The camp remained quiet. After leaving with Elena for a while, Amara managed to calm down.
The girl adjusted her clothes while the succubus licked her lips. "So, little Amara. What do you plan to do?" She asked before bringing her wrist to her mouth, licking a liquid stuck there.
She looked at the ground. "I don't know. I think I want to sleep. No matter the time, whenever I sleep, I have a dream. So I want to know what to do."
Elena stared at her for a few seconds, then hugged her from behind. "No~ you also have to trust yourself. Let's go with the others. You'll tell them everything that's happened to you in detail."
Amara was silent. She turned to look at the woman. "Honestly... I feel like that's not the best option. If a third party finds out about this, it could put me in the crosshairs."
"Isn't your future already assured? If you think about it, you've seen yourself in the future, haven't you? Besides, if you've seen Adriel in the future, there's a good chance he's still alive."
The seer shook her head. "I've already changed the future several times. Something like the certainty of what will happen is impossible."
When they finished talking, they left where they were; near the camp there was a large concentration of trees that prevented anyone from seeing what was happening outside.
...
The protector felt a bit overstimulated. After yesterday's conversation, he had been thinking about what to do with his client. 'I have to protect her, but if I don't solve her problem quickly, I'll just lose money, even though it helps me act as the class.'
He sat on the grass; his eyes closed as he began to reflect. 'I need Adriel's help, but Sahima doesn't want his help. Do I ask him as a favor? But in that case, I'd be taking money from potential clients... I'm not in a position to pay. I don't even have much money in the first place!'
Kael looked over at the cat girl, who was sleeping nearby, but not next to him. Her ears began to twitch a little; her tail hit the ground rhythmically while her face maintained an expression of total peace.
He sighed. 'Why do women have to be such beautiful existences? Adriel already has his beloved; besides, it seems he gets along very well with Amara...' He stared at Sahima. 'But... I suppose right now he's not focused on that.'
His gaze softened, and then he looked at the sky. 'He's an incredible person. He adapted quickly, has impressive talent, a somewhat captivating personality... And even knowing he saved me, I envy him. A person like him deserves respect and admiration. A natural leader in a horrendous world.'
The protector stood up and then looked at the few wooden houses. He began to walk. After a while, he found the old man from when they first arrived. His wrinkles were less visible, and he looked healthier than before.
Kael approached him from behind, then tapped him twice on the shoulder. The old man reacted, turning to look at him. "Hello... Young man? How are you doing?"
"Fine. I need some help. I know some people here; I was wondering if you know or have any idea what's been happening to the minors around here." Said the young man, putting pleasantries in the background.
The old man's smile became a bit strange. "You skipped the pleasantries, huh? Fufufu." He murmured to himself. "From what I know, it was a monster that had a rare class, at least that's what Yuste said."
The protector grabbed his chin and began to think.
"Don't worry about it anymore. That beast is already dead. You'll only waste your time." Mentioned the old man, his smile still persistent.
The young man's eyes narrowed at the comment, but he quickly relaxed. "Well, if that's the case, I have to go."
His legs moved, making a full turn to look for someone else to ask.
Footsteps began to echo through the camp; they were fast and desperate. Azucena was running toward where Kael was, then grabbed him by the shoulders. "Kael!" The desperate woman shouted at him. "Do you know where Adriel is!?"
The young man was puzzled. "No."
"I didn't see him when I woke up. I looked for Amara and Elena, but they both looked strange and uncomfortable. Then I went to Liora and Selene, but no one knows where he is." She said with desperation, her teeth grinding as they were pressed together tightly.
She pulled Kael closer, her inquisitive gaze piercing his. "Do you know where he is?"
"N-no." The protector shook his head while repeating the word as if it were a mantra.
'He used to go for walks there when he felt bad... Could it be that this time... Did he die?' Kael imagined the hunter dead, his body crushed by some unknown beast.
"Gug." His throat threatened to fill his mouth with bile. He grabbed his stomach as the pain in his belly intensified. His hand covered his mouth and he began to try to calm himself by inhaling and exhaling.
"You imagined him dead, didn't you? Remember who he is. I'm sure Adriel isn't someone easy to kill; he'll probably come back stronger than before. Don't you think you should also try to progress?" Although those words came out of Azucena's mouth, she didn't fully believe them; she was afraid, her hands trembling like crazy while her head imagined one horrible scenario after another.
'Sometimes it's better to have comforting lies for yourself.' Thought the woman.
The young man recovered faster than the woman expected. His hands trembled slightly. "Let's talk about this with everyone. Does that sound good?"
"Most already have an idea, so no problem." A hint of insecurity filtered through Azucena's weak voice.
...
'This world isn't for everyone.'
'Many people only see benefits in this unfair system that has given us abilities.'
'Unlike me, everyone I know has normal weaknesses: losing senses, feelings, not controlling your ability... So why do I have to lose my presence?'
'In these last few days, people don't notice me; they ignore me and steal my food without even realizing they're doing it. Is that what hurts me? The fact that no one ever knows where I am is sad, but I can be relaxed... My life is... peaceful, up to a point.'
'I was supposed to have gotten this class to surpass him. An assassin is more lethal than a hunter, right? So... Why am I so weak?'
Selene, the assassin, was sitting on the roof of one of the few wooden houses. Her hair waved in the cold wind hitting her from behind. Her legs swung, rhythmically hitting the wall of the building.
After realizing that her existence didn't matter to the others, she noticed how much freedom she had. As a result, she learned to climb the houses, relaxing on the rooftops. With this, she also learned that she could easily climb trees and probably, to some extent, small mountains.
Another thing that became a habit was eavesdropping on other people's conversations. Every word spoken in the camp near a house was a conversation she knew about. It was all garbage, but it was her best entertainment.
'Will I ever get used to this?' She asked herself as she rested her chin on her hand.
Selene's gaze soon caught something. A silhouette was ignoring the still-unfinished parts of the camp, but was knocking on the door, asking to enter.
She became instantly interested in the situation. She climbed down from the roof she was on and quickly climbed another closer to the entrance.
She saw Yuste approaching the entrance. The bear that had helped him before was by his side. Both positioned themselves strategically before opening.
"Hello." Said the man to the stranger.
"Good day." The voice the girl heard was very different from what she had imagined. Her emotion and happiness filtered through those two words alone.
The person at the door was tall; his shirt fit snugly around his large muscles; his smile radiated; and his green, grass-like eyes pierced thoughts. His nearly golden hair shone in the wind.
He was alone but cheerful. "I saw this and decided to stop by. What are you doing here?" Asked the man to Yuste.
"Well... We're a group of people trying to survive... You can come in if you want."
"Of course. I'm Zemol, a pleasure." He said while extending his hand to the man.
"Yuste, the pleasure is mine." He grabbed the other's hand.
'A new person... There are already so many of us.' Thought Selene with frustration.
She stared at the man for a while, but after a few seconds, their eyes met. The girl didn't react; she thought it was just a coincidence, but the gaze held for a long five seconds.
'He... Without even trying... Can he see me?' She remained lost in her thoughts.
"Selene! Selene!!" Azucena's shouts, as she looked for her, snapped her out of her world. She climbed down from the roof, not without looking one last time at Zemol.