Chapter 4

The shock of the boy's parents came from understanding that Thamiso and Ílliou, in addition to being soldiers, were also part of an anti-terrorist squad that acted specifically against eletherios. This reaction from both made it even clearer to Thamiso that they were subversives. While the young man struggled to control his breathing and think calmly, the child's father quickly gathered the items with the boy, while the mother quickly grabbed her son's hand to go away.

"Thank you for the coin, sir!" the boy says with a smile, not understanding the situation. Thamiso, with a completely troubled look, couldn't respond to the child, who was slowly moving away from the pair with his parents. Despite the innocence of the little one, the adults already understood the situation, so they were not friendly to Thamiso.

"I can't just let them go," Thamiso thinks to himself, standing up. It wouldn't be difficult for the soldier to capture the three and arrest them, despite them moving away. Thamiso knew they wouldn't stand a chance if he decided to hunt them. The doubt in his mind was why eletherios were wandering the streets of the capital. The young man understood it was extremely dangerous for the empire to let them go, as it meant there could be more of them nearby who hadn't been identified. The group had an advantage over other anti-terrorist squads because their leader, Thamiso, was highly sensitive to the perception of eletherios. The entry of subversives into the streets of the capital could lead to unprecedented problems, such as surprise attacks and long-unseen acts of terrorism. With this in mind, Thamiso, with trembling hands, watching the boy with his parents about 12 meters away, places his right hand on his sword, which was on the left side of his waist.

"This is my duty," the boy thinks, preparing to draw it when he's interrupted by Ílliou, who was getting impatient due to his friend's silence:

 "Thamiso! What's going on?!"

At that moment, Thamiso looks into Ílliou's eyes, his longtime friend who had lived with him for the past 6 years, and says, as his eyes begin to fill with tears:

"We were about the same age as that boy when we met, weren't we?"

"Don't try to fool me. I want to know what's really going on with you."

Taking his hand completely off the hilt of his sword, Thamiso gives up taking any action, adding:

"I just thought it's a very young life to end like this. We had the chance to grow and develop."

"Hey, don't tell me that boy..." Ílliou had perfectly understood the situation, but without a chance to say anything more, he's interrupted by Thamiso:

"Yes, not only he, but also his parents are eletherios." As he turns his back to continue following the pair to their destination, the young man is interrupted by his friend, who holds his shoulder to continue the conversation:

"Do you realize the problem that can be caused by this negligence, Thamiso?!" Thamiso then looks back into Ílliou's eyes, which were not the eyes of someone feeling anger, but rather of someone filled with fear.

"Yes, Ílliou, I understand completely. Maybe Stan is right, I'm not cut out for this role, I'm too weak for it," says Thamiso, tears streaming down his face.

"Is that really what you want to do? Just tell me, you're the leader."

"Yes, I'm sorry, my friend."

The two gaze at each other while a few moments of silence pass. Both were wondering what the other was thinking at that moment. Continuing the conversation, Ílliou states:

"Stan is right, you're not cut out for this war." Thamiso lowers his head as tears flow, and Ílliou continues:

"But what's wrong with that?"

At that moment, Thamiso lifts his head and looks at his friend, asking:

"What do you mean, what do you mean?"

"Exactly what you're hearing. Your soft heart doesn't make you a bad person, but someone more human than we're used to. Much more than my captain, you're also my best friend, Thamiso, and I'm glad you never changed who you've always been, despite the chaos of being a soldier," Ílliou concludes.

Thamiso, giving a smile and a light punch to his partner's chest, says, as his last tears flow down his face:

"I will never change."

"If the captain has decided, then it's decided!" Ílliou exclaims, accepting Thamiso's decision, putting his arm around his friend and accompanying him to the military unit to report on the mission.

"Do you remember the four-leaf clover promise, Thamiso?"

"Are you kidding? Of course, I remember! Loyalty and partnership always, right?"

"That's right! We promised five years ago, while training to become soldiers, that we would always fight together against everything."

"By that, do you mean you'll never rat me out to the higher-ups?" Thamiso asks, laughing.

"Well... maybe for fifty gold coins," Ílliou says, bursting into laughter.

The two friends met six years ago when they were still ten years old. Thamiso, who had just become an orphan, ended up being taken in by the government and was assigned to attend school and martial arts in a military school of the empire. In a routine class, Ílliou, who was already studying there, decided to introduce himself to Thamiso, who was a new student. Since then, because they looked so alike, the two became friends and never lost touch. Being in a military school, both knew they would become soldiers in the future. Therefore, one year after meeting, they made the four-leaf clover promise while playing on an extensive lawn bordering a river in the capital city. Ílliou, picking up a four-leaf clover he found on the ground, exclaims:

"Hey, Thamiso! Look what I found!"

"Wow, Ílliou! It's a four-leaf clover, super rare!"

"Isn't it? My mom always says that four-leaf clovers are signs of good luck, and when you find one, you should make a promise!"

"That's cool! What are you going to promise?"

Ílliou, tapping his head while thinking, looks at his friend and says:

"I know! Since we'll become soldiers one day, let's promise here that we'll always fight together against everything!"

"Definitely! Even if things get really tough, we'll take down the bad guys!"

"That's right, Thamiso! Loyalty and partnership always!"

On that day, the two friends made a promise to never let each other down, no matter the chaos that followed or the evil that emerged. Even as they grew and matured, they never forgot their agreement. Because of this, both Thamiso and Ílliou trusted each other completely and knew they could share everything with each other.