The two kids kept walking through the forest as they worriedly observed how the stars in the sky were growing brighter and brighter.

—Is this really the right direction? I remember we were supposed to follow the star of Thais, but we're not getting there, and it's almost dusk already— complained Apolo with some concern. He was more than aware that his father wouldn't allow him to explore the forest for much longer if he didn't return home soon.

—I'm sure we're almost there; I can already hear the sound of the river— replied Helena, running ahead.

—Hey, don't run! It's getting dark, and you might trip, silly!— shouted Apolo with concern, but Helena seemed not to have heard his warning and continued running ahead.

—Darn it, Helena...— cursed Apolo, starting to run to keep the girl in sight.

Apolo chased after his friend through the forest until he too began to hear the thundering sound of water crashing against rocks. Strangely, not recognizing this part of the forest, the boy shouted out loud:

—Stop, you fool! You'll not only slip, but you're also running in the wrong direction! We haven't crossed any river during the whole exploration!

However, Helena stubbornly ignored Apolo and kept running towards the direction where the sound of water was coming from. Angrily, Apolo pursued Helena, trying to catch the girl to reason with her. Yet, Helena was much more agile than the plump boy, making the task seem impossible.

Nevertheless, to Apolo's surprise, the girl suddenly decided to stop after a few more meters abruptly.

—Realized you were wrong, did you?— Apolo asked, catching his breath and glancing sideways as he saw Helena gazing into nothingness from the top of a nearby hill.

—I never make mistakes!— Helena retorted from the hilltop, pouting as she gazed at the gigantic cliff before her.

Apolo walked the remaining distance to reach Helena and noticed the existence of a cliff he had never seen before.

—I was the one who was right, you idiot! It was so simple. We just had to follow the star of the colossus. Why on earth did you think we had to follow the star of some guy named Thai? I don't even know if there's a star with that name!— Apolo shouted, realizing that crossing the cliff was impossible.

—Don't yell at me! It's not my fault. It's yours for not figuring it out sooner— Helena complained, trying to maintain the upper hand in the conversation while desperately watching the sun on the horizon, which was almost done setting.

—No, this is all your fault, and to make matters worse, my father will only make me pay for it!— Apolo shouted angrily, looking at Helena with fury.

—And what's it to me if they decide to punish you? Blame your luck for being born to a father who only knows how to communicate with his fists!— Helena yelled, picking up a branch from the ground and angrily throwing it at Apolo.

The branch flew through the air and hit Apolo in the face, scraping his skin and causing warm drops of blood to start flowing from the wound.

—What did you say about my father, you damn servant? He was the only one in the family who bothered to give you a home when you arrived at the castle!— Apolo shouted, touching the wound on his face and angrily watching his hand stain with blood.

—It's because of your father that I'm a servant! Your father is a sick rapist who took advantage of my mother when he had the chance!— Helena shouted angrily, looking for another branch on the ground and throwing it violently at Apolo.

The branch soared through the air and hit Apolo's belly, causing the boy to fall to the ground clutching his stomach. Without waiting for the boy to get up, Helena ran toward Apolo and launched herself onto him, grabbing both of his hands and pinning him to the ground with her body weight. Helena continued screaming in anguish, tears beginning to fall from her eyes and wetting Apolo's face:

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—When I went to tell your father that my mother had committed suicide and he was the only family I had left, he just took me to the middle of the forest to abandon me; hoping I'd starve to death and his problems would vanish among these trees. It was your grandfather who rescued me from here and gave me a second life!

Without waiting for Apolo's reaction, Helena violently squeezed Apolo's hands, causing an icy chill to spread through the boy's body. He writhed in pain, screaming desperately:

—Stop, Helena, stop! You're burning my hands, you're hurting me!

But far from feeling like Helena had any intention of stopping, Apolo felt the freezing cold from the girl's hands intensifying, causing the gold ring on his hand to start glowing. Helena's cries ceased, and her eyes lit up with flames of hatred as she screamed fiercely at the young boy in agony:

—I, Helena, his daughter, should be a noble, not a servant, but not even that destiny could grant me that sick man! It's all his fault. I did nothing to deserve this life filled with misfortune!

Then, Apolo's trembling body ceased, and in its place, a gaze filled with hatred sprouted on the young boy's face. Helena collapsed onto Apolo's body, beginning to cough up blood.

—You've been a servant in this life. And I assure you, you'll die like a servant!—Apolo shouted with violence, taking advantage of Helena's weakness to grip the girl's face with his hands—Learn the difference between our blood, wretched servant!

Apolo's hands burst into flames, causing Helena to scream in pain as her face burned. However, her increasingly skeletal body didn't have the strength to fight Apolo. Helena screamed and screamed as her hair caught fire, her eyes lost their vision. Nevertheless, Apolo cruelly continued holding the girl's face in front of him, as if not wanting to forget how Helena's life was fading away. Helena's screams grew fainter and fainter until she finally stopped screaming, causing Apolo to throw Helena's skeletal body aside.

Apolo stood up effortlessly, as if this battle had never occurred, feeling full of life, a bit taller and stronger. With a cruel smile, Apolo kicked the lifeless body of Helena, turning it over and revealing a rusty ring on her skeletal hand.

Apolo gazed at the ring obsessively. Although the ring was hideous, the rust on it drove the young boy mad. Its beautiful circle seduced Apolo, urging him to wear it, and Apolo obeyed by crouching down to pick it up. But before he could take it, Helena's lifeless body rose again, grabbing Apolo's hand.

Frozen with fear, the boy stared wide-eyed as Helena's head began to rise, fixing her gaze on him. White eyes and burnt-red skin filled Apolo's view, while Helena's lips, torn by flames, slowly moved as if each word she was about to utter were the most difficult to recite at this moment:

—I... Give... It... To you... Apolo.

After uttering those four words, Helena's body lost strength and crashed to the ground again. This caused Apolo to start crying inconsolably, his tears soaking his friend's small, skeletal body.

—Four words, and I've ruined her life's work... I'm truly a genius...—someone commented from behind Apolo.

Startled, the young boy turned around, futilely trying to cover Helena's body with his own, fearing that the person who had just spoken would judge him for the murder he had just committed. It was then that Apolo noticed a very tall person leaning against a fallen log. This person had black hair and black eyes, dressed in a black tunic with a silver mask obscuring their face. Apolo couldn't recognize who this person was due to the mask, but we, dear reader, recognize that this mask was identical to the one given to Apolo by one of his ancestors.

—Who are you?—Apolo asked, frightened.

—The one who just gave you those four words...or didn't I?—the masked man replied with irony, not wanting to give too many explanations.

—I didn't mean to do this, I swear!—Apolo cried out in desperation, showing the man the ring he had taken from Helena's hand—It's the ring's fault! Everything's its fault!

—Then why not throw the ring off the cliff?—the masked man commented, a disgustingly large smile forming on his face.

Dumbfounded, Apolo heard the question posed by the stranger, and he became even more bewildered when he realized he actually didn't want to throw the ring off the cliff.

—But this ring caused Helena's death: I don't want to let it go!—Apolo responded confidently, putting the ring in his pocket.

—Beautiful logic...—exclaimed the man with the mask, his smile growing even larger, now starting to frighten the boy—So, you want revenge on the ring, but you don't want it to escape?

—Exactly!—Apolo said with a smile, gently patting the pocket where he had placed the ring.

—If that's what you desire, let me help you...—the masked man said with a smile, standing up and running toward Apolo. Before the boy could react, the tall man was just a few steps away and, with little effort, shoved Apolo, causing him to roll on the ground and fall off the cliff.

*Aaaaaaaah!*... Apolo screamed in despair as he fell off the cliff.