Chapter 29: The Beginning of the Hunt

Dan slowly approached Adrian. His expression had relaxed a little after seeing the darkness disappear from his friend's eyes. He said calmly, "It's okay, Adrian... You weren't the one who did this."

Adrian raised his head with difficulty, and Dan continued, "It was Eldar's power that was controlling you."

The moment Adrian heard his words, he nervously took a step back and raised his hand toward him. "Don't come any closer. Stay away... I don't want to hurt you too."

Silence filled the area for a moment.

Then the old man slowly walked toward Adrian without showing any fear. He stopped right in front of him and gave him a warm smile. "You would never hurt any of us, my boy."

Before Adrian could respond, the old man opened his arms and hugged him. Adrian's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't move. He simply stood there as his heavy breathing slowly began to calm down. The old man gently patted his shoulder before stepping back.

"We need to leave this place quickly... before the rest of the soldiers arrive."

Dan looked around at the bodies still covering the battlefield. "How are we supposed to get out of the city without anyone noticing us?"

Silence followed for a few seconds before the old man said, "Follow me... I have an idea."

He walked toward one of the bodies and crouched beside it. He began removing the soldier's armor and helmet.

Dan looked at him in confusion.

"We'll wear the soldiers' armor," the old man explained as he held up the helmet. "This way, no one will suspect us."

No one argued. The three of them quickly removed the armor from several soldiers and put it on. They hid their faces beneath the iron helmets, then left the battlefield a few minutes later.

They walked through the city of the Nerathions with steady steps, looking like ordinary soldiers returning from battle. Soldiers rushed through the streets while the citizens watched them from behind closed windows and locked doors.

Adrian silently looked at the faces of the Nerathions around him. He could see the fear in their eyes and the sadness left by the war with the Bimor. His chest tightened. He knew many of these people had lost their sons or fathers in a war that was still far from over.

Adrian lowered his head and continued walking.

After some time, the three of them finally left the city and headed toward the forest beyond it. They continued walking between the thick trees, and the only sound breaking the silence was their footsteps on the dry leaves.

Dan was the first to break the silence.

"What are we going to do now?" He paused for a moment before asking, "And where are we going?"

Adrian looked at the road ahead with determined eyes.

"We have a new mission."

Dan and the old man looked at him at the same time.

Adrian continued, "We need to find Eldar's daughter."

The old man frowned in confusion.

"Who is Eldar?"

Before Adrian could answer, Dan suddenly turned toward him.

"Do you mean the girl you saw in your memories?"

Adrian nodded.

"Yes."

The silence lasted for a moment before Dan asked, "Why are we looking for her? And is she even still alive?"

Adrian answered without hesitation. "Yes... she's still alive." He paused as he remembered Eldar's words, then continued, "He asked me to find her." He lowered his head slightly before adding, "And she may be connected to the last thing Valdrin told me about..." He took a breath. "...releasing the Great Bimor."

Shock appeared on Dan's face. "But... how are we going to find her when we don't even know what she looks like?"

Adrian gave a small smile. "When I see her... I'll know."

Dan looked at him in confusion, so Adrian added, "Because I have her childhood memories. Eldar and I now share the same memories."

Dan stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to understand what he had just heard. Then he asked hesitantly, "And if we find her... will we hand her over to Eldar?"

Silence filled the forest.

Adrian didn't answer. Instead, he suddenly stopped and turned toward them.

"Take off the armor and helmets."

Dan looked at him in surprise. "Why?"

Adrian began removing his armor as he said, "We don't need them anymore."

The three of them removed their armor and helmets. Adrian carried them several meters away before stopping beside a large tree and throwing them into the thick grass.

Dan approached him with a confused look. "Why did you throw them there?"

Adrian turned toward him and calmly said, "When the soldiers start chasing us, they'll find these." He gave a small smile. "They'll think we went this way."

Dan raised his eyebrows in admiration. "So... you want to mislead them."

Adrian nodded. "Every minute we gain now... could save our lives."

He turned and waved to them.

"Let's go."

At the same time, Valdrin arrived at the foot of the prison mountain after hearing about the massacre. A large group of soldiers followed behind him. The moment he stepped into the battlefield, he stopped.

Silence filled the area.

Nothing remained of the battle except the torn bodies covering the ground, blood running between the rocks, and the smell of death in the air. Valdrin slowly looked across the scene, his expression unusually serious.

One of the soldiers approached him and spoke in a low voice.

"Sir... while we were fighting the Bimor on the riverbank, the prisoners managed to escape."

He swallowed hard before continuing.

"They also killed a large number of our soldiers."

Valdrin didn't answer. He continued walking into the mountain at a steady pace. Whenever he passed a body, he stopped and looked at it for a few seconds before saying without turning around, "Search the bodies."

The soldiers exchanged confused looks.

Valdrin added, "Check them carefully. One of them might still be alive."

The soldiers immediately moved to follow his order. They knew most of the bodies had been torn apart and that surviving such injuries was almost impossible, but none of them dared to object.

Valdrin continued through the stone passage until he reached the middle of the battlefield.

Then he suddenly stopped.

His eyes widened slightly.

Against the stone wall, the squad captain was sitting with his back against it. His head hung over his chest, and blood covered his armor.

For the first time, Valdrin quickened his steps.

Then he ran toward him, dropped to his knees, and grabbed his shoulders.

"No..."

Valdrin whispered the word as he turned his brother's face toward him. He placed his hand against his neck and checked for a pulse, but there was nothing.

His hand trembled as he stared at his brother's face in disbelief. His voice came out hoarse.

"...No."

Then his voice suddenly rose, tearing through the silence of the mountain.

"My brother!"

The soldiers froze and turned toward him in shock. The squad captain was not just another army commander. He was Valdrin's older brother.

Valdrin held his brother's body for several moments, his eyes fixed on his face as if waiting for him to open his eyes at any moment. But the silence was the only answer. Slowly, Valdrin clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground with all his strength. The ground shook beneath them, cracks spread across the surrounding rocks, and dust rose into the air.

Valdrin raised his head. His eyes had turned deep red.

"I'll kill you..."

He paused for a moment before growling, "I swear... I'll kill you, Adrian. And I'll make you pay for what you did."

He turned toward the soldiers and shouted so loudly that his voice echoed throughout the mountain.

"Bring the horses! From this moment on... no one sleeps and no one eats until we find them... and kill them all!"

A heavy silence filled the area.

Valdrin looked back at his brother's body. His voice suddenly became quiet, and his anger disappeared for a moment, leaving only sadness behind. He gently patted his brother's shoulder and whispered, "Forgive me, brother... This is my fault."

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then slowly stood up. His expression had changed completely. There was only one thing left in his mind now... revenge.

Meanwhile, Adrian and his companions continued making their way through the thick forest. As time passed, the first rays of dawn began to appear in the sky. Soon, sunlight reached the treetops and pushed back the darkness of the night.

The old man sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He stopped and leaned against a tree, clearly exhausted.

"I can't go on anymore... Let's rest for a while."

Dan stopped as well. He was exhausted after everything they had been through, but Adrian didn't slow down. He kept looking ahead and said, "We can't."

The old man looked at him in surprise.

Adrian continued in a firm voice, "The Nerathion soldiers are chasing us now. If they find us... we'll all die."

The old man looked at the ground with frustration, then let out a long sigh and forced himself to keep walking.

On the other side of the forest, Valdrin was leading his soldiers through the trees. The horses suddenly stopped when one of the soldiers pointed at something lying in the grass. He quickly dismounted, crouched down, and picked up an iron helmet.

Then he raised his head and shouted, "Sir!"

Valdrin approached quickly. The soldier pointed toward the ground.

"They left their armor here."

He then looked at the footprints stretching ahead.

"It looks like they escaped in this direction."

Silence followed.

Valdrin didn't answer. Instead, he knelt down and carefully examined the armor scattered across the ground. He ran his fingers through the dirt around it and remained silent for several moments.

Then he said, "Very clever, Adrian."

He slowly raised his head.

"You knew we'd follow the first trail we found."

Valdrin stood up and brushed the dirt from his hand. Then he turned toward the completely opposite direction and said with confidence, "He left the armor here to distract us. He... took the opposite path."

The soldiers looked at him in surprise, but no one questioned him.

Valdrin raised his hand and shouted firmly, "Move! They're in the other direction!"

The horses charged through the forest at full speed, with Valdrin leading the group.

His eyes held only one goal now:

Find Adrian before he gets any farther.