She ran among the trees, hoping that the Almighty would make her destination correct and lead her to safety—to any place that would save her from Jayden, perhaps finding someone who knew her and helped her.

She stumbled on a branch of a tilted tree and fell to the ground, feeling the pebbles digging into her knees and palms, causing her severe pain, but she did not pay attention to it, standing again and continuing her escape into the unknown.

She gasped, feeling elated, when the sea began to clear in front of her with its blueness and its mighty waves crashing violently on the shore.

Yes, she was running in the right direction, and this prompted her to continue running. She heard Jayden calling her name from somewhere behind her, but she did not dare to turn behind her so that she would not slow down to keep pace with the escape towards the shore.

But she soon set foot in the forest until her foot stumbled and fell, rolling with her body from the top of a sandy hill to the bottom.

She screamed unconsciously, trying to protect her face with her arms, rolling over the folds of the hot sand, which sting her violently, and her speed only slowed when she reached the bottom of the hill. Excruciating pain engulfs her, spreading to every inch of her body.

She raised her eyes and saw the sea in front of her—a vast and vast sea devoid of anyone—no ships, boats, or anything that indicated that it was inhabited.

She lay on her back, breathing randomly, feeling tired, exhausted, hot, and thirsty.

And it was only moments later that she found the sun's rays blocking her from above. She opened her eyes and watched Jayden look at her from above, and as usual, he was vague and cold, which did not allow her to know what was going through his stomach, his mind, or even his heart.

"I wanted to see the sea; as you know, I don't remember what it looked like. I wanted to see it and get to know it again. I justified him, staring at his emerald eyes with stupid courage. Well, he'd kill her anyway.

"Stand," her command, awaits her response.

'Oh, you know, I've run out of all my energy running through the woods, feeling helpless to stand up. She said this to him, remaining completely relaxed.

"Well, when you find your energy, try to search for the colony and reach it before the sun goes down, or else you will surely become food for the serpents." He told her in a dry tone and turned away.

I stared at his back, walking away in shock. I can't believe that he will leave her and leave so simply waiting for him to come back or force her to catch up with him, and when she was sure that he was honest with his threat, she rose up, staring at his back tightly, really!

She jumped out of her place, shaking the sand from her clothes, and followed him with a very fast line, hoping to catch up with him before he disappeared from view.

She walked behind him in silence for a while until she was thirsty and exhausted, grumbling, "I'm thirsty; I need to drink water now, or I'll die."

And as usual, this is the key to his feelings that soften and overcome his cruelty, estrangement, and hardening of the heart.

Without hesitation, he stopped, turned to her, and handed her the water bag without commenting, and she took it from him without hesitation by gnawing the water out of her.

He couldn't take his eyes off her, watching her in confusion. Yes, it baffled him.

He finds it occupying a space in his thoughts, and this is what he does not like. At first glance, when he noticed her disappearance, he was terrified that one of the Sirens had found her to return and remind himself that they were in broad daylight, and what disturbed him to the point of climax was his admiration and appreciation for her attempt to escape from him, although it was a very stupid move. To that end, he respects her non-submission and submission, since what he hates most in this existence is submission; he hates weakness, submission, and self-pity.

He raised his eyebrow and watched her carefully. The water bottle was away from her mouth, and she was staring at something behind him with an aspiration. He sensed her holding her breath, but not from fear but rather with glee. In complete calm, he turned around with the intention of examining the thing that aroused her attention to that degree, and he found himself confronting the Reem gazelle with her young one and she, too. Standing quietly, looking at Eva.

Eva approached her with a quiet and small step, so as not to provoke the panic of the mother deer and her young, until she reached her, and to her surprise, the deer took the remaining few steps towards her, placing her head in her lap and demanding her attention.

Eva chuckled, wanting to cry, muttering: "She knows me; she knows me; do you notice that? She looks at me as if she knows me, as if she knows I won't hurt her.

Yes, that's exactly what he noticed—that deer knows Eva very well, but how? Where do you know her from?

"Can I bring them with me to the colony?"

She asked him with complete innocence, embracing her neck and kissing it, while her little one was hovering around her, smelling her scent with his small, shiny black nose.

"I don't think she would want to accompany you to the colony; they are not pets. How are they kept inside the walls?

She turned her head to him, looking at him with pleading eyes: "If she stays here, the serpent will prey on her, I'm sure."

He shook his head, denouncing her desire, commenting: "I will not carry her and force her to come with us; if you find a peaceful way to bring her, so be it; her presence will not harm us."

She jumped up, startled the deer, and her young clapped cheerfully: "Really, well."

And after she came to her senses, she turned to the gazelle, addressing her as if she were addressing someone who would understand what she was going to say: "I will take you with me; you and your little one will come with me to a safe place, so that the Sirah will never find you." I told her to tell her to follow her and follow Jayden.

"And did I understand you?" Jayden commented with humour as he followed his path.

"I don't know; she is looking at us, but she is not following us. She answered him in a desperate tone.

"Well, that's because she doesn't want to follow you."

She stretched her lips, feeling the sadness in her heart. She paused for a few moments, this time taking a begging look at the deer and her young, begging her to follow her, but the deer did not leave her place, content with watching Eva move away, and after losing hope in them, she sighed in surrender, rushing behind Jaden.

............

"Hey, beautiful." She raised her eyes, inspecting the owner of the voice, and smiled gently, watching Isaiah approach her with confident steps and a manipulative smile that gave him a good lustre.

With his long, soft body, dark blond hair, and wide blue eyes adorned with thick fringes, he wears, like the rest, brown leather pants, an earth-coloured shirt, and a belt containing some weapons and daggers.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her, sitting next to her on the edge of the small pond that is in the middle of the residential area of the colony.

"Nothing; I'm just trying not to be a nuisance to Jaden and give him some privacy in his house."

"If your presence in his house confuses you and frightens you, you can move to our house; I am sure my parents will not object."

"And do you think he accepts?" She asked him meditatively because her presence in his house really confuses and scares her, as she finds him always frowning, cold, and dry, as if he is about to erupt at her at any moment.

Isaiah's smile widened, leaving him near her, and standing in front of her, giving her a way to take a comprehensive look at him, he says excitedly: "I will ask my parents to talk to him, and I do not think he will refuse, I am sure. He wandered for a moment, as if thinking deeply, turning his attention back to her and saying, "Come with me; I will show you something you will like."

"The sun is about to set; when will you close the gates?" I asked him while watching groups of old and young people run inside.

"The doors remain open until the disc of the sun begins to sink behind the hills; we cannot venture to leave anyone outside the walls."

"Have you seen those monsters? Did you happen to meet one of them? She asked him in a trembling tone, feeling her body shiver at the mere mention of them.

Isaiah shook his head in denial, indicating to her that she had changed her direction towards a group of dense trees on the right of the colony.

"I am still training; we are not allowed to participate in the hunt if we are not fully prepared for it."

"Jaden is responsible for these things." I asked him, "Do you remember the female when my lord called him: ‘Is he your king?"

Isaiah shook his head as if he did not know how to convey what happened to her, and after he entered the small forest, she found herself facing a grey building in the form of a long rectangle. He allowed her to enter in front of him, revealing its contents.

She stood contemplating her surroundings with conflicting feelings between the surge of adrenaline and the dread of the place and its atmosphere, and the sight of the males hovering around the place, with their bare chests and their long hair tied behind their heads, and their shapes that only indicate strength, toughness, and cruelty.

She drew her attention to one of the wrestling episodes, which saw a female with a muscular body and short blond hair stand out from a male beyond her size, attack him without hesitation, and push her sword towards him with force, causing Eva's heart to dance in anticipation and panic.

"Who is she? » I asked Isaiah, unable to take her eyes off her, watching her with admiration and appreciation.

"Carmen, she's one of the female coaches."

"Do you train females as well?" I asked him in a surprised tone.

« Yes, we train females only the basics of self-defence; it is Jayden's law that everyone must learn the basics and rules of self-defence, even if they are female; the enemy does not distinguish between young or old.

Male or female, so it is a general rule that includes everyone. He answered her, prompting her to penetrate between the rings until he stood in front of Carmen's ring, who stumbled and pounced on her rival, preoccupied with noticing Eva approaching them.

"Hey Carmen, you seem to be losing your charm. Isaiah commented jokingly.

"Who is your girlfriend?" She asked him to give herself a break, beckoning her opponent to move away. She put her sword back in its sheath on the wall near her, returning to them with sweat pouring from her forehead and neck and her hair damp.

Eva stared at her, her mouth wide open, fascinated by her details.

"Introducing Eva; it's Jayden's guest."

Carmen stood right in front of her, dominating her with her super-length, staring at her with hard, cloudy eyes, frightening Eva, who changed her features, taking a few steps back, feeling Carmen's dark aura surrounding her from all sides.

What do you mean by Jaden's guest? Isaya asked, watching Eva harshly, as if she was about to pounce on her at any moment.

"I mean, she's Jayden's guest." He returned Isaiah, clutching Eva's arm and pushing her away from Carmen, who followed them with her eyes burning in anger and malice.

"And what was this?" asked Eva, hurrying away from Carmen, sensing the latter's change of mood and the criminal inclination that had taken hold of her.

The story continues below.

'Don't worry about her; she wouldn't dare come near you as long as Jaden didn't give the order."

She stood on her floor, pulling her arm from under his grip, shouting at him in panic: "Do you think the time will come when Jaden gives her permission to hurt me?" O mighty one! Didn't you see her look? I felt that she was going to kill me with her looks, so what would it be like if she used her martial abilities?

'I mean, she wouldn't dare approach you as long as you're under Jaden's protection."

She rolled her eyes and stammered, "Ah, you have given my heart a rest. ' Then I shouted at him, 'As if Jaden cared about my safety, he's planning to kill me as soon as he's done with me."

Isaiah furrowed his eyebrows, trying to comprehend what she was saying.

"I won't let him; I won't let anyone get close to you or hurt you, I swear." He promised her, holding her trembling little palm between his palms and smiling kindly at her, and she smiled at him, mimicking his smile.

"What is happening here? " His voice came from behind them, alarming them, so they rose up, freeing their palms with clear confusion over their features and movements of their bodies.

Jayden narrowed his pupils, looking at their palms separated in dissatisfaction, looking back at Isaiah: "What is going on here?"

"Oh, hey, hey, I brought her here to get acquainted with the place." Isaiah answered, showing signs of confusion on his face.

Jaden raised an eyebrow, looking around at Eva's details in a mysterious way, causing her to become increasingly confused and ashamed, as he surprised her by saying:

"Climb to the ring."

She stared blankly at him, questioning and not accepting his request.

To the ring, Eva! He commanded her again, this time to Isaiah: "And you, go up with her, and you will duel with her."

"I, fencing her, but her." He was about to discuss it with him, but Eva's ascension into the ring silenced him, and he later acquiesced to Jaden's orders.

"Don't be afraid; I won't hurt you." He told her to choose for herself a beginner's sword from the swords hanging on the wall of weapons, handed it to her, chose one for himself, and stood in front of her waiting for Jayden's instructions.

Jayden stood outside the ring, surprised by the position Eva took for herself, expertly wielding the sword, indicating that it was not the first time she had carried a sword or fought with it.

"Isaiah, do not be lenient with her." His command, noting her balanced defensive stance and confident grip around the sword, indicates that it is not the first time she has carried a sword and stood in the middle of a fencing arena.

Isaiah raised his sword in defenceless distrust, reluctant to attack, afraid of hurting her, and afraid of opposing Jaiden's orders, who stood nearby waiting for one of them to start.

And as Eva opened the fencing with her attack, taking Isaiah by surprise, he retreated a few steps, staring at her with unbelievable shock at the violence of her attack and the strength of her strike, which in turn retreated with a rush, surprised, too.

She stared at him with wide eyes, amazed: "That's great; did you feel that? I almost hit you!

Isaiah's cheeks turned red, ashamed of his slip. He rubbed his neck nervously.

"Well, I didn't expect your sudden attack."

Carmen stood at a distance, watching Jaden dictate to Eva and Isaiah their fighting moves, worried about Eva and wondering between herself and herself about her identity and the reason for her presence among them.

They have always been isolated from the world and rarely receive visitors, and it is forbidden for anyone who enters among them to leave the island except as a dead body for fear that their presence will be exposed.

She leaned on a wooden pole, wandering with her thoughts towards Jayden and their past together—that fateful history that brought them together. She knew that past events were marked in their souls as well as traces on their bodies. Double and double from punishment, beating, torture, starvation, and thirst, whoever refused to be defeated in front of hardened executioners, even if this cost him to be imprisoned for consecutive days in a dark cave full of bats that crept into him, pleading for sustenance from him, to be nourished by his blood, double the weakness of his resourcefulness and his sickness. And his hunger and thirst.

And all these reasons make them a strong and indissoluble husband; as long as she was and still is his female that he resorts to when he needs food or to unload his energy, she is still his first choice, although she knows that she is not the only one, but she is the fixed central point to which he always returns.

You know more about him than you should; you know that he is not inclined towards weak females who sing about their femininity and softness; he hates crying and grumbling females and disgusts them, and this point always plays in her favour.

I approached him, standing next to him and watching Eva and Isaiah circle around each other in anticipation. Noting Eva's small and weak build, she laughed sarcastically:

"And who is your visitor?" She asked him, trying to draw his attention to her, although she was sure that he knew of her presence even before she reached him, but as usual, he avoided meeting her eyes, facing her, and talking to her, and this is what hurts her heart and soul the most.

"I'm not in the mood for you, Carmen, go away. Her command calls out to the husband before him: "Well, part, Eva, follow me. She also ordered her way to the exit, so she handed over her sword to Isaiah: "This was great; finish tomorrow?"

Isaiah took the sword from her, wiping the sweat off his forehead, and nodded at her, saying, "Yes, let's continue tomorrow. You were really great; you must have had a passionate coach who taught you a lot.

Her eyes darkened, and she suddenly felt a dark gap in her heart with special feelings for the one who was training her without being able to remember his identity.

Isaiah noticed her sudden change of mood: "What happened to you?" He asked her in a worried tone, taking her palm between his, trying to comfort her, feeling the urgent need to take her in his arms and hold her in his arms, but Jayden's roar from a distance startled them.

"Coming!" she shouted, jumping off the rubber railings. She followed Jayden, turning to Isaiah before she left and whispering, "Don't forget to ask your father if I can go over to you. I ran to Jaden, who lost control of his emotions, feeling the aura of anger that began to spread around him like a thick black cloud.

"Hey Isaiah, are you going to tell me who those hybrids are? And what are you doing here? Carmen asked, determined to find out why Eva was among them.

Isaiah puts the guns back on the wall, trying to stall as much as possible, although he doesn't know much. Of course, he won't tell her what he knows.

"I don't know Carmen; I'm just like you. I wonder why she's with us, and I don't get an answer. He answered her, fleeing in front of her and trying to get away from her. Carmen always frightened him, sometimes even forgetting that she was a female, with her short blond hair and long, slender body full of jutting muscles, wearing nothing but leather pants and jackets, and arms never leaving her.

And what frightens him the most is that dark cruelty that holds her eyeballs—a woman with a hard heart and soul who does not have an iota of mercy in her heart, as if she was pushed to hell and returned from it after she signed the instrument of her soul to Satan.