Hao. The Awakening of the Chosen (Finish)

Chapter 9.2

"Natalia approached the group just as Lukotico dismounted his mount to greet her. The chosen ones, exhausted, stopped emitting light and fell to the ground, drained.— Good afternoon, sir. I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I am Natalia, captain of the Union army. And you?— I'm Lukotico, merely a guide for them.— Your pet doesn't seem like a mere advisor.Giorgi transformed back into a velociraptor and approached Natalia, emitting a fluorescent light. Lukotico and the other attendees noticed this and went to ask Lukotico if this was possible; he confirmed it. Therefore, Natalia coincidentally happened to be not only the captain of the Union army but also, by chance, one of the chosen ones.— Natalia, we need to talk privately for a moment.— I can't right now. We need to reorganize the city after the chaos caused by this conflict. How about we meet when the midnight sun is up? Right now, I need to seek a lot of help to finish this task without angering the commander.— Don't worry, we'll help you. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can talk, right?— Perfect then. But first, you must help me search for where the captured citizens have been taken, whether they've been left somewhere or are in their homes. From this list — Natalia hands over a list with all the names of the city's residents — cross out all those who are still alive, and for the rest, find them and give them a proper burial, notifying beforehand, of course. Is that too much work?— Honestly, it is, but we're a sizable group, so we'll finish this task quickly. Thanks for entrusting us. Let's go back now.So, after bidding farewell, Lukotico turned around and saw the chosen ones, who were beginning to wake up.— Well, guys, we have a pending task. How are you feeling? For your first time, you did quite well. Do you feel more connected now?— Yes, I feel connected to them somehow — replied Berto.— I can read Berto's and everyone else's thoughts when I touch them, look — said Gonzalo while holding his brother's hand.— I don't know how you've done this, but this is not in the manuals anymore, so I can't help you here. You'll have to figure it out on your own.— Perfect! — exclaimed Mafalda.— But not now, later. First, we must search for a couple of missing people after the attack. The sooner, the better. Come together, everyone, I have something to tell you. — Lukotico signaled with his hands for them to gather in a circle around him.— You see, according to what Giorgi has expressed to me, I'm certain that the army captain, Natalia, is one of the chosen ones, just like you. That's why I must talk to her — explained Lukotico.— According to the list, we need to find three people named Samiz: Victor, Luis, and Juan. We'll split into three groups to speed things up. The first group will be formed by Berto and Mafalda, they will search for Victor. The second group, composed of Gonzalo and Giorgi, will search for Luis, and I will look for Juan. Be careful.After the explanation, the group split up, each going their separate ways. The first group began searching the market in case Victor had tried to seek cover among the stalls. They searched stall by stall, asking each vendor if they had seen him. Everyone said the same thing: they hadn't seen him, only knew where he used to be, atop the mountain, in his favorite tree, a cherry tree that should have been lush with its characteristic pink leaves at that time of year.The couple set off toward the top of the mountain. They walked and climbed rock walls to ascend. Berto slipped several times because the ground was made of sandstone and broke upon contact, causing rocks to fall on his feet. Mafalda didn't have such a hard time because she was in front, so when rocks fell during the ascent, they landed on Berto, not her. After a day and a half of journey, they finally reached the top of the hill. And just as they had been told, there was a person there, meditating, dressed as a monk. They approached him.— Good afternoon, excuse the intrusion. Are you Victor? — asked Mafalda.— Good afternoon, yes, I am Victor. And who are you? — the man replied.— I'm Mafalda, and this is Berto. You see, the townspeople are looking for you because after the attack, you ran away, and they thought you had been captured. — Mafalda continued.— The truth is, I ran because, you see, my father used to tell me a story in which when dark orbs reach a village, it is destroyed by these entities, and all the villagers are captured, later to be sold as slaves to ancient beings called Night Whisperers, who collaborate with the Tehritas, a very important mafia. — The monk recounted.— I understand. Before we leave, you must sign here to verify that we have seen you — handing over the paper with the names, where there was a box with Victor's name — this paper is to confirm that you have not disappeared.— Perfect, does anyone have a pen to sign? — Victor asked.— I have one — giving Victor a goose feather pen — I'm short on ink.— Don't worry about that — said Victor, piercing the tip of the pen into the tip of his index finger, creating a drop of blood sufficient to sign the paper.— That would be all, thank you — concluded Berto.— Are you in a hurry? — the monk asked.— Not right now, do you need any help? — Natalia replied, anticipating Berto's complaint, who was about to speak up.— Accompany me in this meditation session, please. I could use some company — said the monk.— Of course — Mafalda replied again.They both sat on either side of the monk, trying to replicate his meditation posture. This task was easy for Mafalda, but it was more challenging for Berto; he didn't have the flexibility to perform the required positions. When he managed to do so, the monk changed his position, causing Berto to sigh in frustration. Meanwhile, Mafalda discreetly chuckled. After several minutes of relaxation, Mafalda thanked the monk for the meditation session but used the excuse that their friends were waiting for them and they couldn't leave them hanging.They said goodbye to the monk and descended the mountain."