Far from the carriage where our protagonist was traveling, two kids were playing in the depths of the forest formed by black trees.

—Are you sure it's around here?— asked a girl with blonde hair and light eyes. Considering her size, one might think she was no older than 11. She was dressed in simple clothes akin to those worn by servants in the castle. Unlike most servants, though, she wore a pair of beautiful diamond earrings and a somewhat rusty bronze ring on her hand.

—Yes, I found the big chest here, Helena!— answered a slightly chubby boy, his hair and eyes both black. His age was quite similar to the girl's, though his face wasn't as pretty due to a large, pointed nose that marred his otherwise childlike features. He wore a simple, slightly sweaty white robe, remarkably similar to Hermes', almost too similar to be mere coincidence.

—Do we have to climb the whole hill, Apolo?— Helena asked with some discomfort, making an effort to avoid fallen trees and thorny bushes. —This path is getting really tough to navigate, and my legs are starting to ache.

—Well, this path isn't well-traveled, but it's worth it: I could see the chest from the top of the hill!— Apolo replied enthusiastically, a hint of nervousness in his voice as he looked back at Helena. —We're almost there, just a few more minutes, and we'll finally get the treasure we've been seeking for almost two years.

—But how will we open it?— Helena asked with some doubt and nervousness, her gaze fixed on the back of the boy in front of her.

—I doubt... I doubt we'll be able to open the chest...— Apolo responded awkwardly, as if the question had never crossed his mind before and now it caught him off guard. —I think we'll have to take it to the castle and ask Alfonso to open it for us.

—No!!— Helena shouted loudly, an unusual desperation in her voice for someone her age. Her outburst made Apolo turn around to see what had happened.

Noticing Apolo's gaze, Helena controlled her slightly labored breathing, both from the walk and the shout, then commented a bit more calmly:

—If we take the chest to the castle, your brothers will keep the treasure that rightfully belongs to you. Besides, I wouldn't get anything: your brothers would never share a treasure with the daughter of a servant.

—Then we won't take it to the castle...— Apolo commented quickly, turning around to continue walking, as if he wanted to cut this conversation short. —Don't worry, when we get to the spot, we'll see if we can find a way to open the chest.

Watching the boy's back with some doubt, Helena followed Apolo through the forest until they finally reached the top of the hill, where a cliff lay.

With excitement, Apolo ran to the edge of the cliff and pointed downward, where a river could be seen.

—Over here! Under the water of this river, you can see the chest— Apolo said with a smile, pointing down with enthusiasm.

Noting Apolo's excitement, Helena ran to the cliff, reaching the boy, only to be disappointed because she couldn't see any chest beneath the river's water. In fact, all she could see was the clear water of the river rushing wildly as it collided with the rocks on the sides of the cliff.

—I don't see anything! Where's the chest?— Helena asked, looking at the river intently, paying attention to the details. She immediately noticed that while the river's waters were crystal clear, and one could see the rocks at its bottom, there wasn't much else to be seen besides the simple rocks.

—The chest isn't attached to the cliff— Apolo commented, taking a step back. —Try to see where the water doesn't clash with the rocks.

—Where the water doesn't clash with the rocks?— Helena repeated doubtfully, concentrating on the area pointed out by Apolo.

While Helena watched the river intently, Apolo took advantage of the loud noise created by the river crashing against the cliff's walls to mask the sound of his steps. Cautiously, he went to grab a large rock that stood out against the green forest floor, as if that rock hadn't originally belonged there and had been placed beforehand.

—No matter how hard I try, I can't see the chest. Any other hints?— Helena asked with some excitement, looking around the river to find the treasure.

—Let me see... look over here...— Apolo commented somewhat nervously from behind the girl.

Hearing Apolo from behind, Helena turned around to see where the boy was indicating, only to find Apolo holding a large rock engulfed in flames in one of his hands. Failing to understand the situation, Helena tried to open her mouth to ask Apolo what he was doing, but before a single word could escape, the boy lunged violently at her.

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*Puff*... The stone engulfed in flames collided with Helena's open mouth, breaking her teeth and causing her to cringe in pain. The girl desperately tried to react, but before she could manage to do so, Apolo had already lifted the rock again, ready to strike the front of her head, causing her to fall to the ground.

Without waiting for Helena to get up, Apolo jumped onto the girl and, with the rock held in both hands, began to hit her head with madness.

Feeling her life was in danger, Helena tried to shield her head with one of her arms, but this was quickly broken from the blows inflicted by Apolo. After so much hitting, Helena's arm was so broken that she couldn't lift it, leaving her head exposed to the boy's blows. Seizing the opportunity, Apolo mercilessly raised the stone to deliver the final blow. However, before he could do so, the boy felt a sharp pain coming from his abdomen along with an extreme cold that froze his intestines: Helena had managed to buy enough time to stab Apolo with a dagger she had been hiding!

As blood oozed from his abdomen and the coldness of the dagger enveloped him, Apolo understood it was now or never: he couldn't give Helena enough time to stab him again!

Realizing that these might be his last seconds alive, Apolo tightly gripped the flaming stone in his hands. By some magical force, the rock began to grow until the boy no longer had the strength to hold it, and it fell onto Helena.

*Crack*... The bucket-sized rock crashed onto Helena's head, crushing it and causing her lifeless hand to release the dagger's hilt.

Seeing Helena no longer moving, Apolo, his teeth gritted in pain, lifted his shirt to examine the dagger embedded in his abdomen and the blood flowing relentlessly from the wound. Grasping the dire situation of the wound at a glance, Apolo put his hand on the dagger's hilt, only to realize it was as cold as to burn his hand upon contact, causing him to immediately let go.

Only then did Apolo's adrenaline subside enough for him to notice the dead flesh around the fresh blood in the wound. He instantly understood that the cold he was feeling now was likely due to the dagger freezing him from the inside all this time.

Worried and afraid of death, tears welled up in the killer's eyes as he felt the pain and the cold from his stomach intensify.

Understanding the critical situation he was in, Apolo gathered his courage and put his hand on the dagger's hilt again.

*Haaa*... While the young boy cried out in pain as the palms of his hands burned from the cold, he managed to pull the dagger out of his stomach.

However, the blood flowing from the boy's stomach didn't stop, and the pain he felt only grew with time.

With tears of desperation and mucus coming from his pointed nose, Apolo tried to run toward the nearest tree as if his life depended on it. Yet instantly, the boy realized from the waist down his body wasn't responding correctly, rendering him unable to stand properly.

Realizing he had no way of reaching the nearby trees, Apolo cried out in agony as he hit his legs with his hands, as if trying to conjure a miracle that would give them back. However, no matter how hard the boy tried to invoke a miracle, nothing happened, and the cold pain from his stomach was about to steal his consciousness.

Finally, Apolo stopped beating his legs and collapsed to the ground in sadness, surrendering to death, knowing everything was lost. From the ground, looking up at the blue sky, Apolo awaited his cruel fate, feeling the pain in his stomach grow increasingly intense.

The roaring noise of the stream had long been silenced by the extreme silence brought about by the proximity of death. Gradually, the boy stopped crying, and he closed his eyes as he lost consciousness. However, when the boy's breaths were numbered, and his death had already been accepted, he felt an intense warmth emanating from his back.

Not comprehending the source of the warmth, Apolo stopped looking at the sky and watched as Helena's blood continued to gush from her crushed head, beginning to stain his back.

With puzzlement, Apolo watched Helena's blood pour from her already unrecognizable face. The vacant gaze in Apolo's eyes as he looked at the dying girl's body became increasingly pronounced, as if the boy had completely forgotten everything that had happened a few seconds ago.

Without understanding the source of this feeling of strangeness, Apolo stared at the girl's body as if trying to remember something important he had forgotten, something that had led him to this situation. Yet, for some reason, the boy could no longer recall it. Apolo's mind, growing ever hazier due to impending death, struggled to solve the riddle in his mind. However, no matter how hard he thought, the boy couldn't remember how the situation had ended up like this. With no spark in his eyes, Apolo looked at his former and unrecognizable companion in adventures: there was no hatred, violence, sorrow, remorse, or resentment on his face, only an expression of overwhelming consternation, one that screamed for someone to answer how all this had happened!

Forcing himself to feel the heat of his friend's blood soaking his back for one last time, Apolo finally closed his eyes, accepting his fate. Or rather, accepting the fate the ring had proposed to him!

However, the ending of this story is already known to the reader, and as it's clear, things didn't turn out as the ring expected. Because it was precisely in the final moments of Apolo's life that the ring lost its patience, declared victory prematurely, and all its plan was discarded by the simplest creature of this forest.

*On, on!*... *On, on!*... The caw of a scavenger bird caused Apolo to open his eyes with madness.

As slowly as a turtle, Apolo turned his head to see a bird the size of a fist pecking at Helena's crushed head. Seeing the bird so close, the boy's eyes lit up again, he clenched his teeth and held his breath. In Apolo's mind, time had stopped completely, pain no longer existed, his friend's corpse had vanished, and even the very forest itself had faded away. All that remained in Apolo's mind was the bird and his dying body!