MOHITO plunged into the depths of sleep
and found himself standing atop a mountain of corpses.
The dead bodies were intertwined like a human carpet,
stained in the hues of death.
His feet sank into cold flesh,
and his breath choked on the stench of rot and iron.
"Where am I?"
He whispered,
But the sound lost itself in the void.
He looked down and saw faces he knew:
comrades who had perished,
enemies he had defeated,
and innocents he had failed to save.
Every open eye accused him.
Every open mouth remained silent over a scream that never escaped.
Then the crimson sea began to rise.
Blood,
Unlike ordinary blood —
viscous,
warm,
alive —
flowed between the corpses like subterranean rivers.
Its level climbed swiftly:
first to his feet,
then to his knees,
then to his waist.
"No…" he struggled,
but the blood was stronger.
He felt hands he could not see pulling him down,
invisible fingers tugging at his legs.
"Give me more…"
a voice whispered from the depths —
a voice he knew well.
It was like rustling and roaring at once.
"Give me more anger…
more hatred…
more pain…"
The call repeated,
rising with every wave of blood.
MOHITO tried to resist,
but the blood filled his mouth,
his nose,
his eyes.
The taste of copper and salt invaded his palate.
Crimson blurred his vision.
The voice rose
Suddenly…
Everything stilled.
The voice that had been screaming moments before vanished,
as if the world held its breath.
From the blood,
a shadow slowly rose —
Its features form in a crimson-black hue.
BORBAKI.
He stood before him as though he had never died.
His eyes were black and lidless…
like abysses.
He opened his mouth…
The sound was not only his voice;
it was the echo of the sword itself.
MOHITO did not move.
The shadow surged toward him
Its fingers were not fingers…
they were his memories.
They choked him.
"Give me…"
Before the word completed—
MOHITO choked,
the vision burst,
and the dream tore apart.
He woke gasping,
sweat cold across his brow.
His phone was ringing.
He stared at the glowing screen in the dark as if it were a beacon in his night.
ADEL was calling.
ADEL's voice through the receiver sliced through the fog that wrapped MOHITO's consciousness:
"You must come to the factory…
SHOUTNA requested everyone."
MOHITO answered with a hoarse voice,
as if his throat was still recovering from suffocation:
"Okay."
And he rose from his bed
He went to MORASAMI,
crouched in the corner of the room —
the black sword whose red veins pulsed like living arteries.
"You haven't had enough yet…" it seemed to say.
"But this time,
things will go the way I want,"
he whispered under his breath,
a faint challenge in his voice.
He moved to the tiny kitchen,
his motions slow and deliberate.
He prepared his usual black coffee;
its strong aroma filled the space like a shield against the ghosts of the night.
As he sipped the first bitter shot,
his eyes drifted to the TV
where the morning news spoke of the continuing war
between SAVARNA and KARA,
and of a peace conference.
"More wars…
more blood…" he murmured, shaking his head.
He returned to his room and dressed slowly,
every movement made with full consciousness.
When he bent to tie his shoe,
he paused for a moment,
his back turned to the sword.
He felt MORASAMI's gaze pierce his back —
But this time he did not recoil.
He shut the apartment door with force,
an act that felt like severing a tie with an inner demon.
He stood on the threshold
and breathed the cold morning air;
The gray city spread before him like a map of an unknown fate.
"My usual route,"
He whispered as he started walking,
"but with an unusual person today."
********
In the abandoned factory,
The SHADOWS were busy enjoying a rare calm.
ZARYOUH and MIZYANI argued enthusiastically about their favorite series,
While TAHARA showed AYOUB a picture of the new girl he had met,
smiling with pride.
In a corner,
ADEL and OBASO were absorbed in planning a mission,
while ZAKI and MESNAS challenged each other in a phone game,
Whispers of rivalry filled the place.
By the entrance,
SOLIMON stood beside SAMA,
explaining something with gentle gestures.
MOHITO noticed two unexpected people
and stepped toward MAYNO and GHAZLAN with curiosity.
"So SHOUTNA summoned you too?" he asked.
"Yes!" GHAZLAN answered eagerly,
while MAYNO merely nodded politely.
Suddenly,
SHOUTNA entered through the back door.
His presence drew everyone's attention.
"It seems everyone is here.
I want to show you something important."
He gestured slightly toward ADEL and OBASO.
"All right, friends,
showtime!" OBASO said excitedly.
ADEL displayed an image of a luxurious palace on the screen.
"What is that?
A place we need to infiltrate?" MESNAS asked dismissively.
"No, you fool!" OBASO laughed.
"This is our new home!"
A stunned silence fell,
Then everyone exchanged astonished glances before turning to SHOUTNA,
waiting for an explanation.
SHOUTNA said as he stepped to the center of the room.
"I will explain,"
"After our last mission,
chaos spread within the intelligence services.
The discovery of an organization of superhumans was unexpected,
especially after the upheaval caused by the battles.
So,
The King decided we would become a special unit directly under him,
not mere assassins."
"We work for the KING now?" ZARYOUH interrupted.
SHOUTNA answered with a determined look:
"On paper, yes.
But in truth, no.
The KING did this only to halt the anger within the leadership.
As a result,
we have been granted this palace as our private headquarters."
SHOUTNA turned his gaze to everyone.
"So gather your belongings from your homes;
Special trucks will come to transfer them to the palace."
"I always dreamed of living in a house with a pool,
but a palace?
This is amazing!" TAHARA exclaimed, jumping for joy.
"That doesn't sound bad," MIZYANI added with a smile.
"And us too?" GHAZLAN asked, puzzled.
SHOTNA said, showing a document stamped with the KING's seal.
"You two are officially part of the SHADOWS now by royal decree."
MAYNO, with eyes full of admiration toward SHOUTNA.
"I shall learn much from you then,"
GHAZLAN whispered to herself,
"I can't believe
I'll live with all these exciting boys in one place!"
Everyone rejoiced… while MOHITO was silent.
SOLIMON watched him silently from behind.
After the meeting, MOHITO walked up to SHOUTNA.
"Where are the HOUNDS?"
SHOUTNA replied calmly,
"You know them well;
They never stay in one place."
MOHITO with a saddened tone.
"If so, they have left again."
SHOUTNA tried to draw MOHITO out.
"You look tired today,"
"Don't worry,
I'm fine.
I'll go home to pack my things," MOHITO said as he left.
SOLIMON approached SHOUTNA and whispered.
"Is he okay?"
SHOUTNA answered,
watching MOHITO from behind.
"I don't think so,"
for MOHITO
He saw the palace as a new battlefield.
Something within him stirred slowly…
something that had awakened in the dream
and would not return to sleep.