Lukas walked alone, a few meters behind the platoon.
The shield on his back still ached — not from its weight, but from humiliation.
The crack along its left edge was a silent reminder of his worst defeat since leaving Capital Sorriso.
His boots pressed against the hard ground, but his mind… was still in the forest.
In the dry sound of the spear striking Máximo.
In that gray, empty stare.
In those last words: “You don’t deserve that surname.”
Lukas clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked.
Up ahead, cheerful voices echoed.
The soldiers spoke about the journey, the cities left behind, the rumors about the Tower, the wagers… and the women.
“That one…” said a soldier, nudging his companion and pointing with his chin.
“The one in black, with the crossed spears on her back. You saw her eyes? Like a storm.”
Lukas’ gaze followed instinctively.
It was her.
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Boudica.
Marching ahead with measured, steady steps.
Black hair loose, held only by the weapons on her back.
Simple, dark armor. A spear and bow crossed like funeral crosses — ready to kill.
She didn’t look at anyone. Didn’t speak to anyone.
“I’d spend half an hour with her, easy,” the soldier said with a crooked grin.
“Even if all I got was a cold ‘hi,’ it’d be worth it.”
Lukas replied without slowing his pace:
“You’d probably get your heart pierced in a second…
Or, if you’re lucky, just a crack in your skull. Now get lost.”
The soldier’s eyes widened, and he backed away.
Lukas hadn’t spoken loudly — but there was something in his tone.
A weight. A shadow.
A few more steps and Lukas stopped at the top of the trail.
The wind grew stronger.
And there it was.
No horizon.
The Tower.
The Tower of the Unfortunate rose like a black bone from the earth, wrapped in dark clouds that swirled slowly, like a vortex bound by its own terror.
It didn’t look like stone.
It looked alive.
It throbbed. It pulsed.
Even from afar, Lukas felt a sudden burning deep within his chest…
like an old scar he didn’t remember having.
He pressed a hand against it, confused, but didn’t slow his stride.
“That’s not just a tower…” he muttered.
Behind him, Valquíria and Luiz approached.
Adriele followed, scribbling something in her worn notebook.
More soldiers halted.
Silence settled in.
It was as if the world itself had stopped breathing.
And the Tower, like a chained god, whispered in another tongue:
“Enter, fools. Enter and lose all that you are. Enter… and become monsters.”
End of Chapter 10.
Obrigada por acompanhar até o capítulo do meio-dia! A entrada da Torre é logo ali, haha. Até o próximo capítulo!