Then the plan began.


    “That’s insane.”


    “That’s insane in itself, Declan.”


    “I don’t understand it, Hammya,” Europa said.


    “Hammya?” Amabaray asked.


    “Yes, that’s my name. Any problem?”


    “N... no,” murmured Amabaray, visibly uncomfortable.


    Hammya looked away toward the battlefield.


    “Candado is in a sensitive stage,” she said, her voice grave and firm. “Everything he does reflects the anger and sadness he feels.”


    She pointed toward the fight: Odadnac was battling all the Baris.


    “He’s playing with them, testing them. That means he doesn’t yet have complete control over his body. He did the same thing that day when that woman used the roots to trap him.”


    “That woman? Oh, you mean Rucciménkagri,” Clementina interjected.


    “Whatever her name is,” Hammya replied coldly. “What matters is that he could have escaped, or even killed her, but he didn’t because Candado prevented it.”


    Arturo stepped forward, frowning.


    “Are you saying that Candado is struggling internally with that guy?”


    “Struggling? No,” Hammya said. “Candado is too depressed to resist. If he were truly fighting, his body would already have begun to fail, and one of the Baris would have wounded him by now.”


    “So then what does it mean?” Arturo insisted.


    Hammya exhaled patiently.


    “It means that Odadnac can’t completely control Candado’s body. He’s using this fight to test his limits and achieve total domination. What I need is for Amabaray to create a force field around the two of us.”


    Hector frowned.


    “Why exactly you?”


    Declan, more direct, stepped forward and confronted her.


    “Yes, Hammya, why you?”


    For the first time, Hammya didn’t feel the usual intimidation in front of Declan. She looked directly at him.


    “Because I know how to save him. I know how to separate Odadnac from his body. None of you can do it.”


    Declan frowned, his voice defiant.


    “That doesn’t answer the question. Why?”


    Hammya clenched her fists and took a deep breath.


    “Because I wasn’t there that day on his birthday. If you go, Candado will only remember how you reacted when he insulted Gabriela. What do you think he’ll feel if Hector approaches him? He’ll remember what was said, and it will only make things worse. But I don’t carry that burden. For him, I’m not a reminder of his pain.”


    Hammya stood up and faced their inquisitive gazes.


    “Are you going to support me or not?”


    Viki was the first to stand, followed by Clementina, Pucheta, Walsh, and finally the others.


    “All right, let’s do it.”


    Hammya ran toward the battlefield. Bórrbari was the first to notice her, and with a quick motion, he signaled to the Baris to step back. Without question, they obeyed. Odadnac, bewildered, watched as his opponents retreated, creating an empty space around him.


    He didn’t have time to react as a figure closed in at high speed. Hammya leaped with feline precision, her face impassive. She grabbed him by the waist, lifted him into the air, and slammed him onto the ground in front of the tree where Amabaray was waiting.


    “CIRCLE!” Hammya shouted.


    Odadnac tried to kick her while she was distracted, but she blocked the blow with her forearm. Even so, the impact was enough to throw her off balance. Odadnac tried to flee, but the circle was already closed.


    Surrounded by his enemies, he attempted to attack Hector, whom he considered the weakest. However, Lucas surprised him by spitting fire, Clementina fired with precision, and Hector delivered a kick to his chest that sent him back to the center of the circle.


    “AMABARAY!” Hammya shouted.


    Amabaray spread his wings and rose into the air. With a precise motion, he generated a celestial force field that enclosed Hammya and Odadnac, leaving the others out. However, Odadnac began to pound violently on the force field to escape, but nothing seemed capable of even cracking it.


    “It won’t work,” Hammya said as she walked toward him. “Here, death has no power, and that gives me the advantage—and her advantage.”


    Odadnac grinned maliciously.


    “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”


    Hammya ran toward him, throwing a punch that Odadnac easily dodged. She wrapped her hands in violet flames and shot a burst of fire at him, but Hammya rolled across the ground and avoided the attack.


    From the outside, the others observed the intense battle.


    “What could she be doing?” Walsh asked, worried.


    “What she can,” Pucheta answered seriously.


    Odadnac grabbed Hammya by the hair and began pounding her stomach and face. With a quick motion, she drew a machete and cut his hand, forcing him to let go.


    Then something unexpected happened: Hammya began to bleed from her nose, but her blood wasn’t red. It was green.


    “What are you?” Odadnac asked, stunned.


    Hammya wiped her nose and showed a mocking smile.


    “I’m Hammya Saillim, moron.”


    Her eyes glowed with intensity as she moved toward him. Odadnac reacted with a punch to her stomach, but she refused to back down. Without hesitation, she struck him hard in the nape of his neck.


    “By possessing Candado’s body, you acquired his powers and abilities... but also his greatest weakness.”


    Hearing those words, Odadnac’s body began to flicker, as if losing its consistency.


    “YOU!” he roared as he grabbed her by the neck with uncontrollable fury.


    Hammya calmly smiled, broke his grip with a sharp movement, and surprisingly embraced him.


    “Now you’re going to take me to where he is.”


    “NOOOOOOO!!!”


    A sphere of smoke and fire formed around them, obscuring them from the others’ view. The plan was still in motion.


    The body of Odadnac and Hammya passed through a tunnel formed by black storm clouds and violent gusts of wind. The sensation was suffocating; the environment felt like an eternal storm. Suddenly, Odadnac began to dematerialize. His body turned into ash, swept away by the wind. Hammya, on the other hand, continued falling into what appeared to be an endless void: only wind, storm, and rain.


    Finally, everything changed. The world turned white. Hammya opened her eyes and found herself standing on a ground covered in something resembling white grass. The storm felt like a distant memory; she wasn’t wet, and her clothes and hair had taken on an unusual whitish tone. She looked around, but all she could see was an endless white void, interrupted only by a few scattered pine trees.


    Confused, Hammya turned, searching for something or someone. She spun so much that she ended up falling to the ground. Her hands touched the grass, warm and soft, confirming that this place, though strange, was tangible.


    When she lifted her gaze, she saw it: a figure from behind, standing out in the monochromatic world. Hammya stood up and walked toward it. As she approached, she noticed the landscape around her beginning to change. What had once been a white void was now becoming an immobile forest. Nothing moved, neither the branches nor the leaves. There was no wind—just an unsettling silence.


    “Candado?” she asked as she got close enough.


    “He’s not here,” the figure said kindly and calmly.


    “Who are you?” she asked, bewildered.


    “You can call me whatever you like, but he and my brothers know me as the White Guardian.”


    “Are you like Candado? You look... identical.”


    “In part, yes. But not entirely. I could destroy you if you were an intruder, but considering what you did with Ira, I forgive you.”


    With that, he turned his gaze toward something Hammya couldn’t see. She moved closer, trying to decipher what he was looking at. Ahead of them stood a fountain with crystal-clear water cascading from a sculpture.


    “If you want to reach him, you’ll have to go down.”


    “Down? You mean into the water?”


    “This water can’t drown you, dear. The only connection between our worlds is this spring.”


    Hammya swallowed, hesitated for a moment, and then placed her foot into the water. As she was about to submerge her other foot, the Guardian placed a hand on her shoulder.


    “Be careful. He’s very distressed by what happened. Try not to make it worse, or you’ll die there.”


    Hammya nodded, swallowing her fear, and stepped in. When her body was completely submerged, she murmured to herself:


    “Oh, Hammya, bad time not to know how to swim.”


    She held her breath and plunged under.


    Suddenly, she found herself in another place. Everything appeared to be the interior of a house, but not just any house—it was the Barret family home. However, it was empty. Hammya observed carefully; the birds were singing outside, and the trees danced with the wind. Her hair and clothing had returned to their usual color—or almost. It still had hints of red.


    She tried to leave through the front door, but as her hand extended toward the doorknob, it passed through it as if it were a hologram. Intrigued, she tried the windows, but they too remained unyielding, as though the outside world were forbidden to her. Finally, after several unsuccessful attempts, she gave up and began searching for Candado.


    She climbed the stairs, which creaked under her weight, and noticed how everything appeared exactly as she remembered it. It was as if she had never left this house. She walked down the hallway leading to the rooms until she stopped in front of Candado’s bedroom door. It was slightly ajar, unlatched, which gave her a strange sensation of company, as if she weren’t entirely alone.


    She touched the doorknob, and to her surprise, it was warm. She pushed the door open, and what she saw on the other side left her speechless. The room was in ruins: the walls were cracked and riddled with holes, the bookshelves splintered and scattered across the floor, the window displayed a huge hole through which the wind howled. The wardrobe and desk lay destroyed, and a sharp, acrid scent of burnt wood lingered in the air. Burnt books, charred clothing, and blackened paintings were heaped like mute witnesses to a terrible tragedy. Even the bed was unrecognizable.


    Hammya turned to look at the inside of the door. The doorknob, now visible, was completely melted, explaining the warmth she had felt when touching it. Though the chaos was evident, it wasn’t enough to frighten her.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Resolute, she moved toward the neighboring room: Gabriela’s room, which she had come to consider her own. The door was slightly ajar. This time, Hammya pushed it open with the tip of her right foot. A sharp creak split the silence as the door opened slowly.


    And there he was. Candado was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a wooden frame with a photograph inside. It was a picture of himself embracing his sister Gabriela on his tenth birthday. With almost reverent care, he traced his index and middle fingers over the glass as though caressing something sacred. His hands were covered in cuts and slightly bleeding, and the glove he wore had holes in the knuckles, probably from the blows he had delivered. Hammya remembered immediately the holes in the walls, ceiling, and floor of Candado’s room.


    The scene, steeped in melancholy and tenderness, left her without words. There he was: broken, yet desperately clinging to a memory.


    "What are you doing here?" Candado asked in a calm voice.


    "I came to take you home."


    "Home? I am at home."


    "Not this house. Your real home."


    Candado paused for a moment but continued to trace the photo in his hand.


    "Go away from here. I want to be alone. I want to be with her."


    "Candado... she’s already passed away," Hammya said softly.


    Setting the photo frame on the bed, Candado looked into Hammya''s eyes.


    "I know, Hammya. I’m not an imbecile. But even so, I want to be with her."


    "Candado, let’s go home. Everyone is waiting for you."


    "Who’s waiting for me?" he asked sharply.


    "Your parents, your friends... and me."


    "No... they’re not waiting for me. In fact, no one is waiting for me there."


    "Candado, that’s not true. They are truly waiting for you."


    "WOULD THEY WAIT FOR A MURDERER!?" he exclaimed, rising to his feet abruptly and letting the photo frame drop to the floor.


    "You’re not a murderer," Hammya said in a soft voice.


    Candado sneered at her.


    "What does someone who’s only known me for five months know?"


    "It’s true. You’ve known me for five months. But you know, Candado, in that time, I’ve seen you. I’ve seen what you are and what you do when someone is in trouble, whether financially or in life-threatening situations. I’ve seen someone who works hard for the well-being of others, who shoulders great responsibilities. I’ve seen someone who, despite his fragility, was strong enough to impart justice. I’ve seen a person who loves his family and takes care of his friends. That’s the Candado I want."


    "I DIDN’T DESERVE THAT!" he screamed, his face contorted in pain.


    Hammya took a step closer, but Candado immediately bristled.


    "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" he shouted angrily.


    Hammya froze.


    "What he said is true. Odadnac was right."


    "It’s not true," Candado said in a weary tone.


    "Of course it is. When she was fatally injured, I felt happy. Happy because she had been punished. I wanted her dead, and I told her to die."


    "You were only five years old, Candado. Stop tormenting yourself," Hammya whispered.


    "I was a coward. I erased my past so I could live my life without regret. Odadnac was right. I... I didn’t love her," his words came out brokenly.


    "NO! THAT’S NOT TRUE!" Hammya screamed, tears brimming in her eyes.


    "LOOK AT REALITY, HAMMYA! IF IT WERE TRUE, SHE’D BE ALIVE! ALIVE! VI-VE!"


    His words vanished into the air, and his eyes filled with pain.


    "Yes. I was fooling myself all this time. First, it was an illness, and then a false lead that someone else had killed her. But it wasn''t like that... it was me all along."


    "You were only five years old. It wasn''t your fault," said Hammya, her voice a mix of sadness and understanding.


    "What do you know? Huh? Nothing... I''m a killer. Do you see these hands, Hammya? Look at them... LOOK AT THEM! These hands could have saved Gabriela if I had given a little bit of power to Odadnac. If I hadn''t been a coward, a bad brother, she would still be alive."


    "That isn''t your fault, Candado," Hammya replied, her voice trembling.


    "YES, IT IS! DON''T YOU DARE SAY OTHERWISE BECAUSE IT IS!" His voice came out as a roar of suffering and anger.


    Candado''s face was etched with pain.


    "I know what you''re going through, Candado. I recognize that feeling. I suffered it when my father died, but even so, I kept moving forward. I worked to resist the pain because he didn''t want that. He wanted me to always smile. That''s why you must keep moving forward too."


    Candado glared at her in fury.


    "Candado?"


    "Move forward? Sure, the world moves on while I stay behind. Do I just keep going because you said so?"


    "I didn''t say that..." Hammya murmured sadly.


    "You didn''t say that, and yet you expect me to move forward? You''re stupid," Candado retorted with contempt.


    "Candado..."


    "I''m aware of it, stupid girl. I know everyone keeps going forward, everyone tries, everyone does, I did it too. I kept going, and going, and going—KEPT GOING! AND I KEPT GOING! BUT I...! came to a realization: even if the world keeps moving, the pain doesn''t go. It haunts you, it torments you, it suffocates you. There is nothing but that pain coursing through your body every single day, reminding you that nothing will ever change."


    His words hung in the air, heavy, like a sentence.


    "I understand. I know it hurts..."


    "You don''t know. STOP! pretending you do, because you don''t," Candado''s voice rose with contained fury. "You don''t know what it''s like to wake up every day and see, right there, the room where she used to sleep. To go to the square where she used to play, to pass by the school she went to. To see her photo in every damn frame every single day. All of that only adds to your misery, as if it were trying to remind you again and again that the pain will never leave, that I will never see her again, nor hear her."


    He paused, breathing heavily, and then continued:


    "It hurts. Every day it hurts, Hammya. Every damn morning, afternoon, and night. The pain doesn''t leave. You just... just have to endure it, but I''m tired of it. I''m tired of it. I''ve borne enough. I tried to resist, but... it''s enough. It won. I gave in to it, and now I just want..."


    "Don''t you dare say that," Hammya interrupted firmly, her voice serious but laden with concern. "Never, Candado, never say something like that, please."


    Candado''s face was covered in a shadow of despair. The weight of three years of pain and guilt was breaking him down. Hammya watched him, unsure of what to do. She wanted to help, but her words felt useless in the face of his torment.


    "Gabriela wouldn''t have wanted you to feel this way," she whispered, trying to calm him. "She would have wanted you to keep smiling."


    "That''s what you think," Candado replied with a bitter smile. "I don''t know how someone like you can keep smiling. You lost your father, walked here from so far away with just a suitcase full of clothes. You endured hunger, cold, heat... and yet you had the strength to enter a school, sit in class, and stay by my side."


    "It was worth it," she said, her smile trying to bring light into Candado''s dark world.


    "No... I betrayed my sister. Why would it be any different with you?"


    Hammya looked at him, a mixture of sadness and determination in her gaze.


    "Don''t say you''re evil, because you''re not..."


    "ENOUGH!"


    Suddenly, the room disappeared, transforming into a forest under the rain. Candado was agitated, his eyes burning with fury.


    "DO YOU KNOW THIS PLACE?!" he shouted.


    Hammya recognized it. It was the place where Gabriela had fought against Pullbarey.


    "This is where I could have saved her, where I could have done something," he said, clenching his fists.


    "Yes, I know it," Hammya said softly.


    "Of course you know it," he continued, his voice accusatory. "Odadnac showed me how you were digging into my memories, searching for this. How many times did you do it to manipulate me?"


    "Candado, don''t continue with this. There was nothing a five-year-old child could have done."


    "You''re wrong," he retorted harshly. "I could have done something, but I didn''t. Because I was afraid. Because I hated her. I was angry with her for something stupid. I can understand how the world works. I can be a bastard, dictating the ways of life as though I were some perfect god, but I couldn''t use my strength to save her. Don''t excuse me because of my age—''you were only five''—at that age, I was aware of my surroundings. Her death only reinforced my view of the world."


    Hammya tried to approach him.


    "Candado..."


    "I SENTENCED HER TO DEATH HERE! IT WAS HERE THAT I KILLED HER!"


    Candado collapsed to his knees, tears streaming freely down his face.


    "Why did she keep smiling despite what I did to her? WHY?! WHY THE HELL DIDN''T SHE REJECT ME?!"


    Hammya approached and hugged him. Candado struggled, trying to pull her away.


    "Let me go!" he shouted, his voice tight with a knot of emotion.


    She closed her eyes and held him even tighter.


    "I''m not letting you go."


    Candado stopped resisting and began to cry even harder.


    "Everyone is right to hate me—my friends, my parents... I selfishly sought their attention when I was the one who killed their daughter. I should have been the one to die!"


    "That''s not true..."


    "Tell me, Hammya," he continued, through his sobs, "am I not a terrible person? Am I not the worst of all, someone who destroyed the most precious thing they had? I took feelings that weren''t mine, love that was never meant to belong to me."


    "You’re wrong. I don’t see you like that."


    Candado looked up at her, his face drenched in tears.


    "I destroyed her future. She wanted to be a mother. Today, she would have been twenty-one. Perhaps she would have been studying for a career or happy with her boyfriend. But I... I killed her. I took everything from her. I would give everything I have to go back in time. I would give even my life if it meant bringing her back."


    Hammya was crying, too. Seeing him so broken was breaking her.


    "You’re not a murderer, Candado. That wasn’t your fault."


    "Looking at her was the same as murdering her, even knowing what was happening."


    "Not for a five-year-old child."


    "Why won’t you leave me alone?"


    Hammya looked at him intently, her words resonating in his mind before she even spoke them.


    "Because... because I’m your friend."


    "I don’t have friends. Someone as kind as you doesn’t deserve to have a murderer as a friend. You deserve far more than I or this world could ever offer."


    "You’re not a murderer, Candado."


    "Of course I am. I destroyed something I loved deeply... I did it. I’m a monster." Candado clung to Hammya’s embrace with all his strength. "I destroyed her for something stupid. I took the life of a wonderful person. I want to die..." his voice trembled, filled with unbearable pain.


    Hammya tightened her embrace, her voice broken but firm.


    "Stop, Candado. Stop saying that."


    Candado gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the torrent of emotions washing over him.


    "If I... if I had taken Odadnac’s hand, she would be alive."


    Hammya fell silent, allowing Candado''s words to fill the space between them.


    "She would be here with me... not in a box underground."


    Candado’s strength finally broke. He surrendered to the warmth of Hammya’s embrace, and the tears came, unstoppable, washing away all the weight he had carried in silence for years.


    Then, the surroundings changed. The rainy forest that surrounded them vanished, replaced by a school. Hammya watched in silence as the scene unfolded: Gabriela carefully adjusting the knot in Candado’s tie before planting a kiss on his cheek. The image faded, giving way to another.


    Now they were in the living room of their house. Candado''s mother hugged her children while they watched television. Then, the scene shifted to a garden. Gabriela was lifting Candado into the air, imitating the sound of an airplane, and both of them laughed uncontrollably.


    But the garden vanished, and they found themselves in a hospital. Gabriela was lying in a hospital bed, pale, nearly bald, and very thin. Yet her smile remained, untouched, as if nothing could ever steal it.


    The next scene was dark. The Barret family was sleeping in the hospital room. Mr. Barret sat in a chair, while Europa and Candado lay on the bed beside Gabriela, who was hugging her brother. Candado gazed at her, his eyes red, struggling against sleep. Gabriela kissed his forehead and smiled sweetly.


    "Take good care of mom and dad. Soon you’ll be a big brother. Watch over Karen... I’m sure she’ll be a beautiful young lady."


    Candado began to cry silently as Gabriela embraced him. That was the last time he would feel her warmth. His voice faded, his eyes closing slowly.


    "I love you so much..."


    The world darkened again. Candado broke into desperate sobs.


    "Why did she keep loving me?" he shouted, his voice broken. "Why?!"


    Hammya held him even tighter, beginning to pat his back, her own voice soaked with tears.


    "There, there... I’m here..."


    "Why did she have to die?! Why did she let me live?!" Candado’s voice was a broken whisper, each word tearing at his throat. "Gabi... it hurts so much, too much..."


    "I know..." Hammya replied, sobbing. "It’s a horrible feeling, I know. Cry as much as you need to. I’m here with you."


    Candado continued crying until his tears finally ran dry. His breathing became slower, though his body still trembled.


    "Let’s go home," Hammya said in a soft voice, a faint smile on her face.


    Candado nodded. The world began to crumble slowly, as though it were made of paper. The forest, the house, the garden, and the hospital disappeared before them.


    When they opened their eyes again, they were back in the living wasteland. The black clouds cleared, allowing a ray of warm light to envelop them.


    "There they are!" Hector shouted, pointing at them with visible relief.


    Amabaray lowered the barrier surrounding them, and the group ran toward their friends. Joy and relief flooded their faces upon seeing them safe.


    From a distance, Amabaray observed his brothers retreating through a portal. Each carried their respective human. Bórrbari, the last to cross, turned to tilt his head slightly toward Amabaray—a gesture of farewell and promise.


    When the portal disappeared, Amabaray turned toward Europa and the others.


    Everyone was hugging and applauding Hammya. By that point, she had returned to her usual personality, feeling embarrassed by all the praise she was receiving. Europa and Arturo approached to embrace their son.


    "Mom, Dad…"


    "What’s wrong?" Arturo asked, his voice laced with concern.


    "Hammya has something important to tell you."


    Europa and Arturo exchanged a glance, understanding that Candado needed some time alone.


    "You’re right. We’ll talk to her, but we’ll come back later to shower you with kisses," Europa said, planting a kiss on his forehead.


    Candado responded with a cold smile. Arturo and Europa moved away, leaving him alone as they headed toward Hammya to thank her.


    At that moment, Candado felt entirely isolated. Everyone was busy talking, congratulating Hammya. Even Declan was engrossed in conversation with Andersson. It was then that his eyes fell upon the facón lying in the dirt, still stained with blood.


    Upon seeing it, memories came rushing back like a torrent. He thought of Gabriela, of what he had caused his beloved sister. The pain and guilt lingered, as fresh as they had been on that first day. His tears had never served as relief.


    He walked slowly toward the weapon, picked it up, and looked at his reflection in the sharp blade. There he saw himself—Odadnac.


    "You’re a killer. Nothing and no one will ever change that," the reflection said before fading.


    "I know," Candado whispered, his voice filled with pessimism and despair.


    Meanwhile, Hammya, surrounded by congratulations and pats on the back, began to feel uneasy. The crowd celebrated her as a hero, but something felt wrong. She couldn’t see Candado anywhere. She looked through the sea of people until, through a small gap, she found him. What she saw froze her in place.


    Her joy turned to pure terror. Erika, celebrating with her sister, noticed as well. Her eyes glimmered briefly, and she looked toward the same spot as Hammya. Both of them froze as they saw Candado bringing the facón toward his neck, the blade glinting just centimeters from his skin.


    Everything slowed to a crawl. Their minds screamed, but their bodies refused to respond. Nobody else had noticed. The distance wasn’t great, but to them, it felt like a bottomless chasm.


    "Ca…" Hammya tried to vocalize, but no words came.


    Desperate, she scanned the crowd, searching for help. Declan, having noticed her odd behavior, followed her gaze.


    "What…?" he whispered, panic overtaking him.


    Then, with all the force he could muster, he shouted:


    "CANDADOOOOOOOO!"


    Declan’s cry broke Hammya’s trance. Her eyes and hair turned a bright green as adrenaline surged through her, propelling her forward.


    Candado, head bowed like a child scolded, murmured:


    "I’m sorry, Gabi…"


    He closed his eyes, lifted his arms, and without hesitation, brought them down violently, driving the facón toward his neck.


    The blade pierced the skin, and a spurt of blood splattered onto his face. But something was strange—he was still breathing.


    "I... I''m sorry…Ca…Candado, but I’m not so phenomenal as to stop this with my teeth," Hammya said, her voice trembling.


    Candado opened his eyes, shaking. The blood covering him wasn’t his own; it was Hammya’s. She had stopped the facón with her hand. The blade was buried deep into her palm, all the way to the hilt. Her green blood dripped onto his face as the weapon came to a stop just millimeters from his neck.


    "AAAAHHHHHHHH!"


    With a painful tug, Hammya yanked the facón from Candado’s hands. The blade remained lodged in her own left hand.


    Candado stood there, dumbfounded, and so did everyone else. They were all paralyzed by the incredible speed and force of Hammya’s intervention.


    Hammya looked at the group but fixed her gaze on Candado.


    "I… I''m glad you''re okay," she said, forcing a smile through her tears.


    Blood continued to pour from her wound. With the strength she had left, she pressed her left arm, attempting to stop the bleeding, but the pain was unbearable. Finally, her body collapsed.


    Before losing consciousness, her final vision was of Candado running toward her.


    "I’m glad I made it in time."


    That was her last thought as her eyes closed, leaving behind a serene smile and a single tear on her face.