Morgan froze at Ariel's story. He couldn't believe what he was hearing; stunned, he couldn't say a single word.

—This is proof of what I told you.

Ariel, upon saying those words, opened her mouth, sticking out her tongue, and on it was a visible mark, as if it were a sort of tattoo made with white ink. Morgan quickly turned to look at Adán and Iliana, who did the same, showing the mark on their tongues.

—But when and how?

(said Morgan, confused)

—The mark was given to the humans back then; however, being a curse on our race, it was passed down from generation to generation until every human child born did so with the mark, unable to erase or remove it. We were marked as if we were animals.

(said Ariel, angrily)

—But if what you're saying is true, how is it that you're here? How is it that you live freely?

(said Morgan, amazed)

—Haha! Free? Do you think we're free?

(said Ariel ironically)

Adán, seeing the unstable state of his wife, took her by the shoulder, looking at her with a gentle smile to calm her down, and, at the same time, he would be the one to speak now.

—You see, Ariel and I were slaves of a long-eared zorath. I was a labor slave, had to work day and night without rest, with little food and water, while Ariel was one of his personal servants. She and I met a few times, and each time we started seeing each other more often. Eventually, I fell in love with her, and she with me.

Adán and Ariel took each other's hands and intertwined them.

—However, we couldn't be together, because our owner had an obsession with Ariel; she was his favorite. However, an idea came to me, an idea that would condemn my soul to burn in hell for eternity.

(said Adán, quite pained.)

The man looked at his daughter and, with a somewhat grave voice, said:

—Please, daughter, go to your room. I don't want you to hear this.

Iliana, seeing the look on her father's face, got scared, and without saying a word, went to her room. Morgan, somewhat concerned and while trying to calm himself, asked:

—What did he do?

—I knew there was no way we could escape alone, since he had secured the doors and every corner of his palace. And one of those nights, thinking about what to do and whether I would die there, that damn idea came to me. If we couldn’t escape alone, then I had to create a situation that would allow us to escape.

We, the slaves and servants, were given a space to eat and limited rations, so many times we had to share.

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So, during those rare moments when we were alone, I began to speak and plant an idea. I didn’t raise my voice, I didn’t show emotion; I just let my words slide like soft poison into their already tired minds.

—Don’t you see it? —I whispered, pretending to look at the ground—. All this, all the suffering, the years of hard work and nights without bread... it's all because of him.

The men and women around me, exhausted from the long shifts, looked up. Some furrowed their brows, others just looked at me apathetically. But I continued, without losing my calm.

—He doesn’t care about us. How many of you have lost someone because of his mere boredom? How many of your children have been recruited for those monster farms?

An uncomfortable silence took over the place, and I knew that the seed was beginning to germinate.

—I’m no one special —I continued, letting a note of humility fall into my tone—, but I know that, together, we are stronger than him. If we unite, we can end this. Not for me, nor for you, but for those who will come after us, for the future of your sons and daughters, and for the future of your families. We must do something.

The murmurs began. Some exchanged looks of doubt, others nodded slowly. It was a risk, I knew, but I couldn’t give them everything at once. The hatred had to be dosed, guided without overflowing.

Ariel, being his favorite, had a special place where she ate alone, so I didn’t tell her about my plan until the day it would take place.

As the days went by, the voices grew, and my speech became more direct. The men and women sharpened tools, taking anything they could use as a weapon.

The night the revolt arrived, that very night he was going to leave for a very important meeting with other zorath, so I waited for him to leave, as it would be the perfect time to start the revolt. I convinced everyone to attack the main house's doors, entering through the front, promising I would be at the front, leading them all.

Since he wasn’t there, Ariel could go, like us, to where we ate. I told her not to say anything, not to ask anything, to just keep quiet and follow me.

I looked at her. There was concern in her eyes, so I could only tell her:

—We have no choice. This is our only way out.

And so it all began. I ordered everyone to attack the front of the mansion, promised I would return, that I would bring more weapons for everyone, and they trusted me blindly. So, when the attack started, all the guards went to the front to finish them off. I took Ariel and fled with her, while behind us we could hear the screams of pain and the pleas of all those men and women who had trusted me. I could only keep apologizing over and over in my mind, while the tears streamed from my face as I ran as fast as I could with Ariel. And so we managed to escape.

We fled from the realm of the Long-Eared Zoldath, Nythrindor, to here. We arrived in this forest and settled here. That is the reason why we are not enslaved and why we can live "freely."

Morgan began to look very seriously at Adán because of this story, as what he had done seemed like a repulsive act to him.

—That is my sin.

(said Adán, pained)

Morgan let out a big sigh to contain his annoyance.

—And what happened to your arm?

—This?

(said Adán, looking at his missing arm.)

—Do you want to know why I’m missing an arm? Well, I cut it off myself.

Silence fell between them, but Adán didn’t stop there.

—I convinced men and women that they could be free, that they could defeat one of those monsters. I gave them speeches, I promised them hope, but it was all a lie. I just used them. While they fell, Ariel and I escaped amid the chaos.

Adán paused for a moment, swallowed, and continued.

—Their screams still haunt me. Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces. That arm… it was the one I raised to guide them to death, the one that signed their sentence. I couldn’t take it anymore. So, I cut it off. It’s curious, you know? I got rid of the arm, but the guilt is still here.

(said Adán, touching his chest)

—There’s no knife that can cut that, no spell that can erase what I did. So this helps me not to forget what I did, not to forget all those lives I sacrificed for my selfishness.

Morgan began to debate inside whether what the man had done was unforgivable or if he should blame those "zorath" for leading him to commit such a horrific act.

—What kind of world is this?

End of the chapter

Next chapter: Aztlan.