Kauã woke up more exhausted than usual.
His body felt heavy. His mind restless.
Unintentionally, he found himself thinking about what had happened days earlier — the moment he saved Yara from the tribe's bullies. Since that day, he hadn't seen her again. The shaman, our spiritual guide, had probably heard about it… and punished her.
It's always like this.
At times like this, I feel bound. Bound because I still don't have the strength to strike back.
Not yet.
And maybe I never will.
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away. Today was the big day. My Awakening. And I needed energy for whatever the tribe had prepared for me.
I stood up and stepped out of the hut in search of food.
As soon as I crossed the doorway, I ran into him.
The shaman.
He was standing there, holding a basket of fruit. His eyes carried that old look of disguised disgust. We stared at each other for a few seconds that felt eternal.
I held his gaze.
I did not hide the hatred.
He pretended not to notice.
"Kauã, I brought fresh fruit so you'll have energy for your Awakening today."
There was mockery in his voice. Too sweet. Too artificial.
My stomach twisted, but I couldn't refuse.
"Thank you, Shaman… for your kindness."
I forced a smile.
He set the basket on the ground and turned to leave. I let out a quiet sigh of relief. But after a few steps, he stopped… as if he had remembered something.
He turned back slowly.
"Kauã… I had a prophetic dream. And today you will be forgiven for your sins."
Sins?
What sins? — I thought, feeling my blood boil.
Ignoring my thoughts, he continued:
"Today will be different. There will be no ritual. You will go to our Guardian's cave. That is where your Awakening will take place."
My heart nearly stopped.
The Guardian's cave.
That wasn't a ritual.
It was a death sentence.
He finished speaking and walked away, leaving me standing there, trying to process what I had just heard. Running wasn't an option — I would be hunted. The entire tribe would come after me.
I looked at the fruit in the basket.
I ate in silence.
"At least I'll give that snake a stomachache," I muttered bitterly.
The day passed slowly, suffocatingly. My mind spun in circles, searching for a way out, a plan, any hope.
Nothing came.
When the sun began to sink, I was pulled from my trance by the voice I least wanted to hear.
"Come, Kauã. It's time."
The shaman stood before me.
And in that moment, I knew.
My fate was sealed.