After the two were about to leave to search for the villagers, Yousafer stopped and looked at the wall that separated that area from the other side.
Yousafer scanned the wall with his eyes and then called out to Yuray, who was ahead of him: "Yuray, that wall... you haven't entered it yet, have you?"
Yuray turned toward the wall and replied: "You just found me; I only just finished with that beast. I haven't gone there yet."
"Then, let's see what the other side holds."
Yuray nodded and returned to Yousafer's side.
Yousafer and Yuray walked between the rows of machines until they reached a wall with three openings through which the production lines passed.
"So this is the place the villagers could not cross," Yousafer whispered, looking around.
In the wall, there was a red wooden door. Yuray stood before it and placed his hand on the doorknob. He turned the handle, but the door did not open. Yuray coated his hands with bones and then—
*Boom!*
He struck the doorknob; a cracking sound was heard, and suddenly the door was torn off its hinges.
Yuray pushed the door open and entered, followed by Yousafer.
Inside, the room was somewhat spacious. The production lines ended in one place, heading toward a large vat.
The two approached the large container; there was a vast amount of purple powder inside the vat, which was filled with a strange, colorless liquid.
Yousafer stood behind the vat; there were three boxes placed on the floor, one of them open.
Inside the box were several small compartments, and within each compartment was a long vial filled with a purple liquid.
Yousafer lifted one of those vials and held it close to his nose.
A beautiful scent wafted up to Yousafer's nose. He was momentarily astonished before pulling the vial away; he felt a strange sensation but dismissed it as a mere illusion.
"What is it?" Yuray asked.
Yousafer waved the vial toward Yuray, who caught it and smelled it.
Yuray held it near his nose, and a pleasant fragrance drifted into his nostrils.
"This is strange... the smell on the other side cannot be described, but this smells wonderful, as if we are in two different factories."
"I wonder what these liquids are used for?" Yousafer mused.
"There is an unseen substance in these liquids," Yuray said.
"Are you sure?"
Yuray nodded: "I cannot identify that substance because I cannot see it, but I think it is what leaves that beautiful scent."
Suddenly, both of their faces turned toward the pale liquid in the large vat.
"Most likely that is..." Yuray began to speak.
Yuray turned his head and saw a collection of blue clothes hanging near a large set of wooden lockers on the side wall.
Yousafer approached them and opened one of those lockers.
He was surprised to find the locker full of those purple vials. Then he opened the rest, finding them also filled to the brim.
Yousafer stared at Yuray, noticing that his nose and mouth were bleeding. But what he didn't notice was that a drop of blood had also descended from his own nose.
"Blood is coming from your nose and mouth, Yuray..." Yuray turned, placing his slender hand in front of his face and wiping the blood. He was shocked and then said: "And you too, Yousafer."
Yousafer wiped the blood from his nose and mouth, then whispered in a low voice: "That liquid we smelled..."
"It seems to have dangerous effects." Yousafer set the vial aside.
He continued in a steady voice: "We made a grave mistake by not leaving any of the overseers or that bastard responsible for this place alive."
He sighed slightly: "Let's get out of here to search for the prisoners."
"Let's go."
After searching for a considerable amount of time, they found the prisoners outside the factories underground, near a tree.
The imprisoned people were the elderly and young children; there were approximately twenty of them.
After Yousafer and Yuray were thanked, Yousafer went up to the second floor of the factory, to the room filled with screens, and brought out the money box.
When he arrived, he did not find Yuray.
But after a while, he spotted him coming from a distance.
"Where were you?" Yousafer asked.
Yuray replied: "I pulled up that herb in front of the horse stable." Then he noticed the box: "What is that?" Yuray asked.
Yousafer opened the box in front of Yuray.
Yuray smiled: "Will this be enough to buy a ship?"
"I don't know, but we won't take all of this money; we will leave half for the villagers."
Yuray placed his hand on his chest, facing the children and the elderly who were shivering from the cold because of the wind that blew despite the rain having stopped a while ago; however, the cold was severe.
Yousafer looked at Yuray, coughed, and said: "Come, let's finish these factories."
Yousafer and Yuray entered the first factory. Everything was silent, only the whistling of the wind entering through the wall Yousafer had destroyed. Then the silence was suddenly shattered by two voices:
"Chain Germ"
"Bone Germ"
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
In the next moment, several explosions rose; the entire factory shook. The metal roof rattled, and pieces of rusted iron fell from it.
One machine exploded, followed by another, and another, and another. Gray smoke billowed into the air, accompanied by the sound of a massive explosion; the sound of breaking metal mixed with the roar of fire, echoing through the place.
After a while, the first factory was finished, and they went toward the second.
"Chain Germ"
"Bone Germ"
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Time passed quickly. The factories that had stood tall moments ago were now ruins.
As for the prisoners standing outside the factory, they stood frozen in place, their faces pale, their eyes widened as if they might fall from their sockets.
No one understood how two boys could cause this much destruction.
An old man placed his hand on his chest and then whispered in a trembling voice:
"This... this truly is not normal..."
A young child clung to the old man's robe beside him, hiding behind him while the light of the explosion reflected his shadow on his bright green eyes.
Another old man spoke:
"What kind... of power is this?"
Yousafer asked the prisoners about the cave from which the purple stones were extracted.
They were led to the cave, which was dark, but Yuray stepped inside alone, and shortly after, he emerged.
"There is nothing out of the ordinary, only dense purple stones clinging to the walls."
Yousafer nodded and then—
*Boom...!*
The cave was completely destroyed from its entrance.
After that, Yousafer and Yuray led the children and the elderly to the wooden fence, where twenty horses were waiting for them.
Everyone mounted, and they began to head toward the village.
At the wooden gate, the gatekeeper's corpse lay like minced meat; the culprit was Yuray, of course.
The elderly on the horses were exhausted. Despite being freed, features of sadness were visible on their faces, as well as the children who had been deprived of their parents and homes for a long time. Now they were returning to them, but some would return only to find no parents waiting for them, as even their homes in the village had been destroyed.
Heads were bowed, defeated by the weight of life. But such is the world—one day for you, and one day against you. There is nothing to be done except to be patient and face this life with mighty determination.
Time passed quickly, and they finally reached the village.
The village was empty at that moment; everyone was in their homes, as rainwater flooded most of the village.
The horses' hooves advanced through this water, and in the houses, all eyes were focused on the arriving people. But as soon as they saw who had come, all the houses were opened at once, and the villagers came out with their belongings on their backs, everyone feeling happy as they moved toward the arriving group.
The reason the people were carrying their belongings was what Yousafer had told their leader.
When they were in the leader's house, while they heard sounds outside and a knocking at the door, Yousafer had grabbed the old man:
"When we go with them to the factories, gather the people and tell them to collect only the essential things they will need; we will get you out of here."
The old man was surprised by Yousafer's words: "Are you sure?"
Yousafer replied: "Just trust me, everything will end tonight."
When the group of horses left with Yousafer and Yuray, the old man gathered the villagers and told them what Yousafer had said, instructing them not to leave their homes unless they saw Yousafer and Yuray.
Despite not trusting him one hundred percent, what did they have to lose? They would pack their belongings and stay in their homes until they saw the two boys coming.
Some prisoners reunited with their families, and joy spread among them, but in another area, sadness dominated the place. Young children found no one to receive them.
"Mother..."
One of them was calling his mother's name in a low voice, as if he still believed she would come out at any moment.
Yousafer noticed this; a sudden flash passed through his mind, and he felt something choking his heart as if he were remembering something, but he quickly composed himself and hid that feeling.
The village leader approached the children whose parents had been killed and hugged them one by one, telling all of them that he would take care of them.
But despite that, who could return the warmth of a mother and father? Even if the entire world gathered, they would not compensate for even one percent of a parent's presence.
Helmo and his father approached Yousafer. Helmo began to look left and right and then asked: "Where is Yuray?"
Yousafer looked at Helmo with a faint smile: "He is taking care of something; we will find him ahead of us."
The old man mounted a black horse, stood for a moment, and then said: "From this moment, we will leave this village and this forest. Those who returned from the factories, let a group go with each person to help them pack their belongings quickly. Remember well: gather only the essentials."
The bodies of some villagers were trembling; they had never left their land, and knew nothing but these simple houses.
Yousafer looked at the old man while placing a box before him: "There are twenty horses; we will take two, and the rest are for you."
The old man nodded and smiled at Yousafer: "With pleasure." At that moment, they were in need of these horses.
The evacuation of the village began. They set off at that time of night; there was nothing for them to wait for. It was twelve o'clock midnight.
The village leader and Yousafer led the way. Behind them were Helmo and his father, who was staring at Yousafer, muttering to himself:
"This boy... I am sure I have seen him before, but where? I don't remember... he resembles someone, I am certain... Ah, ah, my memory is scattered these days."
A short time after they set out, they spotted a young man waiting for them on their path, standing with strange steadiness, some bloodstains not yet dry, as if he had emerged from a battle only a minute ago. It was Yuray.
Yuray approached the empty horse beside Yousafer and leaped onto it.
"Are you finished with them?" Yousafer asked.
"Yes, they are all dead."
Yuray had left Yousafer and the rest immediately when they reached the village because there were still some overseers stationed in various places around the village; they were all finished off.
Everyone continued their journey. When they reached a river, Yousafer turned to the old man: "Tell the people we will walk in the middle of this river; tell them to endure this cold."
The river was several centimeters deep, not deep at all, and its width was five meters.
As soon as the people entered the river, some women and children gasped when the frozen water touched their feet, and the cold was so harsh it felt as if their bones were freezing.
After a journey that lasted a day and a half without stopping, despite everyone feeling tired, their only concern was getting out of this forest. For this reason, they forgot what fatigue was.
In the early morning, the sun peered with its beautiful rays between the trees that were shedding their leaves. The chirping of birds dancing among the tree branches was heard, and the sound of flowing water added a special charm at this moment.
The villagers were jubilant behind their leader; even the exhaustion they felt was gone. it was a feeling they had not felt for years. After two more days, t
he end of the forest appeared before them.
Everyone rejoiced, and suddenly they heard the old man speak: "We will take a break for three hours. Rest for a bit; after that, we will continue our way west."
End of Chapter.