From among the dense branches, just meters from the confrontation, Leo and Lia watched the scene with sharp eyes.
Leo muttered through gritted teeth, voice choked with fury:
"I can't believe this! How dare they accuse him? I'll crush them all!"
He trembled with rage—his silver eyes glowing in the dark, hands gripping the branch so hard it nearly snapped.
Lia, utterly calm, her icy eyes fixed on the chaos, spoke:
"Wait."
"What?! You see what's happening! They're accusing him of betrayal while knowing nothing!" Leo groaned, shaking with anger.
But Lia didn't flinch. "Dad chose to bear responsibility. That's his decision."
When Jon raised his sword toward Boris's neck, Leo shuddered violently. In a voice mixed with terror and rage, he whispered:
"Enough! I won't allow it!"
He moved to leap—but Lia's hand shot out, seizing his wrist instantly.
For the first time, her tone turned firm:
"Don't interfere."
Leo struggled to free himself: "Let me go! He's pointing a sword at Dad's neck!"
Her eyes never left the scene. "You know this won't help Dad. He's not resisting. He's letting them do what they want."
But when Leo saw the blade nearly touch Boris's throat, he could no longer hold back.
"No… I can't…"
At the critical moment—when the sword was mere centimeters from contact—Leo finally burst from Lia's grip and leapt from the branches.
Lia thought: *Stupid, fool…*
Yet in her icy eyes, something resembling hidden worry flickered.
She watched as he landed in the center of the circle, kicked Jon's sword away with brutal force, and faced the angry crowd alone.
Lia remained in place, observing the scene unfold.
Her eyes still carried that surface-level coldness—but her fingers gently pressed into the branch beneath her.
*You're not the only one worried about Dad, idiot,* she thought, with the patience only exhaustion could forge.
***
"You ungrateful bastards!" Leo roared—his face twisted with fury, as if his eyes alone could tear them apart.
"After everything he's done for you… you accuse him of betrayal?!"
Jon's hand trembled as he looked at Leo—remembering how Leo had crushed the sentient Bloody Wolf with terrifying ease.
Takashi was still burning with grief over his father's death, ready to charge—until Anton placed a hand on his shoulder, pulled him back slightly, and whispered:
"Calm down. That boy… he's the one who saved us before…"
Zofia, watching Leo through her sensory net, noted: *His eyes—just like that girl's in the forest. Less layered than Boris's.*
"Y-yes, we're grateful he saved us from the wolves…" one man stammered.
"But this time, he ran at the first sign of danger! That's suspicious!"
"Exactly!" another added. "Why didn't he stay? Why didn't he warn us if he knew the danger?"
The crowd began snarling accusations, circling Boris like hungry wolves.
*Leo… you didn't have to show yourself… He wasn't trying to kill me, he was only going to hurt me.* Boris's voice echoed faintly in Leo's mind—broken, quiet.
Tamer stepped forward and spoke:
"Young man, we don't know you—but we owe both of you our lives, twice over. Still… you must understand why we feel betrayed."
Leo didn't reply. He only turned—
looked into Boris's eyes, gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
Boris, despite everything, gave a faint, sorrowful smile—
the smile of someone blaming only himself.
That look ignited all of Leo's fury.
"You bas—!" he nearly exploded, ready to unleash every ounce of rage on the caravan members…
But before he could speak, the air suddenly vibrated.
Lia appeared beside him—cold as ice, calm as night.
*Handle things with reason, Leo…*
Her flat, rhythmic voice rang in his head like a blade cutting through anger.
"Tch! You finally showed up," Leo clicked his tongue and fell silent—but his eyes still shot sparks.
*Why… why did you come?* Boris looked at them, his eyes brimming with silent pain.
*I told you not to appear…*
*After analysis, I concluded that protecting Dad is more important than obeying him,* Lia replied in his mind—without moving her lips.
Amid the chaos, Sonia rushed forward and clung to Boris's side—as if her small body could shield him.
"Boris Brother…" Sonia trembled, and Boris noticed.
*Right… my fate isn't mine alone. I didn't care what they thought of me… but their judgment of me will reflect on Sonia… what a fool I am.*
Boris bit his lip, gently placed a hand on Sonia's head, and decided to leave everything to Lia.
No one shouted. No arm moved. Even the crowd's breaths paused for a moment.
Her appearance was utterly different from Leo's violent entrance.
She wasn't a flash or an explosion—she was a ghost, materializing instantly from emptiness.
She stood there—her simple white dress swaying with the night breeze.
Her pale silver eyes reflected every available light.
"It's her…" Zofia whispered, voice so soft it feared disturbing the silence. "The girl… from the forest."
"The girl from the forest?" Imenata asked beside her.
"She's the one who saved Takashi and me before."
Zofia recalled the mental image—the silent girl—remembering how Takashi's fatal wounds had sealed as if they'd never existed.
Takashi turned to Leo, then back to Lia.
His fiery anger hadn't died—but it now crashed against a wall of confusion.
"You… you're the one who healed me? Why are you here too?"
Anton, silent as stone until now, slowly shifted his gaze from Leo to Lia, then to Boris.
*The same eyes.* That same mysterious silver—but Boris's were deeper, more layered.
"The eyes…" he murmured, more to himself than the crowd. "All of them… share the same eyes."
Sonia, still clinging to Boris, looked up and saw Lia.
A wave of comfort washed over her—Lia had always been calm, always in control.
Tamer, thoughtful as ever, sensed she hadn't appeared without reason. He felt she had something to say.
"The girl…" he said in his calm, respected tone, "you're tied to him. What can you tell us?"
But Lia ignored him.
Her gaze never left the crowd surrounding Boris.
She looked at them not as enemies, nor friends—but as mere objects.
She took one small step forward.
Just one step—but it was enough to make the entire crowd instinctively retreat a step back.
She didn't raise her voice.
Didn't lift her hand.
Yet her presence imposed such awe that the noise faded to whispers… then to absolute silence.
She opened her delicate lips—and her clear, cold voice, carrying the tone of a child yet the wisdom of an elder, sliced through the quiet:
"Instead of throwing accusations…" she said simply, as if reminding them of an obvious truth they'd forgotten in their rage.
"Don't you want to know the truth?"
Jon, still gripping his sword, shuddered.
He didn't know who she was—but her timing, her defense of Boris, her clear link to the boy who'd saved them…
All of it made him hesitate.
Anger began making room for curiosity—and doubt about the narrative they'd built around Boris.
"What truth?" Jon asked sharply—his tone still accusing, but now holding a sliver of openness.
Lia didn't smile.
Didn't change expression.
She only answered, her eyes locked directly onto Jon—as if measuring how ready he was to hear what he didn't want to hear.
"First, you're starting from a false assumption. You're acting as if he knew about the fog…" She paused, letting her next words land carefully. "…when that itself is unconfirmed."
Her words were like drops of cold water—quiet, still, yet deadly in their slowness.
Anton looked at her and countered:
"Maybe—but our assumption is logical, given that he disappeared exactly when the fog appeared."
Anton's words struck like a well-aimed arrow.
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. Some women holding children eyed Lia with suspicion and unease.
"Perhaps…" Lia replied, her calm voice cutting through the noise like a knife,
"but haven't you considered that he might not have known about the fog—but he *did* know about the danger itself?"
"What do you mean?" Anton asked, brows furrowed, failing to grasp her logic.
*First she defends him, then says he knew about the danger?* Tamer was puzzled.
"Six days ago, after the first wolf attack…" Lia continued steadily,
"Leo and I were sent to investigate the Bloody Wolves. Yesterday, we confirmed there was a sentient Alpha Wolf leading the pack—exactly as Boris suspected."
Complete silence fell over the onlookers as her words echoed in the air.
"And more dangerously…" she added sharply,
"we discovered a group of bandits planning an ambush against you—and they were in direct contact with that sentient wolf. In fact, one of them—most likely—was the one who granted it sentience in the first place."
"But why didn't you warn us?" Takashi cried out, voice breaking. "We could've avoided all these losses!"
Lia paused—not from uncertainty, but to choose her words with precision.
"Because it was too late…" she finally answered. "We weren't certain of their full plan. So Boris decided to confront their leader alone, while we stayed here to protect you."
"But why him?" Takashi pressed again. "Why didn't he stay with us and send one of you instead?"
"Ha!! And what—" Leo exploded in anger.
Lia raised a hand before him, correcting his words calmly:
"Because the bandit leader was especially dangerous…"
Then, softer: "And even before we discovered the bandits, Boris had repeatedly warned you of the coming danger and alerted you to the possibility of a sentient wolf. Because of him, you were far more prepared than you would've been otherwise."
Tamer spoke in his sorrowful, knowing voice:
"But the fog… didn't you have any idea about it? How did they even create it?"
"To be honest…" Lia answered without hesitation,
"We didn't know about the fog until it began. We didn't uncover their full plan."
She then locked eyes directly with Tamer:
"And even if Boris had stayed with you… he wouldn't have been able to move through that fog. I removed it—so I am staying here to protect the survivors was the optimal choice."
A heavy silence fell—as if the world had stopped spinning.
"You… you removed the fog?" Tamer whispered, eyes wide with astonishment.
"Yes," Lia answered simply.
"The fog was artificial—created by the same person who tamed the sentient wolf. It seems he used a unique TRAITUM."
"But how were you able to…" Tamer began, then suddenly stopped—remembering the unnatural way she'd appeared. "Sorry… it's not polite to ask you about that."
Murmurs rose among the crowd.
Looks of awe mixed with fear of this mysterious power.
The puzzle pieces began fitting together in their minds—forming a completely new picture of what had happened.
Imenata was the first to break the silence, her voice trembling:
"So… you were protecting us all this time? Even the Koshin barrier, isn't that right?"
No answer was needed. The silence itself was the greatest confirmation.
"I understand…" Kalu said cautiously, "but I have one last question: Who are you? I believe you said the other one—your brother? Leo, right?"
"My name is Lia. As for who we are—we're just Boris's companions." She then stared at him firmly. "Please refrain from asking further questions."
"Of course," Kalu bowed his head respectfully, while caravan members exchanged silent glances.
The burning anger had begun to fade—replaced by a complex mix of gratitude, confusion, and regret.
Zofia took a gentle step forward, her sightless eyes turning toward Boris:
"Thank you, Lad. Boris… you've saved us all far more than we deserve."
As soon as Zofia moved, the rest of the caravan followed.
Every accusing, angry gaze had shifted into a blend of shame and gratitude.
Tamer, Anton, and the men apologized to Boris—patting his shoulder, thanking him for saving them.
Jumana, eyes filled with tears but a small smile on her lips, said: "Forgive us… we didn't know the full truth."
Takashi stepped forward alone and bowed his head, apologizing for his earlier accusations: "I'm truly sorry for what I said."
Imenata hugged Boris tightly, asking if he was injured anywhere.
Most of the children ran to him happily.
Boris noticed the missing ones—Mina and Saty.
Mina clung to her mother, refusing to look at anyone.
Saty wept in his grandmother's arms beside his grandfather's corpse.
*Don't blame yourself, Dad. Children don't understand big priorities… they only see the final outcome for them. They're cognitively immature creatures…* Lia spoke in Boris's mind, coldly.
Boris looked at her and smiled gently: *I know..*
In the middle of it all, Boris remembered Ethan.
He turned to the bushes and called in English: "Ethan, come out."
Everyone was startled as the teenager Ethan emerged from the underbrush, wearing his unusual red hoodie.
"Who is this?" Tamer asked cautiously.
Boris turned to Kalu and spoke in Nita: "I'd like to introduce him to you."
Kalu looked at Ethan, who stood nervously beside Boris.
"This boy was captured by the bandits… and he is… a MISFIT."
The moment the last word left his lips, the place froze.
Everyone stared at Ethan—his clothes, his face, his sweaty skin—everything.
A murmur of astonishment spread through the crowd.
The word "MISFIT" carried immense weight.
*Oh no, why are they staring at me like that? What did you tell them, Boris?! Did you just say, "This MISFIT is perfect for dinner!"?* Ethan panicked internally.
"Oh my god! I never thought I'd meet one in my lifetime!"
"Does he breathe our air?"
Children swarmed him, touching him everywhere—as if he were a living legend.
*I don't understand a word they're saying…* Ethan thought, overwhelmed by the language barrier.
***
Deep in the forest—where darkness still clung before dawn's first light—Sior leaned against a giant tree trunk, his breath rising in the cold night air.
His shirtless body was covered in deep scars and wounds—but strangely, the bleeding had stopped, and the injuries were slowly closing under the full red moon, Lunara.
Suddenly… the shadows moved.
From the thick underbrush emerged a figure shorter than Sior, cloaked in a long black robe that brushed the ground, hood completely hiding face and gender.
The stranger spoke in a calm voice:
"The plan failed here."
Sior lifted his head—his glowing red eyes returning to their natural black in the dark.
He replied hoarsely:
"I know. Bagheera is dead… the wolves fled. Darmon… vanished."
"Darmon isn't important. But failure requires a solution…"
Sior nodded slowly, then gestured to his wounds:
"The three strangers… were unexpected. A young boy, a girl, and an teen boy… all with silver eyes."
"Silver eyes? Just an old myth." The stranger dismissed it entirely.
"Maybe… but their power is real. The youngest killed Bagheera alone. The girl uses encryption in combat as if breathing—and even teleported. As for the older one…"
Sior paused, as if recalling something.
"The teen boy was the most mysterious. I couldn't read him… couldn't even get close when he was near. He has terrifying senses."
A long silence fell. Even the rustling leaves sounded loud in that stillness.
After a moment, the stranger spoke:
"It doesn't matter. Just a coincidence. Our paths won't cross again."
"There's still hope to restart. Darmon was just an addition. I can find a new wolf, make it lead the rest—and recapture the MISFIT. What do you think?"
The stranger slowly raised a hand.
"No. Report to command first. Tell them the plan failed due to unexpected interference, ask them what you should do next.. As for the MISFIT—he's unimportant. Others will appear soon."
"Got it. And you? What will you do?" Sior asked.
The stranger took a step back—as if melting into the shadows.
"I have… something to do…" And in an instant… he vanished.
Sior remained alone in the dark—his wounds nearly healed. He let out a long sigh.
*I don't understand their thoughts… It's as if they know something I don't.*
He raised his eyes to the red moon, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, the stranger walked through the forest, certain thoughts haunting him:
*I can't believe I found both the Spring and Autumn Vessels by pure chance… I must tell them.*
On a cold night in the Warm season, many conspiracies were quietly woven.