"When… when did you take that?"
Goba flinched when he saw the whip in Miran's hand. His eyes widened in shock.
But when he looked closer at Miran's face and saw that cold smile, he tried to compose himself.
Forcing a smile, he said in a fake, sugary voice,
"The past should be forgotten, my dear… I'm just like your grandfather. Now why don't you give that whip back to me—"
Crack!
The sharp sound of the whip sliced through the air and struck Goba hard across the face.
With a painful scream, Goba collapsed to the ground and began rolling in agony.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The blows fell one after another, and Goba's cries grew louder.
Miran lashed the whip again and again, his voice burning with anger.
"If I had a grandfather like you, I'd whip him a thousand times every single day until he learned how to behave!"
Rona and the twins stepped forward as well.
With all the anger and fear that had built up inside them, they began kicking Goba's body.
Once again, the forest filled with the cries of a man who, for the first time, was tasting the very pain he had once inflicted on others.
Anahita watched the scene with a faint smile, clearly enjoying what she saw.
Then she glanced at Zubi, who was standing beside her, and said coldly,
"Go on. Step forward too… let them beat you a little as well."
The color drained from Zubi's face. Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he said in disbelief,
"But… I didn't hurt them…"
Without hesitation, Anahita punched him hard on the head.
"Idiot. The fact that you helped kidnap them is more than enough reason for you to get beaten too."
She took a deep breath, and her tone softened slightly.
"But since we don't have time right now, I'll let you escape their hands…"
Her gaze sharpened as she continued,
"But that doesn't mean you're done.
You'll have to do something that makes them forgive you themselves."
Zubi stared at Anahita with a serious expression and quietly said,
"Thank you…"
Then he turned his gaze toward the children—who were still relentlessly beating Goba.
Inside his mind, he murmured,
' If Roya were here… she probably wouldn't even want to look at me after what I did… Lord Lioran is right. I have to make up for my mistake. But… how?'
The sound of several sharp claps suddenly cut through his thoughts.
Anahita brought her hands together and said firmly,
"Alright… that's enough. We're moving. We don't have time to waste here."
The children turned toward her and replied at the same time with cheerful voices,
"Yes, Brother Lioran!"
But before leaving, none of them could resist the temptation.
Each delivered one final blow—a lash of the whip, a quick kick, or a small punch—to Goba,
who lay groaning on the ground, curled up in pain.
Then, without even looking back,
they ran toward the wagon.
And Goba…
was left alone in the dust—surrounded by pain and humiliation.
....
A few minutes later, everyone climbed onto the wagon and set off.
The wooden wheels rolled over the damp forest soil with a soft groan. The horse, tired but obedient, moved forward slowly, its breathing blending with the creaking of the wagon.
Goba sat in the front, holding the reins. His face was swollen, and the marks of the whip still burned red across his cheek and neck. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his lifeless gaze was fixed on the forest path ahead. He didn't dare speak, nor even turn around to look behind him. Every jolt of the wagon sent fresh pain through his body, making him even quieter… more broken.
Behind him, inside the wagon, the atmosphere was completely different.
The children sat around Anahita. She was telling them stories with a warm laugh, and the children burst into laughter along with her.
Zubi sat a little farther back, leaning against the wooden side of the wagon.
Sometimes his gaze drifted over the children's smiling faces; sometimes it lingered on Anahita. Something inside him was slowly settling—something he had forgotten for a long time… something that felt like hope.
The wagon rolled steadily onward.
In the front, silence and pain…
In the back, laughter and hope.
"We've reached the lake…"
After about half an hour, Goba's voice came from the front of the wagon.
Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward the path ahead. A little farther on, a small but crystal-clear lake came into view. The surface of the water shimmered under the daylight, filling the air with a quiet sense of peace.
The children's eyes sparkled when they saw it. One after another, they exclaimed excitedly,
"Is that the lake?"
"It's so big…"
"Is all that water fresh?"
Their eager eyes turned toward Anahita at the same time. Rona stepped forward with excitement and asked,
"Brother Lioran… can we run over there?"
Seeing their excitement, Anahita smiled.
"Yeah, just be careful not to fall."
"Okay, Brother!"
Before she had even finished speaking, they all eagerly agreed, jumped down from the wagon, and ran toward the lake with laughter and joy.
The children reached the lake and, seeing it up close, began speaking to each other with excitement and amazement.
"Oh my God… it looks even bigger from up close!"
"Yeah… and it's even more beautiful."
As soon as they reached the water, none of them hesitated even for a second. With excited shouts, the four of them jumped forward and threw themselves into the lake.
A few seconds later, their heads popped back out of the water. Laughing with excitement, they splashed water into the air with their hands.
Rona stared carefully at the water pooled between her cupped palms.
"It's so clear… and so cold."
When she saw the others drinking and shouting happily—
"It's so sweet!"
"There's no dirt in it at all!"
—she drank the water too. Her eyes lit up with delight as she tasted it.
"It really is sweet! I've never tasted water this clean and delicious before."
Then she quickly scooped up more water with her hands and drank again.
All four of them kept drinking eagerly, and once their thirst was gone, they began playing in the lake, laughing and splashing around. Their joyful voices echoed through the surrounding forest.
The wagon soon arrived beside the lake as well. Anahita, Zubi, and Goba climbed down.
Seeing the children's lively excitement, Anahita laughed out loud.
"They're really energetic kids."
Zubi nodded and added,
"They're acting so happy… as if they didn't just go through the worst experience of their lives an hour ago."
He hadn't even finished speaking when Anahita smacked him hard on the head.
"Idiot… whose fault is it that they had to experience something like that?"
Zubi grabbed his head with a short groan, but he didn't dare protest.
Anahita let out a sigh, walked toward the lake, and said without turning back,
"I'm going to catch some fish. You and that idiot go gather some firewood."
Hearing the order, Zubi immediately bowed his head slightly.
"Yes, my lord."
Time passed slowly. Anahita rolled up her sleeves and began catching fish with her bare hands in the shallow water. When the children saw her skill, they gathered around her, laughing, cheering, and watching in amazement as she caught fish one after another.
Time passed quietly.
About an hour later, Anahita lit the fire with the gathered firewood and skewered the fish, holding them over the flames.
As the delicious smell of roasting fish spread through the air, the children came out of the lake one by one and ran toward the fire with shining eyes. They were practically drooling, unable to take their eyes off the fish.
Anahita, who was also staring at the fish rather eagerly herself, smiled when she saw them and wiped the corner of her mouth.
"Just wait a little longer. Once they're fully cooked, you can eat."
All four pairs of eyes sparkled. Toncha hesitantly asked,
"C-can we… eat with you too?"
Anahita laughed and replied,
"Of course. I made these for you."
The children burst into excited cheers at the thought of eating fish.
"Yay! Thank you, Brother Lioran!"
"We're going to eat fish!"
"We're going to eat fish!"
"Delicious, tasty fish!"
They quickly sat around the fire, hugging their knees, their mouths watering as they stared impatiently at the fish roasting over the flames.