, specifically on the fourth day, I obtained a skill...
But it was F-rank.
A simple enhancement in vision, something... negligible, something that makes no real difference.
But now—
This is the second week, and that means... a new chance.
Or perhaps—
Something that will change everything.
...
The road was as we had grown accustomed to it.
Dirt.
Only dirt.
Stretching before us without end, without features, without life.
No trees, no animals, not even a breeze of air enough to break this stagnation.
Suddenly—
Vesper approached me, and said while walking beside me, in a tone I didn't like at all:
"This... doesn't bode well."
I paused for a moment then looked at him.
My heart... preceded his words.
"Don't say it..."
I said quickly, as if trying to stop an inevitable fate.
"Please... don't tell me. Tell me that it isn't so."
He fell silent for a moment, then said in a voice carrying clear surrender:
"Unfortunately... all conditions point to that."
I froze.
"No..."
My mouth said it, but I knew.... I already knew in advance.
"Yes..."
He confirmed it, then added—
As if it were a knockout blow:
"We will have to... camp."
"Noooooo...!"
A cry came out of me, not loud... but genuine enough.
"I can't take this anymore!"
Vesper sighed, and said as if forcing himself to accept the truth:
"Accept it, Nilot... though I don't want to admit this... but there is no escape."
And before I could find a reply—
A third voice intervened.
"What?"
It was Zairos.
A sarcastic smile, and a light tone as if he were watching an entertaining show.
"And here I thought it was something serious... it turns out your problem is just the camping."
Vesper looked at him with clear annoyance:
"Just? We've had to camp for five consecutive days... my back is almost breaking!"
I added quickly, as if seizing the opportunity to defend myself:
"And bugs everywhere... and the unbearable heat!"
Zairos smiled, that smile that carries an annoying confidence, and said:
"Hmm... it seems I am strong. Nothing of what you two said has affected me."
Vesper laughed with light sarcasm:
"Strong? Don't make me laugh... you have an advanced tent as if it were an iPhone Pro Max from the old world."
Zairos raised his eyebrow:
"And how can you be so certain of that?"
A slight tension began to form...
But—
"We will camp here."
The employer's voice cut through everything. It was decisive, final, as if a judgment not open to discussion.
I screamed internally.
"It's over..."
I looked at Vesper, searching for consolation.
But—
He was gritting his teeth, trying hard to keep his composure.
...It seems he is the one who needs consolation.
...
Everyone began pitching their tents.
This time—
It wasn't as chaotic as in the beginning.
Vesper and I... had learned after many attempts, and even more mistakes.
The hands that were floundering before... now knew what to do.
Slowly, with experience gained from suffering.
And with the setting of the sun... and the disappearance of the last thread of light... each of us entered our tent.
Except for Knox and Tyros.
Guard duty... was waiting for them.
I entered my tent, closed the flap behind me, and sat down.
Quiet.
Silence.
A small world... isolated from the rest.
I took a deep breath, then raised my gaze.
"...And now."
I whispered.
"It is time."
It is time... to find out—
What my new skill is.