Is freedom something we possess… or a being that breathes through us?
A question that haunts me whenever I try to breathe for no reason.
They say freedom is a feeling, an inner salvation, a shadow no one can take from us…
But I have never tasted it.
Sometimes I think it's a word humans invented to cover their weakness, to soothe their hearts in this world weighed down by sorrow.
And if freedom truly exists…
Then I have yet to touch it.
I was lying on the roof of an abandoned warehouse, staring at the sky with empty eyes.
There was nothing there but a gray vastness… and yet, it gave me a strange stillness—
A stillness that did not resemble peace, but surrender.
The rooftop door opened with a faint sound.
SOLIMON appeared, with his usual serious features, and approached me unhurriedly.
He said in a low voice:
"Did you sleep here again?"
I sat slowly, a heavy exhale escaping my chest.
"Looking at the sky is relaxing."
He lifted his head toward the sky, a puzzled look:
"How can an empty sky bring comfort?"
I answered without thinking:
"Maybe because it's empty."
I didn't know if he understood… or perhaps he understood more than he should.
Then he said:
"SHOUTNA wants us downstairs."
I nodded.
"Alright… I'm coming."
We went down. The place was abandoned, but the basement held our usual gathering.
Nine were already there before us.
Each sat in a way that revealed him without speaking.
Faces familiar with pain, and silence heavy in the air.
SHOUTNA stepped forward with steady steps, a man who didn't need a loud voice for everyone to listen.
He wasn't tall nor massive, but his presence was larger than the place.
His eyes were steady, calm, not holding cruelty—just resolve.
It may seem strange that we gather in a place like this.
But the matter is simple:
We are killers.
Yes… as you heard.
Not because we chose to be…
But because the world chose a path for us with no return.
My name is MOHITO, I'm 22.
SOLIMON is a year younger.
As for SHOUTNA, our leader, he is twenty-five.
We all went through harsh experiments by an unknown organization called:
The Hidden Sector.
Experiments that took our past lives…
And left us with abilities no humans possess…
And a fate no one can escape.
ZARIOUH said, "So what's the reason for this gathering?"
Twenty-three years old, short, black-haired, raising an eyebrow in boredom as he crossed one leg over the other.
MIZIANI replied with his known calmness:
"SHOUTNA wouldn't gather us like this unless it's important."
MIZIANI, 23, with a quiet, contemplative voice—someone peaceful and thoughtful.
"There's something you all need to see," SHOUTNA said.
SHOUTNA stepped forward, then gestured to someone holding a laptop.
It was ADEL, 23, a man of few words who spent most of his time designing strange technologies we didn't understand.
"I'll show you pictures sent by the hunting dogs," ADEL said.
AYOUB shouted, "Hunting dogs? Did they contact you??"
AYOUB, 19, social, loves telling jokes, athletic, the youngest among us.
TAHARA laughed mockingly:
"He just told you he got the pictures from them, which means they contacted him, you idiot."
TAHARA, 20, similar to AYOUB in everything except for a deadly flaw: he's a flirt.
"What did you say? You want a fight?!" AYOUB exploded.
ZAKI intervened:
"Stop it, this isn't the time."
ZAKI large-built, dark-skinned, looks rough but is kind-hearted—21.
From the back, MESNAS said with his feet on the table, coldly:
"That's why I always tell you not to bring children to these meetings."
MESNAS, with handsome features but a sharp tongue, though kind—21.
OBASO lifted his head from his laptop and said quietly:
"Let's hear what SHOUTNA has first."
OBASO, friendly but not social, spending all his time on his computer in his room—22.
SHOUTNA looked at everyone once… and silence filled the room.
"Since you've calmed down…" ADEL said, then opened the picture.
Faces froze.
Eyes turned into anger.
We didn't need an explanation.
We all recognized him.
One of the officials in the Hidden Sector.
One of those who made us what we are.
"So, they're continuing their work," OBASO said with disgust.
"Those bastards," ZARIOUH slammed his hand on the table.
AYOUB stood up.
"Where is that bastard now?"
SHOUTNA chuckled lightly and mockingly:
"And what will you do if you know? Go kill him?"
Then continued:
"We must wait until we gather everything we need."
TAHARA clenched his fist:
"We wait? While innocent people are suffering what we suffered?"
SHOUTNA turned his gaze toward him:
"I know this very well…
But that doesn't mean we let our emotions control us…"
SHOUTNA fell silent, then looked at everyone.
"Do I need to remind you what happened last time we acted recklessly?"
The weight of his words fell heavily on us all.
A memory that should never be spoken.
Their screams turned into silence, and their angry eyes into emptiness…
"How long will it take?" SOLIMON was the first to break the silence.
SHOUTNA approached us.
"I don't know…" he said.
"But I'll update you with everything… so I need you on full alert."
Everyone went silent, hesitant, carrying unanswered questions in their chests.
But they also knew SHOUTNA always had a plan behind that unsettling silence.
Then everyone nodded.
SHOUTNA concluded:
"Alright, let's end this meeting. Everyone returns to your daily life. I will contact you with any updates."
After the meeting, SHOUTNA called me.
I stood in front of him.
"You were quiet today. Is something bothering you?"
"Not really."
"Are you worried?"
I hesitated, then said:
"You know how cautious they are."
He nodded.
"You think it's a trap too."
"I don't think they forgot about us. We must deal with this steadily. Maybe we won't get another chance."
We looked at each other in silence… a look only those who survived the same hell could understand.
"Take care of yourself, MO."
"You too."
We left in silence.
Questions heavier than our steps.
What awaits this group?
How long will we continue?
We lost everything:
Our families… our loved ones… our future… our freedom.
We became prisoners of one idea: revenge.
And inside me… a deep emptiness.
A cold darkness.
A pit that would swallow me if I approached further.
I lifted my head toward the sky.
The clouds were heavier, the scent of rain filling the air.
I whispered unintentionally:
"It looks like it will rain soon."
That night I dreamed of a presence I had lost.
I sat beside an older boy on a distant rooftop, watching the sky in silence.
We spoke and laughed, and the colors shifted gradually…
The sky turned dark red, as if screaming silently.
Suddenly, the person beside me disappeared.
I screamed, but no sound came out, as if trapped in the depths of the ocean.
Then I heard a faint, distant voice:
— "Mo…"
I turned in fear, trying to approach him…
but something sharp pierced his body…
A spear from behind.
I woke up startled at the sound of the alarm.
"Another nightmare…"
I sat at the edge of the bed, catching my breath, the echo of the nightmare chasing me…
As if a part of it refused to remain trapped in the night.
With the first thread of light entering the room, the real world returned, cold and indifferent, reminding me that ordinary life awaited.
I got up, changed my clothes, and prepared my usual black coffee.
On the TV, the news spoke of the raging war between "SAVARNA" and "KARA"—two opposing poles whose conflict turned bloodier every day.
The world was on the edge of collapse,
divided into two poles:
The western pole led by "VALINTHRA," the so-called Nation of Light, cities shining so brightly they erase every shadow.
And the eastern pole led by "LIANGZU," the vast empire of ancient civilization.
And there was the neutral pole—weak nations drowning in poverty and corruption.
We currently live in one of them: the Kingdom of MARVA.
I turned off the TV and left.
Our daily lives were designed to look ordinary.
Each of us lived in a separate apartment to avoid suspicion.
As I do every morning, I took the metro to the institute.
From the window, I watched the city of "BAYADNA."
A city full of life and noise, overflowing with contradictions—
Poverty beside wealth, dreams beside disappointment, laughter beside hidden wounds.
A city where no one stays the same, making it the perfect place to hide.
"Institute of Sciences Station."
The metro bell cut the silence.
I stepped out, adopting the role of an ordinary student.
When the doors opened, a new day began… burdened with tension and war news that never stopped—even in my dreams.
I headed to the training hall.
I believed I had the best seat in the classroom:
The window seat in the last row.
Some jokingly call it "the hero's seat," maybe because whoever sits there sees the world from afar… without truly being part of it.
"Good morning, MOHITO."
It was the voice of LOUVNA.
A girl full of life, speaking with enthusiasm, laughing easily.
She seemed bright… as if she carried a tiny sun inside her chest.
But I didn't know what that sun was hiding.
I answered:
"Good morning."
She hesitated before saying, quietly:
"Um… are you free after class today?"
I looked at her, wondering:
"Do you need something?"
She sighed with slight frustration:
"MOHITO… you forgot again, didn't you? The joint research…"
"Ah… right. Of course, I didn't forget."
Of course I did.
She smiled gently, as if she always forgave me:
"Alright, let's finish it today then."
I nodded:
"Let's go somewhere suitable after class."
She smiled brightly, filling the place with warmth:
"Great!"
She sat in her front seat.
I looked at her for a moment.
She truly belonged to another world—
She saw everything as colorful, full of hope…
While I saw everything gray, dull, and silent.
During lunch break, I could feel LOUVNA stealing glances at me.
She raised her head every few moments, then quickly returned to her notebook, as if hesitant.
ODEL finally asked on her behalf, with his calm voice:
"MOHITO… would you like to eat with us?"
I looked at him.
ODEL… someone who never raised his voice, who understood more than he appeared to, and who never asked for anything unless gently.
One of the few I truly respect.
I wanted to answer "yes."
I wanted, for a moment, to live like them…
But something was waiting behind the door.
A shadow I knew well.
I smiled faintly, without color:
"Sorry… maybe another time."
ODEL replied, trying to keep his tone normal:
"It's fine. Another time then."
I stood up and left the class.
The hallway was filled with the aroma of food and the sound of student chatter.
But everything felt distant—
As if happening behind thick glass.
At the door, someone leaned against the wall silently.
SOLIMON.
He didn't need to talk—
His presence was enough.
I looked at him, and he said playfully, but with eyes that understood everything:
"So… you turned down the invitation again."
I didn't respond immediately.
I walked closer until only half a step separated us.
"I told you I would eat with you," I said calmly.
He raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for a deeper meaning behind my words.
"Is… that the only reason?"
I didn't answer.
"Let's go," SOLIMON finally said.
I nodded.
We walked together.
Meanwhile, LOUVNA whispered, as if afraid someone might hear:
"So… he refused again?"
She asked ODEL, her voice a mix of sadness and resignation.
ODEL didn't answer immediately.
MONA spoke first, waving her hand with casual cheerfulness:
"That's not important! What matters is you've got a meeting with him after class!"
She said it as if it were simple, like the world had no complications.
MONA, LOUVNA's childhood friend, is lively and hides her worries behind light words.
LOUVNA tried to smile but said with disappointment:
"Don't exaggerate… It's just for the research.
And… MOHITO doesn't care about me anyway.
He feels like he's not even here… like nothing matters to him."
ODEL placed his hand on the table, speaking in a calm, confident tone:
"I don't think so.
MOHITO… maybe he doesn't show feelings, but he notices everything.
Sometimes… I feel like he sees more than we say."
Both LOUVNA and MONA looked at him, as if hearing a rare opinion.
And ODEL wasn't wrong.
MOHITO was always that distant presence—
close, yet unreachable.
No one knew much about him.
No one understood what happened behind those eyes that didn't truly look at anyone.
He avoided the light, walked in shadows, stayed with the same small group, and disappeared right after class…
As if the institute was just a passage, not a life.
But LOUVNA's interest didn't begin for nothing.
It began on the first day of the institute.
Some senior students tried to harass her.
Everyone saw.
Everyone avoided.
Everyone chose silence.
Except him.
He stepped forward alone.
His eyes in that moment… unforgettable.
They weren't the eyes of someone their age.
They were cold, empty, deep—coming from a place with no name.
He didn't care about their number, their shouting, or the consequences.
That calm…
That silence around him…
It was terrifying.
Like a wolf standing before a flock, waiting for the moment to strike.
And for some reason… they backed off.
From that day on, ODEL was certain MOHITO hid something deeper than silence.
A secret.
Heavy.
Walking with him everywhere.
I left the building with SOLIMON and entered the institute courtyard.
The sun was dim today, as if trying not to disturb anyone.
Students were spread everywhere—laughter, conversations, endless footsteps.
But we walked silently.
SOLIMON always walked beside me with equal steps.
Never ahead.
Never behind.
As if the distance between us had to be preserved—
just like breath.
"The others are waiting in the back courtyard," he said without turning.
I nodded.
When we reached the back courtyard, the group was gathered around an old stone table.
AYOUB laughing loudly, ZRIOUH complaining, ZAKI teasing them, and MESNAS throwing sharp comments every two minutes.
It all looked ordinary… too ordinary.
And that was the painful part.
SOLIMON arrived first, then I sat beside him.
Lunch passed, conversation floating around meaningless topics—
war news, weather, complaints about lecturers…
Things they used to hide what truly hurt.
I listened, didn't participate.
Inside, my mind kept circling one thing:
That name… the Hidden Sector.
Some wounds don't heal.
They learn to hide well.
After a while, everyone began gathering their things to return to class.
SOLIMON stood first, threw a paper in the bin, then gave me a short look—
But enough.
"Stay alert."
I nodded.
He didn't mean the lesson.
He meant the world.
We scattered like shadows losing their light source.
Each returning to his daily role…
A normal student.
But none of us was truly normal.
Classes ended with sunset.
The hallways were filled with slow, tired movement, everyone trying to reach home before darkness fully settled.
I was heading toward the exit when I heard her voice:
"MOHITO!"
I stopped.
Turned.
LOUVNA stood there, holding her bag against her chest, as if trying to keep her heart from falling.
She approached lightly, smiling a small, unmistakable smile:
"Ready for the research?"
I looked at her—
At those eyes that still saw the world in color.
How strange that was.
And even stranger… that it was beautiful.
"Ready," I said.
But inside… I wasn't ready for anything.