Outside the warehouse, Edward was still angry. He was surprised that Yulian wasn’t the same, considering he was the one who had received most of Damien’s lectures up on the mountain. At that moment, Damien walked out through the front and, without looking at anyone, headed toward the hotel.

  —Edward, I don’t know what happened, but Damien wouldn’t do something like this without a reason. I trust that he had his motives —Yulian said.

  The townspeople watching the scene began shouting insults, threats, and accusations at Damien, who simply ignored them… or perhaps didn’t even hear them, lost in his thoughts.

  —That man, that man saved us! —one of the children shouted, his voice trembling and exhausted.

  Several others confirmed his words, causing a wave of shock among the villagers.

  But a group still refused to believe it and tried to lunge at Damien.

  Someone stepped in.

  —You should be ashamed of yourselves, you damn cowards —it was Primo, standing in front of the furious mob—. For years you all just accepted that children were disappearing, and none of you—myself included—had the courage to find out what was really inside that warehouse.

  The mob came to a sudden halt.

  —That bastard kid killed our protectors! He can’t go unpunished! —one of the villagers shouted.

  —You saw them taking children away and you still call them protectors? —Primo grabbed him by the collar and raised his fist threateningly.

  The crowd remained divided, while the boys stayed close to Damien to prevent an attack.

  —I know Damien had his reasons for acting the way he did —Yulian repeated.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Mason and Carlo simply lowered their heads. Still, Yulian wondered… what had happened to him?

  With tears streaming down his face, Damien relived everything Clara had shown him the moment the ghost had gripped his arm.

  Inola had blamed and murdered that clothing salesman—the only one who had gone near the warehouse and discovered the truth: the tribe was a lie, a child trafficking ring.

  Clara was used as a scapegoat. They made her out to be his lover, blamed her for his death and for the deaths of his family.

  She spent two years in detention, enduring the worst insults and humiliations.

  Even so, when she was released, she was happy to see her former classmates moving on with their lives, ignoring the looks of hatred that were reserved only for her.

  Days later, members of the fake tribe beat her.

  Finally, they executed her with a gunshot.

  They passed it off as revenge from some other family, and nothing was investigated.

  Clara was an orphan. Her adoptive family didn’t hesitate to abandon her, never believing in her innocence.

  She was only fourteen years old.

  In his hotel room, Yu-Han sat, exchanging text messages with the other two masters.

  —You already know what your dragon did, don’t you? —a voice interrupted his calm.

  —Oh, a member of the council. I thought you only appeared if I sought you out on the astral plane —Yu-Han replied.

  —Your disciple…

  —What? He killed the fake tribe? That was the mission: to eliminate those who were harming children. In my opinion, it was a job well done —Yu-Han interrupted.

  —You knew? You knew what that tribe really was? —another voice from the council asked.

  —A tribe of shamans, yet none of them seemed to use Koa. A village supposedly protected by them, when I was the one who sent those talismans years ago with one of my disciples. It was obvious something was wrong —Yu-Han stood up from his chair.

  —Even so, your disciple crossed the line —the first voice replied.

  —I know. Now he understands that not all humans are good, and not all others are evil.

  He opened the door and left the room.

  —Now I must go take care of a matter. There may be minor complications.

  Outside the hotel, the girls waited anxiously for the boys to arrive.

  —Look, there they come —Layla pointed.

  —Damien, what happened to you? You’re covered in blood —Sarah rushed toward him.

  Damien only looked at her and threw himself into her arms, breaking down in tears.

  The others watched in silence, under the confused gazes of the girls.

  A strange voice interrupted the moment.

  —Which one of you is responsible for the murder of the tribe?