From a distance, the city's great walls had started to come into view. Jhed and Shine had emerged from the forest with the lion-colored trees behind them.
"Look there — that's the city we have to free." Jhed kept staring at the massive walls.
"Jhed, are you some kind of protector? A hero?"
"No. But why?"
"You want to save this city so badly."
"I'm just... paying off a debt I owe to someone."
Linea's face surfaced in front of Jhed's eyes.
"Then let's go."
"There's the gate, Jhed. Let's move." Shine was about to step forward when Jhed stopped him.
"Wait. We're children. If we go in like this, they'll catch us."
"I'm not a child," Shine said, starting to count on his fingers. "How old am I, anyway? Twelve? Seventeen? I don't even know how old I am. Ever since I became a slave, I've lost track of my own age. All I know is — I'm not a child."
"But they won't listen to that."
"Let me ask you something. Why are we standing here doing nothing, when we're the ones who're supposed to free them?"
"You're right." Jhed looked down at the ground. "Forgive me — I don't really know how someone is supposed to be saved. Can you tell me? How does one save another person?" Jhed kept his eyes fixed on the dirt.
"Strike straight at the root. Meaning — we go straight for their boss. Take him down, and the rest will fall in line on their own." Shine rested a hand on his sheath.
"So we have to defeat that king."
"Hmm... makes sense. Then let's start with these guards. Come on." Shine said this and started walking toward the gate.
But Jhed was still standing there.
"Hey. Come on. Why are you just standing there?" Shine stopped, turned back, and asked.
Jhed stood there with a hand pressed to his chest.
"My heart's pounding so hard. I've never done anything like this before." Jhed was afraid. His heart was racing because of that fear. So many times before, this fear had stopped him from doing what he needed to do. Whenever he tried to find courage, his fear always overpowered him. It was this same fear that had once made him give up on school entirely.
"You're a coward. Every time, you let the moment slip away. You have such an incredible power — one that could heal every wound — and yet, a coward always stays a coward." Jhed started talking to himself again.
Shine walked up to him.
"Then do it today. Look, my lord — you're not a coward. If you were a coward, you'd have never even thought about freeing this city. That's exactly why you're not one. You're just nervous because this is your first time fighting." Shine placed a hand on Jhed's shoulder.
"Thank you, Shine. I feel better now." Jhed took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"You don't need to do anything. I'll kill all of them myself — you just watch and learn," Shine said.
"Then let's go," Shine said again.
They moved toward the gate, Jhed following close behind Shine. This was the first time Jhed was about to kill someone. He had seen people die in front of his eyes before — but this was different. This time, he was about to take a life with his own hands. Fear lived inside him, but the power he carried was about to push him past that fear. Shine, who could never be hurt by any physical attack — not even a scratch — and Jhed, whose every wound could heal in mere moments — the two of them were about to save an entire city. It felt like something out of a dream — Jhed, about to save someone, for the very first time.