“Do you know where the institute is?” Kay shouted, turning to the others in the helicopter.

“I know!” Brenda and Alex replied confidently.

“You can go straight there!” Kay said, her gaze firm and determined.

“Right!” Alex confirmed, taking command.

The helicopter took off, its blades spinning faster and faster before gaining altitude. Kay picked up her mask again and adjusted it on her face, her expression implacable.

“I know you won’t forgive me, but I apologize for killing one of your colleagues!” Kay said, her tone heavy with regret.

Everyone in the helicopter turned to look at him, confused. The two guards remained silent, watching him.

“I’m not good at dealing with people. I spent a lot of my life just training and killing ghouls. Although I thought a lot before arriving at the castle, in the end I was driven by emotions. I’m not the best with feelings, so I end up not reflecting enough. We recently lost a comrade, so we know how hard it is, but in the end, it was to the ghouls... so it's less worse than being murdered by a human. So, even if you don't forgive me, I apologize for this! — Kay confessed sincerely.

— I don't know if I can forgive you or not, but looking back on the events, we, the guards, failed to protect the princess. As that guy's comrade, I feel horrible, but at that moment, did you know he was going to die? — asked one of the guards, with a hard look.

— Honestly? No, in the first attack! — Kay replied, with cutting sincerity.

— You were going to kill him anyway, even if we tried to stop you. That was clear to us, you were driven by anger! — said the other guard, his tone accusatory.

— They surrounded a soldier armed and wearing the suit. If they had heavier weapons, I would understand. But with those little guns they still surrounded me... I don't know if they want this, but they gained a bit of my trust! — Kay said, with a bitter laugh.

— He doesn't go around saying things like that. He's truly sorry, so please forgive him! — Mira begged, looking at the guards sincerely.

— He won't die, he's already contributed a lot to the kingdom. But considering the facts and the sentence you were going to receive, you should stay in the capital's prison. I will testify that you regret what you did and that you killed to protect the princess! — said one of the guards, deciding Kay's fate.

— One death, one destroyed wall... If you had killed us like you said, you would certainly have received the death sentence. I will also testify in your favor, for having helped the princess not lose faith in us! — declared the other guard, with a softer look.

— Wait a minute, did you threaten them too? — Mira exclaimed, perplexed.

— It was because of emotion! — Kay replied, trying to justify herself.

“You idiot!” Mira said, shaking him hard.

“But I only told them not to interfere, so I wouldn’t have to use self-defense. One of the soldiers had shot me!” Kay explained, her expression frustrated.

“They shot?” Mira exclaimed, stopping to shake him, worried.

“We were scared, and one of ours ended up pulling the trigger!” the guard replied, visibly embarrassed.

“And are you okay?” Mira exclaimed, her concern showing.

“Yes, the bullet didn’t hit me!” Kay replied, trying to reassure her.

“That’s good!” Mira said, relieved.

— We're getting closer. — Fernanda announced, interrupting the conversation.

— You can land inside, I got permission! — Fernanda said, putting her cell phone in her pocket with a satisfied smile.

Kay pulled Mira close to him and sat her next to him.

— I don't know how deep the hole is, but it's very deep! — Kay said, with a somber expression.

— I'll ask for the biggest rope they have there! — Fernanda said, already thinking of solutions.

— What hole is that? — Mira exclaimed, confused.

— It's behind the waterfall. — Kay replied, with a serious tone.

— How do you know that? The pressure of the water would crush you! — Mira said, shocked by the idea.

— I heard! — Kay replied, turning her eyes away, uncomfortable.

— You went in there? — Mira exclaimed, her eyes wide.

— Sorry! — Kay said, with a sigh.

— You idiot! You could have died! — Mira said, furious, but at the same time relieved that he was okay.

— I was okay, but thanks to that I found out where the ghouls that attacked the village came from! — Kay said, with a determined look.

— You only do crazy things! Think about the people who will be worried about you! — Mira said, with a scolding tone.

"An unexplored cave, with a hole where ghouls come out... is it really worth investigating?" thought Fernanda, with a distant look.

The helicopter landed with precision.

— Only scientists and the royal family can enter here, wait here! — Fernanda said, quickly getting out of the helicopter.

The institute had its own security guards doing rounds. Fernanda was greeted by two scientists.

They entered the institute. Kay grabbed a pot of coffee and helped herself, trying to relax.

— My suit is smoking, I don't know if I'll be able to fight like this. But I think it's just the devices they use to monitor the suit that are broken. Even so, the suit still needs to feed, so, at first, I'll be out of the game! — Kay said, with a resigned tone.

— We can handle some ghouls without you! — Thais said, boasting.

— I know you can, but I'll never force you to fight. If you see that you're in trouble, retreat! — Kay said, with a serious look.

— Is this bad? — Raven exclaimed, visibly worried.

— It's been a while since I've been in there, but the smell of ghouls is strong. Even though the hole is deep, it still reaches up there! — Kay said, with a look of warning.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

— What does it mean? — Raven exclaimed, tense.

— We're going to face an army! — Kay said, with an expression of pure determination.

— Wait, wait, you're kidding, right? — Joana exclaimed, her eyes wide.

— She's right. If we're going to fight so many ghouls, we need the help of the captain and the squads! — Thais said, nervous.

— There were so many ghouls in our village and you didn't say anything? — Mira exclaimed, with a serious expression, her arms crossed.

Kay sighed, looking at the group.

— If they were going to attack, they would have done it already. They can't get out of the hole, otherwise they would have climbed up. Some with wings can even do it, but they're not smart enough to realize that, when they get out, they'll find food. — he said, with disturbing calm.

— And you kept it to yourself! — Mira retorted, frustration evident in her voice.

— You were quite scared back then. If I had told you, you would have screamed and everyone would have panicked. That would have caused even more confusion in the village! — Kay replied, turning her face away, clearly trying to avoid Mira's accusing gaze.

Mira watched him in silence for a moment, before answering, in a lower voice:

— I know, but you could have told my mother, and she would have told my father.

Kay closed her eyes for a moment, a fleeting remorse passing through her gaze.

— I forgot... — she murmured.

Raven, who was further away, approached, moving her hands thoughtfully.

— We should change the mission and wait for the other squads. — she said, still undecided.

Kay, however, did not hesitate.

— It is an army of ghouls, yes, but we have weapons, intelligence, teamwork and now, the power of the ghouls themselves. Don't you think you can face them like this? — she exclaimed, her eyes shining with determination.

— I don't know... Their power is natural, so it's stronger than ours! — Raven replied, with a shadow of doubt in her voice.

Thais, noticing the hesitation, didn't hesitate to intervene.

— Understand, Kay. When Raven gets scared, it's to warn us, so we don't go face the ghouls. That's an omen! — she said, concern written all over her face.

— Who's scared? I'm just worried if you guys die! — Raven interrupted, with a firm tone, but her gaze still full of apprehension.

Thais didn't let the tension disappear and, with a forced smile, provoked:

— Tell him you're scared right away, so he'll think again!

Raven took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping a little.

— Okay, okay... I'm scared. If my partner here ends up dying, think again, Kay! — he said, finally revealing what he was holding back.

Kay, who had listened to everything without showing any emotion, now turned to Ravena, her expression unshaken.

— But we're already here. Taking an army to a hole that I don't even know what's down there, besides the ghouls, is riskier than going alone. — he said, fixing his eyes on each of those present, challenging them to disagree.

Joana, who until then had been watching in silence, finally spoke up.

— Then take the captain and the other leaders too. They're coming to the castle! — she said, holding the cell phone tightly.

Kay stared at her, her eyes narrowing.

— Did you warn him? — she asked, the tension rising.

— Not yet, but now I have! — Joana replied, quickly sending the message.

Kay looked at the group, her voice deep and full of conviction.

— You have to stop being afraid. I'm not going to send you on a mission that you won't come out of alive! — he said, his aura filled with confidence.

Kratos, who hadn't spoken until then, looked directly at Kay, his words cutting like a blade.

— Your level of expectation is different from ours, that was clear when we went to recover that lost kingdom! — he said, letting the weight of his voice echo.

Kay looked at everyone, a deep sigh escaping her lips.

— Let's wait for reinforcements in the village!

The scene changed quickly. The helicopters landed near the village, and the soldiers began to walk towards the group that had arrived first.

“The reinforcements weren’t that many soldiers!” said Kay, with a surprised expression.

“I saw the scene you left there... the king isn’t very happy!” said Takemichi, with an ironic smile.

“We’ll talk about that later. There’s not much light inside the cave anymore, so it’s better not to wait until nightfall.” said Kay, with firm determination.

“And are those headlamps for decoration?” asked Takemichi, with a curious look.

“Given the amount I brought, they should light up well, but not for long!” replied Fernanda, adjusting one of the flashlights on her helmet.

“Cameras and flashlights on the helmets... it looks like we’re going to explore for a news broadcast!” said Kay, laughing.

“What’s so funny, damn you?” exclaimed Takemichi, irritated.

“I brought the notebook and two screens to monitor the cameras.” So, we'll find out what's going on inside. My people at the base will assess the conditions of the suits and of you. We'll keep in touch! — Fernanda explained, with a serious and focused tone.

— At first, I'll go in to see how far the ghouls won't detect us. Then, only the leaders and the captain will go in! Next, it'll be my squad, we'll clear the way. If necessary, we'll go in with the next squads! — Kay said, with a commanding voice.

— How interesting... So there were that many ghouls? — Rem exclaimed, among the soldiers.

— What? — the soldiers replied, surprised by the question.

— Come like a normal person, mom! — Mira said, looking at her mother with a slightly embarrassed expression.

— That's more fun! — Rem replied, walking forward with a mischievous smile.

— No! — Kay exclaimed, with a warning expression.

— I haven't even said anything yet! — Rem retorted, with a defiant look.

“He’s right, he won’t!” Takemichi said, crossing his arms and giving a firm look.

“Ah, but I already got my outfit and my weapon.” — Rem said, with a sad sigh.

“That’s quite a long sword you’re holding there!” — Kay observed, with a disapproving look.

— Like mother, like daughter! — Joana said, laughing.

— I'm not that rusty! I want to protect my home too. I'll go, yes! — Rem replied, with a sparkle in her eyes.

— You're retired, you can't go! — Takemichi insisted, with a worried expression.

— I see... so that's why you asked them to let you know when we were going to arrive. Very smart! — Kay said, looking at Rem with a more understanding look.

— My husband, my daughter and my son-in-law... If you're going, I'm going too! — Rem stated, with unshakable firmness.

— You know the rules, I won't let you get involved in this! — Takemichi said, trying to impose her authority.

— Then I'm going ahead, like a nosy civilian! — Rem replied, with a defiant smile.

— I get it, you're not going to change your mind! This will stay between us. I don't want this to leak to the superiors! — Takemichi said, with a sigh of frustration.

Kay glared at Takemichi through the mask.

“What’s wrong?” Takemichi exclaimed, visibly irritated.

“And these masks are so cool!” Rem said, excited, ignoring the tension.

“I chose the color, but Fernanda designed each one!” Kay replied, ignoring Takemichi.

“It looks really good! I wish I had gotten one when I was active!” Rem said, with a nostalgic smile.

“Then join my squad!” Kay said, with a determined expression.

“Ara!” Rem exclaimed, surprised.

“What are you talking about, Kay?” Mira asked, still confused.

“Her ghoul seems excited to be used again! Rem is like that too! If you want to go back to active duty, then join my squad!” Kay said, with a smirk.

“Hey, damn boy!” Get your eyes off my wife! — Takemichi exclaimed, emanating a murderous aura.

— Don't get carried away, she's like a mother to me. So I won't let her get hurt! — Kay replied, seriously, staring at Takemichi with unperturbed intensity.

Mira and Rem were embarrassed by the exchange of words between the two.

— I'm going to kill you! — Takemichi threatened, with his eyes fixed on Kay.

Rem, smiling, clapped her hands, interrupting the discussion. The soldiers were surprised by her attitude.

— I'm going to borrow the ghouls that are in the forest! — Kay said, returning to the main topic.

— I end up forgetting how strange your nose is! I killed them yesterday and froze their bodies. You can use it! — Rem said, with a low laugh.

— Yesterday? The ghouls tried to attack here? — Mira exclaimed, confused, not understanding the situation.

— Yeah, they do this every month! Without Kay, I had to take care of it! — Rem said, with a casual tone, as if it were something normal.

“What do you mean?” Mira exclaimed, looking to the side, trying to process the information.

“He ran away when you asked!” Takemichi said, with an ironic smile.

“What else are you hiding from me?” Mira exclaimed, her voice rising.

“Nothing!” Rem replied, turning her face to the side, trying to dodge.

“There’s more to it, isn’t there?” Mira exclaimed, seriously, watching her mother.

“We’ll talk about it later. Let’s get into the formation he gave us. I didn’t want to follow what he said, but he was the only one who saw the hole! After the fifth squadron enters, we’ll call you. The formation will be maintained, without disturbing the order! First squadron, then the others, in order! Do you understand?” Takemichi ordered, with authority.

“Yes!” the soldiers affirmed, ready to follow the instructions.

— This brings back so many memories... — Rem said, putting one of the helmets on her head, with a nostalgic smile.

Kay was walking away, looking at the hole ahead.

— The smell inside the hole is strong. I believe everyone there is special. If you want, you can call the guards to take their bodies and take the two who are in the forest! — Kay said casually.

— You're too confident, you don't even know what's down there! — Takemichi said, frowning.

— If it's not to make sure the mission will be completed, then don't even go. That's my thinking! — Kay replied firmly.

The leaders put on their helmets, adjusting them precisely.

— Fernanda, warn them about the ghouls. We'll go ahead. Turn on the equipment! — Takemichi ordered.

— Alright! — the leaders, Rem, Mira and Fernanda, responded in unison.

Suddenly, Fernanda stopped and slapped her forehead.