Chapter 50 - Pain

It is 10 am.

Aside from the injured Shailly, and Kaya, more solitary than ever, we wander in a group, spectators of a silent ballet. The peasants are patiently dismantling their stalls, leaving behind the scent of spices and the memory of a lively fair. Under that leaden sky, Son approaches one of them.

_ Son: " I am going to help you, madam. "

_ Peasant: " That is kind of you, young man. "

True to form, I observe this scene without surprise. A knowing glance is exchanged between us all. Loyal, we decide to help in return. The tools put away, we venture into the winding roads, letting our steps take us wherever the wind leads. I follow them, a keen observer of a conversation that dances amidst the words. Unconsciously, we arrive near the "Upper Sector" where the bourgeois reside. Two guards appear in our field of vision. Passing relatively close to them, we faintly hear their discussion.

_ Guard 1: " It's been a while since we've had a case like this. "

_ Guard 2: " Indeed, usually we find a lot of bodies scattered around, without the area being completely devastated like this. "

_ Guard 1: " Furthermore, it's complicated to know which Zone the victim came from. "

_ Guard 2: " Yeah, I saw an armband on their wrist, but it was in a terrible state. "

At this precise moment, Maïko stops immediately. The guards continue their dialogue.

_ Guard 2: " What shocks me the most is that tall individual not far from the victim. Impossible to identify, he was far too charred. "

_ Guard 1: " It must have been a hell of a battlefield. I wouldn't have wanted to be in their shoes. “

Distressed and craving answers, Maïko lunges toward them.

_ Maïko: " Excuse me! Could you repeat that, please! "

_ Guard 2: " Huh? "

_ Maïko: " You said you saw an armband. What colour was it?? "

_ Guard 2: " Ahhh... Hmm... I don't quite remember. "

_ Guard 1: “ We didn't really pay attention to that information. But the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that the victim was not from our village. “

Anxiety tightens its grip around Maïko, forcing her to ask one last, crucial question.

_ Maïko: " Describe the victim's physical appearance for me! "

_ Guard 1: " Hmm... a woman with mid-length brown hair, I'd say. "

_ Guard 2: “ Oh! Now I remember. When we arrived at the destination, the sun was only just starting to come up, and the first time we saw it, its eye was still very bright. ”

_ Guard 1: “ Now that you say that, it is true. I didn't know that phenomenon existed. ”

These vague announcements, yet heavy with meaning and charged with an oppressive gravity, reveal to us with a pang in our heart that the victim of this awful tragedy is none other than the venerable Moana.

She stutters, in disbelief.

_ Maïko: " No... It can't be true… "

Then, erupting like a volcano, she releases a tearing cry, a shriek of pain and rage that reverberates across the entire village.

These unforeseen echoes disturb the peasants' quiet, their eyes searching for the meaning of this strange apparition. Our efforts to quell this turmoil are futile. The peasants, helpless witnesses to this inexplicable agitation, merely watch on, defenseless against this unyielding force.

Insistently, Son's pleas fail to calm the storm raging inside Maïko. In an uncontrollable burst of revolt, her elbow strikes Son's face, a gesture as involuntary as it is painful. A silence settles. After this uncontrolled gesture, Maïko stops immediately and starts to feel guilty for having hit him.

_ Son: " Believe me, I get it. You have no idea how much that tore me up about Jenna. But unfortunately... if we're going to push through this, we can't afford to crumble now. For their sake... we have a duty to survive! "

Then, Maïko collapses to her knees and buries her face in the soft fabric of Son's T-shirt, releasing a torrent of tears. The deeply moving scene broke Kona's heart, causing her to weep as well. Her tears, like a spark, ignited Son's in return. Only a dry veil holds back our tears, Hazel's and mine. But anger, a dull flame, consumes us just as much.