Chapter 3

 After three hours of travel, which passed in the blink of an eye for the group as everyone took a nap, the train finally arrives at the capital's railway station. The friends then exit the train, stretching and loosening up.

"Phew! We finally made it," exclaims Illiou, stretching every possible part of his body.

"Now, what's the plan?" Stan asks, not very keen on accompanying the group to report on the mission.

"The usual. We'll give the mission report to General Wisdow, and then we can go back to our dormitory," Thamiso replies. At this point, Stan makes a face, leaning forward and dropping both arms down, while Lian crosses her arms and looks around randomly.

"You know we don't all need to go," says Thamiso, with a slight chuckle. "Let Illiou accompany me, and you two can go to the dormitory if you want."

"If Stan gets to go early, I'll have no choice but to go," says Lian, taking advantage of the situation.

It wasn't necessary for the whole squad to be present for mission reports; just the leader was enough. Most of the time – 99% of the time – only Illiou and Thamiso went together, while Stan and Lian would head to the dormitory to tidy up the place and relax.

This was the final part of every mission, and after reporting to the general who assigned the mission, the soldiers were free to rest and do as they pleased until they were called for another task. The group then decides to split up. While Stan and Lian head to the squad's dormitory, the other two will provide explanations about the mission.

 Walking to the military unit where General Wisdow's office was, Illiou nudges Thamiso.

"Hey, Thamiso, I understand you're not in the mood for talking, but try to relax. You know Stan has that tough-guy attitude."

"It's okay, Illiou. I'm already feeling better, and I intend to improve in that aspect. The last thing I want is for you guys to have problems because of me."

As they talk, the pair passes by a street kid, approximately 10 years old, leaning against a wall with some instruments. It was believed he was from a poor family wandering the capital streets in search of some spare change to survive. Thamiso and Illiou stop walking, and Thamiso observes the boy and his dire situation. After a few moments, the young boy slowly approaches them. From his right pocket, Thamiso takes out a bronze coin he had saved. Thamiso crouches down to get closer to the boy, extending his hand with the coin to give to him. When the boy sees the coin, his eyes light up as if he had never seen one before.

"You can take it," Thamiso says with a friendly smile. The boy doesn't hesitate, grabbing the coin from Thamiso's hand, overflowing with happiness. However, the peaceful and serene atmosphere of the situation changes drastically when Thamiso locks eyes with the boy while the boy touches Thamiso's hand to take the money. This street kid with his instruments was not a normal boy, and Thamiso could feel it. It was a feeling he had experienced numerous times before, and it was evident: the poor boy was an eletherio.

The boy possessed an innate ability to sense whether someone was an eletherio or not, something that no other soldier could do. At that moment, Thamiso's heart races while his body freezes in front of the boy, who doesn't understand Thamiso's behavior. Sweating, millions of thoughts race through Thamiso's mind at the moment.

"Why is there an eletherio right in the capital, in such a crowded place? Is he the type who doesn't have the characteristic yellow eyes, or is he deliberately concealing it? Who else is with him? What the hell! Why here? What should I do? I should report him; it's my job, it's what I have to do... But I can't, I can't. I can't condemn the life of such a young boy." At that moment, Thamiso remembers the argument he had with Stan earlier and his harsh words.

"Your loose tongue will still get us into trouble." "What will the higher-ups think if they find out the leader of a squad pities Eletherios?" "It's because of people with weak emotions like yours that this never ends!" After recalling Stan's words, Thamiso's mind enters a complete conflict between what he should do and what he believes is right. Balancing on a fine line between entirely contrasting actions, the situation worsens, and Thamiso falls backward, sitting on the ground, feeling breathless and sweating. Seeing the situation, Illiou quickly approaches his friend, crouches down, and puts his arm around Thamiso, touching his shoulder, but Thamiso couldn't respond externally.

"Thamiso, what's going on?" Illiou asks, worried. Thamiso doesn't respond, as he's lost in his whirlwind of thoughts.

"My God, what should I do?" While Thamiso is in internal conflict, two older people, equally lacking any capital, with dirty and torn clothes, quickly approach the boy without much caution.

"I've told you not to accept things from strangers, my son!" exclaims the woman, who reaches the boy with her husband.

Crouching down and pulling the little boy closer, the woman looks at Illiou and Thamiso, who were in front of her. Everyone can see Thamiso's instability as he's not feeling well. Seeing the uniforms of the two friends, the woman and the man widen their eyes.