Inside the factory,
The lights reflected off faces that had never met before.
"We're back!"
AYOUB and TAHARA announced together,
their cheerful tone barely masking the exhaustion of a long battle.
"Welcome back,"
ADEL greeted warmly,
though his eyes stayed sharply observant.
The two turned to find GHAZLAN standing near the door,
her wide eyes following the group as though she had stepped into a world of legends.
Beside her stood SAMA,
tense, hands intertwined,
facing her first encounter with so many new faces.
They approached ADEL and whispered,
"Who are those two?"
"I'll tell you everything later.
Let's all meet first," ADEL replied briskly.
While everyone exchanged greetings,
SAMA approached SOLIMON after noticing the tension in his features.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly,
her tone full of concern.
He answered with a smile,
tried to make it reassuring,
"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry,"
Though it couldn't fully hide the weight he carried inside—
like someone who had failed to protect something precious.
"Everyone,
rest for now.
We'll gather shortly,"SHOUTNA announced,
his voice calm but firm.
ZAKI stepped forward:
"And what about these two?"
He pointed toward BOW and AXE,
bound in the corner.
"Put them in one of the rooms.
BELL, can your unit guard them?"SHOUTNA asked,
turning to the leader of the HOUNDS.
"Alright,"BELL replied sharply,
eyeing the captives with eyes that knew how to read enemies.
As everyone dispersed,
ADEL approached MOHITO and whispered,
"There's something you need to see."
He led him to a small room at the far end of the factory
and slowly opened the door.
"What is he doing here?"MOHITO asked,
eyes widening in shock as he stared at the restrained figure inside.
"He followed the team here…
And SHOUTNA locked him up,"ADEL replied seriously.
In the dim room,
ODEL sat,
His eyes reflected a mixture of fear and curiosity.
He had stumbled into a world he wasn't prepared to face—
And the world of the "SHADOWS"
was not ready to welcome him either.
MOHITO fell silent for a moment,
His sharp gaze was studying ODEL,
who sat in eerie stillness.
The air in the cramped room felt heavy,
broken only by ODEL's breaths.
"Can you leave us alone for a moment?"
MOHITO asked ADEL in a calm yet unquestionable tone.
ADEL said as he backed away,
casting one last worried look at the two.
"Of course.
There are still final arrangements to handle,"
MOHITO closed the door slowly,
then turned to face ODEL,
His eyes are piercing.
"Why didn't you stay away from this world?
I warned you."
Silence settled again.
Finally,
With a quiet voice carrying a hint of defiance,
He answered:
"I always suspected you were hiding something…
But I never imagined you'd be this dangerous."
MOHITO didn't respond.
He turned his gaze toward the shadowed corner of the room,
avoiding ODEL's eyes.
But MOHITO's silence only fueled ODEL's anger.
"You're a real danger to LOUVNA!
Do you understand that?"
MOHITO finally turned,
and their eyes collided in a silent confrontation.
But before either could speak,
ADEL's voice echoed from behind the door:
"Everyone gathers in the main hall immediately!"
The firm tone diffused the tension between them for a moment,
leaving a question hanging in the air:
What would this new meeting reveal?
**************
SHOUTNA sat on a chair in the centre of the room,
his head bowed as though carrying the world's secrets on his shoulders.
When he heard the approaching footsteps,
he slowly raised his head,
like someone waking from a deep dream.
His eyes wandered across the faces of those present,
one by one,
as if counting the souls he saved and the souls he lost.
"I said, everyone…"
His voice was quiet,
carrying unbearable weight.
ADEL looked around, puzzled.
"But we're all here, SHOUTNA."
SOLIMON stepped forward:
"Do you mean even the captives?"
"Yes.
I want everyone to hear this story."
His eyes locked with MOHITO's for a moment,
then shifted to the others.
MIZYANI opened the door for the two captives.
"Come with me."
AXE looked at him with distrust.
"You think you'll win our favour after treating our wounds and not killing us?"
MIZYANI turned toward them,
his eyes burdened with old fatigue.
"I don't need your favour.
But I can't watch war comrades suffer while I stand by."
BOW and AXE looked at him in silence
"War comrades…"BOW whispered
MOHITO brought ODEL as well.
Silence dominated as everyone entered and sat in an incomplete circle around SHOUTNA.
And like that, the story of the beginning began