Haoyu mulled over his thoughts as he glanced at the old man.
Bawa currently had his fingers touching his face in amazement. His face had practically reverted to its original appearance with just a few minor deformities.
He found the situation wondrous and couldn't help but look at Haoyu again.
Haoyu, who now stood upright, watched Bawa with an unfocused gaze.
He appeared pensive.
Bawa lowered his hand from his face and watched his captors quietly.
Although he was outnumbered and outmatched, Bawa was still a man idolized by many. So even when faced by unforeseen adversities he chose to retain an air of dignity by maintaining his recovered composure.
Yet, although this was his intention, the fear he felt was palpable enough to cause his shoulders to tremble.
Regardless, he managed to keep his neck straight and watched the five people steadily.
"The Long Dynasty? Yu-yu, doesn't that sound familiar?" Salvador asked and placed a hand on Haoyu's shoulder.
"It does. But I'm not the only person with that name. They are most likely of no concern to me." Haoyu replied and pushed the pesky limb off his shoulder.
Reaching into his jacket, Haoyu brought out a piece of paper with a printed image on it. He stretched his arm out and dangled the paper before Bawa's eyes.
"Does this look familiar?" Bawa observed the drawing before him. It was a simple illustration of a cage-like, four-pointed star formed by sharp strokes. In each of the four spaces between its points was a dark dot nested within. Circled around the entire design was a serpent-like creature with its head nearly touching its tail.
Honestly, the drawing was crude at best. Merely an illustration drawn from memory. But it was still enough for Bawa to identify it.
Soon after, his pupils widened in recognition, but he quelled his thoughts just as quickly as they surfaced.
Bawa was quick to contain himself, but Haoyu still caught the split-second change in his eyes.
Unaware that he was like an open book to Haoyu, Bawa opened his mouth to speak. He had already said too much. His words were enough to condemn him to imprisonment but any further would lead to his death!
He still had several good years to live and would rather not be killed over gossip. It was such a shameful way to die!
"I…" He started to speak but stopped immediately after hearing Haoyu's voice.
"Remember, you swore to tell the truth. It is in your best interest to not break your promise." Dark, obsidian eyes narrowed in threat. His tone remained cold as he continued.
"The agony you've experienced is nothing compared to what you'll feel if you make me angry." Haoyu said, his features twisted in performative grief. But even though the young man's expression at this moment appeared innocuous, Bawa could tell that he was treading on thin ice.
The atmosphere turned eerily still. It felt as if the very air was being squeezed out of his lungs by the five men surrounding him. In his tribe, Bawa was a force to be feared but right now, coupled with his fatigue, he felt just as weak as a dried-out piece of wood. Mere kindling.
"Haa…" After a few seconds, Bawa sighed dejectedly. He didn't want to imagine what these people would put him through if he failed to cooperate.
He concluded that staying alive for now was more important than keeping other people's secrets.
"This is the crest of the Long Dynasty." Bawa choked out. "It is a symbol exclusive to them and guarded by silence. To recognize it is to become a target. Identifying it means I have looked where I shouldn't have. It's only a matter of time until I am made to pay for my loose tongue..."
Bawa paused. His voice sharpening all of a sudden with malice.
"You too, are now a target. You all are." A slow smile tugged at his lips at the realization. He wasn't the only one walking towards an arduous path anymore. He looked up at them, meeting their eyes with newfound, bitter satisfaction.
After speaking Bawa visibly shrunk. He was tired and felt an urgent need to rest.
'These people should leave me alone now that they have what they want.' He thought.
"Was that so hard? We could have been done with this charade ages ago. Seriously, Anciano[1], I'm starting to think you actually like the pain. Is that your secret fetish? Qué locura[2]..." Salvador said, genuinely curious. His words caused Bawa to twitch in annoyance.
'Insolent brat!' Bawa mumbled and turned his head aside, giving Salvador's inquiry no audience.
He sat in silence with a hand on his raised knee. From his posture it was obvious that he had calmed down from his earlier fright.
Since he couldn't escape, he could only wait to be released.
Bawa's mentality had undergone a transformation.
His frantic urge to escape from these demons had been replaced by reckless acceptance: I'm done. If I perish, I perish.
"Petty." Salvador said with a scoff while Bawa's fearless conviction strengthened.
He soon noticed the silence of the young man before him and raised his head in puzzlement.
In the next second however, after seeing Haoyu's expression, Bawa's breathing ceased and his eyes widened in disbelief.
Salvador who also looked up at that moment also felt his heart rise to his throat.
"Well fuck!"
[1] Anciano= translates to old man or elderly man, in Spanish. It is quite formal and respectful on its own, but Salvador using it towards a person in captivity feels mockingly polite.
[2] Qué locura= "What madness or that's crazy" in Spanish. In this case, Salvador uses it to show how incredulous he finds the possibility.